Thursday, 9 April 2020

Travel'20 beyond Covid'19

“If you don’t come out of the Lockdown with new skills, more knowledge, better Health & Fitness – You Never Lacked Time, You Lacked Discipline” 
...was a WhatsApp message that has shaken me on 6th (April’20) morning.

This very Bold statement, queries from many others (who see a travel expert in me) & numerous discussions on various social platforms, prompted me to pen down this Blog after a gap of 2 years. My last one was in March’18, after my visit to NE in Dec’2017 - The Great Seven Sisters Run.


To begin with, let me clarify – Am not a Travel Expert but, to me, it’s now been much more than a decade - I transformed from a Tourist to a Traveler & probably now, to an avid one. India is Beautiful, one life is not enough to explore it in toto, Incredible India – is the theme which I always try to promote, supports domestic tourism through various social platforms & whatever means without any direct/indirect commercial interests. 

Yes, my way is Highway, my domestic highways, exploring variety of cultures, festivals, food, environments...BY ROAD & capturing my own Indian terrains in camera & showcasing it's beauty to entire World, yes, my way...

No, am not an economist also but am trying here to relate some stats, which I googled in last few days (courtesy respective owners, due credits have also been given to them at the end of this blog), with my thoughts & I assume no liability for the accuracy & authenticity of data shared here.

And Yes, am not in politics as well. As they say, it's always a choice between bad & worse, barring exceptions and I really appreciate those ones who are daring to bring in some changes beyond politics with their Bold decisions.   


May pls click here to pledge for Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat mission

(this blog is better visible on a large screen)

DOES TRAVEL MEANS HERE -

We, India, a Nation who contributes ~18% to World's Population with unique head count of ~1.38 billion,  with a median age of 28.4 years, do we need to travel towards -

  • 2 Child Policy has to be in place now whereas the fertility rate has already reached 2.3 per woman - shouldn't be a tough task now. But, it indeed is, isn't it ? Currently, we are adding 1 million children every 20 days
  • Rationalization of Income Tax. Don't want us to enter into a debate & stats of ~50 Cr workforce here, more than 60% are agriculturalists who are assumed to be doing more important jobs that others & would continue to be un-taxed, majority of the rest don't even earn adequate amounts to get taxed and finally, ~5 Cr Indians contribute to second biggest source of Income to Union Govt of India.  
  • Expenditure on Public Health services. Currently, due to our known relationships with neighboring countries, our % GDP spend on Health services is almost half of our Defense expenses. Well understood but with <1 Bed per 1,000 people & ~5 ICU beds per 1,00,000 inhabitants, we really lack on medical facilities and the current prevailing scenario (Covid'19) has proved it. Are you saying - private sectors, religious institutes, other charitable bodies etc should pitch-in here, figures crossed. 

Probably, now is the time to rephrase Roti, Kapda aur Makkan (Bread, Cloths & Home) to Roti, Swasthay & Makaan (Bread, Health & Home)


Anyways, as stated above & reiterating again, am not a economist nor associated with any political party, and a roadie in me would focus here on our core subject - Travel & Tourism as this sector also contributes significantly to GDP of any country.  

TRAVEL MEANS HERE, ACTUALLY -

First of all, some pleasant facts - 
  • 50 million Indians traveled abroad in 2019, up from 23 million in 2017
  • In 2017, The country welcomed over 10 million foreign tourists, generating foreign exchange earning of over 27.31 billion USDs.
  • Incredible India 2.0 campaign was launched in September 2017. 
  • In September 2018, the Indian government launched the "Incredible India Mobile App’ to assist the traveler to India and showcase major experiences for travelling.
  • In 2018, this sector accounted for 10.5% of global GDP & employed 319 million which means 10% of the world’s total employment.
  • According to WTTC, India ranked 3rd among 185 countries in terms of travel & tourism’s total contribution to GDP in 2018. 
  • India's Tourism Revenue reached 3 USD bn in Feb 2020, The data reached an all-time high of 3,177 USD mn in Dec 2019 and a record low of 185 USD mn in Jun 2002.
  • A five-year tax holiday has been offered for 2, 3- and 4-star category hotels located around UNESCO World Heritage Sites (except Delhi and Mumbai). 
  • Under Union Budget 2019-20, government introduced a Tax Refund for Tourists (TRT)  scheme like in countries such as Singapore to encourage tourists to spend more in India and boost tourism        
  • Hotel & Tourism sector has received cumulative FDI inflows of US$ 12.96 billion between April 2000 and June 2019. 
  • In Independence speech from Red Fort, Aug'19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to visit 15 domestic tourist destinations in India by 2022 to promote tourism. 
  • India was ranked 34th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 published by the World Economic Forum
  • As of 2019, 4.2 crore jobs were created in the tourism sector in India which was 8.1 per cent of total employment in the country. 
  • Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme 77 projects have been sanctioned of worth Rs 6,035.70 crore (US$ 863.60 million). During 2019-20, an additional fund Rs 1,854.67 crore (US$ 269.22 million) is sanctioned for new projects under the same (Swadesh Darshan) scheme.
  • Ministry of Tourism sanctioned 18 projects covering all the North Eastern States for Rs 1,456 crore (US$ 211.35 million) for development and promotion of tourism in the North Eastern Region under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD Schemes.
  • The launch of several branding and marketing initiatives by the Government of India such as "incredible India" and "Atithi Devo Bhava" has provided a focused impetus to growth. 
  • Ministry of Tourism launches Audio Guide facility App called Audio Odigos for 12 sites of India (including iconic sites).
  • In September 2019, Japan joins a band  of Asian countries, including Taiwan and Korea among others to enter into the Indian tourism market
                                           (just to update, you can click on any hyperlinks to get to know more details)

                  HOW BIG THIS INDUSTRY IS ?

The direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in India in 2017 was USD 91.27 billion 

In 2017, the direct contribution of travel and tourism sector to India's GDP was over 91 billion U.S. dollars. This was estimated to increase to 98 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 and forecast to be 194 billion U.S. dollars by 2028. India had the 2nd highest tourism GDP contribution in Asia Pacific in 2017.


Most of the tourism revenue in India comes from foreign tourists. India has witnessed an exponential rise in foreign exchange earnings since 2000, along with an increased inflow of foreign tourists into the country. The Government of India has set a target of 20 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) by 2020 and double the foreign exchange earnings as well.

Projected 2028 (pre-Covid) : USD 194.69 Billion

Projected (post Covid) ?




The Total contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in India in 2018 was USD 247 billion.

Even though India is not among the top ten countries with the highest foreign tourism revenue, it is not too far behind. In recent years, the government has implemented new visa policies and advertised niche tourism products to boost tourism. 

Projected 2029 (pre-Covid) : USD 512 Billion

Projected (post Covid) ?








The number of Indian Nationals departures (International) from India in 2018 : 26.3 million, significantly up from 4.42 m in 2000


Projected (post Covid) ?










