[kozhissery]

Idea

I’ve been toying with the idea of visiting North Eastern states for last couple of years. My family was quite reluctant to allow me to drive to NE states. At last they allowed me to go in the year 2015. Add to this my Co-Brother (sister-in-law's husband) Ajay (Handle: Vasuki) also wanted to drive to NE and hence planning started.


Planning
There are lots of places to see in the North East, so it was difficult to decide what all to be seen in the fixed time period (winter holidays – will get about 3 weeks). The planned days were from 11th December (After 5 pm) to 3rd Jan 2016 (Need to be in office on 4th Jan). The car was decided to be my co-brothers Mahindra XUV500 W8. The places which we wanted to see were Root Bridge in Meghalaya, Tawang, Ziro, Mechuka, Kibuthoo in Arunachal Pradesh. Puri/Konark in Orissa and Kamakhya in Assam if possible. The probable itinerary was as follow

11-Dec – Start
12-Dec – Puri/Konark
13-Dec – Hit Road by noon
14-Dec – On Road
15-Dec – Guwahati
16-Dec – Shillong
17-Dec - Shillong
18-Dec – Shillong
19-Dec – To Tawang
20-Dec – Tawang
21-Dec – Tawang
22-Dec – To Ziro
23-Dec – Ziro
24-Dec – To Mechuka
24-Dec – Mechuka
25-Dec – To Kibuthoo
26-Dec – Kibuthoo
27-Dec – Return Journey Starts (with break in Guwahati)
03-Jan – Back Home

Any person wishing to enter into Arunachal Pradesh needs to have Inner Line Permit (ILP). Thanks to J.Ravi for his timely advice on how to get ILP.

Procedure for Getting ILP
The procedure is quite simple.
1. In plain paper write the request (format what I sent is given below) with Photo
2. Photocopies of ID card (Used Passport – License, Aadhar will also do).
3. Extra Photo (We need 2 photos of each person, one in the request letter and the other for ILP which will attached by the authorities)
4. We put vehicle details also (I think it’s not needed)
5. Demand Draft Drawn in Favour of “Resident Commissioner, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Payable at Delhi”. Rs.100/- for each person (Rs.200 in our case as we were 2 persons)
6. Self-Addressed envelope (Speed Post) with stamps for getting the ILP
7. Put all these in an envelope and send it in Speed Post to “Resident Commissioner, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Aruncahal Bhawan, Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi”


I got the ILP within 10 days of sending to Delhi. I think the authorities took less than 3 working days to process the request.


This is what I sent



The Trip

The plan was to take the route from Trivandrum to Vishakhapatnam via Madurai, Trichy, Chennai. Just two days before the start of the trip, my cousin brother (Sankaran) asked whether he could jump in. The routes had to be modified due to Chennai rains and my cousin jumping in who resides in Kochi. As we had ILP for two of us, taking the ILP (without wasting a day in Guwahati or Arunachal border) became a challenge. We were lucky to get a contact in Arunachal Pradesh (through our Cousin who works @Arunachal Pradesh) who took the responsibility of getting one for brother. Surprise, the contact is a Doctor Pakha Tesia in Shillong who is a member of Team-Bhp.

What Materialized

[kozhissery]

Day 1: 11-Dec-2015 – Kazhakuttom (Trivandrum) to Ernakulam

Dumped my bag into car and could start by 5 pm towards Haripad. Reached co-brothers’ house@Haripad by 8pm. After dinner loaded my bag into XUV and we hit the road by 9pm to pick my cousin from Ernakulam. Reached Ernakulam before 11pm, dumped his bags and hit the road by 11:30pm. We had decided to drive till we get sleepy.

Destination: Tripunithura (Ernakulam)
Route: Kazhakuttom – Haripad – Tripunithura
Odometer Start: 56,822
Odometer End: 57,021
Kilometres: 199 KMS
Number of Tolls: 1
Toll Charges: Rs.15
Start Time: 5pm
End Time: 11pm
Running Time: 4 Hours
Total Time: 6 Hours
Hotel: NA
Rating: NA

[kozhissery]

Day 2: 12-Dec-2015 – Ernakulam to Vijayawada

We continued our drive and had our first stop at Coimbatore for driver change and snack break. By Salem I felt sleepy, so stopped the car at a Toll gate and had a small wink for 1 hour. Continued the journey till Krishnagiri where we had our breakfast. As we had packed lunch we had it at around 1pm near Sri Kalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh. We continued our journey and by 7pm we were tired and decided to rest for the day.

