Crossing the mighty Brahmaputra (Dibrugarh-Pasighat)

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Hotel Luit Regency (RKB path, near railway station, 9401999448, dbl Rs.650), is a central option with newly tiled clean rooms with bucket hot shower, though the narrow entrance is hard to find. From the bustling city, there are multiple ferries to cross the mighty Brahmaputra. The shortest is to cross to Silapathar and travel to Aalo, if you are ready to skip Pasighat. We spent a day at Dibrugarh working through the Inner Line Permit headache. Arunachal House is on the road to airport at Mohanbari, 40min, Rs 20 for a ride by shared taxi. While coaxing the officials for the permit to Pasighat-Along-Mechuka-Ziro, I met Nirmal Kumar, an avid trekker hailing from a tiny village Khellani near PulDoda in Kashmir. As we had been to that region with HV Kumar in Jul 2012, he was excited to talk about trekking options near his village.  Contact him at 9435716668 to enjoy nature at the virgin pastures of Kashmir.



We booked our jeep (1hr) -ferry (1hr) - winger (4hrs) tickets at Hotel Kusum (0373 2320143, Talkiehouse Rd, Rs.300). The jeep starts at 5.30 in the morning passing through Jhoonktolee tea estates, who owns tea estates at Samse, Karnataka.  The ferry from Bogibeel starts at 7am and crosses Brahmaputra while we were gazing at the rail-road bridge under construction for last ten years. Passing through Jonai we reached Pasighat, a small town of Adi tribe, headquarter of East Siang district. Stroll up to the sand banks of river Siang, which origins from Tibet and joins Brahmaputra, to gawp the snow glad peaks, rocky mountains and thick forest. Chopstick Restaurant run by a friendly Bomdila resident offers excellent Tibetan food.  Hotel Siang (near the sumo counter, behind the filthy meat market) dbl Rs.550, offers prison like rooms with squat toilet and bucket hot water showers. We spent 30min to wake up the staff next morning, to open the gates at 5.30am

 

Two months and counting

Joseph Hyoen



"Wow! You guys are travelling around without a return date, it surely is something to be envied about." This is the reaction we get most of times when we talk to people whom we meet on our journey. Yes it sounds amazing and it's definitely a dream come true for me. How does one feel, when her dreams come true? It's not possible to express in words. Since the very first time I met Romin at Kobe sizzlers in Bangalore, I have envied him and his way of travel. From that time onwards all I did was to dream of travelling like him "WITH" him of course :) According to me, travelling is the best way to learn how to live, not merely reading philosophical books. By travelling you experience every emotion, that you might otherwise not feel just sitting at home or at workplace.

Our way of travelling is backpacking, frugal and no unnecessary indulgences, no creature comforts. This way of travelling is fun there is no denying it, at the same time it requires not being just physically strong but emotionally stronger. For me this is the first time away from home for more than a month, other than summer vacations spent at Grandparents home. As I write this blog, it's more than two months since we began travelling. There are times when I was longing to see the bed at my room and crash on that or just eat the food that my mother cooks and just spend time with friends and loved ones. Like I said before travelling calls for lot of emotional energy at the end of the day. I very proudly say that I am growing strong emotionally. This doesn't mean I don't miss home.

Angami village at Kigwema and Rajadhani

Thommen Jose

Kigwema village, a few kilometres from Kisama is a settlement of Angami tribe. Akieno's sister took us on a tour to this traditional village with two modern Christian churches. We could see two traditional Angami-Naga homes with crossed horn gable (kikeh) which were not in use but rented to foreign tourists upon request. These houses are adorned with mithun skulls sporting a spooky appearance. The village is divided into four colonies with a morung (boy's dormitory) in each colony. Most of the houses are roofed with corrugated metal sheets. Until the common cemetery came up, the graves were built in front of the houses. There are huge water tanks in each colony where people shower, do laundry and fetch water for their houses. Peace settlement inscribed stones recording the settlement fee - number of mithuns - generated curiosity amongst us. These recent settlements were to end fierce head hunting practice which continued until 1980s. Today the Naga people sport jeans and shirt and wear their ethnic dresses and full warrior costumes only for festivals. The kids at the village are extremely friendly, lent me their circular wheel rotated by a metal hook for a joy ride. Adults seemed to be very serious and tight lipped, the need for being accompanied by a local guardian was very obvious.


We had the company of few wonderful people at the home stay. Joe, a globe trotter from Alaska, Fabienne, an avid traveller and Indophile from Brussels, Len, a gardener from Oregon, US accompanying his friend Becca, a teacher who was born in India retracing her early childhood in India.  Becca's father, a Baptist missionary  worked in Naga and Garo hills in 1950s and contributed linguistically to tribesmen. Swapping culture and travel stories, all of us made ourselves at home around the heater (charcoal filled a metal basket) at Akieno's sitting room.

