VIRGIN TERRITORY
For the second edition of the GREAT HIMALAYAN CHALLENGE, we set out to explore Arunachal Pradesh’s remotest towns accompanied by the Mercedes-Benz GLC. Dhruv Saxena returns awestruck
Why are you here?” asked a frail old man whose dimly lit store I had approached to buy some coffee. “We’re here to see your state,” I replied. Unconvinced with my answer, the man shrugged his shoulders and responded with an unexplained certainty, “No one comes here without a purpose. You must be here for work, leisure or something else? There has got to be a more legitimate reason.” His thought over the next few days, echoed that of most natives who saw us pass through their otherwise unruffled land as most parts of Arunachal Pradesh, unsurprisingly remain bereft of tour- ists. Since this conversation unfolded towards the end of our Arunachal sojourn, I knew that this wise man’s scepticism was not completely misplaced. One of the key reasons behind the above is the obvious. Arunachal Pradesh isn’t the easiest to reach and hence remains relatively unexplored, untouched by tourists, which sometimes can work both for and against you, depending upon where you’re looking from. Connectivity by air or train is poor at best. The state has just one airport in Pasighat that became operational in May 2018. There’s one major railway station in Naharlagun near Itanagar and with limited trains and flights operating, the preferred way of travelling to the state is landing in or taking a train to Assam and then testing your luck on the road. Despite the poor connectivity, not all areas here lack footfalls. The Tawang district is a popular destination with Sela Pass, Bumla, and Tawang attracting their fair share of tourists. However, tourists don’t start arriving until late September onwards once the rains die down. Be it a case of poor connectivity or incessant rains that keep backpackers away, aside from the locals and defence personnel, we seemed to be the only ones brave enough to venture here during peak monsoon season and subject the Mercedes-Benz GLC to the tough roads in this part of the country.
ARUNACHAL PRADESH REMAINS RELATIVELY UNEXPLORED, UNTOUCHED BY TOURISTS
We started our journey with a plan of visiting a handful of places. The drive was broadly divided into two sections–the high altitude sections of Tawang district and the remote towns of the Upper Siang district. Both regions had their fair share of positives and negatives. The former is the one frequented by tourists so there are ample places to stay the night. It is connected by NH-13, a route regularly used by the armed forces, which means equipment and personnel are always on standby to clear blockages caused by landslides. However, with altitudes crossing 14,000 ft and relatively lower oxygen content, it’s vital to give your body sufficient time to acclimatise. Temperatures, even in July-August can drop well below the 10-degree mark. The Upper Siang district sits at altitudes ranging from 2,000-4,000 ft and the temperature hovers between 20-29 degrees and, in our case, the rains had eased off, somewhat, reducing the possibility of landslides. However, these regions aren’t among the popular tourist destinations so find-
ing accommodation or even places to eat can be quite challenging. The number of fuel stations is scarce and help is seldom close by. Admittedly, none of us had much experience in Arunachal Pradesh so we were equal parts scared and excited about venturing into the unknown. A couple of hours through the drive, it didn’t take long for me to understand that roads on our journey ahead will remain in poor shape. That was primarily the reason why this grand drive became even more challenging—difficult terrain and incessant rains can in these parts, very quickly turn into a lethal combination. Barely an hour into crossing over from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh at Bhalukpong, we got our first taste of this. Landslides had led to blockages in multiple locations and clearing away the debris turns it into a mud and ruts course. With these ruts deepening with every passing truck, the car needed to be sheltered from damage. Things improved as we inched towards Bomdila, but the journey onwards to Tawang via NH-13 threw up more bad patches. We encountered a particularly bad stretch near Senge, which despite the Bor-
DIFFICULT TERRAIN AND INCESSANT RAINS CAN IN THESE PARTS, QUICKLY TURN INTO A LETHAL COMBINATION
der Roads Organisation’s tireless efforts, was a tough one to negotiate. A few more hours of broken tarmac later we reached our first destination, Sela pass. Sela Pass sits at an elevation of 13,700ft making it amongst the highest motorable passes in the country and is flanked by the
stunning Sela Lake. Nestled in the mountains, hidden under the clouds, this gorgeous place turned out to be the first of many such beautiful vistas we would encounter during our drive. The drive down from Sela Pass was painful courtesy ongoing road works and relentless rains creating deep gullies on the surface. However, the roads improved and it was smooth sailing until we hit Tawang but there was no escaping bad roads and therefore its best to make peace with this fact from the onset. There were instances where we spent from dusk till dawn covering ridiculously small distances. One such being the drive from Tawang to Takt-Sang Gompa, a place not too far from the Chinese border. Despite a driving distance of 38km, we took about four hours to cover the distance. This may sound excruciatingly slow, but this wasn’t the worst of the journeys. Our drive from Jengging to Tuting was all set to top that record. Located in the Upper Siang District on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, this 190km stretch took us close to 10 hours to negotiate. That’s an average speed of just 19kmph!
