ua breckenridge village 12 The best accommodation option here is Aagaam Hotel (%223640; Nehru Chowk; s/d from 400-500), which h

567 NORTHEAST TRIBAL STATES ua breckenridge village 12 W E S T E R N A R U N AC H A L P R A D E S H THE LAST SHANGRI LA? Recently the government of Arunachal Pradesh has opened up a couple of new areas to foreign ua breckenridge village 12 tourists. Possibly the most exciting of these is the road from Along to the small, remote town of Mechuka, close to the Tibetan border. In the past the Mechuka valley, which until recently had no real road connecting it to the rest of the state, was called the forbidden valley or even a Last Shangri La. Populated by the Buddhist Memba peoples, Mechuka, sitting on the banks of the West Siang River, ua breckenridge village 12 lives up to its Last Shangri La status and is notable for both the 400-year-old Samten Yongcha Monastery and the stunning landscapes surrounding the town, which culminate in a massive hulk of snow- draped mountains ua breckenridge village 12 running ua breckenridge village 12 along the border. For the moment tourist facilities (and tourists!) remain virtually ua breckenridge village 12 non-existent but sumos now ply the 180km from Along ( 300, seven hours, ua breckenridge village 12 5.30am). The only accommodation is the Circuit House, but if that is unavailable then it s likely that local people will put you up be generous in your donation. the owners of which have realised that it is possible to buy new tins of paint a fairly revolutionary thought for many hotels in the northeast. Otherwise ua breckenridge village 12 try the plusher

Umananda Mandir HINDU TEMPLE (Peacock Island) ua breckenridge village 12 The temple complex sits on a small forested river island, accessed by a 15-minute ride on a ferry ( 10 return, half hourly 8am to 4.30pm) from Kachari Ghat, which itself offers attractive afternoon river views. The Shiva temple, which sits atop the island, is less interesting than the boat ride out to it.

The best accommodation option here is Aagaam Hotel (%223640; Nehru Chowk; s/d from 400-500), which has rooms that could almost be called plush. The attached restaurant, Pizza Coffee Day (mains 80-100, pizzas 80-150) is the best place in town to eat and yes, it really does sell pizzas of a sort. Another option is the Hotel Holiday Cottage (%222463; Hospital Hill; r 400-600) southwest of the helipad. However, it s not a cottage and nor is it the sort of place you d really

Rest House Nongriat GUESTHOUSE ua breckenridge village 12 $ (%9856891520; Nongriat; per person 100) This highly basic four-room guesthouse is just one minute ua breckenridge village 12 from the double-decker bridge and so is ideal if you want to explore the escarpment ua breckenridge village 12 floor in greater depth. If you stay, take the absolute minimum with you because carrying a backpack back up all those steps would be a real bitch! Meals cost 100.