A trip to the North East

This was probably the shortest plan for a trip ever .. my team was sitting having tea one afternoon and they just asked me in passing whether I was up for a trip to the NorthEast .. I said Yes and that was that !  Three weeks later on 27^th April, we were on the 5:555AM SpiceJet flight from Bangalore to Guwahati. Of course a lot of drama ensued in between due to the one and only Bipul Kalita, our so called tour operator who kept changing hotels on us and refused to give any details of the cars that were going to take us among other stuff and whose only answer to every question that we had was  - “No need to take tension Madam, I am relaxed” !

Day 1 - 27-April

Lunch at Sankar Bhojanalay

After all this, on reaching Guwahati airport , we did find two Innovas waiting for us though. One of the drivers was Bipul’s company guy Rinku Ahmed and the other was on contract Vijay. So we were off to start our 7 day adventure ! We were ten of us in total – the three bachelors Aakash, Raju and Vijay, the three “married” bachelors Giri, Ramesh and Arun and our family of four.  We started off in the two cars out of Guwahati. It was extremely hot and sweaty though and having woken up at 2:30AM that morning, we were ravenously hungry by the time we reached the outskirts. We stopped at this completely nondescript small roadside shop called Sankar Bhojanalaya , a Marwari pure vegetarian restaurant. I’m not sure if we were just plain hungry or it was really the rotis that were so good, but the simple meal of roti, dal and sabji was one of the best we have had. This was some kind of a very late breakfast or very early lunch, so we didn’t stop for any lunch afterwards but continued on our journey through the plains in the outskirts of Guwahati. The scenery of lush green paddy fields, small ponds and lakes dotted with the purple flowers of the water hyacinth , villages with small houses whose front gardens were full of the customary white crape jasmine and colourful hibiscus, endless number of cows and goats grazing in the fields, white herons and black mynahs dotting the swampy landscape  rushed by our windows as the car sped on through NH52. An interesting part of the highway stretch was where the road divider was the boundary between the states of Meghalaya and Assam for quite a stretch.  After a couple of hours, we finally crossed the mighty Brahmaputra which was so wide that the bridge itself was about 3.3kms long and this was one of the narrowest parts of the river ! After a brief stop at the checkpost to the entry of Arunachal Pradesh state , to clear formalities of entry with ILP (Inner Line Permits - we had managed to get these done online to save ourselves time) , we reached the small sleepy village/town of Bhalukpong on the banks of the River Kameng by around 4 in the afternoon. 

River Kameng in Bhalukpong

We checked in to Hotel Druk , a very basic hotel with bare minimum amenities. The air was nice and cool outside and wanting to take advantage of daylight while it lasted ,we went for a walk to the banks of the River Kameng. A short walk and you could hear the river’s gurgling before you could see it flowing between the steep slopes on the two sides.  Absolutely beautiful  .. we spent some time watching the river flow at its own pace and harmony , the nip in the evening air, the birds chirping on their way back home adding to the serenity of the evening. Some folks had the momos at the road side shops and after a good dinner at the hotel, we all retired early that night.

Day 2 - 28 April

After breakfast of aloo paratha at the hotel which almost became our customary breakast for the rest of the trip, we set out for the next leg of our journey by around 9AM.  We stopped briefly at the Tipi Orchid Sanctuary which was on the way. Maybe it wasn’t the season , so we didn’t get to see a whole lot of orchids in bloom but the some that we did see were absolutley gorgeous.