In a bid to improve accessibility, the government has constructed massive cable bridges connecting towns on either side of the Brahmaputra, or as the locals call it Siang. But all that can change within a matter of days, which is something we realised as we retraced our tracks back into Assam enroute Itanagar. The monsoon had intensified taking a heavy toll on NH-13, this made the GLC’s 4MATIC all-wheel drive system work overtime. It had also turned more the road into slush and despite our best efforts to avoid scraping the under body, there were a couple of fairly audible thuds. What makes navigating these roads trickier is the constant possibility of more landslides. The
NESTLED IN THE MOUNTAINS, HIDDEN UNDER THE CLOUDS, THIS GORGEOUS PLACE WAS THE FIRST OF MANY SUCH VISTAS WE WOULD ENCOUNTER
sight of tennis ball sized rocks rolling down the hillside did set our hearts racing and it was clear that the sooner we get off this route, the better it is. The initial portion of our drive in the Siang District was confined to the plains. The change in landscape did considerably improve the state of roads, but those were short lived. There are two routes that can be followed to reach Pasighat from Dibrugarh, one more challenging than the other. The one we chose took us to on the road heading towards Dambuk via the 9.14km long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra. What makes this route the more challenging one is the fact that there is no actual road connecting Dambuk to Pasighat yet. One has to veer off the main highway at Bomjir and cross a dense forest followed by a river bed and rejoin the highway. Some enterprising locals have built a small makeshift bridge over one of the several streams flowing through the said riverbed and charge around Rs 250-300 per vehicle to cross. The alternative route, however is far more simple, but also far less exciting. It follows the NH-515 from Pasighat into Assam. An hour before Dhemaji is where one can cross the Brahmaputra to reach Dibrugarh. With the Bogibeel bridge connecting Dhemaji to Dibrugarh still a few months away from completion, crossing the river requires loading up the cars onto a ferry. The process can be a tricky one and in- volves wooden planks, hand gestures, and a lot of shouting and can be rather nerve wracking especially when there’s a 60-odd lakh Mercedes-Benz involved. Most of the cars taking the ferry are relatively smaller so, our GLC just about managed to fit, crammed in with three other hatchbacks. Thankfully, the entire process was without incident and our car was safely back on land almost 40 minutes later. Then along the way there were certain roads that deserve appreciation. The NH-415 for instance from the Assam-Arunachal border leading up to Itanagar is a fine example of that. The smooth four-lane stretch, albeit short, was a sight for sore eyes as we made our way to the state’s capital to drop anchor for the night. The GLC was able to finally stretch its legs a little and gave us a chance to put the car’s 241bhp to better use. Our journey onwards to Ziro, where the annual Ziro Music Festival, and towards North Lakhimpur served up better roads as well. The road from Yinkionging to Pasighat labelled NH513 started off on a promising note and although it had sizeable unfinished chunks, it will over the years, be a sight for sore eyes too. The second edition of the Great Himalayan Challenge afforded us the opportunity to visit places that not many can claim to have visited. Despite the adversities it faced, the GLC made it through unscathed with its all-wheeldrive system and the plethora of on
IF YOU PLAN ON VISITING ARUNACHAL PRADESH MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW ONE SIMPLE RULE–PLAN AHEAD
board electronics managing to pull us out of sticky situations effortlessly. Of course, we did our bit by ensuring the under body remains protected, but experiences like these do make one appreciate how easy modern day automotive technologies have made life for us. Even the tyres held up rather well, with only the right rear suffering from deflation that required repairs. If you plan on visiting Arunachal Pradesh make sure to follow one simple rule–plan ahead. For starters, ensure that you always have enough fuel for the journey and then some. With fuel stations few and far between, keeping your vehicle tanked up is always a good idea. While driving up to Tuting, the last fuel station is either in Jengging or Yinkiong, both of which are around 190km away. And remember, you will need fuel for the journey to and fro. In case you do find yourself running low on fuel, there are local stores in Tuting that will sell you petrol and diesel albeit at an inflated rate. Also, it is important to take into account the fact that this is a rather slow drive uphill, which means your car becomes thirstier than usual. A rather strange aspect of life in this part of the country is that ATMs, unlike most parts of the country, do no operate round the clock. They open around the same times as banks and shut down along with the rest of the shops in the market. So, it’s best to carry extra cash at all times or pray that a fuel pump owner will be kind enough to swipe your card for some cash. A majority of the places we visited did not accept credit or debit cards. Even the fuel stations in the more remote parts of the states were strictly cash only. We found a handful of reasonably priced hotels in Tawang and Bomdila. Bear in mind though, if