Though we wanted to spend two weeks in Nagaland, the economics of Hornbill Festival was not suitable for our budget. We hitched a 'rocky ride' with Joe to the town- sitting on rocks in a Tata Mobile. Spent some time gazing at the delicacies unique to Nagaland- dog meat and other crawlies. Hiring a cab from Kohima to Dimapur after 5pm took 2hrs of haggling with taxi drivers, ended up paying Rs.300 per head. A police officer's intervention was too late. At Dimapur an ATM was guarded by five army men, this town cannot be considered totally safe after dark. Sleeping at the railway platform was  checked in our wish list while randomly waiting for a train. We never knew we would be travelling in Rajadhani to Dibrugarh! That too without tickets, but paying a small commission to the Ticket Inspector.

"You get angry, when you are hungry or in a hurry" - a traveller's wisdom by Joe

Hornbill-Festival of Festivals

Named after an endangered bird, Hornbill Festival is an annual celebration at Naga Heritage Village at Kisama, 12km from Kohima from Dec 1st to 7th displaying traditions, culture, costumes, valor and camaraderie. 16 various tribes across Nagaland come together in traditional warrior costumes carrying their hunting paraphernalia. Dancers from other 6 Northeast states perform like true professionals. Marathon, cycling, Northeast riders meet, World War II Peace Rally, flower/horticulture/photo exhibitions and shopping stalls - other crowd pullers. Indira Gandhi stadium at Kohima host the music festival on the evenings, the rock festival has 20 bands over 4days. To soak in the whole experience of Hornbill Festival, spend at least 3 days; make sure you reach before 9am on day one.

On Nov 30th, to get glimpses of behind the scene preparations, we visited Kisama village. The flawless rehearsal for inaugural ceremony was exemplary for the meticulous preparation by the event management personnel. Gala opening ceremony on Dec 1st is a must see. Iconic Naga log drum by Chang tribe, unity dance and Tetse sisters' songs justified the sobriquet of Festival of Festivals. Konyak tribe's gun salute was shocking followed by troupes of bagpipers. Naga chilli eating completion drew large crowds, winner hogged 14 chilies- rated one of the hottest in the world, 1001304 on Scoville Heat Unit which indicates the amount of capsaicin. A 7kg piglet was released to be caught by agile Naga men- a daily event.

Dancers from 6 states enthralled audience on Dec 2nd. Cheraw dance by Mizoram, Dhol Dholak from Manipur, Dahal Tungri by Bodo girls were dazzling. Pork fat eating contest was nauseating to watch, winner consumed more than a kilo in 60sec! Naga cultural dances by tribes evoking various emotions - ferocious head hunting, meditative healing

practices, festive harvesting and exorcist burial ceremony - every tribe provided a visual feast. Every village amon the 1400 village in Nagaland gets a turn to perform here, some may take 30years to come back to Kisama.

The Hindu

Vivid pictures showcasing culture and heritage are abundant at the morungs, walk around and interact with the people. Many speak English and have been to South India. Mighty  wrestlers flexed their muscles at the Naga style wrestling. Relish the blisteringly authentic Naga food at the morungs - khalora and rice beer were our favorite. While you are not admiring pastiche of bamboo architecture, indulge in shopping for a piece of household tool at the bamboo pavilion. You can't carry in your bag? Indian Post has a stall inside the village to ship it at a cheap rate. Notably Indian tourists are less in number compared to the foreign tourists, Hornbill is organized eyeing on the dollar and euro signs. 

Nagaland Express

National Geographic

Nagaland Express - the train from Kamakhya to Dimapur is aptly named. To get the ILP for Nagaland we visited Nagaland House, (Tel:0364 2520083) Laitumkhrah, Nongrim Hills at Shillong. To reach here, ride a taxi or bus up to Fire Brigade and walk across the football field to Bethany Hospital. Pay Rs.60 for a permit and no documents or photographs required-gives access to entire Nagaland for two months. Interestingly foreign tourists no longer need Protected Area Permit (PAP) since January 2011. Later we learnt that all the northeast states except Arunachal Pradesh do not need PAP/RAP for foreigners. Refer www.tourismnagaland.com

You can board a bus from Shillong to Dimapur, there is a Network Travels counter right next to Bethany Hospital. Buses go through Assam (NH52) and takes 12 hours. We took Nagaland Express from Guwahati at 11.30 pm and reached Dimapur by 5.30am. Taxi to Kohima leave the railway station when full and cost Rs.220 for 75km. Despite good roads, taxi fare is highest in Nagaland and goes up as the sun goes down.

Accommodation:
Prices sky rocket and very high demand makes it impossible to find an accommodation during Hornbill Festival. Book very well in advance (6months). Holiday Inn (Tel: 9863156696, s/d Rs.450/600), Hotel View Point (Tel: 9856346445/9856360163, s/d Rs.550/1000), Hotel Fira (Tel: 0370 2240940, s/d Rs.550/800, dormitory Rs.200), Hotel Pine (Tel: 0370 2243129/2240269/ 9436001041, s/d Rs.500/900), Viewpoint Lodging (Tel: 0370 224182, s/d Rs.700/1000). These hotels are at Kohima and the venue of Hornbill Festival is 12km away at Kisama Heritage Village. A taxi ride will cost Rs.30 to Kisama and staying at the city centre will be ideal to enjoy the night bazar during the festival.

