[BhaskarG]

Destination: Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
Travelling From: Guwahati
Night Halts: Shergaon, Tawang, Bomdila
Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
Time: Diwali, 2022
Type: Road trip, self driven.
Car: Venue Turbo DCT
Gang: Me and Better Half
Photography: Smartphone and Nikon S9100

Introduction:

I think that trips are better enjoyed with friends. How about a road trip with a convoy of 2-3 cars? More people, more fun, right? But do you know what is the biggest hurdle when your friends are either young parents or planning to be parents? They do not travel.

Conversations starts like this:
“Bhai, we are driving to Tawang. Let us all go, it will be fun”
“Great, we also want to go. Count us in.”

And as the date comes closer, it turns like this:
“Bhai, how is preparation? All excited for the trip?”
“Actually, I have so and so x-y-z problems. You guys go ahead.”

I am like: “I knew it!”.

Finally, my wife and I were the only ones for the trip. “It is actually better.”, I thought, “It would be a bonding experience for us two”


Photo: We two at Nuranang Falls


For those who do not know us yet, we are two young professionals working in a 9 to 5 job like many of you. We are not avid travellers like some of you out there; but we are trying to explore slowly, before we turn into someone like these friends of mine!


Get your cup of coffee: In the era of short videos and quick instagram reels, I understand that our reading habits are dying. People no longer want to read a detailed story of two random people frolicking around. But if you do, then you are a rare human still holding on to your reading roots. We are proud of you for that. Get a cup of coffee and read on. Trust me, a travelogue is better enjoyed with a cup of coffee.



Photo: Me at Sela Lake


Photo: Posing proudly at Sela Pass. The car performed brilliantly in the mountainous terrain.

[BhaskarG]

A Short Guide on the Destination and Routes:

Here is a small introduction for someone who is unacquainted: Our destination, Tawang, is located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in North East India. The entire route to Tawang from Guwahati is extremely scenic; some places look as if they are lifted straight out of a fairytale. However, being a part of the mighty Himalayas, the terrain is steep, and the roads need good driving skills.


The steeps are like this




And this





But views are like this




This




And this.





How to get there?

If you are the adventurous type, then definitely take your own car. Nothing beats that experience. Driving in the steep mountainous terrain is thrilling. However if you are not from the region, or you are not familiar with the route, or travelling with a family and young kids, then I shall recommend taking the help of a good tour operator. This is because terrain gets difficult to drive on as fog might set in early. Also, accommodation options are pretty much filled up during peak season, and you need to plan early.

From Guwahati, there are two routes, one is through Bhalukpong Gate via Tezpur, and the other is through Balemu Gate via Bhairabkunda or Orang Mazbat. The Bhalukpong route remains closed most of the time due to landslides, hence currently it is safer and shorter to take the Balemu route to enter Arunachal Pradesh.




How many days?

5 to 6 days should be good enough for a typical tour. It all depends on you how much more time you want to spend.

Season?

Autumn and Spring for easy touring. Winter for snow, but it will be difficult to get permits for higher altitude places. If you are visiting during monsoon, be prepared for landslides, and keep extra buffer days.

Other things:

You need to obtain an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter the state. You can obtain it on the spot at the gate, if you have all relevant documents and photographs with you. The better option is to apply online at https://arunachalilp.com/ for the ILP. Online mode may require around 2 days to get processed, and you will need to submit details of a local reference for the online option. If you have hired a tour operator, they will take care of it.

Do inform your loved ones beforehand that cell phone connectivity will not always be good, and they should not worry.

And you are ready to go!

[BhaskarG]

Drive of Faith: Entering Arunachal and climbing up to Shergaon

This travelogue is sectioned according to the route that I had followed:
1. Guwahati to Shergaon.
2. Shergaon to Tawang, with a day halt in Tawang.
3. Tawang to Bomdila.
4. Bomdila to Guwahati.


Entering Arunachal at dusk:

Due to something we did not foresee, we had to start late, at around 12 noon, from Guwahati. That too without an ILP, or any hotel pre-booked. That is exactly how you should NOT plan a trip. That is the dumbest thing to do, but we did exactly that. In my defence, we had some friends all along the route.