bamboo orchid in bloom

At Tipi Orchid Sanctuary

By this time we also started to see the many army jeeps and vans crossing us which would be a regular feature throughout our road trip. The drive out of Bhalukpong (700ft above sea level) started to get on to higher altitudes and winding roads uphill. The tropical forests all around were lush and green and so beautiful – the numerous different shades of greens and browns and sudden splashes of bright white flowers on the tall trees were a delight and soothing to the wary eyes of us city folk. If you paid close attention, one could also see so many varieties of small flowers lining the sides of the hills ,tiny yellow star like flowers, pale pink orchid type of small flowers, mauve ones .. of course for the flower crazy person that I am, not being able to stop and examine each of these was sheer torture ! The mountains were also full of lots of wild banana trees, huge and overbearing in some areas as well as  fig trees. Apparently there were spots that were famous for the hornbills that would come and feast on these figs but of course we were not lucky enough to spot any ! Soon after an hour or two , we started encountering a foggy area on the road which stretched for about 19 kms from Sessa to Nachi Phu .. just saying that the area was full of fog is an understatement ! The visibility was down to about a feet or two in front of our car. Apparently these roads are always like this. The folks who lived in the villages around never see sunlight through most of their lifetime – not sure I would be able to survive in a place like this. But the drive through this region was one of the most exhilirating ever – I was absolutely amazed at the skills of Rinku and Vijay navigating through the narrow roads with close to zero visibility. En route we stopped at one of the many waterfalls in the area , Ramesh, Vijay and Aakash ventured down to where the water fell on the rocks , touching the water froze their fingers though ! 

Dirang Dzong

The temperature in this zone was down to a single digits for sure and the wind blowing from time to time didn’t help either. But the whole effect of the fog, the road only visible as a blurry outline, the trees appearing suddenly for a brief instant when the fog moved ahead made the whole experience unforgettable. Once out of this zone, the landscape started to become slightly more elevated and slowly we started seeing the beginning of the pine forests now. In the meanwhile the River Kameng flowed alongside us down below in the valley keeping us company through the journey all the way to Dirang. The Dirang dzong , an old fortified administrative establishment of the Monpas built in the 17^th century welcomed us as we entered the outskirts of Dirang at around 4. We enjoyed our visit inside the settlement , the Monpa kids made sure we were entertained with their drum beats, music and dances. The walls of the fort were unique , made of woven cane sheets and then plastered outside. It seemed as if time has stood still here for 400 years. 

Mona children at Dirang Dzong

Dirang is a charming hill station at an altitude of about 4000 ft above sea level and with a spectacular view of the Kameng Valley below along with the river and very pleasant weather. The roadside houses and the hotel that we stayed in (we split up between Awoo and Pemaling thanks to the expertise of Mr Kalita) had lovely flowers in all vivavious colours that one could imagine – white, red, blue, purple, pink and each flower pot looked picture perfect to the core. The roses were huge,  a deep blood red and unimaginably perfect .. my eyes just couldn’t get enough of these flowers ! We visited the Dirang monastery that evening as well and just as we were walking on the grounds, the arch gate of the monastery was flooded with sunlight in the middle of the green hills all around and a blue sky beyond, the light characteristically bright just before the sun is about to set. The whole scene was not only spectacular but immensely peaceful to say the least.  After a couple of photo shoots and many selfies , we decided to check in to the hotel. We feasted on many snacks followed by dinner at the Pemaling hotel and satisfied with our progress so far, settled into bed for a good night’s sleep.

Day 3 - 29-April

Se La Pass - Welcome to Tawang

We were all very excited as we were to travel through the much expected Se La Pass today .. having read so much about this pass , we were full of anticipation as we left Dirang in the morning and boarded the car once again. The heights grew and the roads became more dangerous and curvy. You would pass under a hanging cliff with no visibility of what was coming from the other side. The nature of the flora slowly changed as well. The pine trees now were of a different type with layers building up to the top. Our first stop was at Baisakhi , one of the army base camps. Extremely well kept , very clean toilets , a shop to buy any warm clothing or other necessities and a nice canteen where we filled us up with momos and tea. The army camps were a regular feature now after a couple of kilometers. In addition were the many stupas that we saw along the way on roadsides, at road turnings and the blue sky filled with the colourful prayer flags every so often .. this was mostly in honour of the Dalai Lama who visited Tawang and passed through this route just a couple of weeks ago ! The whole place and the roads really looked ethereal , sometimes there would be clouds embracing the mountains and then they would float by moving on to the next one. Finally we reached Se La at around mid day and before we drove in under the famous “Welcome to Tawang” arch, we got down from the car as we were totally excited with the  appearance of snow on the slopes around us ! It was freezing cold to say the least and the winds made it even more difficult to withstand at times, so we had to equip ourselves with caps and gloves to enjoy the moments and scenery all around. Se La is at 13200 ft above sea level and when we walked down to the pristine lake in the middle of the pass , some of us tried running back up the steps when we realized the low oxygen levels were actually a fact and not to be messed with. My head actually spun and I needed to breathe in slowly for a couple of minutes before walking back the rest of the way. 

