Travelling to me has always been like an escapade. While a job provides one with a sense of accomplishment and opportunities to learn and grow professionally, there is not quite a feeling that can rival that of a journey towards self-realisation and understanding one’s own wants better. In many ways, treading onto new places, ticking off cities and quaint towns alike off my bucket list has given me a new perspective altogether on how we should really look at our lives. Amidst all the material pleasures that I can now afford, none has given me as much happiness as has this passion to travel and discover places. If I have to encapsulate all of it into one word – travelling, for me, is akin to a therapeutic experience.
Over the past year, I have plunged myself into several short trips – both within the state and beyond. I will share some of my observations from my recent Arunachal tour – that I concluded around mid-April. Arunachal Pradesh has recently been in the limelight mostly due to Chinese excursions and mis-adventurism along the Indian border. In a way, tourism in Arunachal is comparatively much limited than in other popular Himalayan tourist hotspots (refer viz for comparative figures between Himachal & Arunachal). This can be attributed to several reasons – of which connectivity and distance from the heartland could surely be a standout. However, if one has the will – there is nothing that stops him. A manageable inflow of tourists ensures that Arunachal’s true wealth – its pristine beauty – is left as virgin as it can be.
I planned for this tour around two months prior to the trip with my college mates. This was a completely ad-hoc decision: we all resolved to take the first steps and have our tickets booked at the earliest. To all aspiring adventurers: there is no greater push than investing a part of your money into planting the foundations of your trip! We then worked our way through charting a custom itinerary - given our schedules and limited time frame - and came up with an initial plan. We made connects with appropriate agencies to book our hotels and interstate car services ahead of time. The date was fixed - 10th of April it was to be.
All of us being from Kolkata, we hopped aboard a morning SpiceJet flight to Guwahati that ferried us to our destination in about an hour's worth of time. This saved us a good deal of time as an equivalent in terms of a train journey would have taken away at least twenty hours. To keep myself afresh during the long journey ahead (and given the fact that our flight was an early morning one), I happily napped like a kid on the flight. While it was hot and humid in Kolkata, Guwahati had seen torrential rain in the past few days. Lucky us, however! When we landed, the Rain Gods seemed to have been appeased and let us have a relatively clear morning.
Our first destination on the trip was a relatively quiet town of Bhalukpong. Bhalukpong is a border town that is shared by both the state of Assam as well as Arunachal. The Kameng river flows through the town. Bhalukpong is around 225 kilometres from Guwahati, so expect a long road journey if you are entering via Guwahati as we did. We put up at Prashaanti Cottage there.
Bhalukpong's charm is probably best captured in the fact that it needs no introduction. One is instantly catapulted into a land of mystical beauty wherein one can let go of all apprehensions and spend a night under the stars, and in company with the constant sound of the gushing water from the river nearby. Having reached Bhalukpong around four in the evening, I quickly made myself comfortable and headed out to visit the riverside - which is around ten minutes from most of the hotels (and is a rather offbeat road). But all the effort spent to find a path to the riverside was worth it - nestled among the foothills of the majestic Himalayas and the riverbank being flooded with an abundance of pebbles and smooth rocks, we spent almost an hour till the sun really settled on our day- soaking in each minute of the ethereal beauty that all of us had just witnessed.
In hindsight, while Bhalukpong may be visited by tourists mostly as a stopover destination, it is beyond doubt that the place scores hugely due to its quiet appeal and lush greenery all over on its own merit.
Next morning, we checked out of our resort early in the morning - around 8.30 AM - to continue onto our next destination Bomdila. Bomdila is a strategically important town perched atop 8,000 feet in the Northeastern Himalayan range. Many travellers also visit Dirang after Bhalukpong as it is an alternative route to Tawang. Both Dirang and Bomdila are lower in altitude than Tawang (10,300 ft.). Making our way through the ever-curving roads and the challenging terrains dotted with military bases all over, we reached Bomdila around three in the evening. While there is not a lot of things you can do in Bomdila, there could be no better activity than exploring the local pahadi culture. We walked down kilometres after kilometres spanning the entire length and breadth of the town once we reached. To us, no distance is too great enough to not be conquered! We ended up finding an absolutely beautiful cafe run by the locals - christined Coffee Studio.