We had taken the Balemu route. We arrived at the gate just before 4pm, without any ILP. The guard on duty at first refused to initiate the offline ILP process on a Sunday afternoon at 4pm. But on some persuasion, he personally called some contacts and got the the ILP office opened especially just for us. I’d like to thank him for the hospitality shown.

Balemu:




Kalaktang: Sun was setting by the time we completed the formalities. The nearest town was Kalaktang, which was 2 hours drive away. Let the following pictures give you an idea of the fog, the hairpins along the route and the pitch darkness:







We decided to push a little farther, because by this time I had already arranged for a stay at Shergaon. Thanks to bhpian gunin for the contact. However, the mobile phone network was very poor in the whole route, and it was a tough time for us to get in touch with the lodge. Our place of stay, called Potala Homestay, is worth a special mention for their exceptional hospitality. Arrived at 8pm at night to lovely food and a warm fireplace:

[BhaskarG]

Untimely snow and memories of fallen soldiers: Sela Pass and Tawang:

Drove out at 7am from Shergaon, headed towards Tawang. Since it started to rain shortly afterwards, we decided not to halt much on the way up. Firstly, visibility would have been low, and we would have missed the views. Anyway we were coming the same way down later, so we decided to save the sightseeing for later.

Shergaon and Rupa: Both are beautiful valleys. For people like me who have not been to costly hill stations in Europe, etc., I am quite happy that we live near such a beautiful place. Also autumn added colours to the hills in this area, unlike the lower hills, that remain green throughout the year. The foliage had a mix of colours, green, orange, yellow and brown. Felt like an artist's imagination.










I do not know if I could capture any good photos, though. Maybe, you have to go and see with your own eyes.


Dirang : We'll visit Dirang again in this travelogue. Could not help but share some photos of a war memorial. There are many war memorials along the entire route. As you move from one war memorial to another to up to Bumla (Tawang), the whole picture of the 1962 war becomes clear. It gives you goosebumps and shakes you to the core, to say the least. Do read what is written in the photo.








Sela pass: As we ascended Sela Pass which is at 13700 ft above sea level, temperature was already as low as 1 degree Celsius. It was no longer raining, but SNOWING! It was not exactly the season of snow. Unknown to us, Cyclone Sitrang was raging far away in the Bay of Bengal, which had caused an unnatural drop in temperature here. Got more than I had hoped for!








But I did not know then that I would miss some places in Tawang because of the same cyclone that I was praising.


Jaswantgarh: Can you recall what was written on the war memorial at Dirang? This is one of the places where where the battle as mentioned there was lost, and tactical withdrawal was done. As I already mentioned, the whole route has many war memorials. It is due to the fact that Chinese troops had advanced up to near Tezpur in Assam during the Indo-China war of 1962. Many soldiers had laid down their lives in Arunachal in 1962.




There is a cafeteria set up by our armed forces in Jaswantgarh. Tea is always free here. We had our late lunch there in the chilling weather. Food there is not something to die for, but I am glad our armed forces are providing something to eat at a place where nothing is out there for miles.






We kept on climbing and climbing. Arrived at Tawang at night. Luckily, there was no fog after dark. Only rain. Rained all night long.

Cold! Shivering cold!!

[BhaskarG]

Getting cozy in the rain: Tawang:

The next day, it rained almost all day, with small breaks. So, no Bum-La, no Madhuri Lake for us. The army personnel did not allow that because the steep terrains and rains do not go well together. We paid a visit to Tawang monastery, spent some quality time there, and that was it. It was wet and chilly outside, making movement difficult. Wife got high altitude sickness, and nothing much could be done. Luckily we had a cozy homestay called Tawang Homestay.