Se La Lake

Finally we had to tear ourselves away from the beauty of the place to move on to destination Tawang. En route we stopped at the mighty Nuranang or Jang Falls. The milky white of the water splashing down the mountain side about from about a 100ft was simply spectacular , so ferocious , yet such glory ! Most of us walked to the base and many of us got wet just from the spray of the water all around. There is a small hydel power plant just next to the falls which cupplies electricity to the local region around. After the Jang falls, we stopped at Jang at a small restaurant for food. 

Nuranang Falls

While others ate at the small restaurant, I ventured walking alone to the small bridge which would connect the rest of the way to Tawang. I need to mention at this point about the dogs of the whole region. They are probably one of the sweetest set of dogs in the world. Every stop we made for food or tea at the small villages and shops had a host of dogs who were ready to befriend us all the time. We names most of them , our favourites were Snowy at Nagamandir, Bageera at Tawang town, and many of the dogs who walked with me in the Jang area.

Dhruv with Snowy

 Initially I was a little frightened to be honest as there were about 10 dogs coming all towards me and I wondered if I would make it out alive, but it seemed that they were ready to play fetch ! And finally two of them decided to walk towards the bridge along with me …. Just totally loved them ! On the way here, we would also start seeing our first yaks. The characteristics of the cows slowly changed as they became more furry and with long hairs and slowly transformed into the yaks of the higher regions. We spotted a mother and a baby who patiently waited on the roadside for us to take their pictures as well ! Finally after a most adventurous day, we reached our hotel Deki Peylbar at Tawang in the middle of pouring rain at almost 7 in the evening ! To say it was cold would not be enough, we didn’t check temperatures, but I am sure it was downwards from zero by a couple of degrees. The pouring rain and the windy night didn’t help either but the room heater and the thick blankets sure did !

Mumma and Baby Yak

Day 4 - 30-April

Today would be one of the most exciting journeys ever – atleast we were in full anticipation of what lies in store on the road to BumLa. Extra permits were secured for traveling to BumLa since this would be the Indo Chinese border. In addition we would need to hire special cars since our cars would not be allowed in this zone  ..  off we were on our expedition in two Tata Sumos! We needed to start our journey a little early – target was to start by 7AM , but we ended up leaving at 8AM, still not so bad , but late nonetheless. We crossed the first check post where all papers produced, checks done , all was green and we went ahead. Soon after the checkpost, we started getting on to somewhat bumpy roads and crazy swerves – but our driver assured us that “atleast there are roads here, moving forward we won’t have roads !” .. I wasn’t very sure what that meant but was soon to find out .. the landscape started to change slowly with some snow showing up on the slopes and sparse coverage of the pine trees all around interspersed with bright red rhododendrons on the bushes .. it seemed as if these were scenes out of a picture perfect Christmas postcard , it looked so pretty. My regret remains not stopping en route to take pictures of this region. 

En route to Bum La

Slowly after 12 kms of bumpy road driving , we entered the zone of no roads – these were essentially dirt roads filled with ice and snow in winters and in the midst of summer when we were there, even though there was no ice, the roads were muddy, slushy and full of some snow. All around the terrain started changing in front of our eyes to have no more greenery at all and there was more snow to be seen everywhere , snow on rocky mountains interspersed with clear lakes every now and then. Some lakes had a name, one of our favourites being the Nagula Lake. Others were nameless but equally mesmerizing. If it weren’t for the number of army vehicles and base camps and other tourist jeeps like ours, the entire landscape had a surreal beauty that kind of made it hard to believe it was real. Adding to the beauty was the exhiliration that comes with such border landscapes – romance of long forgotten silk routes through treacherous borders, of the Dalai Lama escaping into Bum La from Tibet , the many bunkers that could be seen reminding us of the wars fought , of so many stories written of escapades through borders and nature’s harsh beauty – the thrill of it all made us temporarily forget about the crazy bumpy ride, the smell of diesel all around .. we all seemed to just want to soak in the beauty so that these moments of nature stay with us in our hearts forever. Even now when I close my eyes, I can see the stark nakedness of the mountains, the rocks in all its barrenness covered by snow , the ranges broken by the shimmering of sunlight on the sudden appearance of a lovely lake here and there and my heart feels like embracing it in all its glory. 