Home Lunch@On Road [Near Kalahasthi]


Destination: Vijayawada
Route: Tripunithura-Thrissur-Coimbatore-Krishnagiri-Vellore-Chittoor-Renugunta-Nellore-Vijayawada
Odometer Start: 57,021
Odometer End: 58,110
Kilometres: 1,089 KMS
Number of Tolls: 9
Toll Charges: Rs.455/-
Start Time: 00:00AM
End Time: 19:00
Running Time: 16 Hours
Total Time: 19 Hours
Hotel: Hotel VD Residency, Chandramoulipuram, Benz Circle, Vijayawada
GPS Coordinates: 16°29′51.4″N 80°39′11.6″E
Rating: Not Recommended. Only advantage is that it’s next to NH5.

Restaurant Tried: Idly’N’Idly, Back Side Of Relance Fresh, Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Acharya Ranga Nagar, Benz Circle, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh 520010, India
GPS Coordinates: 16°29′ 56.477″N 80°39′ 9.111″E
Rating: Can be tried, not so great.

[kozhissery]

Day 3: 13-Dec-2015 – Vijawada to Konark

As planned we hit the road by 6am with a target in mind to reach Konark by night. While crossing Godavari noticed that sand being excavated (lots of lorries/trucks carrying sand from the river), felt that it’s going to be emptied of sand in another couple of days (felt sad, that the nature is being destroyed uncontrolled).
It seems that the people here are strong believers of Lord Hanuman, saw lots of huge statues adjacent to NH5.
Encountered the first traffic jam at the border between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. When enquired with the local person they mentioned that the jam can take more than 2 hours, but if we take the other lane it can be crossed in no time. Thanks that the vehicle was an SUV, just clambered over the median and could cross the border without any issues. Took a break at a local tea shop in Odisha, where we had good tea and some great samosas/chats. Once we entered the local road to Konark, it took more than 2.5 hours to cross 60 Kilomeres and reached the hotel Yatri Nivas@Konark by 9.30pm or so. Hit the bed early after having a quick bite so that we could wakeup early to see the sunrise.

Beautiful Roads of Andhra Pradesh/Telegana


Godavari Riverbed


Lord Hanuman


Lord Hanuman


Driving


Wanna Eat???


Destination: Konark, Odisha
Route: Vijayawada-Rajamundry-Vishakapatnam-Srikakulam-Bhubaneswar
Odometer Start: 58,110
Odometer End: 58,970
Kilometres: 860 KMS
Number of Tolls: 15
Toll Charges: Rs.890/-
Start Time: 06:20AM
End Time: 21:00
Running Time: 14.15 Hours
Hotel: Yatri Nivas, SH 13, Konark, Odisha 752111
GPS Coordinates: 19°53'27"N 86°5'44"E
Rating: Mediocre Hotel, Good Location, Average Restaurant

Restaurant Tried: None
Rating: NA.
 

[kozhissery]

Day 4: 14-Dec-2015 – Konark to Kharagpur

Got up early (around 4am or so) to see the sunrise. As it was cloudy could not see the rising sun, still had a wonderful time in the beach. Did not feel like having a dip in the ocean. Returned to the hotel and after breakfast went to visit the Konark Temple. By 11 am we were out and went straight to Puri. Unluckily no cameras are allowed inside and we were out in about 1 hours’ time. We had our lunch at Agrawal Restaurant which turned out to be good. By 2 pm we hit the road. On the way we stopped at Mahindra’s Service station to change the wiper. The service was too slow for my liking. At the border we took the other lane (we learnt that from our previous experience at Andhra/Odisha border) and could cross the border without much fuss. We reached Kharagpur at about 10pm where we decided to rest for the day.


Destination: Midnapur (Off Kharagpur), Westbengal
Route: Konark-Puri-Bhubaneswar-Balasore-Kharagpur
Odometer Start: 58,970
Odometer End: 59,392
Kilometres: 422 KMS
Number of Tolls: 5
Toll Charges: Rs.335/-
Start Time: 15:00
End Time: 22:00
Running Time: 7 Hours
Hotel: Atithi Guest House & Banquet Hall, Kharagpur
GPS Coordinates: 22°20'58"N 87°20'7"E
Rating: Good. Small rooms but very clean.

