[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Any chance you guys are going to put this up as a Youtube travel vlog? Would be such a welcome change compared to 2021 Hayabusa releases and who got the first one in India and how fast can it go.

You have explored a region of India that not everyone goes to. It will definitely attract several of us gear heads who thrive on such lovely every day riding documentaries. I don't think even a voice over is needed. Just daily rides, and normal commentary.

LOL!

Here you go. I am processing the videos in line with the log travel dates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02iWt90H5QA

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

LOL!

Here you go. I am processing the videos in line with the log travel dates.

Brought back memories of my North East ride. At 1:27 is the exact spot where my bike lost traction and we fell on the left - bike, luggage, myself and wife

Luckily, the rocks were still 'part of the mountain' then - so escaped with mild soreness. There's another portion of the road being constructed before Bomdila/Nag mandir - which is a mini "Thar desert trails". Watch out for it IF you end up going to Tawang !

[Red Liner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzd7...ture=emb_title

I recorded this video on a whim. We were riding down from Bhalukpong to Seppa, and as I was watching my mate ride his big, heavy (for me) Versys 650 on these non existent roads, the whole Big vs Small adventure bike debate creeped back into my mind.

Even though the video is mostly about that whole never ending big vs small fracas, this post is more about the psychology of why we tend to go out and buy big adventure bikes - even if our use case completely devastates such a decision and only points the other direction.

I think the first culprit is internet media - Youtube, Instagram, Facebook - yeah, I'm looking at you. Or trying not to. Social media addiction is a real thing, and we have departments in mental health institutes dedicated to it. Proven scientifically, p**n and social media addiction triggers the same behavioural pattern as you would find in a coke addict.

Watching all those videos by Chris Birch, Toby, Paul Torres, and everyone else and what they can do on these big burly adventure bikes. Its so cool. Wouldn't I look cool too on that bike? With a bit of mud all over me? Look at all of them having heaps of fun in those adventure rallies. These guys look like me. I wanna join them and ride and get wasted at the end of day. And wearing all that fancy gear on top of it. I'll LOOK COOL! And damn that beemer looks fine parked on the driveway.

Click bait is real.

The second factor that seems to deeply influence motorcycle choice is who you ride with. If everyone you ride with rides big expensive motorcycles, then that's probably what you'll end up buying yourself - whether you can actually afford it or not. You can't be left out of the group. Pretty soon, you start feeling the undercurrent from the rest about the small CC bike you're riding. You'll also be left behind on every trip , literally and figuratively. There's a word for this - peer pressure.

And if one of them sells for an upgrade, then its like a domino effect and one by one every one else starts doing it too. The BMW's seem to be the epitome of having arrived in so far as motorcycles are concerned - atleast here in most of Asia. And everyone seems to be busting their nuts to get there. There's a term for this group behaviour - herd mentality.

Ofcourse, lets say you ended up buying a big capacity motorcycle. And then found out your skills can never match up to what the bike is actually capable of. Now you start seriously thinking about downgrading to something lighter and smaller. But how can you "downgrade"? What would people think? Here's a guy who was riding a big fancy import and all of a sudden he's riding a 6000$ motorcycle? You can't just do that. And the small bikes have no fancy equipment or safety aids or anything. Whether you need them at all on a sub 400cc is a moot question. Big fat motorcycle egos.

Now before you know it, you're too far in into this big bike blackhole. And if you do end up getting out - you'll lose your "friends", the opportunity to look cool and flashy, and ofcourse nobody gives a damn that you ride a stupid CRF 250/Xpulse.

So what do you do? What did you do?

Regular programming will begin shortly.

[drt_rdr]

I'm just blessed with friends who mostly ride royal enfields. So, I can keep up with them while I'm still riding my decade old tiny bikes.

[Red Liner]

Day 7 - Continued

We were still riding down this inordinately long but splendid gravel trail to reach Seppa. And we were having the time of our lives!

Landslides are a real problem here. And it is so evidently a part of every day life for people here. Why do these landslides occur? Well, either there is heavy construction of roads which means mountains have to be cutup. Cut up mountains get angry and rain boulders down on anyone passing by. Or, there is just evident loss of tree cover by the sides and yep, mountains get angry and rain down boulders again.

https://youtu.be/8dyjtkFUEBM

Somewhere down the trail, we needed directions and came up to a young guy who only seemed eager and happy to help us out.

https://youtu.be/0zH3pjR9lQQ

This was just the first of many many such enjoyable interactions by the side of the road over the next two months. Deep down, I knew I would never see any of these good people again.