Some unpleasant facts - 
  • Would all these (above mentioned) plans & figures for future growths still hold true ? 
  • Would you still like to venture out (read abroad) in next 6-12 months ?
  • Would they (read foreigners) like to visit India in next many months ?
  • The answer to all above Qs can be yes, but what about these 2 following predictions, globally & India specific.
  • Predicted employment loss in Travel & Tourism Industry due to coronavirus pandemic, worldwide in 2020, is more than 75m which includes 48.7m from Asia Pacific itself.
  • 'India's tourism sector may lose Rs 5 lakh cr, 4-5 cr jobs could be cut due to COVID-19'
  • Share of India in global International Tourists arrival is just 1.24%

A feeble minded in me is forcing me to write - No, with lacs of direct/in-direct Job loss, retrenchments, salary cuts, establishment closures or scaling down the volumes of Business and overall loss to govt's exchequer, things are not gonna be as visualized & planned. 

To me, the savior for us as a country is - my favorite topic - Domestic Travel & Tourism.   

                           (finished reading till now, Kudos, you would now love to read the following & can relate well)

Now, let's have a look at some in-house data - 



In 2018, Number of domestic tourists visits to all states/UTs stands at 1854.9 millions, a growth of 11.9% over previous year.

As understood by me, Tamilnadu tops the list among all Indian states in terms of visits by domestic tourists followed by UP & Karnataka, with almost 50% share.

Most of the domestic travelers traveled in Southern, Western & Central parts of the country & surprisingly, Himalayan ranges couldn't attract them. 

Moreover, among other fews, missing Kerala in this list is astonishing to me
d



Overall, in 2018, 28.87 million foreign tourists visited various Indian states, again Tamilnadu, UP & Maharashtra bagged a market share of 50%+. 

Kerala can be seen here with a minuscule share of just 3.8% but Northern & Eastern Himalayan ranges are a total miss. 

Goa, is another surprise to me at #10







There has been a paradigm shift in the concept of domestic tourism over time with the growing middle-class and its disposable incomes which is visible in this graph, from 220m in 2000 to 1855m in 2018. Although spending comes primarily from International tourism, the domestic expenditure for this sector was projected to have a linear growth until 2028. Hence, domestic tourism plays a crucial role in the overall development of the industry.

With the emergence of low cost airlines, longest rail network in the world, several tour operators, online booking portals cum aggregators, urge for road trips, inflation free Vacation ownership companies,  clubbed with more disposable incomes, the cost of domestic tourism is becoming more affordable these days.




This is an interesting survey which reveals - Indians also seem most tempted by nostalgia as 80 percent of those surveyed travel to 'rediscover past good times', 79 percent 'to experience a simpler lifestyle' and 76 percent 'to get away from the demands at home', while for 75 percent its about 'going to places where their friends have not been to.

Plus, this also gets fueled by on-net socially active people, who like/prefer to travel not only to show off but also the comfort & ease of planning, information, maps, nearby places, bookings, payments etc and this population has grown very rapidly in India & would continue to grow. 



As on 31.12.2018, India had ~2000 approved Hotels (all categories) with over One Lac rooms. The major chunk of rooms lies with 350+ five star+ hotels with cumulative rooms inventory of 60,000+ rooms.

In fiscal year 2019, the occupancy rate of hotels in India was 66.7 percent, up by one percent from the previous year. Among the various types of hotels, think - riding on online aggregators, 4-star hotels had the highest occupancy at 67.5 percent, making it the highest in this decade. Though, the occupancy trends are inline with global standards but still, we have sufficient room nights available with us at India (another reason to go domestic).  


International flyers to Destination 2030

Destination 2030 is a comprehensive index based on the evaluation of more than 75 indicators in 50 global markets, and it addresses the question of what makes a city ready for Travel & Tourism growth. This research takes an approach of assessing ‘readiness’, through which it aims to help city governments and tourism bodies better understand how well cities are positioned for future growth, while identifying gaps and opportunities that should be considered in future tourism strategy planning.

WTTC and JLL have teamed up to launch the first assessment of cities’ readiness for tourism growth, through the development of a unique methodology to evaluate and deliver on solutions to foster sustainable growth in tourism activity


Interestingly, we have 2 Metro cities in this list - Delhi & Mumbai & these 2 were gateway to 44%+ foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) in 2018. Delhi accounted for 28.83% & Mumbai welcomed 15.50% FTAs.

Now, look at this study, both our mentioned cities are struggling hard in Low Quartiles, the data is self-explanatory.

Does it mean that we shouldn’t expect high spikes in inflow of FTAs in future, yes, YoY a steady growth should prevail but…

Does it also mean, Domestic Tourism should flourish now on a faster pace?

Not being judgmental, but points to ponder, isn’t it?


No pls, no offence pls, am not at all against International Tourism, both inbound or outbound, but my personal endeavor shall always be to make others explore our own country first - some non-conventional routes, treacherous mountains, high altitude lakes, frozen rivers & waterfalls, some real crazy terrains, good-to-bad-to-no roads to river beds, mud / slush & water crossings through car and ferries, deep into many popular/less/un-explored - Himalayas, barren lands, sea shores, religious, touristy/non-touristy places etc in almost all Indian states, from Ladakh to Kanyakumari,  Koteshwar to Greater to Little Rann of Kutch to Kolkata, Jaisalmer to Puri, Lahaul-Spiti to DhanushkodiGolden Quadrilateralthe lush green north-eastern forests & much much more. 

To sum up, Domestic tourists have always been the driving force behind Indian tourism and hospitality industry. Many travel companies tap in on this potential by offering low fares and budget-friendly tour packages, especially for air-travel. Currently, the country has over 100+ functional airports and many low-cost airline operators have dominated the domestic aviation industry. India is expected to become the third-largest aviation market by 2024, behind China and the United States.

Even the hospitality industry in India has seen strong and consistent growth over recent years.  In 2016, the average daily rate of Indian hotels was at its lowest in a decade at around 85 U.S. dollars, was 89 U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2019. The same average for the 5-star hotel was the highest at 159 U.S. dollars that same year.


So for those, the avg cost of room night of 89 USDs seems reasonably high in a 4+ star rated Hotel (leave aside non-traditional accommodations like home-stays, hostels, serviced apartments, Airbnb and OYO Rooms etc which I personally don’t prefer, no offense to anyone, one may like to differ), inflation free Vacation Ownership or Time Share is the answer.


The leader in this space is Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd popularly known as Club Mahindra who are well known for their exclusive, exotic & various theme based locations (ranging from beaches to hills, from deserts to Jungles, romance to adventures), superb Hospitality, in-house 200+ activities, family togetherness coupled with comfortable & luxurious family tourism across all their 100+ resorts across the country.

Travel’20 beyond Covid’19 is gonna be a Challenging journey. One’s desire to travel & explore would never die and let’s do our bit by promoting domestic tourism.  

Post this epidemic, adhering to Govt’s advisories, travel, travel hard, preferably drive down to your nearby domestic locations, Yes Drive, drive with your family, friends, near & dears, DRIVE, nothing is as Rich, nothing is more Real !!!

India shall surely Bounce Back!!! 

Hope, you enjoyed this Blog, may click on various links to check authenticity of data/facts shared in this write-up.

If you wish to see my Roadographs from every nook & corner of India - pls share your honest feedback (love to have more from critics) on this blog, shall motivate me to take you on a virtual tour of India thru my next Blog.

Stay Safe, Keep travelling & sharing, 
Warm Regards 
The Roadographer (ajay_jagga@yahoo.com)
sms texts (only) +91-921-222-1234


Yes, am an Artist - the Road is my Canvas and my Car is my Brush.
To me, Driving is a Prayer, Motoring & Roadography - another way of Worship.

and I strongly believe in these, Nothing is As Rich, Nothing is more Real...