Restaurant Tried: Agarwal's Pure Veg Restaurant, Puri
GPS Coordinates: 19°47' 59.639"N 85° 48' 9.134"E
Rating: Good, Neat Restaurant


Sunrise@Konark


Sunrise@Konark


Sunrise@Konark


Would You Believe


@Hotel


Statue from Hotel


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Sun Temple


Iron Bars@Sun Temple


Sun Temple


On the way to Puri


Chaos@Puri

[kozhissery]

Day 5: 15-Dec-2015 – Kharagpur to Purnea

Started off the day quite early to cover as much distance as possible. On the way we had some lovely hot puris from local shop. We saw some couple of funny scenes where the police were showing hands to the lorry driver but most of them were just driving off without stopping. Encountered horrible roads of Jharkand and Bihar. The roads were fine till Dumka after that we felt that we entered moon (craters). The ordeal did not stop even after driving for more than one hour and on enquiry with local jeep walas got to know that the road was like that till we reach Bhagalpur which was more than 50 kilometres away. Lucky for us, we met a police guy in the next village who guided us through some village roads and could reach Bhagalpur via Banka, Amarpur and Ratanganj. Had our dinner at Pizza Hut as no good restaurants could be located and we were very hungry after the ordeal. Another 10 kilometres we reached the bridge of Ganga, where we encountered a big traffic jam. Some truck had broken down on the bridge and no vehicles could pass. We spent around 1 hour on the bridge. By the time we reached Purnea it was around 1am and I was feeling very sleepy and it was my turn to drive. We decided to sleep in the car.

Destination: Purnea, Bihar
Route: Kharagpur-Bankura-Raniganj-Asansol-Jamtara-Jama-Hansdiha-Bounsi-Banka-Amarpur-Bhagalpur-Dumar-Gulalbagh (Outskirts of Purnea)
Odometer Start: 59,392
Odometer End: 59,910
Kilometres: 518 KMS
Number of Tolls: 1
Toll Charges: Rs.50/-
Start Time: 06:30AM
End Time: 23:59
Running Time: 17:30 Hours
Hotel: NA
GPS Coordinates: NA
Rating: NA

Restaurant Tried: NA
GPS Coordinates: NA
Rating: NA

Outskirts of Asansol


Moon craters

[kozhissery]

Day 6: 16-Dec-2015 – Purnea to Guwahati

Woke up at 3:30 am and started to drive. The drive was pretty slow due to fog. For safety I did not drive fast, rather followed huge trucks (they had blinkers switched on). By 6am or so the fogs were clear and we could drive fast. Reached Siliguri by 7.00am had our breakfast after siliguri at around 8am at a clean dhaba (first dhaba which was really clean run by someone from Sikkim) after the coronation bridge. It was quite refreshing to drive through Forest Ranges (Jaldapara National Park, Buxa Tiger Reserve) and tea estates in Bengal.
We got our first jolt when we were stopped by police at Bengal/Assam border to give us a grave news “ITS HARTHAL/BANDH in ASSAM”. We felt like @home “Welcome to Kerala – The land of Bandhs”. There were thousands of vehicles at the border waiting for the evening. Upon enquiry with the police at the border, we came to know that by 2pm there would be military convoy to Assam. To kill time we drove back a few kilometres to a big dhaba which had lots of parking space. Had our lunch and spend couple of hours there. By 2pm or so we reached the border where police were getting ready for the convoy. By 3pm the convoy started to move. There were hundreds of cars and many were from Bhutan. This convoy thing was quite revelation for me as this does not happen in Kerala (thank God, whole day was not lost – lost around 3 to 4 hours only). If it’d have been Kerala then would have lost 12 hours. No other untoward events happened and we checked into hotel by 9pm.

Destination: Guwahati
Route: Purnea-Kishanganj-Islampur-Siliguri-Sevoke-Guwahati
Odometer Start: 59,910
Odometer End: 60,553
Kilometres: 643 KMS
Number of Tolls: 4
Toll Charges: Rs.197/-
Start Time: 04:00AM
End Time: 21:00
Running Time: 17:00 Hours
Hotel: Hotel May Flower, Guwahati
GPS Coordinates: 26.1850674N,91.7432477E
Rating: Good.

