Day 11 - Senapati to Nungba

This post mostly describes my day in Manipur. Senapati, where I spent the night, was a relaxed place overall with no surprises or negative vibes of any sort (you would know what it means when you travel solo to odd places). Or at least that's how I felt in that hostel, where I had a proper rest. By the time I got up, I was offered a breakfast of bread toast, coffee, and an apple. Nice :) There was this dining table on the balcony next to the corridor. I was on the 2nd floor, so I could have a view of the town basked in the morning sunlight. There was this huge ground next to the building, where I had parked my motorcycle. When I leaned over the balcony to check my bike, I saw this huge crowd gathered and listening to an old man giving a sort of speech and every few minutes all were chanting some slogans. It was an interesting watch. Just to make sure it was not a protest or anything, I walked up to the owner and tried to enquire. It seems it was a healing center, and the old fellow was a practitioner (/healer). Not sure if it's an official setup of a privately run thing, but the number of customers they had said volumes about its popularity. 

Out of all people I came across, after entering Manipur, very few (including the hostel owner)  spoke Hindi. So I had to somehow manage my interactions with people, while I was riding through and also during the stay at Senapati. Having said that, I must still thank the accessibility of tv and the influence of Bollywood in the region, people there had enough familiarity with Hindi (mostly in the towns/cities) for me to understand them as well as to get my message across. 

During the hostel stay at Senapati, both when I arrived and also when I was checking out, the owner asked two girls in the hostel (probably sisters) to assist me with my luggage, despite my insistence, on them not to. Those girls were giggling all the time I was around and having a bit of fun goofing around a dusty outsider (i.e. me) dressed up in a funny suit (i.e. riding gear) with a motorcycle and who doesn't speak or understand Manipuri. They lifted the saddle bags and then their steps were kinda tipsy for the next 5-6 feet, which they took towards the building. This was due to the weight of the luggage. Lol. So I asked them to take the tank bag and helmet instead and I carried the saddlebags, both up and down the stairs during my stay. That's my daily routine during any trip, anyway. Here at Senapati, the only challenge was the room I got was on the 2nd floor. All in all, I got a good deal of weight training, to supplement my daily off-road cardio sessions I was getting already by riding the bike :D 

So I paid my dues, got my stuff down, and amid the slogans and the ever-increasing queue of people, outside the healer's clinic (if I may), I got my bull started with a few kicks and rolled off to my next destination. Imphal; is the capital city of Manipur.

Snack break :)

Imphal was alright. Nice big roads, a decent amount of traffic, and was a bit dusty I remember. Something that caught my attention there was the orange color flag (which turned out to be of the BJP party) all over the city. I mean ALL OVER IT. On further exploration, I found out that, Amit Shah was visiting Imphal that day and hence all this decoration. Certainly, there would be a conference and press meet, when he arrives and I would love to avoid that area, to save myself from frenzy traffic.

I had a place to visit near Imphal, so I decided to tank up and head to it straight. With all the dust floating around, I just thumped off the city and headed towards Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in northeast India.  On the way, had to eat something as my lunch may take some time.

I just stopped at a small shop on the roadside, just after getting away from the city boundary. By the time I finally stopped, I was so thirsty and hungry that I dropped my hesitation with cheap packaged food and just pounced on and ate (and drank) anything in that shop that I looked familiar with; cake, biscuits, chips, you name it. After this binging session, finally, when I was at peace and asked how much to pay, we were both finding each other incomprehensible :D She was an old lady (must be in her sixties) and I wasn't hoping she to understand anything other than her mother tongue anyway. Much to my surprise, a gentleman stopped on his moped, to speak to the lady and got to know about the situation we had at hand here. He spoke with me in fluent Hindi and explained to the lady that am not from around here and can't speak or understand Manipuri. So he told me how much to pay and I did exactly that. Now I was curious to find out, who the person was and the secret behind his fluency (rather the fact that he knows the language). He introduced himself as an ex-army man, who now has retired from Army and works on contracts to lay heavy power lines. What followed was an interesting conversation with him, which went on for an hour. Which included a formal welcome to Manipur and many informative bits about the place. Also got to hear about his experience in a few other parts of India when he was in service. After a long chat finally, we both wound up and I just walked back to say thanks to the lady at the shop. She was smiling and murmuring something which was beyond my vocabulary to understand at that point. She must be thinking "Crazy kid these days. I hope his mom knows that he is out riding his motorcycle this far", or something along those lines. LOL

As the traffic on the two-way reduced, I could relax a bit to stop on the way and take a few pictures. 