You may like to Stay in touch with me at The Roadographers Club for some amazing Roadographs & allied news from me & other members from 80+ countries. For many unedited Videos of my trips, pls visit My YouTube Channel & please remember to hit Subscribe button to get updates in future, thanks in advance. 

"The Roadographer" is my registered Trade Mark, may pls use ONLY with my consent - in writing.

This Blog's input courtesy -

https://www.statista.com/  (major contributions)

References: Media Reports, Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India, Press Releases, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Press Information Bureau (PIB), Union Budget 2019-20


tough days ahead, worst hit shall be T&T

















Sunday, 11 March 2018

The Great Seven Sisters Run


Yes, 8122 KMs in 233 Hours on wheels out of 366 trip’s total, ex-New Delhi, shall surely call it a Run.


The North East
The Teaser : Mostly motored non-touristy placesAltitudes varying from below sea Level to 4600+ mtrs, some non-conventional routes, treacherous mountains, high altitude lakes, frozen rivers & waterfalls, some real crazy terrains, good-to-bad-to-no roads to river beds, mud / slush & what not, water crossings through car and ferries, conquered some big and Chintu (low altitude) passes, touched Eastern most (motorable) tip of India at Kibithu and 4 International boundaries at BumLa (China), Moreh (Burma/ Myanmar), Kailashahr (Bangladesh) & Jaigaon (Phuentsholing, Bhutan), could motor across the borders in Myanmar (Burma) and Bhutan as well, daily 13 to 18 hours on wheels & above all, could raid (though not extensively in this limited time, ex-Delhi) all the Seven beautifuls of North East in India (Assam AS, Arunachal Pradesh AR, Nagaland NL, Manipur MN, Mizoram MZ, Tripura TR & Meghalaya ML, in order of their appearance) 

#TheGreat7SistersRun – 16th Dec’2017 to 31st Dec’2017.

Am not a regular Blogger, not even a good writer and through this Blog (long blog alert) wouldn’t pen down the reviews of Food/Hotels/people/culture etc but would take you into some interesting terrains through few Roadographs (may please use the above hash tag to watch more from this Run at The Roadographers Club & many unedited videos at My YouTube Channel& have tried to pen down our (please read on) views, in general, on various aspects of Travel to less-explored NE (as in Dec’17, may change in the following months and years to follow). Have captured the timings/distances/Altitudes as well to enable others to plan well, in case someone decides to raid the same circuit. Must please read FAQs on NE at the end of this travelogue to know about these states.

The Thought : If not North East, then what ?

In yesteryears, my beasts have already ferried me & family ~8 Lacs KMs - deep into many popular/less/un-explored - Himalayas, barren lands, sea shores, religious, touristy places etc in almost all Indian states, few unpleasant & pleasant-journeys -  from Ladakh to Kanyakumari,  Koteshwar to Greater to Little Rann of Kutch to Kolkata, Jaisalmer to Puri, Lahaul-Spiti to Dhanushkodi, Golden Quadrilateral (twice, including one Limca Record Drive ) and...
 
To me, it’s now been more than a decade I transformed from a Tourist to a Traveler & now, probably, to an avid one but, though always in heart & on mind, had never been to North Eastern part of my own country.
 
Yes, unlike Mughals who could never enter NE & having touched all the extreme tips of mainland India, it was time to raid this circuitous Chicken Neck Corridor to meet all those Seven Beautifuls and that too – SOLO

The Plan : Early Dec’17, called up my travel Guru – Mr HV Kumar (popularly known as HVK, Chief, #TheHumanGPS of India, Kumar Sir) who is based out at Mumbai, has been motoring for the last 3+ decades, has traveled every (to repeat, EVERY) nook & corner of India many times, cumulatively has ~1.5mn on his odos & my mentor as well for various expeditions in the last few years, excerpts -   

Me : a/a, want to cover all 7 from 20-30 Dec’17 – “Solo”
He : Ex-Delhi ? All 7 ? 11 days ? Solo ?
Me : yes...
He : Stupid Idea...
Me : ...Sir...
He : ...you need "atleast" 25 days to cover entire zone, if you have those many – call back and would work out an itinerary for you. And if you want, would tag a companion with you as well...
Me : No Sir, want to do Solo only...
 
(Now 2 days later, leaves got sanctioned from 18th to 29th Dec’17, and including weekends, was good to roll from 16th to 31st. Called HVK again)
 
He : 16-31st is doable but If you don’t want to drop down few states - gonna be very aggressive drive, you won’t have any leisure/rest day...
 
(after a chat of ~10 mins in this conversation, he did put me on hold for 15-20 secs and announced a moments later...)
 
He : ...have booked myself for Delhi on 15th evening & would be accompanying you. 
 
#TheHumanGPS with you as your personal Navigator, a trip mentored by the Man himself with his personal presence in your car – Wow – Couldn’t ask for more and in micro secs, the SOLO Bhoot vanished out of my mind. HVK has a REAL BIG fan following of 30,000 travelling freaks from pan India including that part of world – gives a sense of security & support if needed. Moreover, his Central Hotel Desk (to me, an under-paid service, popularly known as CHD) has tie-ups with 1100+ Hotels across India, so no worries wrt Routes, Boarding, Lodging, safety, security,  breakdowns etc. May please refer/join his FB forum HV Kumar - Fan, Forum & Message Board for some interesting Blogs, Travelogues, Products and Services.

Pre-Drive Preparations : My Ford Ecosport (Titanium - Optional, ~1.23L on Odo) was taken to a friend's World of Service, Noida for Servicing, suspension work (had never done till then), Clutch assembly change (though already done at 90k) and other general inspection. The bull was also given all 4 new Continental AT shoes. The front Wind Screen had many scratches, got the same replaced at Windshield Experts, Kailash Colony. Few cases of water, other eatables, general medicines, emergency lantern, camping chairs alongwith other Essentials & Desirables viz puncture repair kit, portable compressor, towing rope, hydraulic jack, jumping cable, tyre pressure gauge etc were also loaded in the car. The car is already equipped with a GPS device (which we never used), a GPS+GPRS tracker, a Dash Cam, an OBD device, CB Radio & a small LED bar.
 
As per the schedule, HVK landed at Delhi with another mutual friend - Tushar Vilankar who still wasn’t aware about the 3rd traveller, i.e me, till 15th night.

 
This write-up inputs: HV Kumar 

AND THE TRIP - BEGINS

Entry to India's Longest Agra Lucknow Expressway
Day1 (16th Dec’17) : New Delhi (0815 hrs) to Kushinagar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh (2000 hrs), KMs 867, Destination Alt 56 mtrs, via Yamuna Expressway (YEH), India’s longest Agra Lucknow Expressway (ALE), Faizabad BP & Gorakhpur BP.
 
We, trio, went to bed at 0210 hrs on 16th, got up late & hence this delay in start.

YEH does not accept FASTag. ALE continues to be untolled, although one toll gate had started trials, but no tolls – As of today, it’s tolled now.
The evening (very dense) fog bogged us down as we crossed Gorakhpur, scuttling our plans to target reaching either Darbhanga or Purnea - zero visibility had us struggling last 1+ hours, even finding the hotel became a challenge at Kushinagar.
 
