Khonoma , a model village clean as a pin , scenic and full of picturesque terraced fields . Accommodation is to be found in private houses and we managed to score the best , a little red house with a balcony and stunning views of the mountains , our base for a few days to hike around the area . Life here is simple and rewarding for photographers . Highly recommended . Kohima , on the other hand , is a characterless town but you are highly likely to have to overnight there .
Overnighting in Tuensang led us to some adventure of the unwanted kind . A dusty village with one roundabout and a police officer directing traffic is of no interest at all but it was late , and we had to stop .
On our way to Mon the following morning , we were stuck at the roundabout and asked the policewoman for directions to Mon . In India , whether you speak the language or not , it is common practice to holler the name of the destination ( preferably twice ) and nothing else . The policewoman signalled right and right we went . After a few hours of hard riding we spotted a tea hut offering some respite from the cold wind .
While sipping our chai we started chatting with some local men who asked where we were going . When we said Mon , they said we were on the wrong road . Unbelieving , we checked the maps , and the locals were right , of course . To summarise it all , we had to go back and spend another night at the same scruffy hotel in Tuensang because there were not enough hours in the day to go back to square one and start again on the right road to Mon . On hearing what happened , the surprised hotel owner went to the Police Station to report the policewoman for giving the wrong directions to foreigners .
If possible , the roads after Mon
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