Paddy fields, mountains in the backdrop, and this tree :) This tree made it to another frame as well, just because it was so nice to me :D

Told ya!

First sight of Loktak lake

Lucky me, I found a good vantage point to see the phumdis from high up

I wonder who lives in that hut !?? And what does he do every day?

This was a coalesce of three different terrains; land, lake, and floating vegetation

Bull liked the place, but not the damp ground which made it not able to stand on its side stand for long.

See that boat (with the green top), it just went from where am standing right now, with few tourists to that island

Just stopped next to the airport on my return entry into the city of Imphal

I was loathing the thought of getting onto the crowded city roads and I ended up facing exactly that when I had to ride around looking for a place to eat. The language barrier was playing a strong role in my not being able to find what I was looking for. A nice and clean place with a parking space in the front, so that I can park my bike with luggage and it will be safe (and visible to me). A mouthful to ask when you don't speak the local language isn't it ?!! Well. Welcome to my world of traveling solo. lol. I got a few leads on places that supposedly serve chicken, as pork wasn't my thing yet. That's all I was seeing everywhere. If you like pork, man!! you are in for choices here (I presume). Did I tell you there was this narrow gully (lane) I got into while in search of a restaurant, which had a couple of meat shops in a row? And there was this set of Pig heads on display. Jeez, they were huge!! I have never seen that size of a pig before, not at least in the places I have lived so far. Strange experience it was. Anyway, I moved on skimming street after street to find *that* illusive restaurant that will serve me food and a momentary shelter for my bull. During this process, I bumped into these two guys on a scooter curious to assist me. Even they were looking for a restaurant and they insisted I follow them. It was a bit against my gut feeling at that point, as I was in Manipur and it wasn't really a good idea to follow some unknown guys, just for finding out about a restaurant. Thankfully this event leads to a pretty normal (thankfully!) and delectable outcome. So these two guys brought me over to a restaurant that was in the middle of a busy street and full of people. So safety or foul motives were out of my mind. They spoke to a security guard of a hotel nearby and asked him to keep a watch on the bike (and the luggage). We all got inside and had to wait for a good 10-15 minutes before we got a table. To suit my interest in food these poor fellows order chicken and rice and a few other stuff.

During this whole time, we got to know a bit about each other. The guy who helped me out, could speak and understand what I was saying. It turned out that he wanted to speak with me after seeing the number plate of my motorcycle, which is from Odisha (formerly Orissa). His sister used to live and work there and she always shared with him details about the place and her days there. He was curious to meet someone from there so that he could tell his sister about it. The interesting story it was. Upon inquiry got to know that she has now moved to the US and he is in touch through calls only. He had also worked for a construction company in Chennai for some time and also in a few other parts of India. So he knew Hindi. During our conversation, he was struggling to recall appropriate Hindi words to express himself and was saying sorry. I was a bit embarrassed with the effort he was putting to make himself understood, wherein I was the one who was supposed to struggle (and possibly ask to be excused for the same). His friend had no clue what we were talking about and this guy had to translate our conversation to him from time to time in Manipuri so that he too could laugh at something funny or interesting. The food was spicy but delicious and I was thankful to this bunch to help me with all this, especially for ensuring the safe parking of my bike on such a busy street. I couldn't have made it to that place without their help for sure. They were insisting I stay at Imphal for the day, but I had different plans and had a long way to go. So had to bid farewell to these two fellows and moved on to explore some more of Manipur and possibly find a safe place to crash (bad word on a motorcycling blog :P LOL But you know what I mean!) for the night. So I moved on.

After crossing Imphal, I left the planes behind (again), to meet the hilly terrain. As you can see in the following images, with the Sun starting its descent toward the western horizon, I was rolling through the hills and sort of away from civilization (or so to speak).

See those fields, that's where I was an hour or so ago.

A fresh incident and I arrived here just 5-10 minutes after.

Army is all over the place and to avoid a gathering they had to step in and investigate this accident. No wonder I too was asked about my identity, visit, plans of stay, etc. It seems it was the driver's lucky day (pun intended), as he was safe and could flee this spot after this incident and nobody got seriously hurt.

