UNFATHOMED ARUNACHAL

Discovering Ziro

  " Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference"
                                                                                                                   Robert Frost

          This quote sums up all the experiences I underwent while travelling solo in Arunachal Pradesh.
This was my first solo trip. It was 19 days since I left my hometown Bangalore. I had been to a couple of places in  Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh during this period of time. But it was Arunachal I was eagerly waiting to explore.

                  Well, am sure a lot of you would wonder why I chose to go to Arunachal when I had 100 other places to visit in India! To explore the unknown always needs a little courage, excitement and a lot of positive thoughts. I had seen a documentary on Ziro and I was so mesmerized by its beauty, that my mind, body and soul all shouted at once this will be the place you'll visit no matter what. All the while I wondered why whenever I ask anyone about Arunachal, they turned a blind eye to it. And if they didn't, they would only say "not safe enough to visit, you'll pass through Bodoland and there's nothing really out there. Don't waste your time!" And I, on the other hand, all the more got curious and excited to see it even more.

Me with my broken phone :P

                            On 18th of February,2015 I took my first step towards the life-changing journey of my life. I boarded the train to Dibrugarh from Delhi. It was supposed to be 2 nights,3 days journey. I had read a couple of blogs and had done my research so as to reach Ziro. I was supposed to board a ferry to cross Brahmaputra river and then board a sumo to Ziro but nothing was booked. Because I could not find anything on the web because nobody really visits Arunachal much and the guesthouse number of Ziro always came unreachable. No couch surfer either in Ziro or anywhere else in Arunachal. So I was obliged to travel in the
traditional manner. When you're on a backpacking trip, you can't really forecast what can happen next. My journey began, my seat was an RAC lower berth which was booked a day before I boarded the train and confirmed a couple of hours before the journey started. Yeah, you would wonder why nothing was organized? well, that is how I wish to travel and moreover, I travel on my norms and wishes. I leave the place only when I think am genuinely now familiar with the place and have experienced it until its roots.
                                There were a lot of Indian army soldiers boarding the train, my upper berth fellow mate was also from the army. Yogendar Singh, an Indian army soldier. He was posted to Miryani, 2 stops before Dibrugarh. There was a northeastern family sitting opposite to our berth. After a few awkward glances, I smiled and started the conversation with yogendar. He was from auli, Uttarakhand and finished his 12th standard and immediately joined the army by writing the NDA  exam. It was in the extreme winter I was visiting these places. Yogendar was shocked when I told him I'll be going to Ziro alone. He told me to change my plans and stay back at Dibrugarh with my imaginative aunt. Well, I had told him I was visiting my aunt in Dibrugarh and from there planning to Ziro. Like the others, he also told me not to go. He spoke about the tribal people of Arunachal and told they ain't good. I did not pay heed to his words.

A View of the sunset from my window





The next 2 days journey in the train went fine except for the part that I was growing more anxious as nobody had an idea of how to reach Ziro by crossing the river Brahmaputra. All my research went to vain But I did not lose Hope. I still believed in Secret and I knew I would somehow make it. Yogendar got down in Miryani and told me to be careful. It was 5 hours journey from there to Dibrugarh.
I was pretty calm but then few army men came by my berth and sat opposite to me. They tried using the charging point, I told them it wasn't working but still they tried. Then They lifted my seat up and down slightly and started teasing me. I got up calmly and sat along with the family in the next berth. The lady who was part of that family understood what was going on, came by and told me its not safe to travel to Dibrugarh on the same train because almost all get down at the next stop Tinsukia except for the army men. She then told let us search for some women travelling to Dibrugarh and we found none in the next 3 compartments. All were to get down at Tinsukia.
Then we came across rose, she told me I could board a bus to Itanagar and then go to Ziro. The lady dropped me there thinking am safe with rose.
After few minutes of talking to rose, I came to know she was from Namsai. And she was studying in Calicut and then I told her my story"the true one". In life, we need to always remember to believe on the vibes we get from a person and that's how I travel. I know whom to trust and whom to not because of the vibes I receive. And it so happens she has a friend from Ziro and she gave me his number and told me if there is any problem , please ask him for the guidance. I was really thankful to her. My train was late by 12 hours and so along with rose I get down at Tinsukia.
 
Rose and me



"WHEN YOU FOCUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON SOMETHING YOU WANT, AND YOU HOLD THAT FOCUS, YOU ARE IN THAT MOMENT SUMMONING WHAT YOU WANT WITH THE MIGHTIEST POWER IN THE UNIVERSE"
                                                                                                                Rhonda Byrne


The power of positive thinking  is directly proportional to the law of attraction. The more positive you are, the more universe responds to your needs and most of all always have gratitude for everything.