View of the Tawang Monastery from our homestay:




The homestay itself:






Tibetan tea and food:






The famous Tawang Monastery:








I have seen that many monasteries in Arunachal and Sikkim have lost their tranquility due to hordes of tourists recklessly posing for photographs inside. Clicking photos is not wrong. But taking photos in various idiotic poses inside the Gompa, making instagram reels inside, (especially when people/monks are trying to pray in peace) definitely makes you a bad tourist. I feel that this is a serious form of disrespect for people trying to pray. Just because the monks do not say anything to you does not mean you should do that. I saw people loudly instructing the potograph poses while the monks were chanting hymns. Like these two, and 20 others before them:

[BhaskarG]

Engulfed in mist and fog: Jung, Senge, Dirang, Bomdila:

There was no more rain the next morning. It was like Sitrang never existed! It was already the fourth day of our trip, and was time to start the downhill drive from Tawang. We moved out at 6am headed towards Bomdila. You will see almost the same locations in this post, but with different perspective as the weather was not rainy today.

Jung: On the way down from Tawang, there is this gorgeous waterfall, called Jung waterfall, also known as Nuranang Falls. It was especially spectacular due to the recent rains. Recommended to wear waterproof clothing, because the mist generated from the falls is overwhelming. It was difficult to take a photo without wiping the lens. Many photos had to be zoomed in from afar due to the intense mist.


Photo credit: chiranjitp








Jaswantgarh Revisited: This time for just a cup of tea, and to learn the story of the place from a Jawan on duty. The place is named after rifleman Jaswant Singh who held on to defend Nuranang till his last breath in Nov, 1962. His uniform, as well the tree under which he died is still preserved.







Sela Revisited: Clearer skies this time. Sela was not as cold during the descent as the time when we were going up. Ascent was 1 degree Celsius, whereas now it was 6 degree Celsius.








Senge: Coming down a little from Sela brings us to a a lovely hamlet called Senge - our friend Passang’s home. We had our lunch there on his insistence. Lovely family, lovely home, lovely food. Passang is a good chef. In fact, I had one of the tastiest Dal-Chawal and chicken ever (not exaggerating) cooked by Passang himself with love.












Dirang revisited: Visited the lovely Dirang Gompa. This is one monastery where you can still pray peacefully. This monastery is able to retain the peace and calm because it is still not full of tourists. I’d like it if it stays that way. Maybe I am doing a mistake by publicising it more?








FOG !
Fog set in early. We had a tough time driving till Bomdila, where a friend of ours had booked a place for us to spend the night. Reached by 7:30pm, struggling through the fog.







Some tips for you if you are headed in that route: Weather can change anytime without warning. Fog can come in early even before sun sets. Recommended to avoid driving at night. Driving in the hairpin bends at night with fog blocking your vision can be perilous.

[BhaskarG]

Landslides in the hills, and high beams in the plains: Bomdila to Guwahati:

It was late in the morning when we finally moved out of Bomdila.

Passang called. Wife picked up the phone.
“Who is driving?” he asked.
“Bhaskar”, wife answered.
“Why not you?”
“I'll drive when we reach the plains. Not comfortable in hairpins.”
“I find driving easier in the hills. It is more difficult to drive in plains.”
“How come?” , wife asked, puzzled.
“Cars in the plains do not respect each other”, he said.
“How true!”, I thought, as the conversation faded out.

As we descended to Rupa, here were massive landslides at multiple places owing to the rains of the past 2 days. Traffic was halted for sometime, but I knew that BRO swiftly cleared debris from this critical road, but the wait could be long.






We used the opportunity to help ourselves to some more Tibetan food...






... And to meet up with our friends, Johnny and Writu, who were too "Amazed" (pun intended). Johnny is an artist who does paintings in monasteries. He had renovated and decorated the cafeteria at Sela.






As night set in, we crossed the border into Assam. Not many pictures to show for this part of the journey. However, Passang’s words kept echoing in my mind when we reached the 2 lane highway from Orang to Baihata via Mangaldoi. Very few drivers had the courtesy of lowering their headlight beams, even though I switched to a low beam every single time. Even truckers, who are known to be more aware of the rules, were utterly disrespectful and bullying on this road. Fearing that there was something wrong with the headlights levels of my car, I pulled over and checked them; they were adjusted properly.

