[BIKER BSA]

Ferns & other creepers line some of the better roads in Arunachal.Some of the worst roads we encountered were in Arunachal.


A signboard before Tezu.


An elephant slowly makes his way to the forest while his owner sits comfortably under his Chinese umbrella.


The Yak Restaurant in Tezu. The owners claimed never having served yak meat.


Vinod & Shiraz, not taking any chances, paste 'Save the Yak' sticker to the cash counter of The Yak Restaurant.


A very apt board put up by The District Administration in Tezu. Wish more such boards were put up in rest of the country to inculcate a sense of responsibility amongst its citizens.

[sumeshmani]

A brilliant travelogue.....A good number of photographs make it very informative. I hope this drive brings about the best results for the cause "Save The Yak 2011".

[BIKER BSA]

On 10th of May 2011 we had one of the most stressful, challenging & tough day of our trip. After traveling the previous day on some of the worst roads between Kibithu & Lohitpur, we discovered a flat tyre due to a 6 inch deeply embedded in the tyre. It took us almost an hour to extract the nail and repair the puncture. So our departure was delayed by an hour. After a breakfast of momos & noodles at THE YAK RESTAURANT in Teju, we reached the inner line check-post on NH 52 where the personnel refused to give us permits saying there was no proper roads a little further on. Disbelieving them we insisted on going ahead. A couple of hours later we sheepishly returned and asked them for directions. We got a vague answer that after 5-10 kms.take a right turn. After taking a wrong turn we finally got on to the right road [?] to come to the Dibang river with no bridge to get across. After asking around we were told that we had to go to Amarpur ghat to get a ferry. After another hour of driving thru various streams, rickety bridges & on dry river-beds we arrived at Amarpur ghat.. We were told we had go across and get a car-carrying ferry. After three of us went across, the hard bargaining started with the boat men. After settling the price for their ferry service we were shown the ferries. Both were little more small boats but had a flat bed in the centre, a 5 hp single cylinder diesel engine to propel and long bamboos to steer. Anyway, after a great deal of maneuvering by the boatmen & our drivers the three SUVs were on their way across the Dibang River with a great deal of noise & smoke from the overburdened ferry engines. After we got across we traveled another 10 kms. or so to come across the Sesar river. Another ferry cruise & we were across to reach Pasighat at 9.30pm.
The pictures here are of the section mentioned above.






These are the pictures of the dense forest near the Dibang river. Soon a four lane highway and a six km long bridge will take travelers thru this.


A man cuts a bamboo 50 ft. long and 6 inches in diameter. A very common size of bamboo in Arunachal Pradesh.



Rickety bridges connect 'dry-weather villages'.










Dry now but under several feet of water during the rains.

[harit]

Just bumped into this thread as not much happening on my regular forum.
I am jealous, I wonder if I will ever see this part of India. It is so beautiful, if infrastructure were to be developed we would not need to go to Switzerland except for banking.
Please do put up some more pictures, and let us know about your experiences with the locals, they appear to be friendly. Where did you guys stay? And did you have to cook your own food on the way?
This area is beautiful, but infrastructure is seriously lacking, this area being a part of India needs to get developed urgently and fast. The chinese are ahead not only in the number of Yak farms and Yaks
Looking forward to more.

Cheers harit

[BIKER BSA]

Originally Posted by harit

Just bumped into this thread as not much happening on my regular forum.
I am jealous, I wonder if I will ever see this part of India. It is so beautiful, if infrastructure were to be developed we would not need to go to Switzerland except for banking.
Please do put up some more pictures, and let us know about your experiences with the locals, they appear to be friendly. Where did you guys stay? And did you have to cook your own food on the way?
This area is beautiful, but infrastructure is seriously lacking, this area being a part of India needs to get developed urgently and fast. The chinese are ahead not only in the number of Yak farms and Yaks
Looking forward to more.

Cheers harit

I agree with you about the beauty of the Himalayas and the lack of infrastructure. If the authorities develop the infrastructure and allow tourists to move freely the Indian economy stands to gain as do the locals, who have limited means of earning a decent livelihood. Allow foreigners to come, see and explore our beautiful country. At present, it is difficult or even impossible, for even us Indians to go and see some of the places that we have been on this trip thanks to the lack of proper infrastructure. Our roads are narrow and built with scarce regard to safety or comfort. Road widening has started in some parts but the progress has to be faster and on a larger scale. Our private hotels and govt. guest houses in these parts lack some basic facilities for a tired traveler. So anyone traveling to Himalayas must be ready to really rough it out especially when you plan to leave the normal tourist routes and go deep [and high] into the ‘remoter’ areas. And remember this is all under adverse climatic & weather conditions.

Our experiences with the locals were always friendly and informative. The people of Bhutan are really courteous and helpful to all outsiders/foreigners unlike in Nepal. Our stay was in buildings and sometimes in the vehicles itself. As for food we had whatever we got as long it was fresh and preferably hot though we carried fruits, biscuits and dry fruits as emergency rations.

We have seen some vintage automobiles the pics of which will be put up in due course.

[BIKER BSA]

Some more pics of river crossing by ferries.

[BIKER BSA]

Our team members sit on the cabin roof as the poor engine struggles to get the empty ferry across the river.


Ahmed strikes a pose during the river crossing.


The planks bend and creak under the weight of the Scorpio.



The width of the ferry was just enough to take the Scorpio.



The second ferry comes to take the two getaways across.




Finally the two getaways are taken across.


The setting sun creates its own magic.




'See how wide the river is!' is what Vinod seems to say.

[BIKER BSA]

A typical home on stilts in Arunachal.


A rare albino "Mithoon" watches us go past.







Our team members help clear the road. Bad roads and obstacles mean very low average speeds.


Another thatched roof home on stilts.






Early morning views of the Lohit river.


A suspended pedestrian bridge.Appeared dangerous but in use.

[BIKER BSA]

Some more pics from beautiful Arunachal Pradesh.

A tribal proudly poses with his gun [Made in England ,year of manufacture-1890]






His wife joins him and demands money from us for clicking their pictures. Time to move on!




A new Church near Zero.




A herd of yaks near Sela pass.


Yohann Doongaji out in the cold to 'experience' a motorbike like ride


Approaching Sela pass.

[BIKER BSA]

Hotel NEFA at Sela Pass. Closed because the tourist season was yet to start.






Our team members at Sela Pass.


Along distance view of the Tawang Monastery.


Tawang Monastery gate.


At Tawang Monastery Drive.


A view of the main market,Tawang.




Pictures of the ONLY YAK FARM IN INDIA.

[ADI_77]

Thanks a ton Anjan for sharing this fantastic experience. This qualifies as one of the finest travelogues on the forum. The pics are spectacular. A Big Thumps Up to the guys who were part of the team (just envy them) It would be great if TBHP takes an initiative and organizes one such event. Awaiting more pics and details on the team selection, finance etc.

[San Phrangmung]

Lucky to have covered such difficult places in one go. Looking forward to see more pictures and still untold stories. River crossing and getting lost part was most interesting.