one of the many lakes on the way

Along the journey , I also felt my heart swelling over with new found pride for the Indian army.  Seeing the conditions they stay in to protect our country at the borders gives you a totally new perspective of what the call of duty really means and what commitment stands for. In spite of such harsh conditions, many still took a moment to wave at us and the children in our vehicles and give us that wary smile of assurance. We were lucky to give a lift to two officers to their next base and chatted with them about their careers so far in the army and their experiences. I was atleast personally humbled by their bravery and gumption. Dhruv was especially excited to see the remnants of bunkers used during the war. Finally we reached Bum La – essentially this was part of the old Tibet and the landscape was everything you expected or had read about Tibet before. The border made for an interesting stop with the Heap of Stones monument and crossing over to the Chinese side. 

Heap of Stones at Bum La

This was at 15200 ft and definitely I could feel the lack of oxygen slightly reeling my brain though not too bad. But it was absolutely biting cold with a kind of snow blizzard greeting us as soon as we landed so that the visibility really became close to none. Having received our certificates of reaching the border, we started on our way back through the same roads. We stopped at the oldest nunnery (also known as Ani Gompa) of Tawang – the Brama Dung Chung Ani Gompa situated on a far off mountain away from the Tawang main town surrounded by beautiful lush pine forests and rhododendrons. About 45 nuns stay here and it was just so serene and humbling to see them go about their usual chores and studies untouched by the happenings of the commercial world around them. We reached back into town by around 5 and were famished , so replenished ourselves at Taste of Tawang , one of the traditional Tawang restaurants with good food and butter tea ! We satisfied our shopping craving with souvenir shopping at the small shops around town before retiring back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep !

Day 5 - May 1st

We would be leaving Tawang today. While we waited outside our hotel for our cars to get loaded , we enjoyed watching little children braving the cold, wrapped up in woolens going to the school next door. Some were really tiny wraped in the baby carriers on their mother's backs or holding their parent's hands walking the way - their cheeks all red and rosy - each one of them so very cute ! Of course we couldn't leave Tawang  before visiting the second largest monastery of Asia (second only to the biggest one in Lhasa) known as Galden Namgey Lhatse. It was built in the 17^th century. The characteristic yellow tin roofs of the monks housing can be seen from several points across Tawang town and a chance sighting of dazzling sunlight falling on this bright yellow from a distance or the yellow rising out of the clouds all around clearly gives you a feeling of celestial paradise. It was drizzling in the morning, and the clouds seemed to be taking a stroll around Tawang embracing the town and the mountains around in her soft envelop. 

Tawang monastery in the mist

a little Lama

We braved the drizzle and rain and walked into the monastery .. the inside was absolutely gorgeous. I have visited many monasteries before but the peace inside this one, the sight of The Buddha had a suprememly calming effect on one. I could not forego the chance to sit for a while and medidate breathing in the calm and peace that one can find only in such a place. The grandeur of the thangkas inside the monasteries as well as the embroidered drapings all around the ceiling were just extraordinary. After meeting a couple of Lamas along the way, turning the prayer wheels with our individual hopes and prayers, we finally had to leave the town of Tawang and trace back our route – this time to Bomdila. This was another hill town , at a much higher altitute than Dirang though and hence much colder as well. Bomdila is the headquarters of the West Kameng district and seemed to have quite a bit of development in and around compared to other smaller towns. After a long journey through the day and added excitement of a road block due to a fallen tree , we reached the hotel by almost 6:30 in the evening. We would pass through Se La again today and it would greet us with a completely different character of sunny skies and a clearer disposition. Throughout the route today , we got glorious sunny and blue skies all over the green lush mountains as we traveled downwards with floating clouds making a visiting appearance all around as if to drape the mountains in further beauty. I couldn’t take my eyes off the road or the beauty all around. The bright prayer flags adorned the clear blue sky and created picture perfect postcards to be stored in the memory of my heart forever.

