[wanderernomad]

Hornbill Festival was organised from 1st to 10th December 2013 at Naga Heritage Village Kisama about 10 Kms from Kohima in Nagaland. The teaser pictures first and the details would follow.

[Ironhide]

The teaser pics are delectable...............I hope you have a boatload of them!

Is that a Tri-services crest I spy on the Indica?

Cheers !

[wanderernomad]

The Journey was in the planning mode for quite some time. The issues that were plaguing the trip were:
1. I was away to Delhi till 6th December since 20th November.
2. The festival was to close on 10th December.
3. I had only the 7-8 December weekend available.

Anyway, I reached back to Jorhat around 1600 hrs on 6th and had planned to leave by 1700 hrs. The kids were ready and raring to go. But a slight complication with our friends who were travelling with us resulted in postponing the departure till 0700 hrs the next morning. The kids were, as expected, furious.
0715 hrs: 77532: Dep Jorhat.
0735 hrs: 77555: Dergaon.
0800 hrs: 77578: Golaghat.
0808 hrs: 77586: Dimapur turn off: Turn left on the road coming from Numaligarh.
0820 hrs: 77600: Garampani: A small rivulet in Karbi Anglong District, with hot water springs.
0845 hrs: 77622: Deopani. Here at a Police checkpost while our companion Ertiga was let go because of Assam registration, I was pulled over. But was let go immediately upon the credentials being established with just one question. Yeh Gaadi Kiska hai? I wonder if car jackers travel with their entire families and the car full of luggage. My wife almost told him that we found the car enroute and have decided to take it to Kohima for the journey.
0905 hrs: 77647: Silonjan.
0920 hrs: 77663: Dimapur. Here the misery started. The entire town is dug up and the roads are a complete mess. it took us 40 minutes to travel 12 kms to our first pit stop for the day.
1000 hrs: 77675: Niathu resorts: A beautiful property and surely deserves atleast a night stay if you are inclined to visit this area for a leisurely weekend. Food was also excellent.
Started at 1130 hrs from here.
1220 hrs: 77707: Piphema.
1240 hrs: 77720: Zupza: Hqtr 15 BRTF and also has a Nagaland Police Training Centre.
1300 hrs: 77732: Kohima.
Mess 19AR was reached at 1400 hrs with odo on 77739. The traffic is a mess in Kohima and prone to long snarls. Another important aspect is the nightmare of parking at Night. There are few places and your car is prone to being vandalised. Our friends also parked their car with us att he officers mess and proceeded to their relatives on foot for the night.
1615 Hrs: 77752: Naga Heritage Village Kisama.

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by Ironhide

The teaser pics are delectable...............I hope you have a boatload of them!

Is that a Tri-services crest I spy on the Indica?

Cheers !

Yeah the crest is correct but you need to identify the wheels again.

Anyway here are some more pictures from the Hornbill Festival.

[wanderernomad]

There were numerous cultural programs being held including songs and dance. Here are a few snapshots of what we witnessed that day. There was also a place for children to have fun with rope bridges and water ball. The return journey was started at around 1730 hrs, late for travelling through Nagaland and Karbi Anglong areas but we made it back to Jorhat by 2100 hrs without any incidence except a very close sighting of an Adult Bull Elephant by the road side near Garampani.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

[jyotirupam]

Excellent ! Let me congratulate you for the exciting trip and the pictures . Indeed this colourful festival is a big opportunity to understand and enjoy the beautiful ethnic cultures of various tribes of Nagaland. A rendezvous of different communities in their original traditional life styles.

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

0845 hrs: 77622: Deopani. Here at a Police checkpost while our companion Ertiga was let go because of Assam registration, I was pulled over. But was let go immediately upon the credentials being established with just one question. Yeh Gaadi Kiska hai? I wonder if car jackers travel with their entire families and the car full of luggage. My wife almost told him that we found the car enroute and have decided to take it to Kohima for the journey.

This is a very common incident in this route as this route is notoriously famous as a route for the stolen vehicles from Assam to Nagalnd. This piece of information is for our forum members.

Please pour more pics.

Regards,

Jyoti Rupam Dutta
Guwahati.

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by jyotirupam

Excellent ! Let me congratulate you for the exciting trip and the pictures . Indeed this colourful festival is a big opportunity to understand and enjoy the beautiful ethnic cultures of various tribes of Nagaland. A rendezvous of different communities in their original traditional life styles.

Yeah, I ahve been told of this route for ferrying stolen cars. And nice to see that you are in Guahati. Are there any other bhpians there? I know of one who recently shifted from Jorhat to Guahati.

[gd1418]

I don't know how I missed this thread. N-E conjures some mystical land and mystical indeed it is.

Mesmerising pictures..!

[TaureanBull]

Its a good festive mood in Kohima in the first week of December during Hornbill. Infact its pretty tight to arrange accommodation that time. The festival has gained prominence post peace ushering in the state. Makes for a good visit during December.

Good pics and good start. Hope to see more of the festival.

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by gd1418

I don't know how I missed this thread. N-E conjures some mystical land and mystical indeed it is.

Mesmerising pictures..!

Guruji just finished a 2400 km drive to Tripura as well. More pictures of NE coming up soon.

[TorqueyTechie]

Good pics. Had heard a lot about this festival but seeing the pics for the first time. Hope to see some more of the pics.

NE part of india is very mesmerizing and a must visit for all the nature lovers. Have a friend from manipur and the places that he showed in pics is making me to plan a trip to the place soon.

[kaushik_s]

7/8 Dec 2013? I was also there in Kisama for the hornbill this year and exactly those same days. I've also reached around evening time on 7th dec around 4pm. We were there next day too but left around 2.30pm from Kisama to Jorhat.
Normally the festival happens for 7 days but last year it was its 10th Anniversary and that's why they made it for 10 days. I was there during the 2012 festivals too. It was a very nice experience. Although stay becomes a bit too expensive during those few days.
Thanks for sharing,

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

7/8 Dec 2013? I was also there in Kisama for the hornbill this year and exactly those same days. I've also reached around evening time on 7th dec around 4pm. We were there next day too but left around 2.30pm from Kisama to Jorhat.
Normally the festival happens for 7 days but last year it was its 10th Anniversary and that's why they made it for 10 days. I was there during the 2012 festivals too. It was a very nice experience. Although stay becomes a bit too expensive during those few days.
Thanks for sharing,

Ohh. You did not let on. We could have met. You had promised to let us know next time you were to be in Jorhat. BTW i saw a got bhp stickered white ecosport on AT road near Tarajan today, any idea? And when are you planning to be here again?

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Ohh. You did not let on. We could have met. You had promised to let us know next time you were to be in Jorhat. BTW i saw a got bhp stickered white ecosport on AT road near Tarajan today, any idea? And when are you planning to be here again?

Ooops, so sorry, my bad.. I totally forgot about that meet thread. My stupid memory. Will surely keep in mind next time. As of now no plans but may be end of the year or early next year. This time will surely keep in touch.
Regards,


Guess what I have found in my photo archive