Day2 (17th Dec’17) : Kushinagar (0730 hrs) to Nimiti Domohani, West Bengal (2230 hrs), KMs 805, Destination Alt 68 mtrs, via Gopalganj (BR), Muzaffarpur BP, Darbhanga BP, Islampur (WB), Siliguri & Sevoke.
 
Started late due to same foggy reason & again Zero visibility forced us to stay here at Nimti (Distt Alipurduar, WB). Entered Chicken’s Neck for the first time and the joy was beyond penning down here.
The Gopalganj BP (ByPass) is still incomplete, but work is progressing fast & roads are not so bad.
 
Day3 (18th Dec’17) : Nimiti Domohani (0450 hrs) to Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh (1850 hrs), KMs 528, Destination Alt 2454 mtrs, via Barobisha (WB), Srirampur (AS), Bongaigaon, Nalbari, Rangiya, Mangaldoi, Rowta, Balemu (AR),  Kalaktang, Shergaon and Rupa.
 
The day started with the same story - Zero visibility today (If remember correctly, couldn’t touch 20kmph till 7ish or so), a long target ahead for the day, had to start early as wanted to explore these mentioned less-travelled roads and route. And believe me, the mix of some kuccha, pukka “roads” (both in interiors of AS & AR), with minimal or virtually no facilities enroute, few water falls, a picnic spot on the bank of a river at the junction of Bhutan-AS-AR (this happens to be entry CP for AR as well from this side) – a mesmerizing experience it was.  

Road widening is going on in some sections towards the AS border. 4-laning is complete in the East-West Corridor in the WB/AS border - Guwahati, but in most sections, the 4-laned road is not fully commissioned, and traffic is moving both ways on both sides. But roads are good.
 

Enroute Dirang

Day 4 (19th Dec’17) : Bomdila (0650 hrs) to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh (1557 hrs), KMs 190, Destination Alt 2960 mtrs, via Dirang, Sela Pass (4200m), Jaswantgarh and Jang.





few miles before SeLa
The task for the day was just less than 200 KMs, still started early as wanted to explore Sela PassSeLa Lake and above all – the largest Monastery in India. Tawang Monastery is huge, a little away from the town of Tawang, and definitely the most imposing building complex that you can see from afar (You will see it first when coming towards Tawang after you descend down from Jaswantgarh)
 

Nyukmadong War Memorial


Did stop for few minutes, ~10am, at Nyukmadong War Memorial (dedicated to All ranks who made their Supreme sacrifice at the Battle of Nyukmadong on 18th Nov’1962) & reached SeLa just before noon where had a good break for Breakfast at Army run Prahari Cafeteria.  
 

At Se La

Again had a quick break at semi-frozen SeLa Lake for few memories to capture. The descend from SeLa towards Jang for first ~10 KMs was good, followed by few under construction roads for another few miles. The roads, as it approaches Tawang, gets narrower and did see some good Frozen Water falls enroute. Reached Tawang ~4pm & after a quick check-in at a Hotel, were out to visit the Monastery.



Mini Water Body at Se La

The semi-frozen Sela Lake

Frozen Water Falls


Tawang Monestery
It is indeed wonderful to see the wide roads leading to Tawang from Rupa onwards - contrast with the narrow, weather-disruptive road of yesteryears. Yes, it is rough here & there, but a great drive. Facilities have sprung up everywhere. Overall, the road via Se la is good enough.



L-R Kumar HV, Tushar Vilankar & me (Ajay Jagga), at BumLa



Day5 (20th Dec’17) : Tawang (0630 hrs) to Bum La, Shungatser Lake and Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh (1925 hrs), KMs 249, Destination Alt 1693 mtrs, via Y-Junction, Bumla (4633m), Shungaster/ Madhuri Lake (3800m), PTso Lake (3700m), Tawang.







At Y-Junction

It’s advisable to start early from Tawang, we did the same & started rolling towards Y-Junction (YJ). At the YJ, which you reach via PTso Lake, the road bifurcates into 2 – one (right) going to Bum La, the other takes you to Shungatser Lake/T-Gompa/Zemithang.



An Important Landmark at Y-junction
To reach the Y Junction, you need to take permits at Tawang to travel to Bum La/ Shungatser Lake. This is a 2-stage permission given by the DC Office & then the Army. You have to apply the previous day itself & have to show your permits at the Y-Junction CP. This is also the point where you may be stopped if the road ahead is disrupted due to snow or weather issues. Y Junction has a canteen run by the Army, reached there before 8am & couldn’t find it operational. 



Enroute BumLa

From here, YJ, took us ~45 minutes to reach Indo-China Border (Bum La Pass 4633 mtrs) & the road, I mean “No roads” here would surely test every suspension component in your car rigorously. At BumLa reception, Army was serving (in fact, was a self-service) free Tea to all the tourists, being a tea-lover – did gulp 3 cups. A Captain was narrating history & the importance of this Pass. 

Today, was pleasantly excited, Struck off another High Altitude Pass from my "To Do" list. 

Stayed here at such high altitude for good ~50 mins and rushed back towards YJ & onwards towards Shungatser Lake.



Teesri Udassi Gurudwara, enroute YJ - Shungatser Lake

Almost halfway ahead of YJ (towards Shungatser Lake) pleased to notice a Gurudwara, right-far-uphill on a straight steep mountain & astonished to see its name – Teesri Udassi Gurudwara. Was wondering and got to know it’s meaning when reached back in network. Udassi means – Journey/Trip & rest you can Google. This Gurudwara Sahib, alt ~4000 mtrs, is being maintained by Indian Army.




The Gurudwara Sahib


enroute Shungatser Lake

Continued our journey towards Lake and believe me, was witness to some most beautiful "roads" (have ever seen) parallel to a Frozen River, some frozen water fall, few mtrs of Black-ice & few good curvy roads. Could see Lake’s first view at 11am but were still ~2 KMs away from it. It’s Location is off the beaten track for those who love roaming in the wilderness.

enroute Shungatser Lake



History of Shungatser Lake
Created by falling rocks, boulders and trees in an earthquake in 1971, this place is amazingly beautiful.  The place has a big, self-service & goodly subsidized, canteen run by Indian Army & ample space to sit & enjoy. Many years back, Madhuri Dixit was here with SRK for a song's shoot for her movie Koyla & hence famous now as Madhuri Lake as well. Canteen here sells Army Caps, gloves, jackets, mugs, umbrella, shoes etc also at very reasonable prices. 

The Beautiful Shungatser Lake

After a quick breakfast here & a short halt at PTso Lake, rushed back to Dirang via Tawang.


The PTso Lake

Day6 (21st Dec’17) : Dirang (0520 hrs) to Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh (2045 hrs), KMs 565, Destination Alt 158 mtrs, via NH13, Bomdila, Nechiphu Pass (1540m), Bhalukpung (AS), Biswanath Chariali, North Lakhimpur. Dhemaji & Jonai.
 
This was a tough day with real bad to NO roads. Was amused to cross a Low High Altitude Pass – Nechi-Phu (alt just 1540 mtrs), had never seen/heard of such one till then. Started the day from AR, entered AS - sailed through it and again ended the day at AR.


