Before
my memory gives in, let me try to draw an amateurish sketch of my recent trip
to a small section of the North-East India. Full 8 days is what we (group of
four boys) needed to do the
Guwahati-Tezpur-Dirang-Tawang-Bomdila-Kaziranga-Guwahati circuit, covering a
part of Western Arunachal and Assam. Let me at the outset make it clear that
this is not a travel guide but only an account of my experience. Hence, this is
not necessarily the best way to travel in this area. Indeed, there is no best
way- a lot would depend on, among other factors, the time of the year you plan
to visit, the people around you, the driver accompanying you, the hotels you
put up in, the food you eat and the weather changes you experience.
Day 1: We got a Bolero to drive us from
Guwahati to Tezpur. The driver turned out to be a jolly Bengali in his
mid-twenties, who has been residing in Assam all his life. He has traveled
extensively in all parts of Arunachal. His confidence and promise to help us
experience the best, gave us the much-needed boost right at the beginning of
the trip. The Guwahati-Tezpur drive was through a largely smooth highway, flanked
on both sides by typical Assam villages, comprising a fair mix of bamboo huts
and concrete, green and arid, but certainly not opulent. We stopped for an
eggetarian meal at a roadside dhaba. Having completed a less than a 5-hour
drive, we reached the small town of Tezpur by 4 in the evening and checked
in at a hotel. We had done our homework- Aditya’s Center Point is apparently
the best hotel in the town; the room rents being decent, we did not hesitate. After
freshening up in an hour and half, we left for whatever this little town had to
offer. We drove to a park or something (frankly, this was not something I would
remember for long!) where we had to pay entry fees to climb up stairs and reach
a plateau from where we could see the Brahmaputra and adjacent areas. The sight
was made pleasant by the setting sun. We thought, “Why not go and watch the
sunset up close from the banks of the river itself inside of from an altitude,
far from the river?” The width of the mighty river had considerably reduced due
to deposition of sand which had assumed proportions of dunes as in a desert!
Nevertheless, we waded through the sand and jumped narrow streams to get a
close view of fishermen set up nets, as birds perched on a high branch bid
adieu to daylight. A glass of sugarcane juice re-energized us as we walked back
to the market area. A kilometer of walk and we had seen (probably) all of
Tezpur’s main market. We finished the evening with a dinner at Oasis- a
bar-cum-restaurant where we had liquor and good food- at very decent prices.
And yes, our homework helped us spot this one too. We also met Bhaity, our
contact who arranged the vehicle and for the permit to enter Arunachal. He came
across as a nice guy, promising his help at any point of time in the trip. We
shook hands with Bhaity, walked back to the hotel and fell asleep early, reminding
ourselves to wake up early next morning.
Day 2: We left early, at around 7 o’clock,
because we would have to travel a long distance, to the town of Dirang. Crossing
the Assam-Arunachal border after getting the permit verified at the Bhalukpong
check-post, we took the swerving roads of Arunachal after stopping by a
roadside Durga Mandir. The roads were mostly as good as roads in mountains
could be. A river accompanied us all through. I do not recall when the name of
the river changed from ‘Jia Bhoroli’ to ‘Kameng’ but we stopped regularly to
satisfy our tired eyes, absorbing all the greenery around and the blue above,
the mighty mountains, the scary jungle, the unnamed waterfall and the swift
river cutting through huge masses of unnerving rocks. Aloo-Parantha breakfast
at Bhalukpong and a vegetarian lunch at a roadside dhaba got us to Dirang. This
time, we ignored our homework (which suggested Hotel Pameling) mainly due to price
considerations and checked in at Samdup Khang, which surprisingly, turned out
to be brand new hotel with excellent view. We walked down to the market area,
trying to figure out if there is something we should definitely visit. It
turned out that there are a few monasteries, but even local people could not
properly direct us to. More interested in the river, we trekked down to the
riverside, jumping from one rock to another. There, we had a fantastic view of
the river cutting through the valley, the awe-inspiring mountains and a part of
the town of Dirang. We had tea, samosas, aloo-pakoras, jalebis and pyaaz-pakoras
for snacks before walking back to the hotel. For dinner, we couldn’t muster the
courage to set our foot outside- it was not only cold but pitch dark- and shops
were shut as early as 7 o’clock. We ordered chicken curry, dal, papad and mixed
vegetables in the hotel. After a fulfilling meal, we went back to our rooms to
gossip and relax. A few successful but mostly failed attempts at night
photography later, we were forced to get back from the balcony to our rooms
because of the cold. Before going to sleep, I set my alarm for 5:30 AM- after
all, we were in the ‘Land of the dawn-lit mountains’, and how could we afford
to miss the dawn?