After we got down, she knew the bus driver who drives to Itanagar from Tinsukia. So after having a Quick meal with her, I immediately board a bus to Itanagar which was again of 14 hours journey. Without a shower for 3 nights, I continued my journey with no rest. I was the only female passenger on the entire bus. I was stronger now. I knew I could act on my instincts and  was way too positive and my yearning to see Ziro just was getting more with time.
We need an INNER LINE PERMIT to enter Arunachal Pradesh. You can get one from the Arunachal Bhavan in Delhi or in Guwahati. I got mine from Delhi. So the bus stopped at the check post where the armed men check your documents and bag, I showed my inner line permit and seeing that I was travelling solo. The army person laughed and said "madam, Arunachal main kya hai dekhne ke liye" so I replied back saying " bhaiyya wapas aate waqt aapko bolungi kya dekha maine" he smiled and let me go.

And there was a sudden drop in temperature.Soon it was drizzling and it began raining steadily soon after. There was the beautiful smell of earth in the air and I was mad with joy because I experienced the rain of the east too. That is how Arunachal welcomed me.

I finally reached Itanagar around 7 am. I quickly freshened up from the nearby public washrooms and went to check for the sumo to Ziro. All gave me awkward glances and some smiled too because they saw a tiny girl with a big backpack on her back. So yeah, it was funny in a way. I checked in the sumo counter and found that the last sumo is within the next 5 minutes so I took my ticket and went to sit in my seat. Well, the only means of travelling within Arunachal is by the tata sumos or private sedans or cabs because the roads are very narrow after Itanagar so Buses cannot be used as means of transport. The helipad is being prepared in Ziro so maybe once it's done, you can go by helicopter. My sumo Started moving.

On the way to ZIRO

the beautiful valley

beautiful Arunachal

        As I looked by, I realized how vast is this world. How small all of us are actual. Mother earth is indeed beautiful. Time is indeed like the river, you cannot touch the same water twice because the flow that has passed once will not pass again twice. So we need to enjoy each and every moment in life to its fullest.Suddenly the sumo stopped by, because in Arunachal If any fellow mates sumo gets punctured, they stop their sumo too so as to go help. While the sumo guy was helping his fellow mate fix the puncture. I started the conversation with the guy sitting opposite to me in the sumo. I wanted to know more about Ziro. His name was Robinson and he was a student of ITFT in Chandigarh. After a brief conversation, he invited me to his village for the Nyokum festival. He was from the nyishi tribe. I was very eager to join him. To my shock, he told me there was no network in his village at his place so he promised me he would come after 3 days to Ziro and give me a call on my number. He told me there was only one sumo a day to his village and this sumo would take him to Boasimla. Boasimla was the village he was from and it was 5 hours ahead of Ziro.  So felt very grateful when he invited me to his village. I realized how friendly northeast people are. All the assumptions were turning out to be false with each passing minute.
                           

 Robinson and me

 He then told me about the places I need to visit in Ziro. While we were about to reach Ziro, I received a call from Otem who was rose's friend. He was a major in the Indian army. He told me to give him a call once I reach ziro. So I did. I felt so amazed when I saw he came by car and told me I would be his guest Till the time I stay in Ziro And he would show me every single place am interested in seeing. Well, this was the time I Understood how Universe really responds to your thoughts. I had complete gratitude towards everything that really was happening. He then took me the best hotel in Ziro and Whoa!! I got that at a discounted price. In Ziro, there are no means of transport to go to any nearby place. Residents usually have their own vehicles, so if you're travelling to Ziro be prepared to walk long distances if you wish to explore the place.
                                         

               After a 3 nights 4 days journey, I finally reached Ziro! I was finally at peace. I quickly went to my room, it was the best shower I had in a long time. Got dressed up quickly and walked out to finally experience Ziro.

                           Ziro a large plateau with neat irrigated terraces, isolated hillocks and pine clad spurs. It's paradise for the peace loving, tranquility worshipers because there's no place like Ziro. It's so calm and serene everywhere. You can actually listen to your heartbeats if you want. It's away from the bustling busy cities and reminds you how beautiful a countryside could look like. It has a population less than 13000. People out here sleep early and wake up early. After all, Arunachal is called as the land of rising sun. People work harder and talk less out here. Ziro is now included in the tentative list for UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

The excited me :D

                                               

view of Ziro while I strolled around the hotel!!

  Otem reached the hotel and took me to the fishing camp and then to the only park in Ziro and then to the view point which was supposed to be hiked but we chose to drive by through the hiking trail and finally got stuck in the middle of nowhere.It was fun, though. Oh wait, I forgot to introduce you to Balwinder Singh Gadiyal, Otem's junior. He is such a funny guy, his jokes were funny and he was still a kid who took selfies and wanted me to take his pictures every place we stopped by. But I liked it because he was happy doing that and according to me, letting someone do their thing is what showing gratitude means. You need to acknowledge and accept things as it is because that's the greatest form of gratitude. 
                                     

fishing camp at Ziro

clouds playing hide and seek

A view of the entire lower subansiri district of hapoli , ie, ziro

The park

 Happiness is smiling to glory.
A little girl playing in the park.

