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This
ride conceptualized a year back but actual planning like Bike Servicing, Army
Permits, Inner Line permits (Arunachal Entry permit), sending bikes to Guwahati
and coordination between the 5 riders began maybe 1 ½ months before. And
believe me it did take every second of our spare time due to inevitable delays
from postal / courier services / some miss outs from our side etc and lastly
our Kingfisher flights to Guwahati being cancelled just 2 days before
departure. Luckily we got other flight via Delhi without paying anything extra. All this
headache was a small price to pay to visit such a beautiful and rugged Himalayan
terrain in the North west
region of Arunachal Pradesh.
Odometer reading: 61860 km to 63418 km =
1558 km (total ride distance)
Day 1 - 29 Oct 2011 – Taxi Drive from GHY Airport
to Suncity Hotel (Paltan Bazaar)
Since
this was our first visit to the true North Eastern region we were trying to
absorb every view / smell / sound while on our way in the taxi from the Guwahati Airport to the Sun City Hotel– Paltan Bazaar.
Although
very chaotic the colorful Paltan bazaar atmosphere does get onto you – the
crowded shops selling everything from Cloths, Bags, Tea, and Footwear etc. But
people do honk a lot here without any regards to pedestrians and slow manual
Rickshaw pullers. After having quick lunch at a Bengali restaurant in our Hotel
complex we set off for Ravi’s place where he
had stored the bikes after taking it out of the Parcel office at Guwahati
Station. It was very kind of him to help us out here so that we do not have to
pay the railway penalty for keeping our bikes for a week at the parcel office
and also ensuring that our bikes are safe and not at the mercy of the Railway
Parcel warehouse. A railway crossing in North east is called a gate and not
“Fatak” unlike in Mumbai, so there was some confusion regarding where we have
to go when Ravi told us to come at Gate No.3,
which I thought would be the gate number for Guwahati station. Later during the
ride we also came to know that Charaili means cross roads (or char rasta as we
call in hindi).
My
prediction of having a relaxed evening was quashed the moment we started
opening our bike packing and inspected the bikes. Without going into the
details – we spent the next few hours doing up our bikes to the best extent
possible since we wanted to start our ride next day morning come what may. Returning to the hotel drained of energy we
had a light dinner and went to sleep.
Day 2 - 30 Oct 2011 – GHY –
Mangaldai – Orang – Tezpur – Nameri eco Camp = 218 km
Next
day we started our ride a bit late since it was the first day of the ride and
also all 5 of us were riding together for the first time (Except myself and
Ameya). My bike chain cover was giving problems – scrubbing with the chain, so
had to spend quite some time trying to mend it. We also had a stop at Sharma
garage (Famous bullet mechanic there since 50 years) to get it checked by a
mechanic. It seemed that the chain case problem was behind us.
Finally
out of Guwahati we actually felt that the ride had started. Cool breeze, vast
green fields, small hamlets / villages and riding at 60 kph best way to enjoy
the nice country side on a typical North eastern national highway. After
speaking to Gaurav we decided to make Nameri Wildlife sanctuary Eco camp our
night halt even though it would mean riding at night but we would be able to
avoid halt at Tezpur city.
We
reached Nameri at around 6 PM and it was pitch dark already. The day sets early
in North East (at around 5:15 PM) so it should be a ride of early starts and
stopping before 5:00 PM. We booked a Dormitory there which had nice 2 floored
wooden beds. After a bit of relaxation it was time to enjoy the chilled jungle
air in the huge open area of the Eco camp, surrounded by lush green jungles.
And drinks had to come soon to celebrate the start of our ride. After a nice
sumptuous dinner of chicken and paneer it was time to catch some sleep.
Day 3 – 31 Oct 2011 – Nameri eco
Camp – Bhalukpong – Bomdila = 130 km
We
were all excited the next day since we would be entering Arunachal. Before
leaving the Eco camp we went for a nice walk to the river side (Kameng river)
and spent some quite moments enjoying the cool early morning breeze and the
nice foothills and jungles view. My chain again started giving trouble so after
a couple of tries we just did away with the chain case. That did take away
almost 2 hours of riding time but it did get everyone into the trouble shooting
and bike repair mode which is very important on such rides. Mahesh did a quick
fix and in no time the chain case was out.
