Days 41, 42, 43 and 44: Majuli, Lakhimpur and Tezpur

So I rented a bike for the final day in Majuli and rode out to Uttar Kamalabari Satra in the morning, about 5 kilometres away from Garamur, the village we stayed in. This was a smaller Satra with about 100 monks. I was given a very friendly welcome and some tea, then shown around by various monks, being passed on like a baton. When I reached the central prayer hall they were just starting their prayers so I was ushered in to join them, and we sat in a semi-circle around the monk with the heavy cymbal. The monks chanted and clapped, and I was amazed with the range of sounds that came from the cymbal - deep, soothing and entrancing. When one section would end, a voice would come from the other end of the hall, leading the next section to which a chant was replied from our semi-circle. The whole thing was very beautiful and I felt very privileged to be able to participate, carefully watching how I timed my claps. I spared them my vocals! I was intending to cycle on when the thunder in the not too distant sky dictated I return. But I was not quick enough and the rain caught me. It was funny passing the locals cycling with their umbrellas and already being soaked through I started to enjoy the rain, and do a little singing of my own. Those that passed looked at me in wonder, possibly wondering where I'd escaped from. The rest of the day was spent reading outside the cottage, being brought tea at regular intervals. This research can be tough at times!

The next morning it was time to leave. This was a bit of a rough journey, a shared jeep, a ferry, a bus, another ferry and another super-crowded bus with only standing room, and not even that as I had to tilt my head to stand up straight. The road was pretty bad and my head hit that roof on plenty of occasions. When I finally arrived in Lakhimpur, I met up with our operator from Itanagar and we went through the plan we had for the itinerary and a few other issues. He was happy, and made a couple of more suggestions too that we will have to look into. Then it was dinner and bed.

Yesterday was a lazy day in Lakhimpur, eating, reading, relaxing, watching the Last King of Scotland on an Indian Movie channel. I did check out the cobra temple. It's not quite as exciting as it sounds, just a temple with a kitschy cobra coiled around the spire.

Today the plan was to go to Guwahati, so after an early breakfast and shower I was on the bus. I was told the whole trip would take seven, maybe eight hours. After seven hours we were in Tezpur, and it was two o' clock. Knowing there were at least another four hours to Guwahati, and it would be dark by then, I decided to stop in Tezpur to see what was happening for Holi, the festival of colours, one of India's biggest and best loved. Within minutes I was set upon by a gang of unruly middle-aged gentlemen who covered me in powders of every hue, then giggled and posed for photos!

In the hotel I just met some employess of Grameen Bank, co-workers of Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner from 2006... who are looking to set up a similar micro-credit scheme in Assam. Very nice and interesting guys. They've just gone for dinner but I have agreed to talk to them some more later on.

Tomorrow on to Guwahati, a little business to take care of there, then fly to Delhi, take the Delhi tour that Rahul has hopefully organised for me, and then back to London. It all seems to have happened so quick!

-Dave

Days 29, 30 and 31 - Meghalaya (Shillong and Cherrapunjee)

So I have fallen a couple of days behind on the blog. We arrived in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya on Wednesday. It's a very pleasant town, with a lot more amenities than anywhere else we have been so far on this trip - widely available internet, cafes, bars, restaurants and a wide selection of hotels. Despite this there are few Western tourists. The vibe is very relaxed and friendly. We spent a lazy half day, eating well, drinking real coffee and generally taking it easy. Then we hopped in a shared jeep and were on our way to Cherrapunjee, the wettest place on the planet - well a little lodge outside Cherrapunjee, where we met Dennis, the manager, who was very friendly and a mine of useful information about the region and things to do there. After dinner we sat around the fire outside the lodge and chatted.

Yesterday morning we got up early and set out for the living root bridges. After a gentle downhill walk for about an hour we hit the steps. The steps are very steep and there are about 2,500 in the main stretch of them. At the bottom ours legs felt like jelly. After a few more twists and turns we came across our first root bridge. The tree's roots have been teased and trained to cross the river and attach to the opposite side by the "War Khasis". The gaps are then filled in with stones and pieces of wood. It is estimated to take about 15 years for it to be of use, but they can last up to 600 years. These bridges are about 120 to 150 years old and are growing in strength by the day. It was an incredible feat of patience and ingenuity. We passed a couple more before seeing the supreme achievemenet, a double decker root bridge, with 2 bridges on top of each other, both made from the roots of the same tree. Tolkien couldn't have imagined anything better! The steps were quite a different propostion on the way back up, and with each turn we prayed for an end in sight that never seemed to come. It was a tough day's walking but easily worth it. The Khasi people we met en route were amongst the most friendly, inquisitive and helpful of any we have met.