the sun rises early it sets earlier than the rest of the country as well. Shutters come down here by 7pm and the restaurants shut by 10pm so ensure that food and anything else you need to buy is taken care ahead of time. Tawang is frequented by tourists so finding places to eat and stay is easier in this region. However, the same can’t be said for the places further east. A direct implication of a low tourist influx is a lack of or, in certain cases, non-existence of hotels and restaurants. The only hope in places like Jengging and Tuting are government-run guest houses. We got lucky as the Circuit house in Jengging and the Inspection Bungalow in Tuting both were able to accommodate us, but that may not always be the case. While the region around Tawang fares better than sparsely populated regions of the Upper Siang District, I doubt there will be anyone to help if you’re facing major mechanical issues. This is one of the primary reasons why the later part of drive to Jengging and Tuting was the more challenging one. This region may be at a lower altitude with more comfortable temperatures, but the lack of vehicular movement means that even something as simple as a puncture repair may turn out be a big ask as there are barely any outlets around. Even the density of car washes, of which there are plenty in most parts of the state, went down drastically here. Local cuisine here is predominantly rice-based. According to a soldier we encountered at an army-run cafe, the Adi tribe in the Siang region do not know how to cook chapattis. We were fortunate to be treated to a traditional meal of the Adi tribe courtesy our local contacts. Served on a banana leaf, the meal centres around rice cooked accompanied by lamb, pork and
fish. Almost all roadside eating joints will serve you rice along with some daal and pork and lamb gravy. Fair warning to those with an intolerance for spicy food, most dishes won’t be easy on your palate. Natives of the Siang are also known to eat Mithun, a bovine between a cow and a bison in terms of appearance populating that part of the state. Arunachal Pradesh has its fair share of wartime stories to tell. This state was the focus of the Sino-Indian war of 1962. The Tawang region was captured by the Chinese forces, but they relinquished control later on following the ceasefire declaration in November 1962. Sela Pass, according to legend, is the sight of a valiant battle fought by Jaswant Singh Rawat alone against the Chinese soldiers near the pass during the war. He was tended to by a tribal woman named Sela but ultimately passed away fighting. He was posthumously awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra for his service. The small town just after crossing Sela Pass houses a war memorial and has been christened Jaswantgarh in the soldier’s honour. This war memorial is one of the many we encountered paying homage to those who lost their lives during war. The mountains in the region also house remnants of World War II in the form of crashed aircrafts. Most of these aircrafts, plying on supply routes to China during the war, fell victim to “The Hump” as locals call it here. The name was given to the portion of Eastern Himalayas where pilots had to negotiate while flying over Arunachal Pradesh.
As per estimates, close 400 allied airmen were killed in crashes in the region, many during their attempts to cross this jixed portion. Some locals have chanced upon wreckages while others chose to hunt down many of them over the years collecting parts and unfired ammunition as souvenirs. One of our caretakers near Damro showed us his collection of bullets that he had gathered during his treks through the mountains. He was willing to part with a few, but unfortunately we were unable to match the asking price of Rs 10,000 per bullet, which according to him, was what a friendly American traveller had paid him a few years back. Arunachal Pradesh may seem peaceful at this point in time to the unaware, but the states’s proximity to the Chinese border warrants heavy military presence. In fact, most parts closer to the border were populated only by armed forces personnel, the advantage of this being that help is never too far away in case things start going south. Search and rescue teams can be mobilised swiftly if required. Also, there are multiple army run cafes serving some much needed tea, coffee and maggi in sub-10 degree temperatures. The only downside to this being that photography and videography is severely restricted in and around military setups.