After
some time spent at the Arunachal Border check post in showing our permits and
documents we were in the mountains. The first 20 km road was in total mess due
to the 2 laning work in progress. But after that it was sheer bliss. The road
meandering through high lush green mountains, mountain tops hidden in clouds
and some thickest jungles I have ever seen till date. Felt like stopping every
5 minutes to enjoy the amazing views and deep valleys but then we had to cover
reasonable distance each day so that we reach Tawang on time.
We
reached Bomdila and decided to call it a day. Again it was dark when we reached
and checked into a road side Hotel “La”. It was getting very cold now as we
gained height and from next day we would have to start wearing thermals /
gloves etc and our actual Himalayan ride would start. We had some nice breaks
on this ride to eat some local road side food at small eateries like Samosa,
Sweets, Maggie, Chole, Bhujiya basically anything the shop would offer and we
would just gobble it down.
Day 4 - 1 Nov 2011 – Bomdila –
Dirang – Senge = 82 km
Mahesh
was at his best the next morning at Bomdila doing his customary Yoga session in
the chilled morning. I really was amazed at his determination to do Yoga when
on such a tough ride J. But fate had other plans for him.
After starting the ride he started feeling sick so we all stopped at a small
road side Hotel 8 km before Munna Camp and let him rest and also had good
breakfast there. After this episode we always had breakfast before starting the
ride. But then we all joked that it was over doing the Yoga that caused this,
and very aptly that was last of Mahesh doing Yoga on this ride J
Looking
at the pace of the ride we would not reach Tawang on the 3rd day as
per plan. The road was getting worse before Sela top and also the weather was
getting very cold and foggy – conditions of a snow fall. It started to rain
also. It was just 2:00 PM and we decided to stay for the night at Senge (At
Inspection Bungalow) since Sela was still 27 km away and it would surely be
snowing on top which would leave us with little buffer time before dark in case
something went wrong. And once in the mountains its better to relax the pace of
the ride and enjoy it slowly. It was very cold and windy at Senge so we were
confined to our room all the time except going out to have a quick lunch of
Maggie and Omelet at a road side tea stall and to the Inspection Bungalow (IB)
caretaker’s room for dinner of dal rice.
Day 5 - 2 Nov 2011 – Senge – Jang –
Tawang = 105 km
Next
day we were thrilled and ready to go early morning in hopes of getting clear
skies on Sela top but in no time did the fog start and after covering some
distance we got view of the first snow fall on our ride. We stopped and like
small kids started doing snow fights and clicking photos.
We
reached Sela top after quite some trouble with me having a small fall on a
slushy hair pin bend and Ameya getting stuck in another similar curve, and
throughout it was snowing too. We enjoyed a hearty snack of Omelet, noodles and
veg momos on Sela top. A small snow fight again and having a quick look at the
fully snowed out ChabreLa road (which goes towards BangaChang Gompa) we started
descending. The real fun started now. The snow fall was relatively less and
road was also in good condition. There was a nice scenic river valley on one
side of the road with lots of pine trees having snow covered leaves and
branches giving a very unique and artificial look to the environment. We took
quite a long break at one point on the road enjoying the views around and
having some snacks which we carried with us.
After
this it was an uneventful but cold and windy ride to Tawang with some small
breaks to stretch our stiff bodies. We reached Tawang at around 3:00 PM and
checked in to Hotel Siddhartha (Param’s reference). Tawang was exceptionally cold,
windy and over cast for the 2 days which we would spend here. Upper reaches
were all heavily snowed out. Not very encouraging news since we had plans to do
Bumla and Zemithang via Y junction which is a high altitude route.
Day 6 - 3 Nov 2011 – Tawang – Rest
and Preparation for Bumla / Zemithang
Next
day was supposed to be a rest day at Tawang but it hardly was since we had to
prepare for our ride to Bumla (and further to Zemithang via Y Junction) or
Zemithang via Lumla depending on weather conditions, buying packed food,
preparing our bikes, petrol etc... And folks were also interested in doing
shopping for homeJ.
