Tawang- The Conclusion

                                   Close to heaven, Down to Earth- Indo Chinese border 

Rock of Peace

On reaching Tawang, we decided to explore this amazing place. The first target was to visit Bumla Pass. Bumla Pass is at Indo-China border and is situated at 17500 feet above sea level. To reach Bumla pass you need another set of permission from the defense authorization and a local taxi. Your own rented vehicle outside Arunachal Pradesh are not allowed to go there. After Submitting id proofs and ILP, we got the permit to visit Bumla Pass.

26th May 2016:

After a heavy breakfast, we were set to move to Bumla Pass. Our local driver Dhiraj was waiting for us in his brand-new Bolero. Bumla pass is located about 37 Km away from Tawang City. We knew it is going to be a tough ride. But, what came during the drive were the fascinating experience I had in my life. Driving through snow, off-roading, going beside landmines and what not. We were amazed by the view and the landmines of course 😉. After 2 hours of driving, we were at Bumla Pass. -6 degrees and such cold wind welcomed us. We were also welcomed by the army personnel, he greeted us with a big smile on his face. Told us about the dos and don'ts of the area. Eventually, this border between India and China is the most peaceful border among these countries.  

We saw the Chinese post through binoculars and it was a lifetime experience. The ‘peace of rock' which is situated right between the border is amazing. One of the army personnel was guiding us and telling stories about the place. Apparently, Chinese troops come early morning every day for the inspection. We missed that by an hour or so, damn. After clicking a lot of pics, we were served ‘samosa' and tea by army staff. We were enjoying a lot, but suddenly AMS started kicking. We were having difficulties in breathing. We then decided to leave the place, but the major surprise came when we were given certificates by the army for reaching Bumla Pass. How cool is that!!

Later in the day, we visited local monasteries and other sites in Tawang. We were almost done exploring Tawang. Next day we were ready to head back.

China

Enroute to Bumla Pass

In Chinese Territory

Tawang Monastery

27th May 2016:

Bidding goodbye to Twang, we left for Dirang. The drive was short, 130 Km. But, as usual, it took us 6 hours to reach there. But in between, Prashant bhai told us that we are going to visit a mighty waterfall. “Nuranang Waterfall" with an altitude of almost 100m. We had a great time at the waterfall. Clicked a lot of pics. After spending some quality time, it was time to hit the road again. We were passing through "Paradise Lake" and Sella pass again. This time we took a long break at Sella pass. Had Maggie, Boiled eggs, and hot coffee. We reached Dirang in the evening. This was a leisure day for us. Sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful view from the hotel’s balcony. We did go for a stroll in the evening post sunset. We had a nice dinner and went to sleep.

View from the hotel in Dirang

28th May 2016:

We had our breakfast and was set to leave for Bhalukpong. In route, we went for a small kiwi fruit farm, this farm is run by a lady alone. This was not the best time to visit as the fruits were just coming up. No luck, but worth the visit. We started our journey to Arunachal from Bhalukpong. At that time, we saw one river flowing beside the hotel we were supposed to stay at. The river is known as Kameng River. So, out of nowhere during our drive, Abhishek and Kunal came up with a brilliant idea, let's cook beside the river. I was game for it. But the problem was, we had no utensils or any commodities that were needed to cook. We then turned to our go-to man Prashant bhai. He made few calls to the hotel and we were all set. It took us around 6 hours to reach Bhalukpong from Dirang. 

Kiwi Fruit Farm

After reaching the hotel, we were in the discussion that when we can leave for the river to cook. As per the hotel staff, it was not safe after sunset. So, we left in the afternoon itself. We went to market first, bought firewood, chicken, petrol and other groceries. Everything was set, except none of us were experienced enough to make a firewood cooking flame. We tried, we failed. We tried harder and we failed miserably. The sun was setting down slowly and there was no sign of any flame. Then, Prashant bhai came after washing his cars and did his magic. We got the flames from the firewood finally. I started cooking and was done in an hour or so. By the time the sun was almost set.

We decided to take the food to the hotel and then have it there only. We were exhausted after all this adventure. Totally worth it. We crashed into our bed.

Nuranang Waterfall

Sunset at Kameng River

Firewood Cooking

29th May 2016:

 We left for Guwahati. 250 Km, but no hill driving, it took us 5 hours to Guwahati. As we reached Guwahati early, we decided to visit famous “Kamakhya Temple”. After that, we were at the airport for our respective flights.

6 days to total adventure. We finally took the best offbeat road trip of India. Guwahati to Tawang. If you want to take my advice, a must visit place. Cheers!!

Pic Courtsey:- Abhishek

Title Credit:- Utkarsh aka CHAK