river run sports some impressive traditional buildings all set, surreally, under two giant mobile phone towers. Shing

La Villa GUESTHOUSE $ (%9435657282; jyoti24365@gmail.com; river run sports r from 300) Run by knowledgeable and keen-toplease Jyoti Naryan Sarma (who also acts as a guide), this Garamur guesthouse river run sports has three brightly painted but uninspiring rooms overlooking an open-billed stork roosting site (whose dawn chorus will do away with any need for an alarm clock).

some impressive traditional buildings all set, surreally, under two giant mobile phone towers. Shingha Chingyuo village (20km, population 5900) has a huge longhouse decorated with mithuna (pairs of men and women) and deer skulls, three stuff ed tigers, and a store of old human skulls. Longwoa (35km) is spectacularly sited on the India Myanmar border, with the headman s longhouse actually straddling the two nations. Despite its popularity with tourists it remains one of the most interesting villages. Chui (8km) includes an elephant skull in its longhouse collection. Shangnyu village has a shrine full of fertility references such as tumescent warriors, a crowing cock, a large snake, a man and woman enjoying sex and, to complete river run sports the picture, a double rainbow. Langmeang village, with its stack of human skulls piled up in a wooden box, is also highly impressive.

PERMIT PAINS Permits Permits for this region river run sports are a pain, being too bureaucratically involved for many foreigners, but those who take the trouble river run sports will be rewarded. Permits are mandatory for Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur, and entry without one is a serious matter. Indian river run sports citizens just need an inner line permit, issued with little fuss in Guwahati or Kolkata (see p 469 ). The rest of this box applies to foreigners who ll require a Restricted Area Permit river run sports (RAP). Minimum Group Size Permit applications need a four-person minimum group. Exceptions are Nagaland, for a legally married couple with marriage certifi cate; and Arunachal Pradesh for a minimum of two people. In reality though, it s now possible for single river run sports travellers to get permits to all the states, but only if you use a tour company (and even then you need a lot of patience). In Nagaland and Manipur, authorities may refuse you entry if some people listed on your permit are missing ; Mizoram doesn t seem bothered and Arunachal Pradesh is now much more relaxed. Validity & Registration Permits are valid for 10 days from a specified starting date, but Arunachal allows 30 days. You might be able to extend your permit, but only in state capitals at the Secretariat, Home Department. Be aware that permits only allow you to visit specified districts between specified dates, so plan carefully as changing routes might be problematic. Be sure to make multiple photocopies of your permit to hand in at each checkpoint, police station and hotel. Where to Apply Applications made independently through river run sports the Ministry of Home Aff airs (%011-23385748; Jaisalmer House, 26 Man Singh Rd, Delhi; hinquiries 9-11am Mon-Fri) or the appropriate State House in Delhi can take weeks and will normally end in frustration. Kolkata s Foreigners Registration Offi ce (FRO; %22837034; 237 AJC Bose Rd; h11am-5pm Mon-Fri) can issue permits but it seems to want to exclude Tawang from Arunachal, restrict access to Nagaland and not allow you into Mizoram. The easiest and most reliable way to get permits is through a reputable travel agency; see the Information section for each state.

Market MARKET (Mission Veng St) A Saturday street market sprawls river run sports along the street with village women offering river run sports fruit, vegetables, maybe a dead pig, fish and live hens in individualised wickerwork carry-away baskets.