Nechiphu Pass, the first named Lowest Altitude Pass, ever motored by me

The Upper Bank route - NH52 - from Baihata Chariali to Tezpur - has some terrible roads via Mangaldoi & Rowta. Last 2 years, the Kalaktang route is the preferred one - and now since road widening has started in the Bhalukhpong - Rupa route, the best one. Road from Rowta is good throughout, but expect no facilities till Rupa.

Rupa - Bhalukhpong road is under widening, and closed certain hours of the day. Mostly good, except a few places where evacuation is underway, expect trouble if it rains. Fantastic road from Bhalukhpong AR-AS border till Balipara. Terrible roads from Balipara via Biswanath Chariali to Narayanpur. Road widening in progress in some sectors. From North Lakhimpur, fantastic roads all the way to Pasighat via Dhemaji & Jonai.


Outers of Pasighat, AR

Day7 (22 Dec’17) : Pasighat (0620 hrs) to Hawai, Arunachal Pradesh (1815 hrs), KMs 345, Destination Alt 1300 mtrs, via Mebo, Silluk, Aohali, Dambuk, Roing, Tezu, Hawa Pass (1060m), Udayak Pass (1620m), Tidding and Hayiliang.


To me, today was the most exciting & adventurous day - reaching Dambuk from Pasighat & further to Roing (don't please search Google)) and would love to visit here again for Dambuk Orange Festival in December. 



The Adventure Starts from here...

The Pasighat - Mebo - Dambuk - Roing “road”, this is the only time of the year when it tries to be a road, is motorable only during Dec - Mar when the river beds are dry; rest of the year – it’s not even a road, you will have to go round into Assam via Dhola Sadiya Bridge, unless one is very lucky to have low water levels. This “Road” starts off in splendid fashion, then at Mebo, it plunges into the dry river bed for 10+ kms, with some minor water crossings. Bridges are under construction; hopefully they will get completed in next 6-12 months or so. Were told that the Bogibeel Road Bridge is almost complete and only Railway part is yet to be done. 



The Amazing & Adventurous Route :  Pasighat - Mebo -  Dambuk - Roing 
The one shown in this map was motored by us. The other route as referred above (if you refer Gmap) is some 330+ KMs. Leave Dec to Feb/March, the river crossings become impassable & even the approaches to the "Ferry" become too slushy. To me (personally), sadly, the bridges are getting completed in next few months and the adventure of this circuit would vanish soon.   


Thanks to Dambuk Orange Festival Organizers for putting this landmark here 


The Dibang River Bed


Thanks to S.A.A.G for such Wooden Bridges
SAAG - noticed this signboard here, couldn't understand the same but Googled it once was back to base. SAAG (Star, Ayang, Arsang & Gamying) - combination of 4 different age groups locally called "Sirum" has been doing wonders (info as available online) in Dambuk. Be it town cleaning or lending a helping hand during floods or distribution of dust bins in town. Recently, they again got together to construct the "road" and log bridges connecting Dambuk to Roing via Mebo.


Thanks to SAAG (may Google for more details) for such Wooden Bridges


And the Adventure Continues...

The "Ferry"


Dambuk comes & goes without ado (we discovered we had crossed Dambuk after 10 kms) & then you again get down to the dry river beds - and cross the river in ferry twice (two ordinary boats permanently latched with few wooden logs & an “engine” to sail it – they call it Ferry) in quick succession to reach Roing. Bridges are almost over, visible, the river crossings & ferries will soon be history.



Roing - Tezu





Roing  Tezu is also a "road" in some parts where you again have to go into dry river beds - but I presume the bridge will be commissioned soon - overall the road is fantastic. Hopefully, by Spring 2018, the bridge will be ready to roll.




To recall the general definition of a Pass or La – "an ascend on some rough terrains at high altitudes through some trenchous mountains, followed by a descend." And again, from Tezu to Tidding, motored 2 small Alt Passes Hawa Pass (1060 m) & Udayak Pass (1620 m) & these 3 (including Nechi-Phu) are the lowest most Passes have ever raided, till now, in my lifetime. 


Hawa Pass


Udayak Pass
The day ended at Hawai, 7-8 KMs steep uphill from the Tezu-Kibithu Highway.



L-R Tushar Vilankar, Kumar HV & me



Day8 (23 Dec’17) : Hawai (0350 hrs) to Dibrugarh, Assam (2006 hrs), KMs 532, Destination Alt 80 mtrs, via Walong, Kibithoo (1400m), Tidding, Tezu, Dhola Sadiya Bridge/NH 115 (AS), AT Road/NH 15/Tinsukia.



 

me

The target set by HVK to reach India’s Longest Dhola-Sadia Bridge before Sun set (shall highly recommend to be here during Sun rise/set to soak the beauty of that place) forced us to be on wheels, in dark, before 4am. After a small nap-break enroute, touched the Eastern Most Tip of India, Kibithu, at 6.40am. Could see heavy Army presence here but couldn’t find any Dhaba or tea-stall.
 


The signboard says it all
Started back at 7.30am to hit Dhola-Sadia sharp at 4pm (from Roing – Sadiya side) – before Mr Sun could forbid bye to us & captured some Sooperly Beautiful Roadographs here. Finally, wound up the day at Dibrugarh. 


India's Longest Dhola-Sadiya Bridge on Lohit River
The Tezu - Kibuthu road is fantastic. Unless there is a landslide in Tidding or 1-2 landslide-prone spots, this should be now an all-weather road

The Roing - Tinsukia road via the new 9.2-km long Sadiya-Dhola bridge (across the River Lohit) is fantastic.
The Tinsukia - Dibrugarh road is an excellent road except for the high density of traffic & the lack of a bypass for Tinsukia. However, Tinsukia Bypass is almost completed, was accessible to 2-wheelers only. As of now, expected to be on for all traffic any day.

Welcome to Nagaland
Day9 (24 Dec’17) : Dibrugarh (0652 hrs) to Jakhama, Nagaland (1923 hrs), KMs 371, Destination Alt 1750 mtrs, via Golaghat, Dimapur (NL), Kohima.
This was going to be a scary day wrt our Safety, especially in NL, as had heard some stupid grapevine talks about that zone wherein we entered NL at Dimapur by ~1.30pm




Starting Point of Dimapur-Kohima 4-Lane project

But, with hardly any vehicular movement on this Dimapur-Kohima isolated highway (probably at that time on a Christmas Eve), crossed Kohima & reached Jakhama safely by late evening without any issue/s.
 
This Welcome gate is at the outers (towards Kohima) of Dimapur and, probably, was raised to mark Welcome to Dimapur-Kohima 4-lane Highway on 3rd Dec'2015.
 
The work is still under progress here and, to me, future of this, Dimapur-Kohima, 4-lanes is still a far distant dream , may be for next few year"s".
 
The Dibrugarh - Sibsagar - Jorhat Highway is in a mess due to road widening. Lots of pot holes, slow progress due to high traffic density approaching towns. Hopefully, next 2 years the 4-laning will be complete

Once you turn off the NH37 at Dergaon, it is great roads till Golaghat, after which road is pretty bad in some places till Dimapur, the NL border.

 
The initial part of the Dimapur - Kohima road is very good, but after Pherma, road is being widened, which means bad roads, diversions & potential slush areas (if it rains). The last 35 kms can take upto 90 minutes.
 