Yesterday evening Rahul left for Shillong and after a helicopter ride to Guwahati this morning flew on to Delhi, so I will do the rest of the trip in the North East by myself. This morning I did an easier walk to another root bridge on the other side of the lodge. It was tough enough all the same as my legs were still suffering from the previous days walking. after lunch I got a taxi back to Shillong, stopping at various waterfalls and viewpoints along the way, allowing me to appreciate the variety and beauty of Meghalaya. The fantastic thing about this trip has been its variety and Meghalaya has been no disappointment, also being completey different from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. My friendly taxi driver spoke pretty good English (unlike AP and Assam, more people speak English in Meghalaya then do Hindi), and explained about the places we visited, and the election in the State whose results were announced today, as was evident by the numerous celebrations, people dancing in the streets and various party flags waving from most vehicles. We got stuck in a massive jam a few kilometres outside Shillong where a huge number of people and vehicles were gathered outside the house of the winning Congress candidate. Impressively the turnout in the election was over 89% but the full Statewide results will not be known until tomorrow morning, though it seems Congress have done well.

- Dave

Day 27: Kaziranga

The earliest start of the trip so far. 4:15am out of bed for the 5am elephant safari... we really are dedicated to our work! We gave our driver a bit of a roasting for turning up 30mins late, but nevertheless managed to join the other safari goers 'on time'. Having settled into our seats atop this great creature, we strode through the thick elephant grass and it wasn't long before we spotted a deer that had been killed most likely by a tiger, but it had long gone. It made me wonder how in the times of the Raj, the British rode these magnificent beasts and almost shot the tiger and other wildlife into near extinction.

Further ahead we came face to face with the fabled unicorn rhinoceros, named as such because of its solitary horn. All the elephants closed in and there was a momentary standoff when the rhino refused to be bullied away. Just when the rhino started to charge, the guard fired a blank and it ran off. We saw more rhinos as well as herds of swamp, hog and barking deer, recognisable by their distinctively loud bark.

After returning to the lodge for breakfast we headed out again for the morning jeep safari, where we rode in an open top around the Central Range of the National Park. This place is a haven for bird lovers and we could see why, as it felt as if we could hear each of the 500+ species in the park. We spotted more rhinos, elephants, deer and a monitaur lizard. We tried in vain to search for the elusive tiger, but it evaded us this time. The landscape varied throughout the ride, sometimes lush green tropical-like vegetation, to open grasslands thick with elephant grass and watering holes where thirsty animals would gather.

We were staying at the well-known Wild Grass resort today, and the dining hall and veranda conjured up images of a bygone colonial era. Later in the evening local girls performed traditional songs and dances to the hypnotic melody of Indian drums and flute. A great way to cap off what had been yet another action-packed day.

- Rahul

Day 22: Tawang

Woke up under three layers of blankets, scarf and woolly hat... there's no doubting how cold it is here! We started the day at the stunning Tawang Monastery, perched majestically on a cliff edge overlooking a bowl of snow-capped mountains. Unfortunately we had missed the Buddhist Losar Festival, but the monastery was still adorned with colourful decorations and various offerings from devotees. We had a brief tour of the museum which contained artefacts brought over at the time of the Tibetan migration to India, some of which dated back over 500 years. We also caught a glimpse of the young Buddhist scholars reciting various prayers and the national anthem at their outdoor assembly.

Next stop was Ptso lake which is situated at an altitude of 14000 feet... our jeep only made it part of the way there, so we ditched the driver and our 'guide', and walked on for a few kilometres in the snow. Despite our best efforts it seemed to be further than we had thought so reluctantly turned back. Nevertheless it was just incredible to be out in the mountains surrounded by snow-covered trees and occasional prayer flags waving in the chilling wind. The 'genuine' North Face jackets seem a bargain now, even if some of the feathers seem to be popping out already! From there we proceeded on to Ani Gompa, a small nunnery also quaintly situated in the mountains.

After breaking for lunch (veg chow chow, which was the best lunch of the trip so far), we visited the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama and then stopped off at the very impressive War Memorial commemorating the Indian soldiers who had lost their lives in the 1962 Indo-China War. The time was 4:45pm and a bugle sounded followed by the lowering of the Indian flag as a 'salaam' to those who'd sacrificed their lives for this great nation. Even more humbling was the fact that the same ritual is carried out everyday by serving troops all over India.