Petrol
needs a special mention here. In Arunachal (North East in general) never loose
an opportunity to fill your tank full with fuel. You never know when petrol
goes out of stock due to some strike or general road blockage. In our case
unfortunately we kept petrol filling for the last. When we reached the petrol
pump the attendant told us that we won’t get more than 3 liters per bike due to
the strike of Assam Oil tankers. We tried to haggle him a lot but 3 liters is
all we got. Then I and Mahesh went to the DC office to get a pass so that we
can get extra petrol. The person in charge there was kind enough to grant us 7
liters petrol per bike which would at least be suffice for us till Zemithang.
Rest of the petrol we did not know how we could get so we left it on god and
called it a day after dinner.
Day 7 - 4 Nov 2011 – Tawang – Y
Junction – (aborted Bumla attempt) – Taktsang Gompa (T Gompa) – Zemithang = 76
km
Next
day we got up and started to pack for Bumla and Zemithang since in the morning
the skies cleared up a lot which gave us a ray of hope (so we gave Lumla route
a skip for now). We had a quick breakfast of Chole Puri and boiled eggs at a
road side eatery (This was the only stall which opened very early in the
morning). After which we started for Y Junction and hoping to do Bumla. Till
first 20 km the road was good and weather also seemed encouraging. Nice snow
capped mountain views and birds eye view of Tawang Township.
But then after a while there was a bit of hard ice on the road and snow fall
also started, and when we reached Y junction after some pretty steep slippery
inclines it was clear that we would have to leave Bumla for some other day and
decided to push towards Zemithang via Taktsang Gompa.
Once
the pressure to do Bumla was off, we started taking it easy, enjoying the
amazing snowed out scenery and High
Mountains. It was like
everything painted white and it looked amazing when the clouds opened up a bit
and sun rays gave a yellowish tinge to a part of the landscape.
Going
further downhill from Y junction we stopped by a road side hut and took a
longish break to celebrate Ameya’s birthday with raw Old Monk Rum and Cheese
sandwiches. We also tried to give him some birthday bumps with whatever left
over energy we had J. What an amazing snowed out mountain view from the
hut. We went further downhill to Sangetsar lake enjoying the still serene
ambience there. The lake looked out of this world with tree trunks sticking out
from the surface and covered with snow. Also all the pine trees around had a
typical Christmas tree look covered in snow.
By
the time we reached Taktsang Gompa 4 km ahead, it started to snow very heavily.
It became bone chilling cold there. We were planning to spend a night at T
Gompa, but one of the locals told us that if it snows heavily through the night
the road will be closed so we decided to move ahead amidst heavy snow fall.
Moving
further down hill the snow fall stopped and opened up the most mind blowing
scenic valley I had every seen. The mountains looked like they had just been
washed clean with a bit of clouds scattered here and there, and the colorful
jungle in the valley showing the vibrant greens, orange, yellow, red colors in
full bloom, the deep river valley and towering mountains and matching silence,
group of friends –what else do you need on a mountain road trip. We took lot of
breaks on this stretch.
The
road again went high above the mountains before rushing down via 62 loops to
the Zemithang Gorsam road. I have never seen so many consecutive hair pin bends
in my life ever. It was a dream road to ride on with the deep Zemithang valley
visible all the time with the dense jungles and tall mist covered mountains.
Just
before the 62 loops road joined the main Gorsam –Zemithang road an army jawan
stopped us. He told us that the commanding officer of Gorsam army camp wanted
to chat with us over drinks and dinner. So even though we were tired, we
settled in the Zemithang Inspection Bungalow (IB) and after a quick rest we
started for the army camp at Gorsam.
Getting
accommodation in the IB was not that easy, first to find the care taker, after
finding the caretaker in the village we came to know that first we need
permission letter from the Circle officer whose office is on the other side of
the river 2 km away, and it was already getting dark. After much persuasion we
were allowed to stay for the night on the condition that next day first thing
in the morning we go to the Circle officer and getting the letter. It’s a
strange way to welcome tourists to IB I must say. Not sure if that’s the
process else where in north east.