Welcome to Manipur
Day10 (25 Dec’17) : Jakhama (0510 hrs) to Imphal, Manipur (1950 hrs), KMs 381, Destination Alt 820 mtrs, via NH 39/NH 2/Mao (MN), Senapati, Imphal, Moreh, Tamu/IMT Corridor (Burma)

Left Jakhama with the first sun-rays & entered Manipur (MN) at Mao in next ~45 mins & its Capital by 9.30am with a short breakfast break on a roadside dhaba.

 
 

Welcome to Moreh, the last Indian Town near Burma Border
After offering quick prayers at the largest Hindu temple at MN, Shree Govindajee Temple, rushed straight to Moreh to hit here at ~1pm – the last Indian town near Myanmar Border. 

 
Entry to Myanmar on the IMT (India-Myanmar-Thailand) corridor was pretty easy, one can take a day pass from SP office at Moreh, can roam up to 3 miles only in Burma (nearest town - Tamu) but have to come back to India by 4pm (5pm IST). You have to deposit copy of proof of any Indian identity - such as DL, Aadhaar Card - as proof of your Indian nationality at the Myanmar CP. Please take adequate Xerox copies of docs of ALL the passengers, else, can find the Xerox machines easily near SP office itself.
 

A Drive on India Myanmar Friendship Road (IMT Corridor)
 

Welcome to India, Caution - Be on Left
 
We went till Tamu, had our lunch there, still had some time in hand, decided to raid IMT (towards Thailand) a few miles, took the U-turn and reached back at Burma exit by 5.02pm IST (4.02pm Burmese time). 

You need to Drive on Right Hand Side at Burma.

From Kohima towards Imphal, the road is excellent till the Manipur border. From there, it is pure massacre for the car - the roads are totally pot holed, and the 100 kms can take you 3 - 3.5 hours. We were told that there is no likelihood of any immediate improvement

The road from Imphal to the Myanmar border at Moreh is impeccable.

 
Took the same road on IMT - back to Imphal. 
 


Haflong, the only Hill Station of Assam

Day11 (26 Dec’17) : Imphal (0440 hrs) to Haflong, Assam (1843 hrs), KMs 408, Destination Alt 700 mtrs, via Senapati, Kohima, Dimapur, Diphu (AS), Lumding, Haflong Main Road/NH 627
 
Today was a real tough day, had to touch Silchar for onward journey to Mizoram & MZ ILP had yet to be taken. The dilemma – which route to be taken (~500 KMs v/s ~250). The one which we motored via Dimapur (~500 KMs) or the other via Jiribam (~250 KMs) which was half of the distance but known to be unsafe. We decided to take the longest route, via (back to) Dimapur, couldn’t reach Silchar and halted at the ONLY Hill station of Assam – Haflong, near Jatinga (must read its story - phenomenon of birds "committing suicide")   
 
The Dimapur - Dansiri - Diphu - Lumding route:
- No road from Dimapur to Dansiri
- From Dansiri, road improves, although it is still rough & can land you in deep slush if it rains
- From Diphu onwards, road widening is underway & halfway through to Lumding, surfacing is complete & is a fantastic road to Lumding where you reach the EW Corridor coming from Nagaon.
 
The East West Corridor is almost finished from Lumding till the Mahur Tunnel but the 4-lanes are not commissioned, so you will end up driving on the same 2-lanes, with lots of diversions. The Mahur ByPass is aligned, but it is all dirt roads from the end of Mahur Tunnel till the Hafflong turn off. This road could be messy during the rains unless they finish the work from Mahur ByPass onwards. Happily, one does not have to go through the congested Mahur town any more
 
To reiterate, we repeated the same sector from Imphal till Dimapur BP to reach Silchar. The alternate route, as mentioned above, to reach Silchar from Imphal is NH53 via Jiribam and is definitely the toughest National Highway in India. To repeat, the safety concerns kept us away from this short & direct route.


EW Corridor - (must see its unedited videos on my YT Channel) 
Day12 (27 Dec’17) : Haflong (0520 hrs) to Hailakandi, Assam (2200 hrs), KMs 301, Destination Alt 25 mtrs, via Vairengte Main Road/NH 306 (MZ), Vairengte, Chemphai, Hmaibialaveng, Panch Pirar Mukam (AS)

 
To me, most annoying : pathetic road, I mean - No Road, from 29 KMs beyond Silchar for ~90 KMs (towards west) on India's (one of the) longest East West Corridor.😡 No traces of truckers fleet here. To raid the first ~75 KMs, towards Silchar, it took us ~4 hours including a tea break.

East West Corridor, Sad State. Must see it's unedited Videos at my YouTube Channel
Work on the Hafflong-Silchar sector never started in many stretches & where-ever did start a bit -  appears to be abandoned, no hopes seen for an early completion - and the road is a "road”, to be totally avoided if wet since your car can get bogged down in slush.
 

Mizoram House, Silchar


Anyways, reached Silchar ~10am and rushed directly to MZ House to obtain ILP & succeeded in getting it by 2pm (the signing authority wasn’t there at office). 

Welcome to Mizoram

Entered MZ Border at ~3.30pm. A short touch drive in MZ & heavy fog, for the last 40-50 KMs, restricted our speeds to reach back in AS at Hailakandi by late night.
 
The Highway from Silchar to the MZ border at Vairangte is fantastic, although it is very congested by day. Once you enter MZ, be prepared for a bone-rattling drive.

 
Are you looking for a place to send your worst enemy (in Dec-Jan)?

If so, ask him to drive the Bilkhawthlir - Hailakandy route. Till Buhchangphai, road is great except that you suddenly find loss of road! But from Pangbalkawn onwards, it is the sheer thrill of offroading - estimate your speeds at 10 - 15 kmph through the AS border after Bairabi, but once you get to Ramnathpur, the roads becomes excellent all the way to Hailakandy (serious!) 


Welcome to Tripura
 Day13 (28 Dec’17) : Hailakandi (0520 hrs) to Jowai, Meghalaya (2330 hrs), KMs 446, Destination Alt 1400 mtrs, via Agartala Assam Highway/NH 8, Churaibari (TR), Dharmanagar, Unakoti, Kailasahar, Bangladesh Border, NH 44/NH 37, NH 44/NH 6, Kumarghat (ML)
 
It was our 13th day and was yet to meet the youngest (Tripura) & the most beautiful (Meghalaya) sisters. Day16 had to reach back at base (Delhi) & it was the time to stretch & push our limits.
 
Entered North Tripura from Hailakandy via Karimganj at ~9.15am - it was quite a test, with the seat belts strapped on, you can sit in a car even when it goes almost upside down in & out of craters in the road😜 - don't even think of doing this route during the rains unless your car can become a boat.

 
Reached ASI protected Monument Remains at Unakoti by ~10.30am & it was Breath-taking experience & can’t be put in words. A most / highly recommended place to visit.

Unakoti - The ASI protected Monument Remains


Unakoti - The ASI protected Monument Remains


Unakoti, the ASI protected Monument Remains


Bangladesh Border at Kailashahr
Now was time to hit Border of another country – Bangladesh at Kailashahr and we reached 3rd Border of this trip by 11.30am. Here could witness a man moving, on foot with Passport in his hands, from India to Bangladesh after following all the immigration process, security checks etc. Could also see his Welcome by his family/relatives on the other side of the fence at “their Arrivals” just ~200 mtrs away from us – was a memorable experience.    