During this interaction with the army staff, I was told not to wander after dark and the tense expression of every army person I met along the way confirmed the fact that it wasn't a tourism patch by any means (actually it was very far from that!). Still, I had this urge to ride some more, before I would like to stop for the night. I continued, further on this route. Here are some of the beautiful views I came across as the sun was going down. 

That's the moon in this picture :) So beautiful!

So every single army person I met on this route was tensed, alert, and ready to fire. No kidding! That just kept my heart beating higher as I was riding through the almost deserted patch of 80-odd kilometers through the mountain and forests. Even locals don't really commute to that side so much unless they live there. And for an outsider on a jolly ride (just saying!), this should be the last place in north-eastern India, one would consider. Given the oddity of my presence in this part of the land, the army needed to get to know who I am. Armed men at the check posts, got on their toes when they saw a motorcycle and rider all geared up. Unfortunately riding gear highly resembles combat gear and their life and the safety of that area was at stake. Thankfully I was on their team (as a citizen of the country they are protecting) and not an enemy for them to worry about.

Ahh! How could I not travel, when this is what my heart (and eyes) desire.

I rode well into the evening and got stopped a few times on the way by the army staff/soldiers. It was their utter disbelief and fear of the possible threat in that area, that made them stop me and have a chat. There was this one encounter I still remember. There were these 4 army jawans, who once were Sikh (wearing pagdi) and were guarding a check post. I was going a bit fast on that bend and suddenly came across this checkpost just after a turn. To engine brake, I rolled the throttle all the way down, along with hitting the rear brakes. My bike makes this crazy thunderous sound when I close the throttle while riding fast. That my friend almost got me killed (well not really but it was close!). These guys got into a defensive stance with their fingers on the trigger and were ready to shoot. I was like.. "what the.....!!". I stopped right there and my right hand showed an empty palm (my left hand was grabbing the clutch as the bike was still in second gear). It was like "hey don't shoot! I am just a traveler passing through!". Glad they didn't. But man they were pissed. I voluntarily rolled over to the side to park the bike and took off my helmet. Thankfully I have a friendly appearance and that put them at ease. What followed was a usual set of questions except for this one by a Sikh guy (looking gravely into my eyes).." shaadi hogayi ?"(are you married). My reply was also a bit on the face, "agar shaadi shuda hota toh kya bike leke yahan aata?" (had I been married, would I be riding around on a motorcycle on this route?). This cracked him up and there was this big wave of laughter spread through that army post that evening. I got a few high-fives from that bunch. lol, They told me the name of a few villages ahead which are safer spots, and where I should stop for the night. With that, I moved on to looking for those villages. I crossed many more soldiers on the way and thankfully didn't get stopped again until I approached them to enquire about this village named 'Nungba', where I had planned to stay for the night. When I say village, all I saw at night was 10-12 houses with a dimly glowing light bulb (or lantern) on the porch, and connecting these small patches of villages was this twisty road and nothing but forest all along. I was seriously doubting finding a place to stay, as an accommodation felt like a very strange thing to ask for in a place so disconnected from the modern world. But one important thing I forgot, was that I was not the only traveler on that route. Nope, there were no other bikes or tourists on that patch (and I doubt there will be any for at least a few more years to come). Trucks are the only visitors to that area and they too stop for the night. So some locals have a separate room (made up of tin sheets) with few beds thrown in, which are given for rent. I was lucky to get one such bed. There was this kid (who turned out to be a truck driver, duh!) who was already staying in the room. He spoke Hindi and gave me all he knew about the place. Nope, he didn't know Manipuri either but being a regular driver on that route, he knew enough to stay safe and get his job done. I learned quite a bit about the challenges these guys face while driving on this route. Language is the smallest of their worries actually. There are a bunch of other issues the state is plagued with and the sense of uncertainty I saw on the faces of our army men, was evidence of it.