We
had a gala time at the Army camp at Gorsam with the Commanding Officer
Shailendra and his army colleagues. We had some drinks with dry fruits, fried
chicken as starters and topped if off with wholesome dinner with some nice
conversations with the army men about the region, their life style in such
mountainous region.
Day 8 - 5 Nov 2011 – Zemithang –
Rest Day – Circle Officer and River Side walk
Today
is our vishram (rest) day and we got up at a relaxed pace without any rush to
start any ride whatsoever. First we decided to finish off with the circle
officer permission for our 2 night stay at Zemithang IB. After that we had a
nice relaxed time at the Zemithang river side where we did a small stream
crossing by using a log to cross over without wetting our feet in ice cold
water J And Ameya did display his rock climbing skills on a boulder for which
I am yet to give him a gift J
We sat by the river side for quite some time enjoying the cold mountain
air and scenic beauty before rains shortened our easy going break. After coming
back we started our drinks session at the IB entrance floor enjoying the nice
river valley and mountain views. Evening time we were confined to our rooms due
to continuous rain.
Day 9 - 6 Nov 2011 – Zemithang –
Surva Sambha – Khenzamani – Zemithang = 17 km bike and 6 km by foot
The
weather at Zemithang was not very encouraging but anyways we started our short
ride to Surva Sambha for the trek further to Khenzamani. The moment we took a
turn towards Khenzamani valley the weather did change for better, it was less
cloudy and the valley was very scenic.
After
finishing the formalities at the army camp we started our trek ahead towards
Khenzamani. The path was always parallel to the river and in the steep valley
covered with thick jungles and waterfalls. The temperature was ideal (nice cool
crisp) for a nice long trek and I was enjoying it to the max. We crossed a
suspension bridge to cross over to the other side of the river and where the
sections were really risky the army had built nice wooden pathways to make
walking possible. I felt as if it was another world where I was trekking. We
took some nice small breaks enjoying the breathtaking scenery of mountains and
waterfalls and of course to much some snacks which we had carried.
We
had nice interactions with the Army Jawans at the various camps on the way and
they even offered us tea, biscuits. It has always been a very heartwarming
experience to meet the army jawan’s guarding the remote mountainous border
regions. Thanks to the army to make this trek a memorable one.
This
day was really lucky for us. After coming back we also heard from Tashi (IB
caretaker) that he was able to arrange for 20 liters petrol for us. A Sumo
driver who does daily rounds to Tawang got it for us and he just took Rs 100/-
extra apart from the actual petrol cost. That’s the way the people here are,
honest and not greedy unlike in the city where someone could have easily taken
50 % extra from us. Later at night the sky became fully CLEAR for the first day
since we started this ride – we could see so many stars but were really tired
to enjoy the star gazing.
Day 10 - 7 Nov 2011 – Zemithang –
Mutchot (Home Stay) – Ride to Nelya and back to Mutchot = 52 km
In
the morning we came out and we had a fully clear blue sky to view. What a
wonderful feeling to see such clear skies after almost 9 days of riding. It was
a wonderful experience to wait for the sun to completely rise and fill the
valley with its warmth. We just sat at our IB verandah for 1 hour trying to
soak in the warm sun shine.
After
that we set of for a short ride to Mutchot village where we would do home stay
at a villagers place. This pretty village is surrounded by mountains on all 3
sides. We had our home stay set – put our entire luggage in and set off for a
short ride to Nelya which is an army camp and the road ends there. It was a rough road which ascends high above
in the mountains. We got some of the best views of the Khenzamani valley we
trekked the previous day and the mountains in China.
Evening
comes – drinks time – and all were in high sprits with Mahesh ditching us for
the first bottoms up but joining in for the second one. It was a noisy session
but ended peacefully and we all slept comfortably at night except Mahesh who
wanted Amol’s warmth so changed location at night J Just kidding.
Day 11 - 8 Nov 2011 – Mutchot –
Gorsam – BTK – Lumla (Camped towards Bhutan road – Dudungkhar / Bleteng)
= 67 km
Today
would be a relaxed day. We just had to reach till Lumla and camp at the road
going towards Bhutan
via Dudungkhar and Bleteng. So we relaxed a bit in morning and walked around
the Mutchot village to get a feel of the local life. We also checked out the
village monastery.
