Tawang, a cold misted mountain range in the eastern arm of India. Belonging to the state of Arunachal pradesh, one among the seven sisters, each one possessing a unique identity in terms of geography, climate, linguistics and culture.
We, a group of 5 friends, started our trip from the southernmost tip of India. We are not the excessively thrill loving gang, who would dare to hire a two wheeler and pull the accelerator to thousands of kilometers. Instead, we took flight upto Guwahati and hired a self drive car. Making our way through the banks of river Brahmaputra and forests of Nameri national park, we arrived at Bhalukpung. Bhalukpung, a small town where you get in line permit to the easternmost state,
is in fact, the gateway to Arunachal.
We had just entered the hilly terrains that the road maintenance work halted our trip. The enthusiasm of seeing hills made us run into it and we spent time playing in the fresh waters of baby waterfalls and streams. The road got cleared by 1pm and we proceeded ahead not knowing what was awaiting us.
The roads were clearly not driver friendly. Almost all of it was filled with stones, mud and other remnants of landslides. I wondered whether tarred road even existed underneath! Every few hundred meters bring you to a hairpin curve. As you reach uphill, the view gets breathtakingly beautiful. We traversed kilometers through the ups and downs from one hill to another. Slight drizzle to cloudy sky was what early October skies had to offer.
En route Bhalukpung to Bomdila
Soon we realized that the mud covered road is not going to be good for our Brezza. The road was bumped out in the middle. On either sides of the bump, mud had been carved out by the wheels of previously traveled vehicles. It was almost impossible to drive without hitting the bottom of the car. Protruding stones and rock pieces made it even more worse. At some point, the wheel got trapped in the loose mud. Despite pressing accelerator, the wheel kept spinning but the car didn’t move an inch forward. At that moment of panic, we got out of the car and pushed it as hard as we could. As it moved forward, we breathed a sigh of relief and continued. On the way, there were natives of the place driving Maruti alto so swiftly that amazed us to the core. To our great astonishment, a little guy drove a vehicle which looked somewhat similar to a bulldozer (but having more degrees of freedom) through the edge of the road. A few centimeters of miscalculation could have cost him his life. In our minds we stood up and saluted this guy.
Further ahead we went on, guided by Google maps. Our way was interrupted at a narrow slope by another vehicle coming from opposite direction. For both vehicles to pass, we had to go uphill in reverse and make some space for the opposite vehicle. The steep slope and stone blocks made it difficult. All of us got out to push the vehicle. At the same time, it started to drizzle and there were stones shooting down the hill giving us another nerve cracking moment. With all our might we did make a way out, but the whole trip was not enough to get it out of our heads.
By 6pm, the sun had disappeared and lights were dissolving. We still had about 80kms more to go. The roads became unclear surrounded by fog. Visibility was limited to 2-3 meters. We went forward with extreme caution, two eyes focused on Google maps warning of hairpin curves and all the remaining eyes focused on the road. By 8pm we made it to Bomdila, where we could get a shelter for the night. A cosy little homestay in the chilling cold! We filled our stomachs with hot chicken chowmeen prepared for us by an elderly lady. That’s when we realized that the terrible road had almost made us forget about food. Mentally and physically exhausted, we went to bed and it took hardly seconds for sleep to overpower us.
Landscape at Bomdila
Next morning we woke up afresh. We were not surprised to see the Brezza painted with mud in and out. We took it to a local workshop to assess the damage. The mechanic did a few minor repairs and a complete wash. He nodded green signal for us to go ahead, giving positive assurance of the road further to Tawang. Believing his words and keeping the spirit of adventure high, we drove forward. The road indeed was good up to Dirang. The green and serene place filled our hearts with joy again. In the evening we visited Dirang monastery located at a hilltop. The monastery was clean, calm and quiet. We breathed the fresh air, meditated for a while and felt rejuvenated. On the walls of the monastery there were paintings depicting life stories of Buddha. The pleasant weather prompted us to walk further to Dirang market. In the moderately crowded lane, we could find stoles, scarves, sweaters, jackets, gloves and other thermal wares. There were also different types of garlands made of beads having Tibetan engravings. We bought Tibetan prayer flags to tie it on to our two wheelers once we get back to trivandrum. We dined at a nearby restaurant which served us fried rice, fish fry, roti, dal and vegetable fry.
Dirang Monastery
Dirang to Tawang is nearly 130kms and takes about 5hrs drive. Keeping this in mind, the next morning we started early from hotel so as to reach our destination before nightfall. Arunachal being at the extreme east of India, darkness surrounds by 5pm. On the way, we stopped for breakfast at a countryside dhaba. As we got down the car, a furry dog welcomed us with loud barks. The dhaba was run by a family comprising of three generations. The youngest was an extremely chubby and fair faced toddler, whom the grandfather carried behind his shoulders wrapped in cloth. The lady offered us breakfast thali having poori, sabji and omelette. We washed hands in a thin stream falling downhill alongside the dhaba.
Sela pass
Further traversing 70kms, we arrived at Sela pass, which is the second highest motorable road in the world. We had hot soupy Maggi at the army canteen and clicked a mandatory picture in front of the Tibetan style gate which says ‘Welcome to Tawang’. Yes, we finally made it to our destination - Tawang! We climbed up a nearby hill to get a spectacular view of sela lake. By evening we made it to Tawang Town. We got accommodation at a hotel near Tawang monastery. We tasted the Tibetan cuisines like chicken thukpa, Momos and soup for dinner. Later at night we witnessed the costumed lion dance at a nearby school auditorium played to amuse tourists.
Bumla Pass: Indo China border
Next morning we proceeded to Bumla pass- Indo China border which is about 15k feet above sea level. We had hot samosas served by the army team in the freezing cold as we watched the 1962 Indo Sino War memorial video. Army personnel accompanied us to the border where a rope is tied to mark the border between the two neighbours. All we could do was to stretch our legs as far we could to set foot in China. Far far away, one could only see dry barren mountains extending to infinity. We bid goodbye to China and proceeded to Sungester lake, popularly known as Madhuri lake. Madhuri Dixit had been there to shoot for a movie song, hence the name. Clear transparent lake having upright tree trunks, blended with fresh greenery and mist, makes the lake view no less than a Bollywood movie. We spent the evening roaming around the lake and clicking pictures for our Facebook profile.
Misty Madhuri Lake
Next morning, we prepared ourselves for the return trip. Knowing that the trip was coming to an end was a sweet pain. Soon we noticed one wheel of our car punctured and realized that the adventure is not yet over. Replacing the stepney tyre consumed our time and energy. On the way back, we got the tyre repaired at a workshop. To our surprise there were 6 punctures on that one tyre. We could only thank all the Gods for taking us safely till this point.
We came to know about an alternate route from Bomdila to Guwahati which passes close to Bhutan border. Seeing Bhalukpong road and experiencing it, one would never want to take that route again. The alternate road was almost straight but extremely narrow. Either side of the road was covered with tall grasses with no sign of civilization. By nightfall we had reached Guwahati, where we were greeted with colorful lights and traffic blocks on the eve of Dussehra festival.
For almost a week, we survived on momos, Maggi noodles, chowmeen and other Tibetan cuisines. Next morning in Guwahati, as soon as we were awake, we rushed to Barbeque nation for brunch and filled our tummies with all that we craved for. Finally, we boarded the flight back to trivandrum with lots of wonderful memories. And yes, the positive vibes of the trip stayed within us for many more days that followed.
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