At Nungba, unintentionally though, I was drawing the attention of a group of guys there, who were possibly drunk and a bit mischievous in their behavior. My roommate (the kid), also whispered that they are indeed something to watch out for. Honestly, I can deal with my fear, else I wouldn't be doing what I do. And at that moment, I was more concerned about the safety of my bike than me. So I decided to find a safe house for my motorcycle for the night. After I kept my luggage in the tin can (let's call it lodge for ease of reference!), me and the kid rode 100-200 meters to a police check-post. I approached the men in uniform and introduced myself and made a request if I could park my bike in their vicinity so that it stays safe for the night. They were a friendly bunch and the senior inspector, suggested I park the bike right at their check post door. It was such a relief. I assured them, that I will move it early in the morning, to avoid any inconvenience. They too lived in a tin shed after all, with 2-3 beds inside and a small counter facing the road, and the wooden boom pole. Basically, they keep track of the trucks that pass through and possibly collect some entry tax. With the bike in a safe place, I was now totally relaxed to observe the people and life around me. 

That day I was served rice, daal (it was close to what I eat at home), and a little bit of chicken curry for dinner. Just like every other place, they had pork curry but I was not in the mood to try that. The kid was watching me (along with the family) very curiously, to see how I eat, and if I liked the food there or not. I am not a fussy person and am always thankful for the smallest gesture I receive, and here the food was actually of my liking. As a humble gesture, I asked the lady in the house to give me the rice I initially had taken off my plate. I have a very small appetite and rice at night is a bit too much for me. Still, I tried to live up to their perception of my appetite, to avoid being teased for how less I eat. Yeah, believe it or not, that's a common issue I face everywhere I go. 

After the grand dinner (it was considering the place I was in that night), I went to the lodge (eh...tin can! maybe that's what I should stick to calling it!), for which I had to climb a rickety wooden staircase, as my tin room was on the first floor of the wooden building. Everything shook when I stepped on it and I was wondering if I should just lie down on the ground for the night and be safe or climb that crackling staircase to the tin can which I felt can collapse anytime. Jeez!!! Keeping up with the kid, I got into the room somehow. The bed was comfy and warm. Ahh!! I was so thankful for the warm bed and the food I got that night. Really I was. The kid was telling me about his family and how he got into driving trucks and all the experiences he had in the northeast until we both fell asleep. Before which I had to blow off the candle (yes, there was no electricity in that tin can). It was such a peaceful night, in a place where I least expected it. But then that is the irony of life and travel, we get to experience things that sometimes are least expected.

Until tomorrow.

Sid

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Day 10 - Dimapur to Senapati

My morning introduction to the city of Dimapur, got me all confused, given that the image I had of Nagaland in my mind. The first appearance of this busy city with a lot of shops and traffic around and no sight of greenery or hills, got me thinking, where am I exactly. "Well this doesn't look like the Nagaland I was hoping for", was what I thought to myself. "What's the deal here ?!?", I was mumbling standing in the hotel lobby area, looking outside the glass walls. The guy at the reception came to my rescue and enlightened me about the missing information. Dimapur is like the commercial capital of Nagaland and Kohima is the capital of the state. Dimapur shares the border with Assam (which I rode through yesterday) and it's just 3-4 km away from the hotel. Once I move towards Kohima, I will be climbing up the mountains again and THAT is what I might have heard about :) He was originally from Manipur, so I got a good deal of information and did-you-know facts from him about Manipur (my next destination) as well. It was my first morning with so much population in a proper city since I left Tezpur for Tawang, so I just wanted to walk around a bit observing people. 

The security at the hotel was more than happy to take a photograph of me, so got lucky :)

It wasn't long before, I said 'Hello' to my old friends..the mountains

The city was still away, but the district border possibly started from here...

Some beautiful lush green fields with mountains in the backdrop and this tree trunk frame the picture.

First sight of the city and the houses.

During this journey you would have seen the pattern in which the houses were in Sikkim, here is a curve ball.. this was nothing like that, as you can see. houses were scattered all over the mountain.

Introduction to the Kohima War Cemetery.

This cross in the center of the cemetery stands tall as if the fallen are still on guard and watching over the people of Kohima.

Another part of the city is visible from the left side wall of the cemetery.

I spent almost an hour walking across these tombstones.

The messages written on each with the name and age of the soldiers just make this experience so real. It just made me think so hard that people of our age fought and martyred right in this place... The level of challenges they saw and faced, in comparison puts the challenges to shame, which we could possibly come across in our lifetime in the free nation that we live in.

Zoom in to have a look at the names of many other soldiers, whose bodies couldn't be traced/recovered, hence only the names are marked for the record here.

With this quiet time spent thinking about all these people from so many different countries (India, England, Australia), I finally said adios to the city of Kohima.. as well as to Nagaland.

