oakwalk rental condominiums 560 NORTHEAST TRIBAL STATES AS S A M NORTHEAST TOURS The vast majority of foreign tourists visiting

Arudupa Spur Cafe MULTICUISINE $$ (Arudupa Hotel; mains 120-160; hMon-Sat) Part of the Arudupa Hotel, this is one of Kohima s most happening restaurants and is always busy with young middle-class Nagas relaxing on the sofas and tucking oakwalk rental condominiums into a menu that spans the globe. There s a cool soundtrack playing in the background and lots of heaters for cold winter nights.

FACIAL TATTOOING Historically famous for their beauty, Apatani women were all too often kidnapped by warriors oakwalk rental condominiums of the neighbouring Nishi tribes. As a defence , Apatani oakwalk rental condominiums girls were deliberately defaced. They were given facial tattoos, like graffitied beards scribbled onto living Mona Lisa paintings, and extraordinary oakwalk rental condominiums nose plugs known as dat fitted into holes cut in their upper nostrils. Some men also have tattoos. Peace with the Nishis oakwalk rental condominiums in the 1960s meant an end to that brutal practice, but many older women still wear dat. Photography is an understandably sensitive issue, so ask first. Some Apatani women have had cosmetic surgery to remove their tattoos.

560 NORTHEAST TRIBAL STATES AS S A M NORTHEAST TOURS The vast majority of foreign tourists visiting the northeast states travel as part of an organised tour, and indeed for four of the states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram), independent travel in the normal sense of the word is almost impossible. Instead, the only realistic way of getting permits is to enlist the services of a tour company. Once you have a permit, travelling around independently is not normally a problem, but you re unlikely to find a tour company who ll help you get permits without fi rst hiring a car and driver/guide from them, thus making real independent oakwalk rental condominiums travel in the permit states pretty much impossible. Most tour companies are based in Guwahati and all of the following can organise permits and tours throughout the northeast. Traveller s Point (Map p554; %2604018; www.assamtourism.org; Prashaanti Tourist Lodge, Station Rd) If you re staying only within Assam then Assam Tourism s commercial booth runs a variety of city- and state-wide tours including day excursions to Hajo via the silk-weaving centre of Sualkuchi. Network Travels (Map p554; %2605335; www.networktravelsindia.net; GS Rd; h5am9pm) A highly experienced agency whose operations cover the whole of the northeast with tailor-made and fixed-itinerary tours. Organising permits is a speciality. Jungle oakwalk rental condominiums Travels India (off Map p554; %2667871, oakwalk rental condominiums 9207042330; www.jungletravelsindia.com; 3b Dirang Arcade, GNB Rd) Another experienced oakwalk rental condominiums agency covering the entire northeast with tailor-made tours and fixed-date departures. It organises all the permits, but can be slightly disorganised in this regard. With two boats, it runs Brahmaputra cruises (see www.assambengalnavigation.com) for four to 10 nights at US$350 per person per night, and also runs the Bansbari Lodge in Manas National Park. Rhino Travels (Map p554; %2540666; www.rhinotravels.com; M Nehru (MN) Rd) This agency oakwalk rental condominiums offers set-date tours in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It also offers two- to four-night river cruises. 4 Sleeping & Eating

Built since 1972, Arunachal s pleasantly green, oakwalk rental condominiums tailor-made capital is named for the mysterious Ita Fort whose residual brick ruins crown a hilltop above town. There s a stack of ATMs in Mahatma Gandhi Marg, along with several internet cafes.