I
had expected the Lumla route to Tawang not so exciting since it’s a well used
route and not that remote. How wrong can I be? The road initially was at the valley base and
then slowly but surely rising high above in the mountains before hitting Lumla
at around 2400 meters. Since we had crystal clear sky we could see the snow
capped mountains far away, Bhutan
villages and mountains on other side, deep valleys, so deep that it could not
be captured in the camera. We had some of the best breaks of our ride on this
route.
We
stopped for food at Lumla before we start searching for camp site on the
Bleteng road. Were we dreaming? We asked for chicken she said yes, we asked for
fried papad she said yes, we asked for salad she said yes and vegetables…. What
an awesome lunch we had here and all this for just 90 Rs per plate. This would
be the best food at least I have had on this ride.
The
road to Bleteng was under construction so sharp rocks were strewn on the road
so we decided not to go further but just camp somewhere mid way. Amol’s
watchful eyes saw a clear grassy flat ground and we decided to check it out.
The ground was a part of a Charitable school for poor kids in that region. It
was very kind of Vasudha (Director of the school) to allow us to camp on the
edge of the grounds for the night. What more can we ask from a camp site – flat
ground, water tap nearby, wood for camp fire nearby. Within no time we set up
our tents and started our drinking session. It was pretty cold but we all were
enjoying it. Manju also started a camp fire. We did try quite a bit of
photography tricks in slow shutter speed mode and did very successfully capture
the camp site, bikes, far away lights from villages in Bhutan and the
mountains. Amazing I must say. Food and some star gazing and we call it a day.
Day 12 - 9 Nov 2011 – Lumla –
Tawang = 57 km
Next
morning we went to have a small chat and breakfast with Vasudha. She also
obliged us with a tour of the school.
What we saw was really something to write about.
Everything
which has been built here is purely the work of volunteers and using local
resources. We saw the kitchen, eating hall, dustbins outside segregating the
waste into solid, liquid, recyclable etc. The wash basins had Dettol liquid
soap. They had left no stone unturned to ensure that the children should get
the best in education, hygiene, love.
Next
we went to take a round of the school and living quarters of the children. Each
room was like a dormitory where there were beds, some cabinets and the group of
children stayed together with a foster mother. Basically these were volunteers
who had taken upon themselves to raise these children. It was heartwarming to
see how well behaved the kids were and also the way in which they had arranged
the room neatly. The dispensary at the school also had a dentist chair to cater
to the teeth problems here itself instead of taking a day long journey to
Tawang. The children were so happy visitors clicking their photos that they
swarmed upon us requesting to let them have a look at the photo through the
digital camera LCD screen. Now it was time to bid goodbye to Vasudha and the
school kids.
To
know more about this initiative have a look at the site listed below:
Next
it was a short ride to Tawang with a nice water break mid way by a road side
water point and enjoying the clear sunny skies and snow capped mountain views. It
was nice to see Tawang in this clear sunny weather since the moment we had come
here 4 days back it was all foggy cold and windy. After reaching Tawang we did
not waste a moment but started the preparation for our ride to Bumla the next
day, like buying cheese bread chocolates and checking our bikes.
Day 13 – 10 Nov 2011 – Tawang –
Bumla – Tawang = 62 km by bike and 6 km by foot
Next
morning as planned we did not waste any time to have breakfast outside but just
had the boiled eggs and cheese sandwiches in our room which we had bought the previous evening. We all wanted to
do Bumla pass come what may since this was our second attempt in this ride so
we did not really take too many breaks till Y Junction so that we have buffer
time at the tough road (or lack of better word) to Bumla. We reached Y Junction
at 8:00 AM. It’s a much better idea to come up to Y Junction with an empty bike
rather than trying to club this ride with Zemithang.
After
Y Junction we had a easy time till Klemta camp. The scenery was mind blowing
with the mountains being completely snowed out, some remote alpine lakes and
the vast Himalayan range visible till our eyes can see. To our dismay as we
gained further altitude there was more and more snow on the road which made
riding extremely difficult but slippery fun J Finally at PP camp (3
km before Bumla) we had to take this tough decision of leaving our bikes there
and proceed by foot since now it was all hard ice on the road which makes it
impossible for any bike to ride further.