During my ride-through, I could only scratch the surface of the diverse and culturally rich state of Nagaland. There is so much to see and experience here, that I could safely say that I would be back, maybe backpacking. There are some challenges about safety here but nothing too serious that I personally came across. The issues I learned about are mostly among different tribes and with the increase in education we can safely assume, things will get better in the future. The only common pattern I saw across all these states so far is the amount of school-going kids (especially girls), even in the remotest of villages, where there are hardly 9-10 houses around. That in my opinion is a good sign of development. I wish all the Naga people, working hard to make their state come up in the economy and peaceful living, all the best. I left behind a wish to visit a head hunter's village and meet some of the warriors. During my travel, I learned that they stay deeper in the forests and their villages are close to our eastern border. Due to a lack of time and information, I chose to skip that route. Maybe during my next visit :)

What's in there ??

Before I realized it, I was getting into the state of Manipur..clearly which shares the border with Nagaland.

Notice the stepping structure of the crop fields, I noticed this only after entering Manipur and took a picture to remind myself of this farming trait

With the ride across Nagaland, time was running short for me. Still, it was imperative that I took breaks and enjoyed the sights and views the place had to offer.

Not long after I entered Manipur, I was welcomed by this beautiful sight of sunset after hours of shower.

Another view of the evening shades of the sky.

I intended to ride all the way to Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, as it would be safer to be in the city for the night halt. However, I was told not to ride that patch at night due to some known issues of mugging and worse. I ignored the first few times I heard this, but then couldn't proceed any further after the suggestion became a bit redundant with every person I enquired with. So I decided to call it a day, in a town named 'Senapati'. Yep, that's the name, even I first thought I misheard the name, but I hadn't. I found a hostel (sort of) there with huge corridors and big and spacious rooms. It was run by a lady and her brother. They were really nice people and were more than happy to accommodate me. She even allowed me a good discount, for a double occupancy room, cause that's all they had available for the night. They didn't have any provision for food, so her brother accompanied me to the nearest hotel, as they were about to close for the night. Mind you it was not a tourist town or anything, so I was like a total outsider there. This became more obvious when I walked into a random hotel, which I saw open. There was this bunch of guys (mostly drunk) who were having a good time. One of them in a cowboy hat was a bit curious about my entry. He was loud and was trying to show his dominance around and I think I unintentionally miffed him when I didn't look away, while he was staring. I was actually ready for a situation, given the circumstances, but thankfully the lady (yeah most of the shops and hotels are run by ladies in this part), intervened and shooed that guy away to his table. He was mumbling something looking back at me, but I decided to back down as it was not a smart idea to get into a tussle that too in Manipur, that too with a group (though the rest of the guys were keeping it to themselves). To take my focus away, I started giving attention to the tv in front of me, which was running some Bollywood movie of the 90s. Not bad really, way better than watching that buffoon in the cowboy hat anyway. lol. So my choices for dinner were limited (excluding beef and pork), and I ended up with this:

Clockwise from the bottom: Cucumber slices, some leafy vegetables (shaag of sorts), bamboo shoot soup, dal, fish fry, don't remember what that one, chicken piece I guess, and rice (big ones) in the middle :)

Honestly, the food was so different than what I was used to with my limited experiments so far. I didn't like the rice and bamboo shoot, not because it was bad, it just smelt and tasted different. Maybe I would have developed a taste in a few more attempts, but the first time wasn't that great. The lady saw my facial expressions while eating and could make out that am struggling :P She said come over tomorrow, I will make chicken for ya. That's what you like right ?!! I was like yeah, thank you. I am not sure if I will be around here tomorrow but if I am, then I will drop by. It was kind of her to make such a generous offer, considering pork and beef is the staple food there and chicken may not even sell, except for my meal. I ordered another slice of fish fry, just to help let the remaining items sink in. Either way, I was thankful for the dinner tonight and the whole experience in the middle of Manipur. It was dark but my batteries still had enough charge (wanted to ride till Imphal, remember?!!). So I just sneaked past my hostel building and went a little ahead on the hill road, just to get a view of this town from the total darkness. Not a smart move, I know. I just had my phone on me, so took a few snaps of the town of Senapati from a distance.

Bonfire and the city lights in the backdrop.

A closer look.