Day 3: In the morning, before the alarm
rang, I was woken up by the morning light filtering through the curtains. I
pulled the curtains aside- darkness had disappeared. Was the Sun already up? I
sat up on my bed to get a glimpse of the river still flowing, incessantly,
without complaints. I hurried to the balcony but couldn’t see the Sun. I woke
others up, each ready with a camera to capture the Sun rise. We figured out, we
were looking in the wrong direction. Thankfully, we didn’t miss anything- a red
ball of fire emerged from behind the mountains, partly covered in cloud, making
the sight even more pretty. When we were done clicking the Sun in all sizes and
camera settings, we started spotting birds. I was amazed at how many different
kinds of colorful birds existed there. Spot a tree, find a branch, and you’ll
see a bird- most likely a new one. We tried capturing as many as our patience
permitted. We clicked vibrant flowers and bright oranges hanging from branches,
before leaving Dirang for Tawang. Although the distance to Tawang was
relatively less than the previous day, the road was more difficult and the
altitude challenging. Before entering the district of Tawang, we were greeted
with snowfall. What started as drops of rain gave way to flakes of snow. We
immediately stopped the car to immerse ourselves in the joy of experiencing
white dust of snow cover us. Fully satisfied, we drove further up to Sela Pass situated
at 13700 ft., with all the glasses of our car fully raised and the heater
turned on (‘La’ means Pass, so use of the additional ‘Pass’ is redundant, but
to make it more convenient to the unfamiliar audience, I have used it). We
could now not only see snow-clad peaks but the road was strewn with white. We
took some time off to relish what nature had to offer. As we crossed the
“Welcome to Tawang” board, the sight of Sela Lake delighted us. Half covered in
snow, the other half filled with water barely able to move in the cold and a
white mountain overseeing like a guardian, Sela Lake offered a breathtaking
view that is sure to be retained even by my weak memory. More curves and turns,
and we reached Jaswantgarh War Memorial. Set up in memory of Jaswant Singh who
almost single-handedly resisted large Chinese troops for 3 days during the 1962
war, this place offered comfort- partly because of the complimentary tea
provided by Indian Army- and partly because the snowfall had receded by then. We
chatted up with an Army jawan, paid respects at the memorial, clicked pictures
in bunkers and with yaks and some of us ended up buying tee-shirts sold by the
Army. Next, we drove up to Jang Falls- a desolate but majestic waterfall that
lead up to the gorgeous river. More bird-spotting and stone-hopping, and we
found ourselves perched on the rocks, watching gravity at work, right next to
the fall. After having a gratifying vegetarian lunch accompanied by omelette at
a dhaba, we continued our journey to Tawang. We checked in at Hotel Budhha in
the old market area, not the first choice if we were to go by our homework, but
we settled for it, given the proximity to market and the economic sense it made.
Rooms were neatly done, largely in wood and with geysers and television- pretty
much what we needed. The host turned out to be an extremely caring and
courteous Marwari. His hospitality was something I would definitely remember
and would make me recommend this place. Outside, it had started raining cats
and dogs. The only umbrella we had would only be enough to carry us to the next
door. It appeared to be the most happening place in Tawang- a lounge bar named
Orange, where we had liquor and Chinese food. The already-low temperature
conspired with torrential showers to push mercury further down. Mostly-air-tight
room, a dim CFL, 2 layers of blankets and quilts, a tiring journey, heavy rain,
a full stomach and alcohol together put us to bed earlier than we had expected.
Day 4: We woke up to a sunny morning;
as I peeked out of the window, I could see the large ornamented cylinders so
characteristic of the Buddhist gomphas,
rolling in mild wind. The welcome relief from rain charged us up. Although this
was supposed to be a lazy day reserved for a local tour of Tawang, the bright
Sun pushed us out of our beds. To our surprise, we found all the shops closed.