We
had a nice chat and some tea with the army guys posted there and started our
walk to Bumla. I was not sure if all of us would be able to make it to the top
considering that we were already at 14000 feet and walking uphill at that
altitude is anyways difficult but all 5 of us were really determined to make it
to the top. We took small breaks for some chocolates, biscuits and water and
walked slowly for 1 ½ hours enjoying the great Himalayan Vistas around until we
finally reached Bumla.
Once
on top we were greeted by the Army posted there and they showed us around the
place. We also went to the actual LOC and saw the Chinese side through a
powerful binocular which the army uses to track their movements. We were late
by one hour otherwise we could have also chatted with Chinese army folks who
had visited Bumla for an informal chat with the Indian Army guys. We were
awestruck by the amazing scenery around and the weather conditions in which our
army was posted here to guard the border. Hats off to them. We were also
treated with Tea and Pakoda’s inside the friendship hut before we started the
descent to PP camp where we had kept our bikes.
The
down hill walk / ride was a quicker one. We stopped at one point to have tea
and biscuits with the Punjab regiment solders.
They had setup this road side kiosk to treat the travelers with Biscuits and
Tea since it was Baisakhi festival except that there are hardly any travelers
on this route so they felt very nice when they saw 5 bikers here. We chatted
for quite some time with them. Then our ride stopped for full ½ hour due to
what we saw few km before Tawang. An amazing sunset (yes sunset- it was bone
chilling cold) as well as moon rise by the Himalayan mountain side, the snow
peaked mountains giving a orangish tinge along with the sky. No sound at all –
we just sat there for quite some time enjoying this spectacle which nature had
put in front of us.
We
reached Tawang after dark and it was very cold. After a quick dinner and a
tiring but very satisfying day we all had a good nights sleep.
Day 14 – 11 Nov 2011 – Tawang –
Jang = 40 km
After
doing the remaining shopping in Tawang we decided to leave for Jang in
afternoon and thus starting our return journey. It was an uneventful ride till
Jang and an equally forgettable stay at some road side hotel there.
Day 15 – 12 Nov 2011 – Jang –
Dirang = 102 km
We
got up early to leave Jang soon. We also had a brief stop at Jaswantgarh
memorial en-route to pay respect to the brave soldiers of Indian Army who died
fighting during the Indo Chinese war in 1962. The incline for Sela pass starts
as soon as we start the ride. And as expected again the Sela top is fully
snowed out thus squashing our dream of visiting this amazing remote region of
BangaJang Gompa and lake complex which is approached via a side road from Sela
top. Just before reaching Sela top we had a nice coffee break by the roadside
and the sky cleared up for a while giving a good photo opp to us.
I
and Manju did enjoy a nice long snow fight on Sela top. We also some home made
sweets which folks from Guwahati and Delhi
(from Govt of India – Tribal Welfare Dept) had got for munching while on their
journey. We met them on Sela top. Thanks to them for sharing the amazingly
tasty home made sweets with us.
We
made it to Dirang in comfortable time and decided to stay there for a day
giving rest to our bodies and bikes J. The Inspection
Bungalow there was very nice and an ideal place to spend a relaxing day. We
were taken good care of by Mr Das – the caretaker there. Thanks to Param for
giving his reference and suggesting this place.
Day 16 – 13 Nov 2011 – Dirang –
Rest (multiple visits to market)
Relaxing
day but we all made multiple rounds in the Dirang market. It was a nice market
to do some window shopping and sight seeing. A special mention about Ana
bakery. nice bakery but Mahesh can give more information J .
Day 17 – 14 Nov 2011 – Dirang –
Munna Camp – Chander = 42 km
The
ride to Chander from Dirang via Munna Camp was an amazing one. The road steeply
climbed the mountain, was tarred for the first 8 km, after which it became a
dirt track steeper, very nice jungle views and a small village enroute
(Panchvati). We gained altitude very fast since the road was very steep.