For a truly Naga cultural experience, stay at one of the guest houses in Kigwema village, walkable distance from Kisama, albeit pricey. Contact Nino (+919856343037) for bed/breakfast homestay accommodation, who coordinates with women in the village to offer a true homely experience to guests from across the globe at a price range of Rs.1000 per person. Bring your own tent and sleeping bags in the worst case and Nino will find a space to pitch the tent.

We stayed at Akieno's house (9856259469) who runs Dawn Boys Hostel for the boys studying at Japfu Christian College, Kigwema. Akieno's mothering love was obvious when she dished up various local dishes. She ensured to keep us warm by replenishing the coal in metal buckets . It was like staying at a home with truly lovable people as hosts.

Umm-U-Noi Living Root Bridge

The villagers at Sohsarat and Mawlyntuin moved from the foothills due to very short days with scanty sunlight. They grew a living root bridge for access to their farming lands from their new habitat.

Umm-U-Noi Living Root Bridge at Siet village is located at 515m elevation and one hour away from Laitkynsew village (880m). Mawshamok is 15km from Saitsohpen and Laitkynsew 4km away after the splashing park and Cherra Resort. This 90 minute trek starts from a tiny thatched tea shop on the left side of the road from Mawshawmok to Nongwar where the road ends. The concrete steps leads to the villages from where the trail turns right. Ask the villagers for this trail hidden between houses. After trudging along a grassy area this trail leads to a rocky path covered under leafy canopy, so the rocks are slippery in any weather. This is used only by the villagers and least touristy (read no concrete steps).

The main branch of the bridge which looks like a spinal chord is very strong and big. Some branches are as wide as half meter and stronger than a concrete beam. We tagged along with Bansan for this trek and a villager was guiding us to this bridge explaining the history. He made a small cut on the branch with his machete and a sticky white gum oozed out which explains that this is in the family of rubber trees (ficus elastica).

 Ten minutes further from the root bridge there is a rock cavern made of sharp rocks and tree roots in intricate patterns. Interestingly the space below the cavern was hollow (not seen but heard). Half cut bamboo poles are used like a pipe to bring the water from upper hills to the farming lands inside the jungle.

After the trek we had a late but heavy lunch at the tea shop. We couldn't find a taxi from Laitkynsew, so decided to walk 4km to Mawshamok gazing at the starry sky. Bansan explained the location of different villages in the lower hills looking at the electric bulbs which look like fireflies in the forest. This was the last trek we did in Sohra and the easiest.

Nongriat-Weiphngam falls-Nohkalikai trek

"Beware that even for the fittest walker, this hike is highly strenuous"- Lonely Planet, about double decker root bridge trek.

What if this is just a warm up trek for a day long trek from double decker to Nohkalikai waterfalls viewpoint, which takes more than three hours and climbs from 375m (Nongriat village) to 1300m (Nohkalikai waterfalls viewpoint).

As there was no taxi at 6.30am to Mawshamok, the good Samaritan who stays near Saitsohpen offered us a ride. Another fifteen minutes walk to Lum-Sophie, next one hour trek to Nongriat was ceaseless. Being on this trail a few times in the last month the concrete steps were a tad boring. Still, the turquoise blue waters under the wire bridge enthralled us. After breakfast and packing lunch from Cooling Corner, there was an extra trek in our agenda when Byron's father in law offered to come with us as a guide.

Weiphngam Falls:

DO NOT attempt this trail without a guide. This less beaten pathway is very rarely used by the locals, narrow and dangerous, you may have just enough space to place one foot. Starting right after Mawsaw root bridge, the deviation itself is hard to find. Our 50+ year old guide was clearing the trail with his machete. The best thing about this part of forest is that no major wildlife is present and it is very safe to explore as far as you know where you are heading to. It took more than an hour to reach the magical waterfalls with a rainbow across plunging into a pool of blue water. More than endurance, techniques will make this trek easy-use a hiking pole or a stick to balance your body weight on the narrow cliff.

Nohkalikai Falls:

Reaching the viewpoint in three hours seemed to be difficult when we started at 1pm. The trail from Mawsaw root bridge to Nohkalikai viewpoint is not used by locals or tourists often and there are no villages on the way. You may feel little claustrophobic as the sunlight is scanty, thanks to the tall trees keeping the open sky a rare scene. On the rainy days the mossy rocks make it impossible to trudge along this way. Endurance and stamina as well as water and energy bars matter a lot on this steadily steep but wide path. Lots of butterflies and even more spiders await you-a stick to clear the cobweb is a must. There is only one stream after Mawsaw bridge to replenish water bottles. Before sunset we tottered up to the open grassy moors near the viewpoint at 4pm, after dark finding your way in this trail is nearly impossible.

There are taxis to Sohra market, 4km away. This trek is best done with an overnight stay at Nongriat Rest House, trekking to Weiphngam falls on day one and starting early to Nohkalikai the next day. Barefoot Treks and Hikes, run by ever-helpful Bansan Kupar (9615093898) can arrange guides, to explore the forest safely as well as accommodation and meals.https://sites.google.com/site/barefootsohra/