How is it that everything was so timed, that I would meet this guy at this very opportune moment down here? A minute here or there, and maybe we wouldn't even have seen each other, let alone have a conversation. Is it providence? Or serendipity? Gods will or the machinations of a universe far beyond our limited understanding?

We had to keep going. Seppa wasn't too far but we neither had accommodation sorted, nor were we carrying tents. We had to beat the evening sun and get there on time.

But not without a little chat with my mate on the road. We were so busy enjoying our first of many gravel trails here.

https://youtu.be/OEdEnU7NMFY

We finally reached the Seppa town, and made a beeline to the Circuit house. My mate had done a phenomenal job of talking to the ex-circuit officer on the phone (number off google) and he agreed to strike us a room at the circuit house. Thank heavens!

As we were waiting for the caretaker to come and open our room out, we were greeted by a jovial looking man, all smiles, who just happened to walk off the road into the Circuit house. He sized us up and asked us who we were and what we were doing here. I ventured to answer that we were under a temp contract to visit the far east of the country on behalf of the national tourism department for a video documentary post covid. True and not true. True because we were doing a video documentary, and not true because the tourism department had no clue in hell who we were lol!

He suddenly felt more at ease around us. And then told me that he was actually from the Intelligence services. Gulp.

I shut up right after that and did not venture into many more answers, instead just being vague and laughing off anymore "interrogations". Ofcourse, once he heard that we were from "tourism", he felt a bit more at ease considering we were both from the government services. I took a shot in the dark and asked his name when he was preparing to leave and he smiled and said "Listen, we're both from the government services, and we have to be careful about who we interact with and what we tell". And that was that.

A bit after, the caretaker finally arrived and what an entrance he made!



That head dress you see is made using feathers and what not from a variety of birds. Handed over from one generation to the next within a family, it symbolises equally which tribe you are from. Arunachal Pradesh is a land of many many different tribes, and Head dresses are a great way to figure out which tribe one was representing.



This particular one signified the great Indian Hornbill



Here's my mate trying it on. Good on the caretaker letting us in on the fun.



These headdresses are made usually within the family, ceremony et all. But you can also buy them off from a Bazaar. Frightfully expensive and rightfully so!

We turned in for the night with this little one for company. We had fish for dinner, and she was happy for our company.



Next day we would explore the main market of Seppa and explore the rest of the little town. Not without a few adventures even on rest days lol!

[Red Liner]

A video montage of the day's trip between Bhalukpong and Seppa

https://youtu.be/JHoJ--YbBSg

[shatananda.k]

Hi Red Liner,
When will you update on rest of the trip ? Your writing skills are awesome !

[Red Liner]

Day 8 - Exploring Seppa

Tired and achy bones, but that did not stop us from waking up early on a rest day! Since Arunachal is on the eastern most front of India and still follows the same time zone as the rest of the country, we were up pretty early to begin our exploration of Seppa.

Our first halt would be the local market. And what a treat of colours, culture, and smiling faces it was!

These are red chillies.

I dared not try them then Now I figured, I should have. When on a trip especially exploring a different culture - TRY EVERYTHING!

There were tiny shops selling locally produced handicrafts, including the head dress I was wearing, as well as the machete I have on me. I borrowed these to try them on and an impromptu photo shoot.

We walked into this beautiful "old wine" of a gentleman in the market, all dressed up in his traditional attire. He was happy to join me in my little photoshoot.

Dusty feet, but a gleaming smile.

You can also see the hand made handicrafts in the background. Necklaces, head dresses, beads, trinkets, and most of them made from local fauna. What a treat. I wish I had spent more time with them exploring what fauna these were all made from, and their individual cultural significance.

As I walked towards the end of the market, right at the exit, I came across a teeny little hole in the wall cubicle on my left.

I had to stop. I mean, my feet wouldn't move. I was rooted to the ground. Arrested by the pétillant (~slightly sparkling, used to describe wine) faces that gazed back at me. These faces had no expectations from me. They didn't want to sell me anything, and nor did they expect me to buy anything from them.

So I stopped. So I sat down for a little conversation. So I listened to this loving couple who would come every day to the market to try and sell what they make. With the hope of making their ends meet.

I was rudely shuffled out of our little gestured conversation, when I heard loud noises of a male voice in the background. It was akin to shouting, but I tried to pretend it was not. As I looked behind my back, I noticed that the shouting was directed at us, the intruders. I jumped up and tried to pacify the gentleman, but couldn't really understand a word of what he was gesticulating.