Glorious weather on our drive back

Day 6 - May 2nd

In and around Bomdila in the morning

It was time to come down back to the plains ! After spending the morning walking around the two monasteries in Bomdila on a clear sunny morning and visiting the craft centre buying stuff that I didn’t need but really wanted , we started off to retrace our path along Sessa, Nachi Phu, Nagamadir, Bhalukpong and finally reached Kaziranga and our resort by 6 in the evening. 

fog between Sessa and Nachi Phu

It was fun to go back down the same paths that we had come up on and to find familiarity of spots and roads that we had visited just a couple of days ago. Along the way we stopped for a short lunch of Maggi and momos at one of the small village hotels and kept driving till the landscape totally moved away from the hills onto plain lands out of Arunachal and back into Assam.  Our resort at Kaziranga was a very very old establishment, we weren’t sure when the floors of our hotel rooms were last cleaned , but the outdoors were maintained beautifully with dahlias in full bloom as with other flowers. The night was a long one with power cuts and finding ourselves in pitch dark rooms with some animal or insects scuttering over the tin roofs  - but we somehow survived the adventure and ready for the next day !

Day  7 - May 3rd

The morning started as early as 4AM as we needed to be ready and at the front gate by 5:15 am to be in time for the elephant safari at 6AM. We reached the western zone main gate a little before 6 and were told that we need to wait for the safari to begin at 6:30.  Of course there was a twist in the tale in the middle of all this as Bipul informed us gleefully that he had not booked any safari for us as he had apparently not received any “instructions” from us ! What we were to do at Kaziranga without any safari booked, I am not too sure  - but Bipul seemed to think it was perfectly okay to tell us this at the 12^th hour. Somehow we were able to manage an elephant safari in spite of all this and what an experience it was ! Our elephant’s name was Urmila and she was all of 35 years old and such a sweetheart. 

The mighty one horned rhino

I was worried that with my spectacular luck, I might be the first one ever to visit Kaziranga and not get to see the one horned rhinos that the park is famous for – but seems like we were in good luck after all. The rhinos roamed all around the lush green marshy swamps within Kaziranga , completely not bothered by the elephants approaching them or the continuous racket made my the many tourists taking the ride. Urmila seemed to be extremely happy to meet us and show us all around the park. We saw some other wild elephants from a distance as well as some swamp buffalos but really far away. But all the sightings on the slightly cloudy Wednesday morning seemed a perfect way to round off our absolutely exciting trip so far.  We would then drive on back to Guwahati with some intermedidate stops for cane products shopping on the road sides as well as stopping at nursery in search of exotic plants of the region that I could take back with me .. We also stopped at the Kamakhya Temple, though due to constraint of time, we couldn’t make it to the inner chamber. 

Having taken Devi’s blessings and eaten enough pedas as prasad we were ready to drive to the airport and catch our flight at 7:30pm ! After a long haul and a break in Kolkata, we finally reached home by 2:30AM ! What a trip this has been – from rolling grasslands , swamps and marshes all the way to snowy rocky mountains , the change of nature in front of our eyes , the beauty that every turn brought was mind boggling to say the least.  In addition were the endless pictures, selfies, car rides full of Lakhsminarayan Chivda and peanuts and chola - Thankfully we all made it back in good shape – surely the sights and sounds helped us cope with the many long car journeys  - my boys were remarkably well behaved through the trip and coped farily well too, I am hoping this experience helps even further in bringing out the explorers in them ! However this did seem like just a starter of a trip with many places beckoning a second coming or a third and fourth to actually discover and explore in so much more details and experience the actual rather than touch and go !