                                           And finally the day ends and otem takes to me to the 2nd largest village in Asia which was about 6.5kms from Ziro, the HONG LEMBA village where all the houses are so similar to each other that one can get lost If you do not have someone along. I walked as if am passing through a dream where there's an unending zigzag puzzle maze of wooden homes which have towering festive bamboo poles. Strange bamboo skeletons with egg shells and horns of different sorts of animals outside houses gave an eerie touch to the entire atmosphere as if I have entered a different world altogether.People of Hong lemba belong to Apatani tribe and women of the apatani tribe have facial tattoos and piercing and are unique tribes due to their indigenous cultivation. The women were tattooed so that they are less desirable to other tribal people who kept marauding them. Balwinder then took me to Sheela's house. Apatani tribal women who were of about the age of 80 stayed with her sister and took care of her.
                                        The bamboo house was having an ancient touch of the Apa Tani culture with the wooden fire stove at the middle of the house and the mats to take rest laid around on all 4 sides.

Sheela with her sister sleeping beside her

trying to make Sheela pose for the picture

                             After a small conversation with Sheela, I came to know that the Apatani tribal women were obliged to get tattooed and were never given a choice to express their desires.It was after Ziro was explored and considered as the UNESCO site, this custom was banned. Finally, I leave from there and then otem takes me to a house of a bodhi women who also owned a small hotel which served Chinese food. She prepares chow mien for me especially and gives me a lot of Mitaii saying you'll need it when you're travelling to Tawang. Well, I was enthralled and hypnotised by all the love coming from unknown people around me. The world seemed magical to me. She called me her beti.
I was blessed indeed.

with the beautiful bodhi women

                                                 

mitaii

Then Balwinder took me to the Apong brewery where fresh Apong was being prepared.It was fermented millet and rice and it tasted smooth. After that, Otem dropped me to the hotel and finally I slumbered into my cozy bed and slept.


It was the 22nd morning around 10 am, Otem took me to the Ziro district museum and craft centre which was worth the visit which had some of the most beautiful artifacts, traditional handicrafts, textiles used by the different tribes of Arunachal agricultural implements and weapons and nyishi (hornbill caps) byopas on display.

nyshi byopas

knives used by the Apatani tribe

mask dance by the people of Tawang

                          Balwinder introduces me to a lady who works in NGO and then we went to the rudraksha shiva temple of siddheshwar nath! It is 2 km away from the town. The Lady told me the shrine was accidently discovered by the woodcutter, in the holy month of Shravan in 2004. While cutting the tree, the trunk fell on the opposite side and workers discovered the top of a massive stone with beads etched on it. Thus, a 25 feet high 22 feet wide boulder with natural rudraksha beads and image of Ganesh parwathi stood ahead of me. After the temple visit, the aunt took me to the homestay where I was going to reside for the night, the homestay was located at Sirro which was 3km away from hapoli the local town.Finally, we reach the homestay, it was a cute bamboo cottage with an orchid garden around it. The birds chirped in the pine trees and a lady with warm eyes welcomed us. And the NGO aunt prepares traditional Apatani food especially for me.

The om symbol that greeted us

        

shiva shrine

Ngo women

A car passing by the stubbled field which is left this way for the entire winter season after the crops are harvested.

                                        
                               

egg yolks are beaten and mixed with minced chicken
to prepare the traditional Suddo yo

once mixed thoroughly, they are stuffed into bamboo stem

and then twirling onto the open fire. Being careful not to burn it

Pika pila on the left, its pork which is steamed and stored for at least 2 years. The older it gets, the tastier it is. It's then mixed with very little chilly flakes and salt and served.

the traditional Apatani tribal food was served with the special dish being PIKA PILA  and SUDDO YO

Finally after having a sumptuous lunch, all of us decided to stroll around Sirro and we passed through an emu farm which was nearby to Sirro resort.

poising with the emus

the owner of the emus

                           It was unbelievable of how everyone around me seemed to be people I know from a very long time. Well, that is how I felt with having all these beautiful human beings around me who chose to accept me the way I am and loved me for the Way I am. All were so glad and happy that I chose Arunachal over all the other places. In fact, the truth is am happy that I chose it too.Finally, I bid a goodbye to the NGO women who are helping Ziro in becoming A better one. Ziro would always have a special place in my heart, It taught me to trust in humanity and made me understand the simple means of communication in this world is by spreading love and accepting it lovingly.

 And after returning to the homestay, I realized uncle had come home. Seeing me, he gave me a very big happy smile and welcomed me and aunt served us Apong. While we drank, he told me about the places I should see around like the Majuli river and the Treks  I could take up in Arunachal. After talking to him, I return to my cinderella room. I call it that because it was one. I would stay there forever if I had got a chance, well sorry for exaggerating I would, at least, make it my alternative home. So I woke up the next day and had an amazing breakfast, aba and her wife had to go to for a funeral so I was left with nothing but to spend time with snoopy. Well, I call him snoopy because he was the brownish version of Tintin's dog. I took some amazing pictures of the place and mine.

                             

my cinderella effect room

cute cottage

playing with snoopy

narrow roads of Sirro

Suddenly I receive a call from Robinson and yes he had come to Ziro to take me to his village according to the promise he made. Well to my disappointment, Otem was not happy about it when I called him. To know how I end up In Boasimla. Wait for my next post which would tell about nyishi nyokum festival and their culture.

                                        

                                   

travel wander explore :)