The Kaziranga National Park is one of the best forest reserves in the world – and you have to stay at the Wild Grass Lodge for a truly satisfying and wholesome experience. [continue reading…]
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From the category archives:
North-East India
Hotel Review: Wild Grass Lodge, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India
Visiting Mawlynnong in Meghalaya, North East India
En route to Mawlynnong
Contributed by Medhavi Gandhi
When my friends and I decided to go to Meghalaya, I should’ve paid a little more attention to the name—‘the abode of Clouds’. It turned out to be exactly that!
We took the bus from Tripura to Shillong, and when the bus driver said it would take 20 hours to do so, I didn’t really believe him. The beginning was great—winding roads, trees bending low enough to kiss the top of the bus, the cool breeze, and occasional drizzles. We couldn’t wait to get there but the State highway was in a terrible condition, and… people with bad backs should never take the rear seats! [continue reading…]
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Hotel Review: Iora, The Retreat, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India
If you are looking for modern comforts when visiting the Kaziranga National Park, Iora is the place you should choose to stay. The property has all the comforts you can ask for, with high quality furnishings, satellite TV, a fully functional restaurant and more. The problem is the property could be anywhere in the world; it has little to show that it is at the world heritage site of Kaziranga National Park. [continue reading…]
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Hello Ladies…of Arunachal Pradesh!
Annie’s friend giving me a flying kiss at the Nyokum Yullo festival in Boasimla.
“I want to marry you,” calls out Anne.
“Er, I’m already married,” I reply.
“So?,” she asks with a shrug of her slim shoulders. “What’s the problem?”
“There is no problem,” I reply with a flattered grin, “I just need my wife’s permission to marry you.” [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 41: Chasing the Gibbon apes, the only of their kind in India
The Hoolock Gibbon (Lesser Ape) found in the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary near Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India
I woke all excited at 5:00 am to head out to the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary near Kaziranga National Park and Jorhat in Assam. The day started with a small blip: my guide was missing. I had to go to his house and wake him up – it turned out he had slept late after a night of theatre and drinking with friends. Apparently with the tip I had given him the previous evening.
But the guide was good. He had made advance arrangements with another guide to spot the Gibbons and wait for us there. When I saw the family, I was a little disappointment: I was imagining they would look like those Great African Apes you see in National Geographic. I was even visualising sitting with them for photos – and feeding them bananas I specially carried. [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 39-40: Back to the wilds in Kaziranga National Park in Assam
A Great Indian Hornbill at Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India
After the turmoil of Arunachal’s mountains, it was back to the wilds – this time at the Kaziranga National Park, one of the best wildlife reserves in the country.
The experience at Kaziranga turned out to be great for two reasons: I stayed at Wild Grass Lodge – why can’t all properties in national parks be like these? (Will post a review of this later). I also managed to secure the services of their best guide, Budheswar Konwar, to take me around. [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Days 34-38: Stuck! Scary Landslides and falling rocks leave me stranded in Arunachal Pradesh
The beautiful landscapes on the road to Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh
Feeling like I had conquered the North Pole, I thanked the Army officers for their hospitality at Kibithu (the eastern most motorable settlement in India) and started back in the rain. And then the troubles started.
Rocks of all sizes were having a free run, plonking themselves at alarming regularity on the highway. One big fellow stopped me in my tracks at Walong one hour later, forcing me to spend the night in an Inspection Bungalow (I was lucky to have got one, and the rooms were very comfortable). But it was a cold, long night – and it seemed even more so with the uncertainties of what lay ahead. [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 33: Driving to Kibithu on India’s eastern most road in Arunachal Pradesh
On India's eastern most road in Arunachal Pradesh, headed to Kibithu on the Chinese border
I set out on a rainy morning for Kibithu – the eastern most settlement in India that can be accessed by road.
It was a picturesque drive on a well maintained road, valleys on one side and lush green mountain faces on the other. Bamboo houses and rivers completed the postcard settings. A sign post near Kibithu announced I was on the eastern most road of India. It was with a sense of achievement that I drove into Kibithu – only to be told there were no guest houses there. The benevolence of the Army ensured me a room and hot meals in the Mess. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to venture out and to try and sight some Chinese villages across the border – the weather had made any hiking dangerous. It was time to sit back and enjoy a break after a month of heightened physical activity
This trip was sponsored by TripAdvisor.in and Yatra.com.