Restaurant Tried: NA
GPS Coordinates: NA
Rating: NA

Clean Dhaba - A surprise


Clean Dhaba - A surprise


Parking Place@Dhaba - somewhere in the border WB and Assam


In Queue@Assam Border - Waiting for Convoy


In Queue@Assam Border - Waiting for Convoy


In Queue@Assam Border - Waiting for Convoy


@Mayfair Hotel - Guwahati

[kozhissery]

Day 7: 17-Dec-2015 – Guwahati to Shillong

After a relaxing sleep, we had great Dosa and Iddly at the restaurant of MayFlower.
Got ready by 9:30am and while trying to connect the Car Inverter the fuse blew off and we decided to fix it before proceeding to Shillong. Loved the quick service of Mahindra Hotline. Under 5 minutes of calling the Mahindra Hotline, we got a call from the local dealer at Guwahati (Mahindra Industrial And Farm Equipment, in Ganeshguri, Guwahati). Quickly got the appointment for fixing and on reaching the service center we were greeted by the customer support who initiated the fix. As we had some time (needed to pick the ILP for my brother from Dr. Pakha’s staff) we decided to clean the car too as it had accumulated lot of dust/muck.

Got the vehicle by 12pm and we decided to move towards Sohra. We were welcomed by great roads and the lovely Umium Lake. After the photoshoot we proceeded to Sohra. What surprised me was that everybody was very disciplined and everybody followed the lane rules, no bad overtaking, no honking etc. It started to get dark by 4:30pm add to that it was foggy too. Thanks to GPS we could make to the resort by 5:30 or so.
It was colder than expected (XUV showed 6 as outside temperature) and we had to take out the woollen clothing. Had some hot soup which we enjoyed by the fireplace in the dining area. Loved the fire place in the bedrooms too.


Destination: Sohra
Route: Guwahati-Shillong-Sohra (Cherapunjee)
Odometer Start: 60,553
Odometer End: 60,723
Kilometres: 170 KMS
Number of Tolls: None
Toll Charges: NA
Start Time: 12:00PM
End Time: 18:00
Running Time: 6:00 Hours
Hotel: Sa-i-Mika Resorts, Sohra, Meghalaya 793108.
GPS Coordinates: 25.2871734N 91.7043614E
Rating: Good resort. Lots to explore and walk.

Restaurant Tried: NA
GPS Coordinates: NA
Rating: NA

Much needed Wash


Umiam Lake

[kozhissery]

Day 8: 18-Dec-2015 – Double Decker Root Bridge@Nongriat Village and Orange Festival@Sohra

Got up early to be welcomed by bright sunshine. We were lucky to be here on this day as Sohra Festival (Orange Festival) was being held that day. Basically they had many competitions and many stalls were setup serving local cuisines. The plan was made such that we should not miss the local festival.
So we decided trek to double decker root bridge and come back to enjoy the festival in the night.
After seeing the welcome team of Festival (inauguration by local chief) but just before the delegates arrived we left at 10:30am for Nongriat Village where we reached by 11:30am. The vehicle goes upto a village locally called as Umsophsie (I think its known as Tyrna) where we parked the vehicle and hired a guide named Shoubar (not necessary for the route, but needed to explain local stories). The guide gave us the following information:

• Step to Nongriat: More than 3200 steps (I did not count)
• Only LP School is there at Nongriat
• Up School is that at Umsophsie (Tyrna)
• High Schools only at Cherapunjee
• Number of Adjacent Villages to Nongriat: 3
• Population: Around 60 to 70 in each village