So, in a way the only legal way of seeing these places is actually being there physically. Tuting is home to Indian Air Force’s Advanced Landing Ground (ALG). The airstrip, which was abandoned following the Sino-Indian war of 1962, was brought back to life in December 2016. It will ease the movement of supplies and personnel to the region and also serve as a vital base in case of natural calamities. Tuting is just 40 km shy of India’s border with China and although connected by road, access is severely restricted. In general, the Indian government seems to be focussing on improving access to state keeping military movement in mind. Tuting, we were told, will be connected with Along via a four-lane road in the future. The tough climb up to and down from Sela will be entirely bypassed by a tunnel that was recently proposed by the government. What made the journey worth its while were the stunning views we encountered all throughout our journey. Rarely will you find a place in the Northeast that doesn’t match a picture perfect postcard or for the gen next a gorgeous scenic screensaver. From
mountains of Tawang that were bathed in clouds to the raging waters of the mighty Brahmaputra that accompanied us for a large part of our drive through Siang district, Arunachal is generously blessed with natural beauty and if you’re coming in from a metro, believe me it never fails to impress and soothe the senses at the same time. The arduous journey to Sela Pass leads up to a breathtaking sight of the Sela lake. Tucked subtly under the cover of clouds, it is one amongst the hundreds of lakes that populate the region. The drive to Taktsang Gompa again didn’t exactly set the speedometer ablaze but is brimming with stunning visuals ranging from Yaks grazing in a field to the peaceful sight of a solitary Gompa standing tall amongst the mountains. It is built close to the meditation site of Guru Padma Sambhava who visited the region in eighth century. Eighth century! Let that sink in for a moment. Here we were patting ourselves on back for traversing 38 km in an air conditioned vehicle while this guru made the journey on foot thirteen centuries ago trekking through the forests at altitudes greater than 14,000 ft. Close by is the Sangetsar lake with dead trees and mist hovering over the water painting a rather eerie picture. It is informally referred to as Madhuri lake because it was here that one of actor Madhuri Dixit’s film songs was shot. Ever since, the name has stayed with this lake. Pasighat onwards, the landscape is dominated by the Brahmaputra with the route to Jengging and Tuting, our last two destinations, snaking up alongside the river. According to the locals, the river water has tuned murky owing to the construction of a dam up stream by the Chinese. The journey up to Jengging was slow, but riding shotgun for the most part gave me ample time to admire the breathtaking views it threw at us in hoards. Every bit of mountainside space is covered in green, with tall tress almost jostling with each other to spread their branches. Banana trees are among the ones that dominate the scenery and roadside vendors are happy to serve up incredibly juicy pineapples. Small patches of land have been cleared for paddy cultivation and the rest of the landscape is covered in rivers that flow into the Brahmaputra. Clear skies greeted us in Jengging along with the usual puz-
zled looks on the face of locals wondering why a car full of tourists bearing a badge that most of them had never seen was doing in their neck of the woods. The small town is home to a helipad which turned out to be the perfect spot for gazing at the unpolluted night sky that us city folks seem to have forgotten. These clear skies are a testament to the untouched natural beauty of the region. While a part of me wants more people to visit the state and experience its gran- deur firsthand, there’s small part of me that believes in preserving it all the same. That the only way to preserve its beauty is to keep it away from inconsiderate and often time polluting tourists. However, the inflow of tourists will greatly benefit the local economy, especially that of regions towards the eastern side of the state. It will also help familiarise visitors with the history of the place, the stories associated with the 1962 war, the hardships natives have to go through and the perils of guarding our borders. The land of the rising sun promised to be all that we had anticipated and more. Yes, it wasn’t the most comfortable of rides, yes there were no guarantees of accommodation in most parts, and yes we had to plan everything well in advance to avoid to landing ourselves in sticky situations. But it balances it out with the stunning vistas packed into every inch of available space, with sights of shooting stars when the skies are clear and that of cloud covered lakes when the skies aren’t, with warm hospitality of the locals and the delicious local cuisine, the list goes on. We tried our best to capture everything in words and images you see here, but these hardly do justice to the Land of the Rising Sun.
THESE CLEAR SKIES OF ARUNACHAL ARE A TESTAMENT TO THE UNTOUCHED NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE REGION