[gunin]

A decade. That’s how much time has passed since I last visited Anini. Back then I was a carefree bachelor and riding around everywhere in my Royal Enfield. Things have changed in the last 10 years. Now I am a carefree (read as careful) married guy now with two healthy kids. So, when a long weekend came up in March, I asked my owner (wife) if we should go for an adventurous trip to Anini and she said no way she is taking a 7 month old to such a trip. I could take the 7 year old Nibir if I wanted. In fact, she insisted that I take him along. Sharing responsibility and all that- one kid each.

So, we were just two men and our newly acquired 2017 Isuzu Vcross for the journey. I asked my colleague Joibumsang (Joi in short) to join me as Nibir loves him and more importantly listens to him on dietary matters. People who have fussy eaters as kids will relate with me. Also, he is great fun.



A decade ago we rode across these river beds. No bridges then.

This was the maiden trip for the Isuzu and I wondered how it will fare on narrow mountain tracks. I have had it for 2 months and it is a beast on open roads but would it be as reassuring as my Bolero 4wd on tiny broken roads. Well, there was just one way to find out and accordingly the three of us packed ourselves in the Vcross and headed towards the land of the Idu Mishimis on a grey March morning.



Vcross. A worthy companion of my Bolero 4wd?


We made good progress from Pasighat to Roing where we met the first checkpost set up for the oncoming elections. They saw a sleeping kid on the 2nd row and waved us off. Benefits of having a kid. We would meet many such checkposts on our way to Anini and the Vcross got a lot of compliments from the officers on duty. “Kya Mazaa Gari He” one particularly beautiful lady police officer quipped to her mates. Translation: “What a fine car and what a fine driver!”. That bit about the driver is made up for those who don’t know hindi. Joi advised Nibir not to go Papa Papa when we were in conversation with beautiful police officers. Life lessons the kid is learning.



Near Mayudia. People come to see snow here.

The road itself is not very challenging. Any car can do this route. There are some small diversions off the highway due to landslides which need some careful maneuvering. We reached Anini in around 10 hours from Pasighat. We did take a lot of breaks. Food options are aplenty on this route. We had some good food some 100 kms before Anini. Try to tank up your car at Roing as the next bunk is at Anini only- some 250 odd kms.



Nibir being cheeky

We gave lift to an elderly woman working on her fields. A sweet person who forgot to take back her dao (knife) when she got off at Anini. We left the dao at the guest house and hope she gets it back.



Some good roads. Mostly isolated. Blessed to stay near such places.

At Anini, while I was looking of directions a local guy in his car shouted from behind: “Joldi ja K***”- “Move it! *&$@. It is an assamese (my native) slang and I felt at home hearing it. So kind of him.

We stayed at a small lodge/ homestay named Kazi Homestay. It doesn’t look like much but I recommend it to everyone. Very good and caring hosts and tasty, fresh food.

They served us local chicken for dinner. The owner gave a huge liver piece to Nibir as kids generally like it. The kid made a face and gave the whole thing to Joi. Meanwhile the owner strolled back in and Joi got nervous and gave half of the liver back to Nibir and he in turn gave it to me. So, the chicken liver meant for the kid ended up in the plates of the two grown men. I wonder how many men are falsely accused of stealing candy from kids.

At night we realised we did not have toothpaste. Joi got some charcoal from a fire. It was quite good and the teeth felt fresh. We did not get any colgate later on as well. Charcoal all the way.

So we were in Anini and we had the full day to ourselves. We decided to head towards Dambuene/ Acheso as the view are great there. It is a beautiful drive of around 60 kms and one can drive upto the border outpost at Bruni.



Anini Outskirts



What is more important. Journey. Destination or the Company

We finally reached the famous Chigu Resort. A lot of influencers make reels here with the cameraman filming from behind. Joi wanted a similar reel and he walked on wooden planks as I followed his rear with my camera. It might have looked awkward I believe.





Love how handsome the Isuzu is. The scenery is nice too



A farm hut. I would like to stay here

There are lots of places where one can get close to the beautiful Dri River. The kid pointed out one such route and we just went wow. The three of us enjoyed playing in the sand and throwing rocks at the water. With a kid for company we also get to be kids again.



Don't take yourself too seriously. Throw some rocks will you

We trekked to a nearby waterfall called Mawu Aando falls. The forest was so beautiful with moss and lichen covered trees. I was very happy to see Nibir enjoying his day out in the wild. Nature has a way of cooling tempered nerves if one is willing. We just sat in the wooden platform near the falls and wished we could be here forever. Of course we got hungry later and headed to Chigu Resort for some good food.



A kid in the jungle



A pathway to another world



The falls finally

The road here is so beautiful and I wished I could just keep going. It runs through the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary with pine trees on both sides of the road.





Road to Bruni

We reached another big waterfall near the border post at Bruni. It took tackling some streams and thorny bushes to reach but with two enthusiastic people-Joi and Nibir, I had to go along. As they neared the falls they both rushed in to take a dip/ swim. I laughed as they both scurried away from the ice cold water. I mean there was snow at the top so the water had to be cold.