Nongriat village is in a valley and we have to descend to reach there from where we parked the vehicle. The steps are quite steep but walkable. It was enjoyable to walk as the path is through shades of the trees and smell is quite good. We were lucky for it was neither very sunny nor very chilly and NO rains (even though we were in the heart of Cherapunjee). The sight is quite mesmerising. Crossing 2 hanging bridges in two hours’ time of relaxed walking we reached the Nongriat village where the famous double decker bridge is located. The scenery from the hanging bridge is quite breath-taking. It was quite surprising to see clean public Loo at Nongriat. Even there are 2/3 homestays.
BSNL network is available, didn’t realize until a call came in. Spent sometime at the root bridge and had a tea at the local stall. I bought some local pickle from the stall near the root bridge which tastes good but still guessing what kind of fruit/vegetable it contains (it contains some kind of seed inside but no idea what it is).
While returning back I took a small detour (around 500 meters) to see the single decker bridge (Long Living Root Bridge at Rittymmen) while my brothers rested. It was pretty sight as no persons were there and I could enjoy the scenery. This bridge is longer and bit higher than the double decker bridge.
The return trek took more time as we were climbing up.
Trek Start: 11:30am
Trek End: 16:10pm
While going to see the Double decker Root bridge, we had seen a restaurant named “Orange Roots”. We decided to the check out the restaurant and to our surprise it was a pure vegetarian restaurant serving south Indian (Tamil) food. We had some lovely dosa and coffee. This restaurant is a part of “Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort” where we were denied rooms as they do not give rooms to bachelors (Only for families and ladies).

By 6pm we reached the resort freshened up and rushed to see the festival. Lots of programs like music show, fashion shows were going on. There were lots of stalls selling local food where we tried some and liked it. After sometime we felt bored of the dance and it was getting quite chilly so we headed back to the rooms by 9pm and decided to call it a day.

Destination: Nongriat and Back
Route: Sohra-Nongriat-Sohra
Odometer Start: 60,723
Odometer End: 60,761
Kilometres: 38 KMS
Number of Tolls: None
Toll Charges: NA
Start Time: 10:30AM
End Time: 17:00
Running Time: 1:00 Hours
Hotel: Sa-i-Mika Rd., Sohra, Meghalaya 793108.
GPS Coordinates: 25.2871734N 91.7043614E
Rating: Good resort. Lots to explore and walk.

Restaurant Tried: Orange Roots, Sohra
GPS Coordinates: 25.2873341N, 91.7173282E
Rating: Good South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant (Run by Tamilian)

Bright Sunshine - Hello XUV Goodmorning


Bright Sunshine - Hello XUV Goodmorning


Around the Resort


Around the Resort


Around the Resort - Lovely Chairs


Welcome for The distinguished Guests


People in Local Attire - Ready to Welcome Some local Chief


People in Local Attire - Ready to Welcome Some local Chief


People in Local Attire - My Brother did not want to waste a Photo Opportunity

[kozhissery]

Day 8: 18-Dec-2015 – Double Decker Root Bridge@Nongriat Village and Orange Festival@Sohra

Let photos do the Talking of Double Decker Natural Bridge

At least the Board Says its Waterfall - We could not see any
The best time to go there is after the rains (monsoon days)


Waterfall


Waterfall


Way to Root Bridge


Spider


Way to Root Bridge


Hanging Bridge


Crystal Clear Water


Hanging Bridge


Crystal Clear Water


Hotel Near Root bridge


Homestay Near Root bridge


Entry Fees


Double Decker Root Bridge@Sohra


Double Decker Root Bridge@Sohra


Hotel Near Root bridge - Got the Local Pickle from here


Ariel View of River


Hanging Iron Bridge


Waterfall


Waterfall


Cannot miss a photoshoot@the river - Its me and Co-brother


Single Decker Root Bridge


Single Decker Root Bridge


Single Decker Root Bridge


Just a Board


Its so Easy for Them but too difficult for Us. Carrying around 40Kgs of Bay Leaf


Back at Resort - View of Sohra Festival - Orange Festival

[kozhissery]

Day 9: 19-Dec-2015 – Sohra to Shillong covering Mawsmai caves, Seven Sister Waterfalls and Mawlynnong village