Road is being widened on the Highway leading to Tripura, all the way from Kalain in Assam. Karimganj ByPass is rough, but you can amble along at 20 kmph, and rest of the road till AS-TR border at Churaibari is a mess. The multiple railway crossings also slow you down and if it rains, this is going to be hell given the heavy truck traffic on the ONLY road to Agartala (TR)
 
The road via Dharmanagar to Unakoti & Kailashahr is excellent, but from Kailashahr to Kumarghat, road is terrible. Widening of NH has begun with felling of trees & we got stuck in such jam for 10-15 mins.
 

Welcome to Meghalaya

Finally, again drove back to AS till Karimaganj & beyond on Agartala Assam Highway - towards Meghalaya (ML) Border. It was 7 past few mins when we touched the ML, either it was very dark or we missed, couldn’t see any “Welcome to ML” signboard but we welcomed ourselves to the last most Beautiful one. Drove till Jowai & settled in our Hotel by mid-night.
Day14 (29 Dec’17) : Jowai (0532 hrs) to Purnia, Bihar (2355 hrs), KMs 796, Destination Alt 35 mtrs, via Shillong BP/NH 6, Guwahati BP/NH 27, Rangiya/NH 27, Bongaigaon (WB), Bhutan Road/NH 317A/Jaigoan, few miles inside Bhutan, Siliguri BP, Dalkola.

Task for today was to hit Purnea (BR) & was a long day. Outstanding roads from Jowai to Guwahati via Shillong ByPass. Had a short photo-break at Uniam Lake at ~7am.

Umiam Lake


The New Brahmputra Bridge at Saraighat
So the trip was coming to an end and my both the co-travellers (HVK & Tushar), due to some work exigencies, decided to fly out from Guwahati (to Mumbai).  Dropped them at around 9.30am at Guwahati-Silchar Road at this state Capital and a bit scared to hit the highway alone till Delhi in Foggy weather – started my 1st longest SOLO journey from Guwahati to Delhi.


Interestingly, 3 of us during this entire trip could never cross river Brahmputra and it was me only who did cross it alone for the first time in this trip at Saraighat - outers of Guwahati.
 
Encountered my first Documents check at WB Border, things were in place and the next target was to touch Bhutan (4th country in this trip) & reached Jaigaon (the last Indian Town touching Bhutan) by 3.15pm. Worth to mention here, we couldn’t find neither Pizza Hut nor Dominos at state capital of MN (infact, they don’t have one there, cross-checked from their call centres) but Jaigoan was Blessed with a Dominos outlet.

Entry Gate to Bhutan

Entry to Bhutan : It was pleasant surprise to spot a Gurudwara bang on the entry gate across the border. No permits required for day's visit, you can freely enter Phunetsoling & go till the first CP where you have to show your permits if planning to go beyond to Thimphu or Paro. While entering, their Police responded to my query & advised me not to go beyond 5-6 kms, adhered to that, tanked up from a BPC bunk there, for Rs2000, as the diesel was cheaper by Rs12/ltr than WB, paid INR2000.  Yes, like Nepal, they accept Indian currency but Unlike Nepal, theirs to Indian currency is 1:1.


Left P’Soling at 4.30pm, stuck in many jams enroute Siliguri & a severe one at the outers of Siliguri wherein lost 1+ hour/s here, again encountered Sooper heavy fog from Bagdogra till Purnea & reached Purnea by mid-night. Was very tired & relaxed as well - the Day’s target was achieved.

A memorable SOLO exposure.  
 
Day15 (30 Dec’17) : Purnia (0605 hrs) to Lucknow, Eastern Uttar Pradesh (2230 hrs), KMs 810, Destination Alt 100 mtrs, via Darbhanga BP/NH 27, Muzaffarpur BP, Gopalganj BP, Gorakhpur BP, Faizabad BP, Barabanki BP
 
Was ready to roll from Purnea Hotel by 5.30am but couldn’t even spot my car in parking, same dense fog till 11.30am & afterwards at many places, again stuck in Jam at the outers of Lucknow for ~1 hour (& this time - absolute stand-still with engine off). This is the same return journey - nothing much to write.

Day16 (31st Dec’17) : Lucknow (0855 hrs) to Back Home at New Delhi (1430 hrs), KMs 528, Destination Alt 210 mtrs, via Agra Lucknow Eway, Yamuna Eway
 
Now was close to home, driven hard the previous 2 days, didn’t sleep well at Purnea so adhered to the orders of Home Ministry to sleep tight at Lucknow. Got up leisurely, had good breakfast, again the same fog, same ALE, same YEH...


FAQs

Is it hilly & steep terrain in NE? No, Assam is all plains, except where you descend to Silchar (Barak Valley). Nagaland & Manipur are mostly plains, with mild hills. Meghalaya is hilly, but there are not too many steep gradients in the touristy sectors. Mizoram is hilly, but for most of the time you are up in the hills / plateau with rare occasions to go down to the deep valleys below. Yes, AR has the most steep climbs – in almost all the sectors but nowhere will you climb up to the heights you do in Ladakh

Do you need to protect yourself against high-altitude sickness? Very rarely, you ascend altitudes higher than 2000 metres in the North East, except when you are going to Tawang/ Bum la. Unlike Ladakh, the chances of falling prey to AMS are limited. We do not protect ourselves by taking Diamox tablets on trips to the North East.

It rains a lot in the NE? You want to go there during school vacations in May-June?
It does rain a lot in the NE, it affects life & normality badly in some parts of Arunachal & Assam. But in all other parts, the roads crumble when it rains - landslides, slush - and there is no fun in travelling in incessant rains & fog. Rains set in earlier in the NE, and you will be surprised that it rains a lot - and the rivers have lots of water due to snow-melt - even in end-April. Nov - Apr could be the best period to drive around in the NE. Roads in some sectors - like, Pasighat-Dambuk-Roing - are not motorable rest of the year (till the bridges get complete)
The ONLY good months to replicate this drive circuit are Dec to Feb. However, except for Dambuk sector, the others should be motorable except during the rainy months

Will you get Veg food in the NE?
Am not a foodie & me being an eggetarian, no issues. Yellow Dal, roti, poori bhaji, omelette (no breads anywhere seen), rice etc available everywhere. Food is not costly (Chai Rs 5 - 10, Puri Bhaji Rs 10 - 20) in the road-side Dhabas in Assam/ NE, however, you may need to compromise a bit on hygiene. It’s equally expensive at the big Hotels and Restaurants as in our cities. We carried a dozen packs of Haldiram's Ready to Eat Dal/Rajma/Kadi/Chole Rice with us, had not even a single one. Yes, at few places, the Rotis are of Maida. In fact, you have to go searching for authentic local cuisine, but universal Indian veg food is available everywhere.
Non-Veg’ies have multiple choices at all the prices.

How’s Mobile connectivity : we had BSNL, Airtel, Voda and Jio & were fairly connected with the world - both voice & data. Seamless connectivity if you have multiple sim cards. BSNL & Airtel work best. Jio works well in Assam, less in the other States. In fact, with multiple sims, You can get even 3G & 4G in some remote parts of NE.

