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 places, Altitudes 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 – 16^th Dec’2017 to 31^st 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 18^th to 29^th Dec’17, and including weekends, was good to roll from 16^th to 31^st. Called HVK again)

 

He : 16-31^st 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 15^th 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 3^rd traveller, i.e me, till 15^th night.

 

This write-up inputs: HV Kumar 

AND THE TRIP - BEGINS

Entry to India's Longest Agra Lucknow Expressway

Day1 (16^th 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 16^th, 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 (17^th 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 (18^th 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 (19^th 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 Pass, SeLa 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 18^th 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 (20^th 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 13^th 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 3^rd 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 1^st 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 (4^th 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...

 

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