Woke up quite early and was ready to visit the cave. On the way we went to the same restaurant to have dosa.
The cave complex is quite small and it can be seen about 1 hours’ time. The caves are beautifully preserved and the garden is being built. Pitcher plants have been planted in the cave complex and in another couple of years the visitors might be able to see it in bloom (as per the person at the complex it takes about 6 years for it to bloom and the it has been 2 years only since they planted it here).
After that we moved to see the famous falls even though knowing that they are dry. We were informed by the manager of the resort that all the waterfalls are running dry and the best time visit these were during monsoon.
By afternoon we checked out from the resort and decided to go to Mawlynnong, the cleanest village in Asia (india for sure). On the way we stopped at the so called entrance of Cherapunjee had a photoshoot in the traditional attire of Khasi Tribe. The drive was quite enjoyable to the village and we spent some time there. In the village there is a tree with platform built from where Bangladesh can be seen. We were unlucky as clouds blocked the view of Bangladesh.
By 5 pm we started to drive to Shillong. As it started getting foggy we were quite concerned but after sometime fog cleared and we reached Shillong by 7.30pm or so. We tried two hotels but both were full so we took the next hotel which had vacant rooms. The bathroom was quite horrible (taps were dripping due to which stains were there in the basin) and no hot water was available. Still we took it as we just wanted to sleep and start early next day for Arunachal Pradesh.
Doctor Pakha Tesia from Shillong came to meet us. We are very thankful to him for his kind help in getting us the ILP for my brother. We spent some wonderful time with him. Got lot of information regarding the culture and life of Arunachal Pradesh and Shillong/Meghalaya. To our surprise he is a member of Team-bhp (forgot to ask his team-bhp handles) and has Yeti and Fabia.

Destination: Shillong
Route: Sohra-Mawsmai-Mawlynnong-Shillong
Odometer Start: 60,761
Odometer End: 60,942
Kilometres: 181 KMS
Number of Tolls: None
Toll Charges: NA
Start Time: 08:30AM
End Time: 20:00
Running Time: 11:30 Hours
Hotel: Hotel Pegasus Crown, Wards Lake Road, Shillong 793001, India.
GPS Coordinates: 25.576255N, 91.883772E
Rating: Quite Bad. Not worth the money. Mediocre Food.

Menu of Orange Roots


Entrance To Mawsmai Caves


Mawsmai Caves


Mawsmai Caves


Mawsmai Caves


Mawsmai Caves


Sign Board


Where Waterfall Should be


Where Waterfall Should be


Where Waterfall Should be


Panoramic View of Sa-i-Mika Resort


Guide Map of Sohra


Local Attire


Cleanest Village in India


Cleanest Village in India


Cleanest Village in India


View of Bangladesh from Cleanest Village in India


In case somebody needs the Contact of the local home stay at the Cleanest Village


In case somebody needs the Contact of the local home stay at the Cleanest Village


Cleanest Village in India


Bamboo Platform for the View of Bangladesh


Bamboo Platform for the View of Bangladesh

[kozhissery]

Day 10: 20-Dec-2015 – Shillong to Tenga

We had decided to start as early as possible, so woke up early and hit the road by 5am as we had heard that the roads are quite bad and that formalities at the border might take unexpected time. Just outside the hotel we saw a small tea shop where we had steaming hot tea and some hot sweet snack (something like Suji ka Halwa). In about 2 hours’ time we reached Jorabat where we had our early breakfast. The drive was quite smooth and fast. Reached Balipara before 11am and Bhalukpong by 11:30. As we had a cousin from Indian Army posted at Tawang, we could cross Bhalukpong without any fuss. Had our lunch@Sessa and reached Tenga before 3pm. We had not taken much breaks for photography.
We could have easily reached Bomdilla but we stayed at Tenga as was planned.

Destination: Tenga
Route: Shillong-Jorabat-Kalibor-Balipara-Bhalukpong-Sessa-Tenga
Odometer Start: 60,942
Odometer End: 61,314
Kilometres: 372 KMS
Number of Tolls: 1
Toll Charges: Rs.20/-
Start Time: 05:00AM
End Time: 15:00
Running Time: 10:00 Hours
Hotel: NA
GPS Coordinates: NA
Rating: NA.