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 32: Driving over river beds, and ferry crossing rivers, between Pasighat and Hayuliang in Arunachal Pradesh
Crossing a stream on a shaky bamboo bridge on the way from Pasighat to Hayuliang in Arunachal Pradesh
Day 32 of the Great Himalayan Drive marked what would be many days of adventurous, and sometimes dangerous driving, into the lesser known after I left Pasighat.
After an hour of driving, I came across a broken bridge with little choice but to drive over a dry river bed. It took another hour to negotiate a rock strewn path, going over a shaky bamboo bridge over a stream and then losing my way before a boy out hunting guided me back to the highway. Incidentally, there are ‘Hunting not allowed’ signs all over but that does not deter locals from using slingshots and air guns to bring home dinner. [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 31: A tricky suspension bridge and sweet oranges at Pangin in Arunachal Pradesh
The suspension bridge at Pangin near Aalo (Along) on the way to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. Check out the state of its floor. Click on the image for a larger view.
How do you cross a suspension bridge? Just walk across it, right? In theory, yes. In practice, a very different proposition – at least in the case of the one at Pangin, 29 kms from Aalo (formerly Along) on the way to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
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Built for locals to cross over the fast flowing river Siang, just the sheer drop from the bridge to the river below can give one the creeps. When crossing it, the persistent wind drafts cause that pendulum swinging movement – something you feel only when you are actually on the bridge. What certainly doesn’t help matters is the state it is in: ground below (if you can call it that) is made of bamboo and some planks. All somehow put together but shaky in many parts. Non-existent in some. And looking like all coming apart. You don’t watch you footing and the leg could go through. No, it is unlikely you will take a plunge to the rapids below – the mesh holding it up looked sturdy – but a twisted ankle or a broken leg could well ruin your trip. [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 30: Notes from Daporijo in Arunachal Pradesh
A bird's eye view of Daporijo in Arunachal Pradesh from a hill before the town
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I reached Daporijo from Ziro on day 30 of the Great Himalayan Drive – the experience in this town was a mixed one. Here go some of the impressions: [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 29: Celebrating the Nyokum Yullo festival with Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh
A member of the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh dressed for their annual 'Nyokum Yullo' festival in Boasimla village
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Along with the Hill Miris and Apatanis, the Nyishis are one of the main tribes of the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. And like others, they too have their annual festivals. The main one is ‘Nyokum Yullo’ which I was lucky to witness in Boasimla, a village on the way from Ziro to Daporijo.
The event was held in what looked like a village playground cum stadium. Apparently the complete populations of Boasimla and neighbouring villages had turned up to join in the festivities, most of them dressed in their traditional best. Hundreds – from children to youth and some older too – had been got together to perform their dances for the audience and the chief guests who included the local legislator. Some of these dances go by the names of ‘Rikham Pada,’ ‘Buya’ and ‘Ropi.’ [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 28: Does Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh have the world’s largest Shivalinga?
The Shivalinga at Kardo Village near Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh believed to be the biggest in the world at 25 feet height.
A tree cutter Prem Subba was working in a forest around the Kardo village (on a hill by the same name), about 4 kms from Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh a few years ago. Unfortunately for him, the tree fell the wrong way. When he went down the slope to retrieve it, he noticed a pointed rock sticking out from a mass of mud and shrubs. Upon clearing it, he chanced upon what looked like a Shivalinga, the symbol of Hindu God Shiva.
Not quite sure what to make of it, he brought back the local Hindu priest who confirmed it to be a Shivalinga, made by nature. And thus a holy spot was established. With locals believing it to be the largest Shivalinga in the world with a height of 25 feet and circumference of 22 feet. The site is referred to as Sidheshwarnath Temple. [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 27: Meeting the Apatanis tribals in Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh
Two members of the Apatani tribe in Hong Village of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh heading out for work in the morning
Change is all around us. And it is permeating even the remote and lesser developed regions of the world. If you are going to Arunachal Pradesh and expecting its ethnic population to be walking the streets in their traditional tribal dresses and accessories, be prepared to be disappointed.