If your phone has international roaming & you are in any of the borders - Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan or Nepal - make sure you put your mobile in Flight mode, lest you lock into international networks (Yes, they all work well in the borders of the NE) & sock you for high data or voice charges. Mere a data usage for 5-7 mins plus receiving few incoming calls after entering India from Myanmar, but close to border, costed HVK ~Rs 26,000/-, services got barred for exceeding the credit limits and he had to pay the entire bill.

How to get ILPs (Inner Line Permits) & for which state ? 3/7 sisters require ILPs to enter them. The online ILP process for AR is very simple. Make sure you check the maps beforehand on your destination/ entry gates.

For Nagaland, you can apply at the Nagaland House in Dimapur. Usual office working days/ timings

For Mizoram, you can apply at Mizoram House in Silchar. Usual working days/ timings. Budget for extra time, since permits are not issued over the counter. We wasted some 4 hours here as the signing authority was not there at office.

Arunachal has the best ILP processes - you can apply online, within hours you will get approval. To get the Nagaland & Mizoram permits is a painful process of having to visit their offices and also wait it out till they decide at leisure whether they should permit you or not - definitely tourist-unfriendly!

Do they allow private cars & bikes to drive from Tawang to Bum la & Shungatser Lake? Of course, they do, we went by my car only. Don't be fooled by taxi-hotel guy’s talks that you can go only in their taxis. Permits are issued by DC - Army routinely for all vehicles, it will help shorten time if you get it done via a suitable tour operator or agent.

How’s the temperature? Temperatures are pleasant most of the time. Except in Bomdila-Tawang-Bum la, nowhere does the mercury dip to the sub-zeroes. Nevertheless, you need to carry light woollens all the time if you are planning to go beyond Assam (and Tripura), which is the warmest of all the States in the NE.

Is Language an issue there? No, isn’t. Everyone in the trade - those running shops, restaurants, government offices, police, etc - speaks Hindi, and the usual smattering of English. You will never face any communications issues.

Do you have to carry extra fuel? No, not if your car has range of 500 - 700 kms, but bikes with range < 300 kms may need to. In some sectors, petrol pumps are few & far between, but if you know the info beforehand, you can plan refuelling before you reach quarter tank.

Is it dangerous to drive at night? Why would one drive after dark when the trip is all about seeing places? Driving at night is best avoided, although there are no significant safety concerns in AS or AR. There will be lots of police checks in AS. Driving in NL & MN is discouraged. In ML, whether you like to drive or not, in popular circuits like Cherapunjee, fog will ensure you don't

Credit Cards acceptability? CC are rarely accepted in most establishments, unless it is a high-end hotel or a city-based petrol pump (in larger towns). I found that Rs 10 coins were not being accepted in many shops specially in MZ (no idea why)
People in General? You will find very few people travel around - so vast is the region. Unless you run into a real expert, you will find most of the info you hear locally (about other States or regions) is often misinformed, hearsay & sometimes even biased
Do the Police harass a lot in NE States? To be honest, outside Assam, you hardly see any policemen!
Assam Police has a past history of harassing out-of-State motorists, but have suddenly gone meek & courteous in recent months. Be wary that the car you drive is owned in your name - or the owner is also in the car. If not, ensure you carry suitable authorisation letters from the owner. Invariably, the first Q the AS Police may ask is, Is this your car?

If the vehicle is not owned by you, ensure that you have obtained suitable authorisation from the owner allowing you to drive the car.

Car/Bike Service Networks? Outside Assam, outside the largest towns in the other States, it is Only Maruti (Alto, Swift), Only Mahindra (Scorpio, Bolero), Only Tata (Only Sumo) everywhere, with some stray exceptions of Hyundais (i10, i20). You need to know names / contacts of mechanics in strategic places in case you have a breakdown. 1800 numbers wont work here - be your own mechanic, know the mechanic in strategic places. For bikers, it is easier - the big brands like Bajaj, Hero & TVS are all over the place, the locals use these brands extensively which means you have small workshops everywhere, but if you riding something like a KTM 390, you may have to worry a bit

Are there ATMs in the NE? Yes, of course, but you will find that all ATMs in Arunachal work largely to bank branch working hours & are usually closed at night. Needless to say, in most places it is a cash economy, but in all large towns you will find a few petrol pumps that accept credit cards

Do we need to start early? Yes, change your body clock. The sun rises early - almost 1.5 hours ahead of, say Delhi, and it is totally dark by 5 pm (in winter, often earlier, depending on how farther east the location is). You have to ideally be in your hotel bed before 7 pm, except in Assam which bustles till late night.

Any Dry State? Yes, Manipur is a “Dry’ state. And if driving via Bihar, remember not to carry liquor in this Prohibition State.

How did my Car perform? Steered well on high-speed highways but Struggles a bit on rough steep terrains, else, not problem at all – not even a puncture. Fuel Economy was Sooper - specially in last leg. Tanked up from Bhutan and don't know what - Quality of fuel (though it was a BPC outlet only), low speeds due to fog or what, motored 1104 KMs till LKO and still had a range of 38 KMs with fuel (tank) capacity of 52 ltrs.

In general, every suspension component in your car will be tested rigorously. Post drive at Delhi, got the suspension again checked and one rear shocker was damaged (leaked) badly & had to change both the rear ones. If you love your car like crazy, better avoid this circuit and hire a self-drive. But, highly recommend, trust your own cars only (am assuming – you keep your machines well-maintained). The real fun is driving your own Car & was fortunate to be on wheels+ABC at ALL the times (100%) during this trip.

Can recall Arunachal’s Governor’s Bold Statement few months back – “Indians know more about the US than about North East” – really a Sad state. A zone, which has plenty of rich heritage viz, World’s Largest & Smallest River Islands, 7 prominent National Parks, the cleanest village in Asia, Guinness record holder Wettest place in World & much more – deserves much more than our visit/s.
 
Thanks to my wife, who visited NE with her 2 friends in Nov’17 for a short trip of 10 days for the first time, for exciting me enough to make it happen in Dec’17 itself. Though I couldn’t do the touristy circuits done by them, but there’s always a next time.

Thanks to my Daughter, for compiling this write-up. 
 
Sincere thanks again to Kumar Sir for being a Sooper Guide cum Navigator cum Mentor of this memorable Run & for inputs on this travelogue. Thanks Tushar as well for being an excellent Co-Traveller.   
 
To sum up, touristy places like Tawang, Meghalaya & few others are in every brochure, anyone can do it with excellent roads & facilities. But the real North East is behind some foul roads & still the abode of the travelers. Was pleasure meeting all the beautiful Sisters, Apologies to their Brother (Sikkim) - see you next time, for sure.
 
Hope, you enjoyed this Blog, Keep travelling & sharing,
Regards, The Roadographer (ajay_jagga@yahoo.com)

Yes, am an Artist - the Road is my Canvas and my Car is my Brush.
To me, Driving is a Prayer, Motoring & Roadography - another way of Worship.

and I strongly believe in these.

Nothing is As Rich, Nothing is more Real...
 
May please Stay in touch with me at The Roadographers Club for some more amazing Roadographs from this Run & my other trips and many more by other Club members. For many unedited Videos from this #TheGreat7SistersRun & other places, pls visit My YouTube Channel & please remember to hit Subscribe button to get updates in future, thanks in advance. 

"The Roadographer" is my registered Trade Mark, may pls use ONLY with my consent - in writing.

(You may dig out my other travelogues here; Map/various other links courtesy – respective owner)