Bar Bar Dekho - I think this is the place which has distinction of having maximum number of Wine Shops in a single stretch


En-route to Tenga


En-route to Tenga


En-route to Tenga


En-route to Tenga


En-route to Tenga


En-route to Tenga

[kozhissery]

Day 11: 21-Dec-2015 – Tenga to Tawang

It was decided to start as early as possible as it gets risky after the sun comes and the vehicle wont’ get traction. Our vehicle is 2WD so we did not want to take risk. After a refreshing shower we started by 5:45am towards Tawang. It was pretty chilly outside (3 degrees) and we took out all our winter clothing (started to wear thermals). By 7am we reached Bomdila and temperature went below 0 degrees. By 8 am we crossed Dirang. Had our breakfast on the way at Sapper. Stopped at Nyukmadung War Memorial. By 12pm we reached Sela pass. There was bit of ice, so switched off the ESP (Thanks to Ravi J for the suggestion). Crossed Sela pass without any problems except for minor traffic Jam as some vehicle had broken down. Spent some time at Sela Lake which was quite beautiful and looked like milk cream (Ice Cream ).
Reached Jaswant Singh Nagar by 2pm where we had our lunch. We continued our journey towards Tawang. We took a break at the Jang Water Falls at about 4:30pm. Reached Tawang by 6pm and checked into the Circuit House@Tawang.

After discussion with our cousin at Tawang itinerary was arranged as follows:
Day 1: Tawang to Zimitang
Day 2: Tawang to Bum La
Day 3: Tawang Local Visit
As suggested by our cousin we decided not take our vehicle, rather take full-fledged 4x4. So XUV had 3 full days of well-earned rest@Tawang. I think this was the best decision as you can see in the later day’s travelogues/photologue

Destination: Tawang
Route: Tenga – Bomdila-Dirang-Sela Pass-Jaswant Singh Nagar-Jang Waterfalls-Tawang
Odometer Start: 61,314
Odometer End: 61,518
Kilometres: 204 KMS
Number of Tolls: None
Toll Charges: NA
Start Time: 05:45AM
End Time: 18:00
Running Time: 12:15 Hours
Hotel: Circuit House, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh 790104
GPS Coordinates: 27.596551N, 91.872135E
Rating: Good Rooms, Good Service. What else can you expect in Tawang? No generator backup, so brace up for frequent power cuts (which means room heater won’t work)

Good Morning - Start from Tenga


War Memorial


War Memorial


War Memorial


War Memorial


Roads


Horse Power


Roads


Frosty Roads


Frosty Roads


Frosty Roads


Frosty Roads


Pretty Cold Outside - XUV shows -2


Great Armed Force is doing Exercise - I can't even think of Venturing out


Stuck up at Sela Pass


Stuck up at Sela Pass


Sela Lake


Sela Lake


Sela Lake


Onward Journey


Iron Bridge


Jaswantgarh


Jaswantgarh


Jaswantgarh


Jang Water Falls


Jang Water Falls


Jang Water Falls


Jang Water Falls


Tawang Here We Come

[kozhissery]

Day 12: 22-Dec-2015 – Tawang to Zimitang and White Tara Project

Got up early to go to Survasamba (nearest post to the border of China – apart from Bum-La). It was a long drive to this area along the border of Bhutan (even got SMS saying “Idea Welcomes you to Bhutan”) passing through villages viz Lumla, Gispu. One thing that reminded me of Ladakh is the type of houses they build. In the ground floor the cattle are put-up and in the first floor the people live. They say it protects the pets/cattle from harsh winter and keeps the first floor warm too from the heat of the animals (and I was awed by this – warmth from animals)
On the way we stopped at waterfall called as BTK (Bap Teng Kang, where Bap: Land, Teng: Waterfall, Kang: River). It was really breath taking scenery. As per the local person during rainy season there would 4 water falls nearby and it looks really beautiful, this being winter only one is active (hmm may be next trip with family). Went to see the war memorial at the last post where civilians are allowed. While returning we visited “Gorsam Chorten” (GPS Coordinate: 27.698172N,91.715975E). It was totally abandoned place. Took our time for photography. It was almost 2pm when we started our return journey. We decided to visit White Tara Project (GPS Coordinates: 27.5296349N 91.7109677E . The White Tara Project (WTP) envisages developing the Lumla peak into a Buddhist tourist destination, complete with prayer halls, meditation centres, museum and a library. The giant statue of Tara Devi gives the spot a distinct tourist identity in addition to attracting Tibetan Buddhists among whom the deity enjoys a special place).

Personally I feel this route should be taken during rainy season as it will be more greenery and lots of waterfalls can be seen and the rivers will be full.