Braving the thorns onward me march



Beautiful red flowers. Rhododendrons?

It was nearing dusk when we decided to head back to our lodge in Anini. Nibir was fast asleep at the backseat with a day full of adventure outdoors. He loves being outdoors and ditches the screen every single time. We took a moment to see the beautiful landscape with the setting sun illuminating it. It was surreal.







The evening and the Isuzu. I am in love.



Plum blossoms

We reached our stay after dark. Dinner was once again chicken. No more liver pieces this time.

The next day we made it back to Pasighat going through the same police checkposts as we had done in our onward journey with the same comments about big and beautiful the Isuzu is. The Vcross did admirably well in the mountain roads and kept us comfortable throughout.



The three travelers. Nibir is the kid.

Thank you for reading.

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing.

[roy_libran]

Lovely thread and sets up my daydreams nicely.

I was in Mayodia Pass in April'23 and clubbed the trip with Namdhapa and MaguriBil.
This March I was in Walong and went up to Kaho.

Anini and Mechuka are next on my list.

[Rudra Sen]

Beautiful thread with lovely pictures giving a great sense of untouched and pristine beauty. V-Cross looks just perfect in those pictures.

What kind of staying/accommodations one can get there as a tourist?

[Dr.AD]

Great travelogue as always, @gunin! Always love reading your travelogues. Lovely photos, lovely terrain, and some amazing travel stories.

Congratulations on the V-Cross. It is a great car and looks absolutely fantastic and totally at home in those mountain passes and the terrain. Loved the photos of V-cross there.

Thank you for sharing this report, and looking forward to more travelogues from you in your V-Cross now!

[Dieseltuned]

Absoultely beautiful place and a cheeky write up

Do we need ILPs to visit these places ?

Regards
Diesel

[Samba]

What a lovely and crisp travelogue on Anini.
I must say Anini is among one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The journey from Anini to Bruni was super scenic. As mentioned by you, even we enjoyed the little trek to Mawu Aando falls a lot.

Just before visiting Anini, a day spent with you at Pasighat will be remembered. I can't thank you enough the way you took time and showed us the hidden beauties of Pasighat. Missed meeting with your family this time, but hope to meet them soon. A ride in the Jimny is also pending for Nibir!

Few pics from our trip-

Enter the Gunin!



We had a great time at Pasighat!



Mawu Aando falls



Between Bruni to Chigu camp.



Coincidentally, I started writing my travelogue on Arunachal today itself!

[W.S.T.R.]

The destination, of course, plays a major part and gives you the motivation & inspiration to travel and explore new places but I think, for me the "Journey & the companion" matters the most, which has the power to make even the worst of locations, memorable.

Lovely blog. Keep travelling, keep safe.

[amandal1810]

What a lovely travelogue!
I am curious to know if I can do an Arunachal road trip on my FWD Honda Elevate.

[haisaikat]

Was eagerly waiting after seeing your IG posts for past couple of days. Another picture-perfect travelogue from you of a beautiful place, you are our resident north east ambassador, inspiring a lot of fence sitters like me to make up a travel plan for places that I would never consider otherwise. The stance of your new machine is awesome and especially on the road to Bruni, unless someone tells explicitly, its hard to tell whether it is from India or another country.

This time the added plus is the hilarious commentary, loved reading it. Your ownership review on husband.com (if there was one) would get one star less and your future ventures would be under scrutiny for some of the check post encounters. I would love to know some behind the scene tips of handling your little companion on such trips. With such journeys, Nibir is lucky to grow up and build taste in things that actually matter, things that may not be easy to teach in traditional institutional ways. All the best and waiting for the next journey soon.

[Silverfire]

Thank you for sharing this Travelogue. Beautiful pictures!
Looking at the photos an immediate yearning for the mountains has appeared

[Prakritij]

Originally Posted by gunin

A decade. ...
Thank you for reading.

As always, this was a delight to read with great pictures.
I have been planning to go to Anini but keeping it on hold as there are other plans in pipeline. Will need info on the homestay whenever I go.
Hope Nibir loved the trip and the place.

[Prashant_BHP]

Lovely writeup and pics! You have immortalized the trip with Nibir! Memories to cherish forever! Makes one reminisce the life and things we could have done differently. Stay blessed and travel more!

[justwheels]

Just Wow!

What a beautiful picturelogue, many thanks for sharing. That picture of the log bridge/walkway in the forest with trees covered in moss and lichens is so mesmerizing.

You are one of the luckiest person to still have access to such pristine landscapes at a stones throw distance from your hometown. And having a V-Cross as company is icing on the cake. I am sure your son had a gala time and these memories will stay with him for long.

Wishing you many beautiful miles to you!

[life_is_a_trip]

Wow this is some location.
Really amazing pics and very well written travelogue . Northeast has been on my bucket list for long , hopefully someday soon