It was getting cold outside and I didn't have any warm clothes at that time, so decide to get back to the room. Had to put the camera and other stuff to charge and riding gear to get some air. Cause tomorrow we have miles to cover and places to see :)

Until tomorrow.

Sid

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Day 9 - Tenga to Dimapur

How interesting it is, to wake up and notice a river flowing at its highest with all whooshing sound effects, right next to the hotel building. The night I could hear the sound of flowing water and it was really an interesting feeling. There are very few such opportunities I have gotten so far, where in I could spend a night next to a river. After midnight, when all other noises fade away, all one can hear is the sound of the flowing water. The feeling is kinda a mixed one. I feel peaceful to be present in the lap of nature and completely a part of it, everything seems to be in harmony. But then having grown up in a concrete jungle, still not used to being totally out in the wild, the thoughts like "What if the water level rises in the river when I am asleep?", "What if there is a flood... ", comes to mind. Glad the worries take very little space/time in my mind and I do my homework of enquiring and understanding the surroundings to a reasonable level and then drop all worries and just chill. That's the best way that I could think of living actually. So anyway, as you can see, the hotel boy (a talkative lad named Raju) has indeed done what I had told him to, last night, i.e. he gave my bike a good scrub, and it looking clean and ready:) 

Parking spot for the night in Tenga, the river from which this town gets its name.

While leaving Tawang, one thing I noticed was that my bike's front brake had started squeaking, every time I pressed the lever. That my friend wasn't a good sign! There were hardly any workshops/garages around, let alone one for the bullet. Front disc pads I never really carried as spare till now as they usually last 10-15 days riding. This time something was different, because of which my disc pads (although it was used well before the trip), got completely worn out at 1500 Km. Well, couldn't see the black magic, until I reached Bhalukpong. So basically I rode (slowly, carefully, and responsibly) for two days covering a distance of roughly 300 km, with a set of worn-out front disc pads. I was actually praying for the disc brake not to give up completely, as that would be disastrous. Touch wood I made it safely to the place called Bhalukpong, which is basically the entrance to (and for my exit from) Tawang. It's a small town where you can find all amenities; like food, workshops, ATMs, you name it. I looked around for a shop that has a pair of disc pads to fit my bike and as luck would have it, I found a set. The guy at the shop also runs a garage.  So he did the fitting. From him, I got to know about the magic sauce behind the worn-out-disc-pad recipe :P It was the mud. I had ridden through bucket loads of mud while riding to Sikkim and back, and then some more on the way to Tawang. So basically the mud sticks to the disc and pads (I suppose) and keeps scrubbing the pads all the time, even when the brakes are not engaged. The drum brake doesn't have this issue. It may squeak if moisture sneaks into the drum assembly, but I don't think they would wear out like the disc. At least in my case, they were A-Ok. So with a new set of disc pads installed and we being on the planes again, I was a happy camper :)

Such a relief to know the disc was still in good/useable condition.

With the bike's needs taken care of, it was my turn:) I popped right into the first hotel that caught my eye. Bang opposite the garage and ordered Veg Momos (dumplings). The bike and garage are visible in the background here.

The sight of planes across the hills. 

Some houses and a warehouse (I guess) on the way back from Bhalukpong

The approach towards the flatlands was getting obvious with every passing turn in the mountains

The irony of my day... Now am in planes and looking at the mountains and reminiscing how it was to wake up there just this morning:) This amazing feeling of contrast is one of the reasons I love traveling.

The initial plan was to catch up with an acquaintance in Tezpur, who had been of great help in reviewing my itinerary and giving some points from his own experience of this belt. Which was of great help. But when I reached Tezpur, I got to know that he was at a conference. What a bummer. As there was no certainty of the seminar getting over anytime soon, I decided to move on to my next planned destination; Kaziranga National Park.

This signpost was the only opportunity at this point to capture the location in the picture.