Luckily, we had our "guide" with us, the same excitable chap who was our caretaker back at the guest house. He managed to pacify this man, who it turns out, was the "chief" or the "boss" or the "strongman" of the local place. He was apparently pretty miffed that we walked in and just started taking photos and videos of everyone without "his" permission. Once that was ironed out, he kinda turned into this gummy bear.

As we left, I turned around and took one last panoramic shot of the entire market, secretly wishing I could have spent a day with every single person in there. Because every single person had a story to tell.

Months later sitting at my desk now, I realise that this was probably just a "preparatory" trip to help me understand myself. I had never traveled for the purpose of "culture" and "curiosity" before. What do I want? What do I enjoy doing? What is it that I can do everyday, and it ceases to be a job or a chore? What is it that keeps my mind and body engaged in creative pursuit?

Urgent questions that I put forward to the sands of time. Hoping. Waiting. Being the sand. Patient with time.

[Red Liner]

Day 8 - Continued

Our next port of call after the delightful market, was a fun fair that was going on in Seppa.

These fun fairs are usually traveling fairs. And they are not run by the locals, but by a traveling group of "business entertainers". I am not sure how else to describe these folks, but they aren't local. What they do is move from town to town and set up these fun fairs to bring in the crowds, and then charge the locals to set up their stalls selling their stuff. I guess they pay the local township a "fee" to set up and run the fair on the local grounds.

As we walked around, we found locals playing volleyball and other such team sports in the general area. I wasn't sure if it was an actual tournament, though it did look pretty competitive from our vantage point.



A good look at the happenstance fair

https://youtu.be/aOCV80daSC4

There were stalls dedicated to a spot of gambling as well. I remember seeing a young local woman gambling away some money, and lost a bit of it, but the very next minute won it all back and more! Felt happy for her. Was probably her day's wages from whatever it was that she was doing.

What is it about little boys and puppies. They can never be far away from each other. But the pup wasn't his. Right after this picture, I heard a family yelling behind me asking the boy to give back the little pup to them lol! Made a great picture, and a heart warming memory.

As we walked out of the fair, we came across a Donyi Polo Temple.

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia about Donyi Polo.

Donyi-Polo (also Donyi-Poloism) is the designation given to the indigenous Indian religion,of animistic and shamanic type, of the Tani and other Tibeto-Burman peoples of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in Northeast India. The name "Donyi-Polo" means "Sun-Moon", and was chosen for the religion in the process of its revitalisation and institutionalisation started in the 1970s in response to inroads made by Christianity and the possibility of absorption into Hinduism.

We entered the temple and found a sweet local couple who talked to us about the temple for a bit. I think we were there on a Saturday, and they told us the congregations happen on Sundays typically. I was sad to miss out on that, because we had a "schedule" to run after. I asked them if it was okay to go in and spend some time, and they welcomed us to it.

Donyi (Sun) and Polo (Moon)—which are, respectively, female and male in the Tibeto-Burman tradition; called Ane Donyi ("Mother Sun") and Abo Polo ("Father Moon")—constitute a notion similar to the yin and yang of Chinese culture. It is the analogy through which the Divinity (Sedi) can be described, representing the way in which the divine principle manifests itself, that is: eternally veiling, unveiling and then revealing himself in nature; providing harmony and balance to the universe, for example in the alternation of light and darkness, heat and cool, or unity (analogically, the Sun of the daily sky) and multiplicity (analogically, the stars of the night sky).

We headed back to our guesthouse to rest up, pack, and get ready for the next day. We needed to get some fuel for the bikes. There was one lone gas station in the vicinity of Seppa. As we started out bikes to head there to fill up, our local guardian angel stopped us and said the gas station was shut.

Huh? Why have they shut? Did they run out of gas?
No, no, they didn't.
Then why did they just shut down?
There's a strike in town.
A strike?! But everything else is open!
The strike was just called, there was some altercation between a few youngsters of Seppa and neighbouring village, and one of the kids died apparently. So the gas station guys shut down preemptively.
Jeez, what are we gonna do about gas now? We don't have much!
Never mind, you come with me. We will buy it from the market place.
Will the gas be okay? Not adulterated and stuff?
Trust me, it will be!

And so we go. I had a nagging feeling about seeing petrol or gas in little plastic bottles sold by the market. I was carrying a Mr Funnel Fuel Filter and used that to filter the fuel that was going in. None of it was adulterated. This would be our first of many instances of being introduced to the honesty of the locals in this part of India.