We walked up and down the old market, saying to ourselves at 9 o’clock- “It
might still be early”. We later found out that an ex-MLA had passed away and
the sleepy town had decided not to wake up. All day. We were left caged in the
hotel except for a lazy stroll to the nearby gompha. Our savior was the World Cup semi-final match between South
Africa and New Zealand. We had our breakfast and lunch in our hotel as nothing
was available outside. We enjoyed the food and the rest- a break that our
bodies needed from hours of road travel. We filled up a form to apply for a
permission to visit the Indo-China border of Bum La- we didn’t want the
headache of getting it done ourselves- so we paid an agent a small fee. In the morning,
we went first to Thukje Choeling Nunnery and then to the much revered Tawang
Monastery. Of course, we stopped on the way to catch a view of the town from
wherever we felt like. Tawang Monastery shelters a huge statue of Lord Buddha
and was home to the current Dalai Lama (XIV) when he escaped Tibet in 1959. The
extraordinarily peaceful monastery gave us some time to unwind ourselves- sit
on the stairs to seek out emptiness, appreciate the beauty of the majestic
Himalayas, and revere the discipline in the life of the young monks. In the
afternoon, we visited the Tawang War memorial- a well-decorated memorial
architected in accordance with Buddhist culture. When a jawan guarding the
doors of the museum overheard us discussing the 1962 war and what we had seen
at the Kargil war memorial, he offered to explain to us in detail as to what
goes on during a war. He gave a brief account of the history of the Chinese and
the Indian Army at the border, the McMahon Line, the redrawing of the border, the
Bum La, the Helmet Top, Chinese aggression all the way up to Tezpur and the
ceasefire declaration by Mao. We were intrigued by the story of the intrepid fight
put up by the Indian Army- matters made worse by political misjudgments, unfair
expectations dictated by an ignorant leadership, unavailability of war supplies
and obsolete weapons. Later that evening, at around 6, we happened to listen to
a documentary screened by the Indian Army, with around 40 more tourists
visiting the town, where we were told in further detail the local history, the
culture and the war. The documentary ended with a part of the song ‘Jai Ho’,
leaving many with goosebumps. The market was still closed. But we couldn’t
wander outside any longer- the dark clouds gave way to thundershowers-
subsequently, it snowed. We rushed to our rooms and settled for dinner after a
few pegs of whiskey.
Day 5: The sky was clear. We left at
around 7.30, hoping to visit the border, Bum La. After collecting the permit
papers from Tawang Brigade, we drove up to the check-post. We were disappointed
when we were told that we would not be allowed to go all the way to Bum La, or
even Madhuri Lake (Sangestsar Lake), on grounds that the recent snowfall had
left the roads in condition that was not conducive to tourist vehicles. Some
Army jawans strictly prohibited us against attempting anything risky at all.
Thankfully, we would be allowed to visit PT Tso Lake (again, Tso= Lake, hence
the second ‘Lake’ is unnecessary, still…). The roads leading up to PT Tso were
dangerous enough to scare us. We heard the wheels skidding and could feel the
melting snow underneath the wheels playing dangerous games with our driver who
constantly tried to keep the car in control. The road was flanked with snow on
both sides, with small black rocks, thin leaves of grass, colorful Buddhist flags
and a yak or two, making a cameo appearance. We reached PT Tso, which largely
covered in snow looked extremely gorgeous. We didn’t know the way to get down
from the road to the lake. We made our own way, trekking down the snow-clad
terrain. Another group of tourists followed us half-way- then gave up. We
continued up to the shore, taking careful steps not to fall and not to let the
snow crumble into the icy water. Having exhausted our appetite for photography,
we continued our trek in the snow to reach a small bridge where we spotted a
few golden ducks. Everything appeared truly mesmerizing. We figured out how far
we had trekked down only when we started to climb up. It was draining us of our
energy. We made it back to the top- the road where our vehicle was waiting- with
quite some effort and some breathing pauses. Blinded by the impeccable white, we
entered a dark room hosted by the Indian Army. The hut was covered in snow,
icicles from the roof forming wonderful fairytale imageries. Complimentary tea
and biscuits awaited us. We took our time to sip and chat up for a while.
Finally, we made our way back to Tawang. To our pleasant surprise, the market
was open- for the first time in three days. Let me share that Tawang is a small
town made largely of Buddhist population and houses mainly three ‘markets’-
Old, New and Nehru market which, going by the nature of shops, appeared to rely
on tourism majorly. We ordered lunch at the famous Dragon restaurant- Chicken
momos and some local cuisine: Chicken Thekthuk and another Chicken dish I don’t
recall the name of. Our homework suggested that another traditional Tibetan
dish, Churpa- made of fermented yak cheese- was “not for the faint-hearted”.