- Rahul

Day 9: Ziro-Raga-Daporijo

I thought visting the Apatani village would never be topped. How wrong I was! On arrival into Raga, we were kindly invited to attend a family 'puja' ceremony. After being offered Poinia served in a simple but beautiful bamboo 'cup', I did my best to avoid eating the local 'mithun' meat. Nothing though prepared me for what happened next. I felt something brush against my back, only to notice two men carrying a large wild pig strung upside down from a bamboo pole. I tried to watch as they lunged into the pig as it squealed in agony. Being a 'fishatarian', it was too much for me and I had to leave the room. Then I saw what was coming next. The next victim, an elegant muscular mithun, was being dragged to a sacrificial area, followed swiftly by a panic-stricken goat, chickens and even a dog! I kept a distance and found the experience too overwhelming and stomach-churning.

It was amazing for me to think that in a mainly vegetarian land which considers the cow sacred, in this remote part such traditions still occur. However despite the brutality of these sacrifices, I was still able to feel the genuine warmth of the local tribe people. This was possibly the first time an 'outsider' had been able to witness a very personal ceremony, and they wanted to share their culture with us. They believe that by offering these animals to God, they would be rewarded with a good harvest and healthy and prosperous family. We shared more drinks, sang each others local songs and even did some impromptu bhangra (Punjabi song/dance)!
It was a day full of confused, conflicting, upsetting, heart-warming and exhilarating emotions, which perfectly sums up this great and fascinating country.

- Rahul

Day 9: Ziro to Daporijo

My God what a day! We left Ziro at about 7 and drove through some beautiful scenery on the way to the village of Raga, a heartland of the Hill Miri tribe. We got out and walked around for a little before being invited in to a family celebration in a local house where some members of the family had come home from as afield as Kashmir to attend. We gladly accepted and were promtly given seats by the fire and bamboo glasses filled with a potent drink made from mustard seeds called Poinia, and offered some Mithun, a ferocious-looking wild mountain cow. We learned that they were having a Puja (prayer ceremony) that occurs only once a year, sometimes less depending on the positioning of the stars. We were not at all prepared for what came next... we witnessed the live sacrifice of a wild pig, a pregnant Mithun, a goat (whose head was lopped off with an axe), some chickens and a dog. There was blood everywhere and I have to admit I felt more than a little shell-shocked!

As they stuffed leaves into the pig and prepared the Mithun liver, we drank down more Poinya and some Polo (a millet-based drink). We needed it! The Donyi-Polo priest sifted through the chicken liver pieces to foretell what fortune the coming year would bring. Our "glasses" were kept topped up at all times and we were treated as guests of honour. We sang and danced along with their songs and even got them to sing along with a verse of "With or without you" and "The Blaydon Races". We toasted with "Hijic", the local word as well as "Slainte". We left a little the worse for wear and whole lot richer for the experience. We promised to send them some photos and we were each given a Donyi-Polo necklace taken from around their own necks. We drove on through the fog and the darkness and reached Daporijo where we slept like babies. Without doubt I have never experienced a day quite like that!

- Dave

Day 7: Ziro

We were up by 6am and walked down to the market... grabbed a hot masala chai and paranta to warm us up. After walking through more windy streets we finally came up on acres of paddy fields where we saw the Apatani tribal people (distinguishable by their facial tattoos and nose plugs) going about their daily work harvesting bamboo and rice. After at least 10km of walking through fields and the market place, we returned to the hotel, took a welcome hot shower, more food and ready for the afternoon. Never in our wildest dreams could we have guessed what was coming next.

Looking for a village by the name of Toku, We took a wrong turn and ended up driving into a village called Hija, a place time has forgotten. Surrounded by a labyrinth of houses made of bamboo, ornate with tribal decorations, onlooking villagers looked on at us in happy bewilderment. A woman by the name of 'Muni' who spoke broken Hindi called out to us asking if we wanted to see their houses from the inside. Not hesitating we entered the first house with her, where an old Apatani lady was sitting by a fire in the middle of the room heating up a pot of tea. We gladly accepted a cup of tea and listened on as Muni explained more about Apatani traditions and showed us the tools and containers used to collect grain, rice and bamboo. These people may live a simple life and have little money, but their houses were incredibly spacious, tidy and organised. Although when I asked to use the toilet, I never expected to have to share it with a pig and cockerels!

Muni had an incredibly infectious personality and she seemed all too excited to invite foreigners into an Apatani home and promptly paraded us in front of her friends, took us to many other houses and the paddy fields. We must have spent some 3 hours in Hija and we were speechless afterwards. We felt utterly privileged and humbled. We have both travelled and experienced a lot, but nothing comes close to this. Absolutely nothing.

-Dave