Later that evening back at the guest house, we happened to meet a team of people from the State Rural Livelihood Mission of Arunachal Pradesh. They work on the ground with people from far flung and off the grid villages across Arunachal Pradesh, and help them better their economic standing through various self help programs, workshops, mentorship systems, and small business loans through the government. Fantastic group of kids helming the whole thing.

Our lucky run in to them meant that we had a string of these representatives to get in touch with at local villages and towns enroute our trip. I was very keen on staying with local people at their homes, and observing their culture, and this was the turning point in our trip!

Our next halt was the village of Ziro and it would be a very long ride through the rough and beautiful countryside.

[Red Liner]

Day 9
Seppa to Ziro
https://goo.gl/maps/yGryfyvJSpvEh92W8
250 kms
Full day or Riding

Staring at a full day f riding ahead of us, we had to leave Seppa early. Not without a few photos for memories of the kind caretakers who took such good care of us.

Leaving behind memories of people we had met, and the lives they endure every day. Much love, we'll be back soon.

The riding was pristine as we exited Seppa town. We were treated to some early morn wisps of cloud and misty tree tops as we made our way up the serpentine roads across the valleys and jungles of Arunachal.

At the guesthouse, we happened to meet another motorcyclist on a Royal Enfield. He arrived quite late the prior night and was looking for accommodation. He was working with the Government in another part of the country and was touring Arunachal in his time off. We got him in and once settled in, we had dinner together exchanging travel tales, tips on the roads ahead of us, and swapping contacts of people we knew. Whether traveling solo or with a mate, it is always exciting to meet another traveler on the road.

He joined us on our leg the next morning. He was at the end of his trip. He was heading back to Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal, would park his motorcycle there at a friends place and fly out back home to rejoin work. A couple of months later, he would fly back and pick up his bike, continuing his lone sojourn exploring the beautiful state of Arunachal. Awesome.

It had stared drizzling, and we were in for some mesmerising views of the valleys that lay behind us.

It was time for brekkie, and we stopped at a way side eatery to fill up as also trying to figure out how the roads ahead were. Right opposite the big restaurant, we spotted a line of little shacks manned by local women from tribal settlements close by selling some very interesting food. Ofcourse we wandered down there.

Such pretty women. Such gorgeous portraits. And I wasn't even trying!

I spotted two guys haggling with one of the women over something. I walked over and peeked right over their shoulder and saw a dead animal of some sorts in their hand. It was a porcupine! They were haggling over the price. Freshly killed. The guys forbade me from taking any pictures, because it was obviously illegal to hunt and sell them. But they invited us with them to have a cook out and share the meat! Haha, I was off meat, so I declined. It is apparently very succulent and delicious. Felt awful for the little critter though.

It was time to move on after sampling a few of the local delicacies. As we kept on the road, we were nearing this place called Pakke kessang. Pakke Kessang is a secretive valley of green escapades as far as the eyes can see. Lush with myriad hues, the fetching valley almost immediately possessed us.

We ran into a bunch of guys in their cars as we were standing around taking photographs of Pakke Kessang. As always, I ventured to them and introduced myself. What I found out about these guys left me gobsmacked. These guys were teachers at local schools in the Pakke Kessang area. They were from Kerala, a state from the far south of the country. And they were teaching here since the 70's!

That is just insane. Arunachal, even today is far removed from the modernities. I can't imagine what it must have been like in the 60's and 70's when these guys moved in there to teach. And to stay put for decades together with their families, calling the place home, must have been something more a calling from the heart than anything else.

Soon, it was time to part with our friend we met the prior night. He was heading off on a detour to reach Itanagar and back home. Sayonara buddy.

Further on, we stopped for a hydration break. Oranges anyone?

They were just absolutely so tasty and fresh. Talking to the local family at the little shop, they had their orange farms right at the back. The kids I spoke to had dreams of their own. Of stuff they wanted to do. Things they wanted to achieve. Places they wanted to see. The more I travel, the more I find we're all so much alike. And so different at the same time.

Now we had started climbing up towards Ziro village, and the roads were absolutely non existent. There was a huge amount of work going on, building the west-east trans arunachal highway, and it showed. And the rains were pelting down at us at full tilt! It was mayhem I tell you. So hardly any pictures but I have videos of the journey. This picture below was probably the "best stretch" of road we encountered lol!

