Days 19: Bomdila to Dirang

First stop was the bazaar in Bomdila for some emergency shopping. This was probably our last chance to purchase warm clothes before Tawang. We each bought North Face jackets. Somehow doubt they are genuine as mine has a special pocket designed for people whose right hand bends backwards, but nevertheless it's warm!

Only a 90min drive from Bomdila, Dirang lived up to its hype. Our hotel is perched on a hilltop overlooking Dirang Valley... this is Monpa territory, where the people mainly follow Buddhism. We walked around Old Dirang which is a very picturesque village with an old fort set amongst the hills and a small river intersecting it. Feeling a bit peckish, we went on to New Dirang, which had a good selection of small village shops. After wandering down to the river we headed back to the hotel, which has easily been the best we have stayed in. It felt like a place for fellow travellers, and this was also the first time we had come across groups of other foreigners, one group being a team of hardcore birdwatchers from the US.

Tomorrow is our first proper full day trek... the plan is to go to Sangti Valley which has a yak breeding centre, small villages, apple gardens... how we get there, we don't know yet, but we'll figure it out in the morning.
Night night.
- Rahul