Rolling stone tales

Enroute Tawang: A journey through      the mountains The 13 hours journey through the motorable road on the mountains connecting Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh was tough yet incredible. Packed in a shared taxi, we traversed through the mountainous range, to see the mesmerising Tawang. Some journeys are meant to be treasured, to be cherished for lifetime. They give you an eternal joy, create a mix of emotions. And when you finish the journey, it will leave behind a strong feeling of longingness, a feeling that is indefinable. This blog is about one such journey. The journey which was a self-discovery, that helped me understand my strength and weakness, the journey that pushed me close to people and the nature. Those precious four days! It all began with us, the trio travellers boarding a shared taxi at Tezpur to travel to Tawang in far off Arunachal Pradesh. We were set for a 11 hours journey to cover Tezpur...

A pit stop at Tezpur, before taking off to Tawang We stayed at Tezpur for a very short span. What stuck me in Tezpur was the stunning long bridge across Brahmaputra and the delicious food. The stunning view of river Brahmaputra from Kalia Bhamora bridge near the entry point to Tezpur.  After leaving Majuli, our next destination was Tezpur. Not that we were particularly interested to visit Tezpur or spend time there, but it was a pit stop for us before beginning our long journey to Tawang. It was a short travel of 4 hours from Jorhat to Tezpur. Like always, we didn’t get a government express bus from Jorhat to Tezpur, which would have been made our travel shorter and better. Anyway, we ended up hopping on to a private bus, which was overcrowded, yet would stop frequently to allow more people board the bus. The sly bus conductor would frequently stare at us during the journey. May be he wanted to talk to us and know our whereabouts. Finally, I guess he couldn...

Majuli, where river and culture converge The disappearing Majuli River Island in Assam was all about the mighty Brahmaputra, Satras, tribal culture and quietness. A blissful place to stay. An early morning view from the cottage was such a delight. I was in a state of euphoria looking at the green fields on the one side of the cottage and river on the other side. The mat of rice fields which were covered with mist were slowly paving way for the sun that was moving up the horizon. My happiness knew no bounds! Soaking in the beauty of the placid Island, we got ready for the day’s programme. We had planned for full day sightseeing at Majuli. Parag and Ajay had made our job easy by chalking out the day’s itinerary.    A house belonging to Mishing Tribe at Hookunamukh village which had completely submerged during last monsoon. Majuli, which is famous for its landscape, is equally popular for the ancient Neo-Vaishnavite Satras (Hindu monasteries). The...

A prelude to romance with Majuli Done with Kaziranga, we headed to Majuli River Island. Majuli, surrounded by mighty river Brahmaputra, was a mystery to me till I stepped my foot there. The jam-packed ferry navigates through river Brahmaputra to reach Majuli River Island. After gulping some hot Poori and a cup of tea, it was time for us to say good bye to Kaziranga. Though I enjoyed my stay there, Kaziranga didn’t leave an everlasting impression on me. It was a nice place. I was close to nature. But there was something amiss. I think it missed the rawness. It was like any other national park where tourists come in groups, go on safari, see the wildlife and come back, just that. Of all the locations that I visited during my North East trip, Kaziranga is one place where I don’t wish to visit again. May be, national Parks and safaris are not my cup of tea. At around 12 pm we checked-out of the guest house to go to our next destination – Majuli the River Island. We...

Guwahati, Kaziranga, Rhinos  and much more From day one, as we landed at Guwahati Airport, we knew it was going to be one heck of a journey. And by the second day, we realised it actually was!  Day 1 (February 5 th )  Thus began our exhilarating journey. On February 5 th, in an early morning flight we flew from Bengaluru to Guwahati, the gateway to North-East. After 5 hours of flying, we landed at Guwahati Airport at around 11 am. The Airport was decked up and gave us a feeling that we were in a birthday party. We came out of the Airport only to realise that Guwahati was all set for the South Asian Games which was going to be inaugurated on the same day - the reason behind the Airport adorned like a bride. Due to the tight schedule, we were in a hurry to reach Kaziranga National Park on the same day. Airport taxi counter came us handy. The counter-fellow suggested us that we should go to Guwahati  Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) to catch a bus...