Where the rains did let up, allowed me a breather to stop and take pictures of the stunning backgrounds we were leaving behind.

Sometimes in the bleak aftermath of life...well, you discover life.

My mate was behind me and with all the messy riding thrown in, his tail bag had gotten unfastened and dropped off somewhere along the way. This gentleman, in his 4x4, managed to stop, retrieve the bag, and caught up with us at the next stop to hand it bag. Thats a good bloke right there if I ever seen one.

As we were climbing over the bloodshed of roads towards Ziro, we met a bunch of guys on their motorcycles heading back down from Ziro. I waved them down to have a chat. They were on a whirlwind one month tour of the entire North East of the country. And here we were to spend a month in just Arunachal, one of the 7 states that comprise the North East of the country!

What were these guys seeing on such a quick trip I wondered. A checklist of places to be at, and sights to see, and a schedule to keep up with was not my idea of travel. But I guess each person has their own trials and tribulations to deal with, a wife, a job, a new baby, that only allows them so much time to cram all their dreams into. What's important was these guys were making things happen inspite of their own shortcomings of time and myriad responsibilities. One not ought to judge.

But the key bit of the conversation was the next leg of the journey was going to be the worst of what we had encountered so far. The rains over the past few days in this area had wrecked havoc, and it was nothing but an off-road track.

[Red Liner]

An introduction video to our trip curated and produced by my mate on this ride. Enjoy the watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wpQoCS91rM

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Day 9
Seppa to Ziro
https://goo.gl/maps/yGryfyvJSpvEh92W8
250 kms
Full day or Riding



Now we had started climbing up towards Ziro village, and the roads were absolutely non existent. There was a huge amount of work going on, building the west-east trans arunachal highway, and it showed. And the rains were pelting down at us at full tilt! It was mayhem I tell you. So hardly any pictures but I have videos of the journey. This picture below was probably the "best stretch" of road we encountered lol!

As promised:

https://youtu.be/VYlXs_F6H3U

[Red Liner]

We finally reached Ziro that evening, after a lot of self misdirected misery!

We decided to go up to the Government operated rest house, which seemed in pretty good nick and enquire for rooms. No luck, the whole place was booked out by a film crew! This would be our biggest blessing in disguise so far!

So I rang my contact in Ziro, a girl named Rimpy, who I had met the previous evening at Seppa, from the rural livelihood mission. She was stationed in Ziro and had promised to help us out. She wasn't in Ziro yet, but put us on to her sister. That sister was busy with something, so she put us onto another guy named Michi Bhai, who invited us home while we waited for the lil sis to arrive.

These are how houses in this part of the country are designed. Huge living area with a brilliant central heating system!

The lil sis, Koj Sumpi, finally arrived in her lil scooterette and we followed her deep into Hong Village. It was quite late into the evening now. Probably nightfall too. The Hong village makes up one of the many villages that together comprise of the Ziro Valley. We were heading to Hong Village to spend the next few nights at a local's beautiful home.

We tried not to destroy their spic and span floor with our mucky boots. The hosts waved our apologies away. The floor was made of bamboo, and the house was on stilts. Any dirt on the bamboo floor would quickly filter down beneath the house. No dysons were ever sold here.

The bed was for the both of us.​

We were quickly escorted to "our" room. This room actually belonged to the youngest daughter of the household, which was basically a single mum and her little teenager. Her older kids were either married or were working in the bigger towns. The teen, Yallu, moved to sleep with her mum because of us. Bless her.

After a quick freshen up, we headed back to the living area to spend some quality time with some quality women.

Dinner prep had begun. The green cylindrical object you see over the fire, is a hollow bamboo in which the rice was cooked.

I don't think we had stopped for lunch, and our breakfast was something too meagre to even remember. Most days were like this, and we were not complaining! In fact, we loved these long riding days! We weren't men of comfort! We were men of dirt, dust, and sparta!

Dinner was finally served. Eggs, locally grown greens from their very own farm, rice from their own farm again, salt, chilli paste. The family knew we were coming to stay just an hour back. And they still managed us a hero's welcome. And the food on the following days was far more extravagant!

With dinner down in our starving bellies, it was time to sit around the fire with this little fella for company.

And soon it was time to call it a night. We slept like cats that night.

[Samurai_RX8]

Is your friend's bike a Kawasaki Versys?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Samurai_RX8

Is your friend's bike a Kawasaki Versys?

Yes, I think its a 2018 Kawasaki Versys 650.