Destination: Tawang
Route: Tawang – Gispu – BTK – Zimitang - Tawang
Odometer Start: NA
Odometer End: NA
Kilometres: Approx 200 KMS
Number of Tolls: None
Toll Charges: NA
Start Time: 06:00AM
End Time: 18:00
Running Time: 12:00 Hours
Hotel: Circuit House, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh 790104
GPS Coordinates: 27.596551N, 91.872135E
Rating: Good Rooms, Good Service. What else can you expect in Tawang? No generator backup, so brace up for frequent power cuts (which means room heater won’t work)

On the Way to Gispu


On the Way to Gispu


Am I back in Kerala?


Waterfall en-route to BTK


Waterfall en-route to BTK


Waterfall en-route to BTK


War Memorial


Gorsam Chorten


Gorsam Chorten


Gorsam Chorten


The White Tara Project


The White Tara Project


The White Tara Project


The White Tara Project


The White Tara Project


The White Tara Project

[kozhissery]

Day 13: 23-Dec-2015 – Tawang to Bum-la Pass and Shungatser Lake

Being very cold (in the night the temperature plummeted below -12 degrees), I did not want to get up from the bed, but had to get up as the vehicle would be coming by 6am. We got ready and reached outside where we saw our vehicle was covered with bit of snow. The vehicle arrived before 6am and we started our journey to Bum-la pass. We snuggly got inside the heated 4x4 vehicle and started to make our journey to Bum-la pass. After about 1 hour into our journey, we reached a place called “Two Eight First Regiment” which is supposed to be the Highest Artillery of the World. From this point onwards the terrain is fully covered with snow so the snow chains were fixed, still the vehicle was finding tough time getting traction. By 8.45am we reached Bum-la pass. It is so beautiful that words can’t explain that. We spent some time at the border taking photos. Indian military is present at the border whereas Chinese military is at some distance from the LAC. The road at the Chinese side is very good whereas in Indian side it can be said as motor able but not as wide as Chinese side. As per the information it seems that during designated days like Independence day, republic day Indians invite Chinese delegates and hold some cultural programs likewise during Chinese special days they invite Indian delegates and hold some Chinese cultural programs.
After this we moved to see the famous Shungatser Lake popularly known as “Madhuri Lake”. It was named as “Madhuri Lake” after the famous song sequence of the movie “Koyla”. This is a new lake which was formed after an earthquake in 1950. Before that it was a reserved grassland. We could see lots of dead trees in the middle of the lake which reminded me of our Thekkady (a lake created by dam which is a tourist destination in Kerala), anyway it creates a good background for photography. The best time to see the beauty would be during summer, when the lake is in liquid state. Got to see some ducks, read it somewhere that it’s known as "Brahminy Duck"
After such lovely site seeing we were back at hotel and decided to have a stroll in the town. We just strolled around the old town and was back at the hotel by 7.30pm or so where we had an early dinner and hit the bed.

Destination: Tawang
Route: Tawang – PTSO Lake – Bum-la – Shungatser - Tawang
Odometer Start: NA
Odometer End: NA
Kilometres: Approx 100 KMS
Number of Tolls: None
Toll Charges: NA
Start Time: 06:00AM
End Time: 15:00
Running Time: 9:00 Hours
Hotel: Circuit House, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh 790104
GPS Coordinates: 27.596551N, 91.872135E
Rating: Good Rooms, Good Service. What else can you expect in Tawang? No generator backup, so brace up for frequent power cuts (which means room heater won’t work)

Ice Ice Baby


Ice Ice Baby


Ice Ice Baby


Highest Artillery in the World


Just Before Bumla


Photo Session@India China Border, Bumla


Photo Session@India China Border, Bumla


India China Border, Bumla


Photo Session@India China Border@Bumla


@Bumla


@Bumla


@Bumla


Frozen Lake en-route to Bumla


Frozen Lake en-route to Bumla


Frozen Shungatser Lake popularly known as "Madhuri Lake"


Frozen Shungatser Lake popularly known as "Madhuri Lake"


Frozen Shungatser Lake popularly known as "Madhuri Lake"


Madhuri Boat


Duck@Shungatser Lake


Duck@Shungatser Lake


Duck@Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


In and Around Shungatser Lake


Frozen Lake seen on return journey from Madhuri Lake


Gurudwara