All people I met on the way confirmed that the park is open to visitors and the flood effects have subsided. After riding for a while, I reached the national part IBs and met a few staff from the national park just to find out otherwise. I had already ridden through the road (from Tezpur), which goes inside the national park for 30-40 km and nothing was really catching my attention. Add to it, the swarm of trucks on that route had kept the stretch so polluted, it was hard to see with the visor up, and keeping it down was no good either, as it was getting dusty quickly or the humidity would start troubling. One thing I must give it is the sense of vastness this part has. Due to the recent rains, both sides of the road were green, yet the grasslands on either side were still filled with water, and there were a bunch of cattle grazing in those grasslands. It was too much of me to expect to see rhinos on the roadside :P Anyway, as it was getting dark, I had to look for a shelter and would love to camp if I get a chance inside the national park. But fate had it another way. After speaking with the staff (who were very kind and cordial by the way), go to know that the park closes for the monsoon season and re-opens for the public in November. However, this year it might just open in the first week of October. It all depends on the condition of the park and other maintenance work to complete before the visitors arrive. They also confirmed the fact that there is a camping option from Government, as it is not safe due to the wild animals. People may prefer to tent inside the fenced/bounded premises of the private resorts, but they're no designated camping sites as such. Well... things were clear as they could be, and I had no more plans to stay in a resort near the park at a time when I can't explore it. By this time it was already 5:30 PM and I was yet to have my lunch. So I decided to first fill myself up (as the bike was already tanked up for any possible destination I may choose) and then decide what to do. Found a small dhaba on the left side with hardly any people (just what I needed to relax actually) and pulled over. 

Well, it was a much-needed break and a decision made by us (me and the bike) to head on to Nagaland :) The name brought some fears and twisted perceptions, which I grew up hearing from a variety of sources. But then I was never a person to take someone's word for it, rather explore and understand what a place is like, possibly through my first-hand experience. But all this after the dark ?!! As I was doing this brainstorming, I started walking towards the hotel staff (2 guys and an old fellow) to have a chat. A bit of discussion lead me to understand, the road from Kaziranga to Numaligad, the 64 km stretch is a two-way road in good condition (same on l rode through Kaziranga), so not many issues there. But after that, I need to turn right, and it's an overall deserted stretch till Dimapur, the first city of Nagaland. Which will be going through the forest and hardly any people around. I was listening for clues I need to focus on and 100 km', 'deserted stretch', and 'forest' is what stuck. Considering the bike was tanked up and seemed to be in good shape, I had no logistical issues that I could think of. The only challenge was safety. Well hell with it, I am gonna ride the night and try and make it to Nagaland. Total of 223 km (estimated by map) or night riding on tar (possibly) road. Awesome! I love the night rides and especially having a sense of fear (let's call it a challenge) is just what gets me going! 

So I rode! Switched on the fog lamps, which broadened my road present two feet on each side of the bike, warning vehicles to keep their distance. An average speed of 70-80 km/hour makes sure, any typical miscreants won't dare to break the streak of this bike. The first 60-70 km was straight from Kaziranga and I had the company of a few other vehicles, mostly trucks. Continuing straight for 100 km would take you to Jorhat, another city with an airport. But I had to turn right after 60 KMs to catch the road towards Dimapur and so I did. As a solo traveler, I must confess, the real threat while traveling through forests or non-populated areas is not from wildlife really, it's from our own kind; people. Yet some of us (including myself) have a positive point of view on life and that supports me in dealing with such moments in an empowered way than, a pessimist (or so-called realist) would.

So the road from Numaligad to Dimapur was an awesome road with tons of twisties, the only catch was, it was the night! So my visibility was only up to 6-10 feet in the front and while cornering, I could see the bend progressively as my headlights turned. So I had to be on the toes (literally pressing against the brake pedal) while maintaining a good speed on those roads. All said and done, I enjoyed the stretch like anything and had fun getting the knee down (not like the MotoGP though :P ). Here is a short clip I made for my Instagram feed, which gives an idea of the road.

Warning: Loud music! So you may need to reduce the volume if you have the headset/earphones on!

So it was a great road, except for those bits of cracks which at one point came so suddenly that I was almost certain, my front wheel is gonna bend or worse, the bike will dismantle. But thankfully nothing of that sort happened (except the front rim bent, which I noticed after I completed my trip). So as I got closer to Dimapur, I had a good data signal on my phone, so I booked a hotel (The Tragopan) and found my way there once there. It was a cheek hotel and I loved the ambiance. I was the dirtiest thing in that otherwise nicely maintained hotel. LOL 

I had to book a two-bed room, as there was nothing else available. Well.. my gear got an extra bed to spread out for the night, again! I wasn't complaining either. I didn't realize that this hotel would become my favorite on this trip. The rooms were big and so was the bathroom. So today's ride spanned 350 odd km, started from Tenga (Arunachal Pradesh), rolled through Assam (Tezpur, Kaziranga), and finally made it to Dimapur (Nagaland). You would understand why I appreciated a relaxing shower in a spacious bathroom so much, once you see my condition below.