Most of them are dressed in casual clothes, functional and comfortable. While you may expect to see more of traditional dressing in the interiors (poorly connected by roads), or at their festivals, the village of Hong in Ziro Valley still has some ‘sights’ to offer. It is home to the Apatani tribe. Many of the older women still wear nose plugs and men tie their hair in a knot. Many have tattoos on their faces. [View more images on Facebook even if you are not a member] [continue reading…]
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Great Himalayan Drive Days 25-26: In Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh
The Thupten Gatsal Ling Gompa (monastery) on a hill in Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh
After the excitement of watching elephants bathe and play at the Manas National Park in Assam, the following two days of the Great Himalayan Drive turned out to be mostly uneventful as I headed to Itangar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. But there were a few surprising and unexpected things in store for me even here. Here goes some of it:
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 24: The games elephants play at Manas National Park in Assam
Elephants playing with one another at the Manas National Park in Assam, India
This will go down as probably the best moment of all my travels. Setting out early to spot wildlife and birds at the Manas National Park in Assam, I came across a herd of elephants on a dirt track about 50 metres away from me. Initially they seemed just like a couple till I realized they were a full herd – and hidden in the trees and foliage around the track. And what do I see?
They kept coming in and out of the greenery, from babies to giant male members. And all seemed in a jovial mood. They were playing together, pushing each other into the bushes, climbing on top of the other and engaging in friendly duels. I could have watched them for hours – you rarely see such sights. Don’t miss out on their expressions – some are actually laughing.
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This trip was sponsored by TripAdvisor.in and Yatra.com.
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Great Himalayan Drive Day 23: Watching elephants bathe in the setting sun at Manas National Park in Assam
Image of an elephant bathing at the Manas National Park in Assam in India
One of the best moments of The Great Himalayan Drive happened at Manas National Park in Assam for me: the sight of elephants bathing in the Manas river with the setting sun in the background. The setting and the moments were surreal – I could have spent hours watching the scene. But the sun has to set and elephants have other things to do. Enjoy the images on Facebook even if you are not a member.
This trip was sponsored by TripAdvisor.in and Yatra.com.
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Photos of the Day: Enjoying the Christmas Carnival in Kohima, Nagaland
Young girls serving tea during the Christmas Carnival in Kohima in Nagaland
These photos were taken in Kohima in Nagaland in December 2009 during the Hornbill Festival. Every evening, the main market would close and the streets given out to those who set up stalls to sell food, gifts and more. These included youngsters out to make pocket money, business, NGOs and some church bodies. All in all, great fun to walk around interacting with the locals.
Click on any image for a bigger view. You can also go to Facebook or Flickr to see the complete set. [continue reading…]
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The World War II Cemetery in Kohima, Nagaland: A Moving Experience
The World War II Cemetery in Kohima, Nagaland
During World War II, the Japanese had overrun Burma and were advancing into India when British forces, ably assisted by Naga troops, finally forced them to retreat at Kohima. The site of one of the war’s bloodiest battles, Garrison Hill in April 1944, now has a War Cemetery with 2,337 graves and memorials to the soldiers who laid down their lives. It is a moving experience just walking there, reading the tombstones.
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A trip to Nagaland’s Misty Mountains
An evening view of Mokokchung in Nagaland
Even Tolkien couldn’t have just imagined a place so stunning. His fabled Misty Mountains in Middle Earth, those lofty sentinels of Rivendell, seem inspired by the forever fog-draped mountains of… no not Switzerland, not New Zealand… but Nagaland. Yup, Tolkien was there.
Why Nagaland, you ask? Why not, we say! The mountain peaks are perennially enveloped by magical mists. The people are cheerful and hardworking, always game for festivity. They may be shy but once they befriend you, they make you feel totally at home. Despite its small size, Nagaland is home to an unmatched diversity of local tribal cultures, costumes, dances, foods, dialects, music… And then there’s the spectacular Hornbill Festival. [continue reading…]
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