Finally we reached Chander village on the other side of the mountain top at
10:30 AM. Chander is a wind swept village at 9000 feet and on a clear day you
can see the Gorichen peak (highest peak
of Arunachal) and Sela pass top and
the Himalayan Mountains all around. It is also the
base to start the Bailey
Trail trek to Mago which
finally exits at Jang.
Unfortunately
the climate was again not very encouraging; it was foggy, very cold and windy
here. We still decided to go ahead and either camp or do a home stay to get a
feel of the local way of life here. We finally decided to do home stay at
Jurme’s place, a local villager. He was a wonderful host to us, accommodating 5
people in a small house is not an easy task, but these folks surely have a
bigger heart than us, if not a bigger house.
We
had a nice relaxing walk around the village with its typical old charm Tibetan
houses and nomadic feel, spending time
at the local village monastery, Yak conservation center and Sangti Valley
view point. The monastery was a small one but very peaceful atmosphere there –
I and Mahesh meditated there for 15 minutes here. We also had tea with the Yak
Conservation center caretaker and sat besides the bon fire he had made, and
also had a chance to touch and feed a small Yak baby. It’s impossible otherwise
but since this baby was an orphan and brought up by humans he was comfortable
in our presence. I would call this
village and the Bailey Trail trek area a mini Changthang, not sure why but I
found many similarities in the way people live here and rely on Yaks for food, wool
etc and take them to grazing in the mountains staying with them in the open for
days on end.
After
spending some more time at the Sangti
Valley view point
enjoying the colorful jungles and mist playing hide and seek in the mountains
we decided to stay put at Jurme’s place since it was very cold now.
This
village faces a unique water problem. Since the village is at the exact
mountain top there is no direct water source for them. They have to walk down
hill to water points in the jungle, since the pumps are not installed yet. I
went to one of such water points with Jurme to help him with water. We took two
20 liter cans and filled it to the brim, tied it to my carriers and brought it
back to his place. This will be enough water for all of us to last for the day
so that Jurme need not go back to get more water.
After
this it was food time – lunch, snacks, dinner combined and some drinks before
we go to bed early today. It was a very cold night for us even though we had
sleeping bags and were confined in a house.
Day 18 – 15 Nov 2011 – Chander –
Munna Camp – Tenge – Lama Camp (Eaglenest WLS) = 93 km
Next
day after having a nice conversation with the village Sarpanch of Chander
(Tsering) we bade good bye to all at Chander and started our down hill ride.
Our next destination was Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary near Tenge. It was an
uneventful ride till Tenge. We inquired about Lama Camp route where we had
decided to camp for the night. It was a very nice and scenic dirt road starting
after crossing the river at Tenge.
We
were on time to reach Lama Camp before dark but Ameya had a rear tyre puncture,
so Amol and Manju went ahead to search for camp site and I and Mahesh stayed
back to mend the puncture. Within half hour we were all set with the puncture
and reached Lama Camp just before dark. We setup our tent in the camp area
there and relaxed with drinks, dinner and star gazing. It was very cold here too unlike what I had
expected.
Day 19 – 16 Nov 2011 – Lama Camp –
Eaglenest Pass – Lama Camp – Tenge = 41 km
What
a view and ambience early morning. The mountains, thick jungles surrounded in
thick fog, lot of bird sounds (by the way Lama Camp and in general Eagle WLS
are top birding sites in Arunachal Pradesh).
After
having a quick breakfast of cheese sandwiches we set off for Eaglenest Pass
which was around 10 km uphill. Ameya’s bike was again punctured so he left his
bike behind and rode Mahesh’s bike with Mahesh being pillion.
What
an amazing dirt route this 10 km was. I had never seen such colors in a jungle
ever. Trees and plants with red, orange, yellow, dark and light green color
leaves, thick jungles in the amazing valley and mist giving an almost fairy
tale appearance. We saw lot of elephant dung while going up the Eagelnest pass.
This is also elephant corridor in summers. We had a small break of snacks in
the jungles at the top of Eaglenest pass before starting our downward journey.