The owner of the restaurant suggested not opting for it; but we were bent on
“at least trying”, so he brought us a sample; the smell was so strong that we
decided against even “trying” it. After a good lunch, we bought for our
families some souvenirs from the local shops. In the evening, while looking for
snacks, we spotted Greenwood Restaurant. Elated to find a yak dish being served-
we didn’t think twice before ordering. We had Yak Chubta, Pork Chilly, tea and
coffee. After all these, only a light, courtesy dinner at the hotel sufficed.
Oh, in the evening, we also visited Tawang Emporium- something I wouldn’t
remember after two days- because handicrafts were sold as souvenirs at, what
appeared to me, higher prices compared to the shops at the Old market. Three
nights and two days in Tawang is more suited for “holidaying” rather than “touring”
really- nevertheless, we enjoyed the rest very much.
Day 6: We were to descend as well as cover a long
distance, all the way down to Bomdila. We left at around 7.30 in the morning
after replacing the car tire, and figured out the location of the birthplace of
HH Dalai Lama VI from confused directions obtained the previous day. Upon
reaching, we found no other tourist but us. We looked around, couldn’t find
much but breathed in the fresh morning air while enjoying the silence. The road
to Bomdila was the same as we had taken during our onward journey. However, it
beats me how dramatically the scenery had changed over the previous few days- I
figured out it was because of the snowfall, the change in cloud configurations
and the changed direction of travel which exposed us to a different view. My
assumption that the return journey would be boring couldn’t have been more
wrong. We stopped possibly as many times as we did on our way to Tawang- to appreciate
the dynamic nature of Nature. It was indeed a treat for the eyes! On the way to
Bomdila, we stopped for a while at Dirang to visit a Hot water spring. One can
definitely give it a miss. But it was here that we spotted some birds and got a
wonderful view of a village across the river. We stopped a couple of times at a
random roadside shop to watch the India-vs-Australia semifinal, to grab a plate
of hot momo, to buy half-a-kg of locally grown oranges (which turned out to be surprisingly
good!) and to sip a cup of tea. When we reached Bomdila, we concurred with our
driver’s suggestion to stay away from the market, just next to the monastery.
We got ourselves rooms in Doe-Gu-Khil Guest House at relatively very cheap
rates- we could have certainly stretched our budget but the awesome view from
the excellent rooms could hardly be given a miss. After watching Team India lose
to Australia, we drove down to the Bomdila main market in the evening, had beef
momos at the widely-recommended Sikkim restaurant and took a stroll. We bought
a packet full of small cubes- made of yak milk- which we were told was a “time-pass”
snack. These cubes turned out to be a complete waste: hard, absolutely tasteless
and annoying! Totally recommend not to buy. Like other towns in Arunachal,
Bomdila shops shut at around 7 PM as well. We headed back to our hotel rooms where
we had our dinner. The night was exceptionally cold, but two layers of blankets,
closed doors and windows and carbon-dioxide for a few hours were able to protect
us.
Day 7: We got ready by 6.30, savored the
charming view of the picturesque town from the room and walked up to the beautiful
monastery, where lamas were chanting and praying. Sunshine on our shoulders made us happy. Having
spent some time there, we left Bomdila. Covering incessant curves, the Bolero
kept descending. It would be unfair not to mention the hilarious, mostly ‘PJ’-ish
force-rhymed BRO (Border Roads Organization) signboards on the way. We had seen
them in Ladakh, and elsewhere. And BRO quotes never fail to entertain. “Be
gentle on my curves”, “After Whisky, Driving Risky”, “Do not rally, enjoy the
valley”, “Speed thrills, but kills” and so on. But the best happened to come
from where you’d mostly not expect: the State Bank of India. Its board read “Bank
on Safety, Return is assured.” After descending on the plains and entering
Assam, the speedometer remained inclined to the right for most part of the
journey. At Tezpur we had a long lunch because the car needed some attention. Crossing
the mighty Brahmaputra, we headed for Kaziranga. By around 5, we were in
Kohora, the entry point to Kaziranga National Park, home to one-horned
rhinoceros. On the way, in the fields next to the road, we could see rhinos and
deer. We zoomed in our cameras to get a better view. Where we stayed was equipped
with very basic amenities. We soon learnt that we were required to queue up for
booking the elephant safari next morning. Thankfully, we stayed close to the
booking counter- so we walked down to the place at around 6.30 PM. There was
already a queue. We joined. At 7, an officer came in and informed that there
were only 55 seats available and would be allotted on first-come-first-serve
basis. Foreigners would be given preference. There were separate queues for
gents and ladies, and they would be called alternately. Each person could book
a maximum of 4 tickets. We did the math while waiting in the queue- if everyone
opted for 4 tickets, we wouldn’t get the elephant safari. Lady Luck was on our
side. I was the last one to be called in and we were the last ones to
successfully get the tickets booked. By some random algorithm which I am now thankful
to, we were allotted the very first slot of rides. We finished our dinner at the
only dhaba open in the locality then and went back to bed early.