Our excitement knew no bounds the next day, as this was the day earmarked to travel to the famed city of Tawang! Tawang commands respect as it has been historically significant and also a key strategic hold for the Government of India on one of its last-mile frontiers. The journey to Tawang from Bomdila, however, is far from comfortable. We covered almost 180 kilometres in the hilly terrains- a number otherwise not too hectic on plainland- but the dynamics of hill driving is starkly different. To make it to Tawang, one has to cross several points before making it to the destination. We halted at the Baisakhi Garrison, a refreshment counter run by the Army staff and which offers a breath-taking, panoramic view of the range. The next halt was at the mighty Sela Pass. Situated at around 13,700 feet above sea level, the Sela Pass is both beautiful and hauntingly scary. Beautiful because when you pass through the gates that proclaim vividly, "Welcome to Tawang!", there is an inexplicable sense of achievement as if you have conquered a personal milestone. Hauntingly scary because of the difficult terrain and tough weather conditions. On some days the Sela Pass welcomes visitors with open arms. But on days otherwise, the wrath of bitterly cold winds and a dense layer of snow makes the place almost unbearable to stop and stand by. We were lucky to experience the Pass in its totality, albeit without the snow cap. We also helped a fellow traveller gang to pull out their car from a small gorge. The shot looks hilariously deceptive - we were palpitating that we would fall off the rear if the thrust was too high! Whew! (Look into the below carousel to figure out!)
In many ways, Tawang proved to be the highlight of our trip. As a city, Tawang retains an otherworldly attraction quotient due to both its geographical setting as well as its political significance (Tibetan struggle for independence). It is exactly for these reasons that the Chinese government has keen eyes on Tawang- it views the city as a threat to its sovereignty by stoking Tibetan sentiments.
While tourists entering Arunachal Pradesh are required to obtain an Inner Line Permit (ILP) in advance of their visit that permits them to roam through the state- there are certain areas beyond the scope of the ILP Permit. One such zone is the region beyond Tawang. This is at best a deserted area to say the least; only military establishments dot the roads. No civilian residence is allowed and out of the handful of civilians who indeed seem to be lurking around are mostly local contractual workers who work for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). On the day next to which we arrived in Tawang, our itinerary had the Madhuri Lake (Sangestsar lake), the Pt. Tso lake and the spectacular Bum-La Pass, situated at 15,400 feet. To enter these zones, another permit is required from the local army cantonment, who shall issue the same only if the weather permits and other factors are in alignment. Do note that no tourist vehicle can climb beyond this point- the local operators have a union that gives them monopoly over the route. In all, a car rental would cost around ₹5,500/- ($70). The journey is definitely worth taking.
I enjoyed my heart out in the two days I spent at Tawang. In the evenings, when I had spare time, I used the same to take a while and truly appreciate, and be grateful for the privilege I have today to be able to make these kind of life-altering trips. The journey to Bum-La, riddled with challenges and faced with subzero temperatures, made me realise that indeed all good things are not attainable by wishful thinking. You have to put in the labour and the grind to access frontiers you never thought you could. How apt for our corporate lives!
As we descended down from Tawang, our penultimate destination was the town of Dirang. Dirang is a small town at around 5,300 ft. As a town Dirang exceeded my expectations. Sure, it is not what Tawang offered- but every spot has unique experiences to share! Dirang is more like a valley, with a river flowing by and a beautiful monastery at its helm. We stayed at the Pemaling Awoo resort, a little farther off from the town. After we had our dinner, I remember we spent some time talking about our paranormal experiences (the resort bore an archaic, English-age style) by the bonfire. Strangely enough- my room-mate and I for the night had a semi-paranormal experience that very night! (... I know it's hard to believe. But we did! More on that later!). Dirang's beauty is captivating not because of any kind of grandiosity or opulent display, but rather its simplicity. Here are some of the photos captured while in Dirang.
Post Dirang, we descended down to the plains once again- spending a night in Tezpur and enjoying the local Bihu celebrations (a first for me!), and then travelling back to Guwahati and catching the return train back home.
Travelling to Arunachal taught me several lessons- not only on the state of affairs today in Arunachal but also on a more personal level. I had time to retrospect on many of my plans and had the mental space to evaluate on the roadmap I wanted to carve for myself. Nature has this uncanny ability to force the self into submission before itself. In the grand scheme of the universe, probably I am nothing but a speckle of dust. However, in the world that I live in - I have all the power to pull the strings that I desire! The more you travel, the more you understand that life is not confined by a specific routine but by the experiences you have and the memories you take home. And in today's world wherein cut-throat competition is the norm and not the rarity, this solace has become priceless.