The road actually goes ahead to other jungle camps and finally exits at
Misamari in Assam,
but we were strongly advised by every one to avoid this route due to Bodo
problems. Just few weeks back a tourist was kidnapped by Bodo militia and
released him only after a heavy ransom.
Due
to the cost problems of staying at Lama camp we decided to go down and proceed
with our journey after checking Ameyas deflated rear tyre. Seemed to be a looze
valve problem, But again Ameya’s tyre was flat midway so I and Mahesh stayed
back to replace the tube, and Amol and Manju went ahead to find accommodation
at Tenge.
After
sorting out all this we finally managed a very good room at a hotel besides the
Tenge petrol pump.
Day 20 – 17 Nov 2011 – Tenge –
Bhalukpong – Nameri ECO Camp = 109 km
We
thought we had seen it all when coming on this route for going to Tawang, but
then it was double fun and seemed more scenic than when going to Tawang, maybe
it was due to the pressure being off from the ride and we were now in more
relaxed mode. We took lot of long breaks this day enjoying the amazing views of
the thick jungle valleys and high misty mountains since we knew that it would
be a long time before we would come back on this amazing mountain road.
We
skipped stopping at the Bhalukpong border post since our permits had expired 3
days back and when I had tried to get them renewed at Tawang before hand I got
a rude reply from some official at DC office saying that you renew from where
you had done the permit. So I gave him an apt reply and said FO now no more
renewal, we wont stop at Bhalukpong to show our permits J
The
guards did whistle for a while when they realized that 5 bikes had just passed
by without stopping but then we were far away by that time J
Our
second STAY at Nameri ECO camp was a true relaxation spot on this ride. We did
not unpack the luggage from the bike – just went to our dorm and then to the
camp fire spot in the huge grassy lawn area, setup a table for drinks and
chakna and then there was stillness – just trying to enjoy the jungle sounds,
specially the birds chirping away to glory since it was nearing sunset. Drinks,
camp fire started and each one of us talked about our experience on this ride.
One
funny incident worth noting here - there was this funny guide with the
foreigner group who was drying his undies by catching it behind his
back and putting his ass near the fire in the hopes that his undies
will dry early, in full view of everyone. I was too busy enjoying the
ambience so could not capture that action live but we all had a good laugh
about it.
Later
we went for a night walk on the river side road dirt road and did some star
gazing there.
Day 21 – 18 Nov 2011 – Nameri ECO
Camp – Tezpur – Guwahati = 223 km
It
was an uneventful but smooth ride to Guwahati. Met Major Dhiren and Col Agarwal
at Tezpur Army Camp and thanked them for all the help with the army permits. We
also visited Kamakhia temple just before reaching Guwahati and our ride finally
ended.
We
thoroughly enjoyed the south Indian snacks like Idli, Dosa, Upma and variety of
other dishes like Chicken, Anda Curry and Parathas for 2 days at Kerala Bhavan
run by Sunil which is just below Sun City
hotel. I would strongly recommend this place for food, just amazing and simple.
Sunil also can help in bike parcel from Guwahati station.
Day 22 – 19 Nov 2011 – Guwahati –
Rest and Bikes Parcel
Finished
bike packing and parcel formalities in morning and later some tea and
handicraft shopping at Paltan bazaar. Evening was well spent with Ravi at a
nice restaurant a few blocks away from Sun City.
The music and food was awesome and worth the money. We had nice Pan after heavy
dinner and thanked Ravi for all the help
provided with the moving of bikes from Guwahati Railway Parcel office to his
place. It saved us lot of trouble when we actually landed in Guwahati and main
thing our bikes were secure specially after hearing the horror stories from
folks about bike parts getting stolen from Guwahati station.
Day 23 – 20 Nov 2011 – Guwahati –
Mumbai Flight
Nothing
much to write for this day. We were all tired and sad to leave this amazing
north east region, so none of us talked a lot. The highlight was the amazing Nepal and
Uttaranchal Himalayan mountain views from Guwahati Delhi flight and the
tingling in our frost bitten fingers and toes which would keep reminding us of
the amazing ride we had in snow and extreme cold in Arunachal Pradesh. Promise
to return here in 2012 for central Arunachal!