Enuf said!! That ain't dust bruv! Thats grime :D lol

It wasn't physically that tiring for me, I was more bugged with all the pollution and dust that was blown from the trucks that I had a hard time with. Anyway, here I was in Dimapur before 10pm, safe and sound, in safe and comfy accommodation, what more a traveller could ask for ?!! Tomorrow I will get to see the true Nagaland in the mountains, as I will be visiting Kohima. So let me rest well for the night.

Until tomorrow.

Sid

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Day 8 - Tawang to Tenga

A comfortable and warm accommodation ensured that I had the best possible rest I needed. After I got up, I had to follow up with the manager at the hotel and later with my uncle (ex-army personnel) about the possibility of a permit to the Bum-La border and if there is anything there, which is worth a visit. After a few calls back and forth I realized, that it wasn't an interesting deal either way. Meaning, firstly it would have taken me a full day at least to get the civilian visitor permit (unless am traveling with army personnel) secondly there is nothing to see there, other than the vast no man's land and our troops guarding the border. I chose to give it a pass and start my return from Tawang. So around 9 am, I was ready and the luggage was all set on the motorcycle. Needed to carry cash for fuel on the way and also for any check-ups for the bike. The manager came over to see me off and we had a bit of chat about the place and his experience so far. He assured me of a good service if I happen to visit again, to which I (sort of) gave a nod that, he may see me again, possibly with friends. And maybe without my motorcycle;) So guys, if you happen to be visiting Tawang, do check out Hotel Zax and you can mention my name to avail some great hospitality. ;) Well after this short chat it was time for me to be on the road again, and I was somewhat eager to meet Se-La (pass) again. This day hopefully I was better prepared than I was the day before. "How?", you may ask. I picked up a pair of waterproof gloves with a warm thermal liner from the army store in Tawang market last night. So this time, I was more confident and ready for the challenge ahead. With this thought in mind, my bull roared on the streets of Tawang and headed south of the mountains.

Leaving the City of Tawang

This morning when I was speaking with my uncle who was posted in this area during his service days, suggested me few places which he recalled were good. One among them was a beautiful big waterfall at Jang, which was roughly 25 KMs and comes on the way. Yesterday before entering Tawang, I remembered seeing a sign board giving directions to a waterfall. So after getting a recommendation from someone who has lived and seen almost all parts of India (including the remotest locations, where the only army has access), I decided to give this place a visit. And man, I was not disappointed. Despite my overexposure to beautiful waterfalls all across Sikkim, this one had its own charm and beauty. Have a look.

Jang Waterfall, just after the rains and in its full bloom

After a break at the waterfall, I had a chilled-out ride all through and I started taking breaks, as I got closer to the Se-La.

This time I was warm enough to stop and enjoy the view this fall, which was beautiful with the equally breathtaking view around.

I came from that side...(waterfall/stream is to the left of the motorcycle)

So this is the hotel which had saved my life (and this trip) by making some hot tea available, right when I needed it. See the constant rain that was going on, just before the climb to the high pass

Fluffy.. a cute and chubby Tibetan mastiff. I got to play with it this time.

Wanna see this dog up close ?? I heard you. ;)

 

When the rain stops.

Near Bomdi-La, when I took the camera out, the lens and view-finder immediately got condensation inside... scary :/ This shot is due to the moisture on the lens from the inside. This was due to the drastic change in temperature and the camera gear didn't get acclimatized inside the tank bag.

Well, I decided to ride further, instead of staying at Bomdi-La for the night again. Though I loved my last stay here, I just prefer to possibly try out some new place, when there is a chance. So I rolled further down for another 20-odd km to a place named 'Tenga'. It is a small town next to a big military base. Found a budget hotel and parking spot just outside my room window. Hotel had a restaurant downstairs that served the room as well. So I was well taken care of. The evening after getting fresh, I just took a stroll around the hotel area and the temperature was alright. I had tea and shopped for a chocolate bar for tomorrow, as I had a feeling, am gonna be munching miles, once the bull meets the planes. Lol. So may need a bit of sugar to keep going ;) 

Until tomorrow.

Sid

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