[aviator1101]

"If you want to achieve something with utmost sincerity, then the entire universe conspires in making it happen for you."
A loose translation of a dialogue from a Hindi movie. Exactly fits the way my Mechuka trip materialized.

One night just before hitting bed, received a call from my boss that next morning I have to leave for Mechuka for some official work. Immediately an item from the bucket list seemed to pop up in front of my eyes.

Set to pack with unprecedented eagerness which surprised even my wife who's been putting up with my rider's cravings since marriage.

The rough itinerary was as under
Day 1 : Tezpur to Aalo
Day 2 : Aalo to Mechuka
Day 3 : Local sightseeing
Day 4 : Mechuka to Likabali
Day 5 : Likabali to Tezpur

Day 1
Started early morning at 6 am.
Took the North bank route, ie Tezpur - Bishwanath Chariali - Gohpur - Dhemaji - Silapathar - Likabali - Basar - Bam - Aalo.
Road from Tezpur to Gohpur is four lane highway. Thereafter it's double lane till Likabali. The hill section starts from Likabali which is the Assam - Arunachal Pradesh border. The stretch from Likabali to Aalo is a mix of twisties, potholes and stretches of broken roads with single lane diversions at places. Reached Aalo by around 3:30 pm.

Day 2
The day's route was Aalo - Kaying - Thumbin - Tato - Mechuka.
Woke up to find an overcast sky and dense fog cover. However, weather started clearing up around 15-20 kms out of Aalo. Sun also started peeking at us intermittently.
The stretch from Aalo to Thumbin is smooth double lane, and thereafter till Kaying is good barring the stretches where road widening is on. From Kaying, the road becomes single lane with patches of broken roads, slush and steep inclines. Interestingly, I came across at least 7-8 fresh landslide zones. Upto 30 kms short of Mechuka, road closure timings are enforced due to rock face cutting and road widening work in progress.
Out of the 180 odd kms, 150 I would rate as adventurous.

Day 3
The weather at Mechuka is governed by a strange phenomenon. Mornings are extremely foggy, clouds fill the valley floor while the skies wear a mystic blue shade. By 9-10 am, the weather clears up revealing the scenic beauty of the valleys. By 3 pm, clouds cover most part of the sky and by 4:30 pm it's almost dark.
Local sightseeing at Mechuka included the Hanging Bridge and the Samten Yongcha Monastery also known as Old Gompa.
A local friend Mr Pasang also hosted us to a semi-local cuisine dinner at the newest restaurant, The Norsang Kitchen which is co-located with the new Gompa.

Day 4 and Day 5 were my return journey via Likabali to Tezpur.

1200 odd kms and five days later, another destination ot North East ticked.

Posting some photographs from the trip.


The bifurcation ahead of Gohpur. One has to take left from here for North Lakhimpur


Entering Basar. Such gates are common at almost every town/village in this part of Arunachal Pradesh


Somewhere ahead of Aalo : the meandering Siyom river


The Kaying cafe - run by the Indian Army


Posing with Bagheera at the Siko Dido waterfalls. Falling from a height of approximately 200 feet, the falls has a plunge pool at its base

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SM27uSUN...M5NaR88wjMIoQN

Bagheera : at the Siko Dido Waterfalls


Such springs are a common sight in the stretch between Tato and Mechuka


This colourful gate welcomes you to Mechuka


Bagheera parked outside Buddha Kitchen. Notice the Menchuka Airport in the background


Enjoying the local Chicken Thali on arrival


Bagheera parked atop a hillock : Mechuka town in the background


The hanging wooden bridge on the Yargapchu river which divides the town of Mechuka into two parts


Gateway to Samten Yongcha Monastery, also known as Old Gompa


Colourful buildings inside the Old Gompa Complex. The influence of Tibetan architecture is quite evident


Sitting in the Monastery courtyard, soaking the warmth of the morning sun and enjoying a "Heavenly View"


Early morning fog in the valley floor and clear blue skies : common phenomenon in this region


At the exit of the Old Gompa : what lies hidden beneath the fog is Mechuka


Same location at noon: notice the town of Mechuka with the Yargapchu river meandering through it


The Old Gompa houses a sort of library : a huge collection of ancient Buddhist scriptures


Idols inside the Samten Yongcha Monastery


A closer look at the idol of Guru Padmasambhava, known as the founder of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism


Someone has rightly named Mechuka as India's Shangri-la


The lavish spread : hosted by a local friend Mr Pasang at Norsang Kitchen


After two days in the lap of nature : bidding adieu to Mechuka


Crossing a freshly cleared landslide patch


Bagheera posing with some picturesque rock face in the background


On the way back : at Tato (notice the elevation)


At a traditional Galo Hut near Bame


Back to the land of Tea Gardens


Bagheera crosses another milestone : 15000 kms on the odo

Have shared an ownership review with details of our 11 month old journey here.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5880114 (Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Review)


The odometer reading at the end of the 5 day trip

Happy Miles and Memories

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[Samba]

What a lovely travelogue. You have done full justice to the beauty of Mechuka with the pictures & the engaging write-up.
It's nice to see how your Himalayan is dominating its home ground without any hiccups. A pro rider like you is doing full justice to the bike. Looking forward to many more such trips in the lap of the Himalayas with your Himalayan!

In one word, Arunachal is a beautiful state, and Mechuka has been on my bucket list for a long time. Maybe someday I will get an opportunity to write a travelogue on Mechuka, Namdhapa, and Vijoynagar!

[FAKER]

A beautiful write-up. Every travelogue I read here just adds more to my bucket list. Is there a connection?

[A350]

Beautiful pics aviator, but we expect nothing less from you now You seem to be turning in to the Indian version of Itchy Boots with all the riding. Wish you many more such trips.

[bblost]

Lovely travelogue with beautiful pics.

The new Himalayan 450 is a sweet motorcycle for all kinds of terrain.

Did you ride on that hanging wooden bridge?

[gtonsing]

Nice crisp report with the right amount of details and pictures to help some of the story. Amazing views and places. The ride must have been an amazing experience. Ride on!

[ABHI_1512]

Lovely account from the part of India which is very close to the heart aviator1101.Basar used to be a small hamlet with very small population. Wonderful to see the Basar gate again, although it used to be a Bamboo structure earlier as far as I remember. Glad that the other side of Arunachal Pradesh is getting the much desired attention in terms of tourism. It is so heartening to see your travel to Menchuka. Such brilliant pictures adds up to the allure of the place. You are almost on a mission to ride Bagheera to every nook and corner of the North-East possible, please keep travelling. Thank you for sharing this wonderful travel.

Cheers.

[megazoid]

A nice little report. The bike in front of the Galo hut and the rock face pic look amazing. Mechula is indeed a lovely destination. Enjoyed your pictures of Mechuka too.

[kiki_13]

Lovely travelogue with beautiful pictures aviator1101. Brought back memories from our trip in 2012... Men - medicine, Chu - water, Kha - snow, literally means medicinal water of snow.



Back then, the airstrip didn't have the wall. The first day of snow was a holiday in the school, and the kids (along with their teachers) were playing in snow on the airstrip.




I am not sure if this is the same bridge as in your picture. Some of the planks were missing when we crossed it and the snow and ice made it slippery. It was an adventure like no other.