Day 8: We woke up very early and
reached the elephant riding point at 5 AM; the safari started at 5:15. We rode
the elephants and made our way to watch rhinos. Our elephant, Barsha Rani, took
slow strides. It wasn’t a dense jungle that one would imagine. It was mostly
grass- the kind inhabited by rhinos, deer and lions. The grass grew taller as
we went deeper but it still was very different from Kanha or Jim Corbett. We
started with deer but spotted numerous rhinos on our way. Up very close.
Shooting with cameras from all angles. To our complete satisfaction. We were
dropped at Riding Point #2. Our car was waiting to pick us up. We went back to
our hotel to collect our belongings and leave for Guwahati. Torrential showers
delayed our start. But we were thankful for getting the first safari slot
because had we been allotted the next slot, we would have been drenched
completely, and clicking pictures would have been a luxury. We sped off through
the wonderful roads in the pleasant temperature, taking suitable breaks in
between to feed us with Puri-Sabzi and tea. In Guwahati, we chose a place close
to the railway station, in the popular Paltan Bazaar area. We ‘zomatoed’ and
found a traditional Assamese place for lunch- Khorika restaurant. The Assamese
thali included quite a variety of dals, vegetables and fishes. We also ordered
chicken and duck in bamboo shoots. The strong smell of bamboo shoot happened to
stay onto our fingers till dinner! In the evening, we took an auto-rickshaw to
the famous Kamakhya temple and spent some time there. The long queue made us
disinterested- nevertheless, we strolled in the compound, watching devotees
engage in weird rituals, animal sacrifice and worship of young girls. Religious
practices fascinated me, yet again. Having tried enough of local cuisine in
both Assam and Arunachal, we decided to visit the Pizza Hut for dinner. We left
with our stomachs full. That’s all we needed because our eyes and hearts had
already been full from the splendid beauty of Mother Nature.
Parts
of the trek were easy, and some others were exhausting. Monkeys made sure our
trek was slowed down at regular intervals. Imagine trying to climb a steep rise
while monkeys stare at you, almost ready to pounce upon you. Brave souls saw
the less brave ones past the attack of Bajrang dal. Throughout the trek, we
remained a group, looking out for one another, ensuring no one is left behind.
A couple of refreshing nimboo-paani breaks and a bunch of group pictures
reinvigorated us every time we felt low. A monkey stealing lunch from one of us
happened to offer a comic laughter in a tiring climb- so we made no effort to
shoo him off. We reached the top before the estimated time. We had earned for
us extra time to rest, click pictures, chat up or just stare at the vast expanse
of blue and green far away from us. We spent time posing for pictures- solo as
well as with the group. The view from the top was exhilarating. The rock statue
of Nandi is an amazing sculpture that keeps reminding of the talent and expertise
of our forefathers. Having spent enough time looking at the distant villages
and towns from the top, we decided that it was time we started our onward
journey.
The
descent was much less tiring but the incessant brake we had to apply on our
knees to keep us from falling was taxing. The weather had been pleasant all
throughout the trek- the compassionate Sun keeping his beams low for the sake
of the many first-timers. We reached a temple midway where we decided to break
for lunch. At that very moment, it started to rain. But we had bought ourselves
some time. We ate packed lemon-rice. With a packet of Lays, a sweet or a cake
being passed around by fellow group members, it felt like a nice picnic lunch.
Even after we had our lunch, it was raining, albeit with lesser vigor. Some
raincoats came out, some umbrellas bloomed. Others thought the rain wasn’t that
bad. We set out. Rain faded away very soon. We kept descending, with a nimboo
pani break and a group photo break in between. Rain had rendered the path
extremely slippery and the descent turned out to be more dangerous than we had
expected. Nevertheless, everyone managed to complete the trek unhurt, and more
importantly happy. The camaraderie of the group was visible at every step-
whether it was meeting resistance from the monkey gang, extending a helping hand
during a slippery descent or sharing biscuits to cakes to what not! 