I do not know why drivers behaved the way they behaved. It maybe due to uneven traffic. There was very less traffic on my side, but there was dense traffic coming from the opposite side. Maybe the sea of drivers on the opposite side did not feel the need to lower the beam for one lone car appearing after a one or two minute gap.




Anyway after an hour of agonising very, v-e-r-y slow driving, I lost my cool, and pulled over. Finally, the wife took over the driving duties, and patiently carried on. The nightmare got over after 2-3 hours when we reached the 4-laned highway at Baihata. Reached Guwahati at midnight.

I was thinking of some customary sweet, dreamy lines to end the travelogue (containing words like heavenly, unforgettable etc ). Unfortunately, the words got burned in the blinding headlight glare. So, no sweet, dreamy lines for you.

You have been a wonderful reader. Hope you have finished your cup of coffee!

[BhaskarG]

Some bonus photos for those of you who managed to read this far:

1. Some of my favourite photos of the trip:

















2. Some signs that you may like:












3. And finally some puppies to end the show:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[kung_foo_fanta]

Thank you, @BhaskarG for a wonderful, "wordy" travelogue! As you rightly mentioned, in this age where people try to compensate with instagram reels and cliched photo poses with overdone filters on social media, your travelogue and perspective comes as a welcome breath of fresh air!

Wish you many more happy motoring miles... especially so that we may get many more travelogues to enjoy

[toppor]

Thank you for the travelogue, wasn't sipping coffee, however felt satiated reading the travelogue anyway. Tawang has been on my bucket list, I am from Siliguri so not very far, however with 2 kids planning a trip to such high altitude is a challenge which my better half is not ready to take as of now.

Loved the pictures and wish you more happy miles in the future!

[busydrive]

Nicely written with great photographs. Loved the journey. I am from Assam but settled in Bangalore. Tawang is on my list of travel places since a long time. This year did Leh-Ladakh. Maybe Tawang next year if all goes well.
Couldn't avoid writing few lines about the so called bloggers and Insta reel makers! Sometimes they are so irritating! I am not telling don't blog but don't just get in front of others and start doing this senseless commentary. Any well known place you go you encounter these bloggers now a days!
Anyways not to get off track, this was a lovely travelogue. Keep travelling. Thanks for sharing.

[mah45]

Fantastic write up and awesome photos.
I am old (school), so I still love these long travelogues with photos and travel details more than reels.

It takes some skills to drive in terrains like these, you seem to be a pro at that.
I would love to visit those snowy mountains, and hold the snowy white little cuty in one of your photograph.

Having settled in Chennai for a long time now, driving may not be an option, but would definitely plan a trip.
Thanks for sharing.

[pd1108]

Lovely write up and some excellent pictures. Tawang as a destination is always fun and challenging; your trip proved it once again. Its not for the faint-hearted. No doubt you enjoyed it thoroughly as your description shows it.

[BhaskarG]

Thank you all for the encouragement.

Originally Posted by busydrive

Couldn't avoid writing few lines about the so called bloggers and Insta reel makers! Sometimes they are so irritating! I am not telling don't blog but don't just get in front of others and start doing this senseless commentary.

Right. Do whatever you want, but not when people are praying inside a monastery!

Originally Posted by kung_foo_fanta

As you rightly mentioned, in this age where people try to compensate with instagram reels and cliched photo poses with overdone filters on social media, your travelogue and perspective comes as a welcome breath of fresh air!

Maybe it is because people are getting busier and busier each passing day. These short reels and videos pack so much information/entertainment in 30 seconds that we all have become addicted to them.

Originally Posted by toppor

Thank you for the travelogue, wasn't sipping coffee, however felt satiated reading the travelogue anyway.

I am glad that you could enjoy it without coffee.

Originally Posted by mah45

It takes some skills to drive in terrains like these, you seem to be a pro at that.

Originally Posted by pd1108

Tawang as a destination is always fun and challenging; your trip proved it once again. Its not for the faint-hearted.

Yes, it is little challenging, but it is more about the determination than any skills. Also you need to be prepared to tackle high altitude sickness, not everyone get it though.