Which North East state is most beautiful?
It’s one of the toughest questions I here but still a lot of people asking the same question again and again. so I will share my experiences in the below travelogue, before jumping into that I will give you a hint. According to me, the most beautiful state in North East India is Arunachal Pradesh. But still; it depends on what you need to see. Your interest areas and so on. But if you are in love with nature Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are my personal choice.
Do we need permit to visit North East?
Yes some states need Inner Line permits to visit Arunachal Pradesh is one of them and another is Mizoram and the third is Nagaland, You could get this either by online application or through the airports which you landed in. If you go to Arunachal Pradesh you can collects permits from the airport
Is Northeast worth visiting
The answer to that question of course yes, But a blind yes is not sufficient to that question so I will give you an in-depth detail of a mind-blowing North east trip. A trip to Arunachal Pradesh.
Travels are always loved. but this one was so beautiful and full of surprises.
asked my daughter one day “Mom, how about we go on a trip…?”
where to? North East…. it is very cold and snowy….must go in this season. is it okay for you Amma…? , I am ready..
It seems that she was afraid to take me to such a cold place. Before leaving, we went to buy clothes. We need special clothes to resist the cold. Someone told us that it is not so cold and snowy now. I felt disappointed when I heard. Do you want to buy it? I doubt the thermal wear in hand is enough.
It’s not cold in our Ooty auntie. Naveen Sudarshan’s comment. After hearing that it was less cold, I skipped Boots and bought everything else. Next day from Bombay airport to Guwahati at night – 7 pm. 3 hrs a journey. There are four of us, Reshma, Naveen, my mole Rishma and me.
Want to sell all the clothes bought here and get cash? It seems that there is no cold. We laughed as we drove. Molk was disappointed, she prays for snow.
When we landed at the airport, it was not cold at all… We took a taxi and went to the hotel where we had booked a room. It was getting cold when we got there. We ate quickly. Go to bed early and leave early in the morning. Everyone lay down. A nice pearl white mattress. Everyone was covered with a Kabli blanket and another quilt on top of it. I started to feel sleepy. I quickly fell asleep. I woke up hearing Mol and Reshma talking softly.
What…?
Bed bug, I jumped up. It’s been a long time since I saw bed bugs, I was more scared of it than a snake… and feel disgusted. If it gets on clothes or something else, it will fill our house too.
That day’s journey to Arunachal Pradesh. We quickly got ready,waited for the arranged driver he took some time to arrive, we also need to get a pass to the place we want to go, that too can be done online but we also need a local address. Fixed by Agent as it was missing. Road Block will be done at 5 o’clock. didn’t arrive our minds were blown. Must arrive as soon as possible. To the beauty of snow. It’s getting colder. By 4 pm it starts to get dark.
The carriage was running through the villages for some distance. We could see full ponds and dusty sand like the fields of our country. Many crops have dried up and the fields are green. All kinds of vegetables are being cultivated and everything has been harvested. And in some places there are coconuts and gourds. The place looked like the countryside of Kerala. Footpaths through the fields. Gave me old memories.
All the gardens seen there are full of beautiful flowers. Different types of flowers in different sizes and colors than in my country. Then the landscape changed and we started reaching the slopes. The path up the mountain. It was narrow and cracked. In many places, the road work is going on by breaking the granite rocks. Large boulders are broken and hanging. Can fall off anytime.
Darkness began to obscure the views outside. Our vehicle was climbing up the winding roads. Looking down, the road is a thin line like a shadow, the lights of isolated vehicles here and there. A deserted road with no crowds. Every now and then military vehicles pass by. At 11 pm we reached a small town. (Bomdila ) It is terribly cold there. 3°C, oh, can’t even stand up straight. we found a homestay called Anu homes there for us to stay. looks like an old building from the outside. we think, worse than yesterday. but not like what we see from the outside. looks old but once inside the gate, beautiful garden, spacious rooms, a clean bed, not white but no bed bugs on the blankets, and wood burning in one corner of the room. Gentle heat slowly started spreading inside.
Everything was done here by little children, and their children and an eight-year-old girl opened the gate for us. After that, two boys, who looked ten and twelve years old, placed firewood in the room, lit it, and brought food.
They are not aware of any ban on child labor. Most of the small shops that we saw on the road were women. The eateries were run by each family close to the house. The house was a big nest stacked with bamboo supported on wooden poles on one side of the road and the other three sides on the slope of the mountain. We ate and lay down. Roti, Rice, Nuts, and potatoes are their usual food. The fish is a lake fish. And the dog is the most important thing. We are like goats.
The cold penetrates the bones. We curled up under the blanket. Leave at five in the morning. oh, No one is planning to shower in this cold weather. Everyone woke up when the alarm went off at 4:30 am. It was too cold to go out, so everyone ran inside the car and put on two or three coats, gloves, shoes, hats, etc. We started the journey. Seeing the coach and shivering, the driver said it was less cold. Bhaiyya, won’t there be snow? Not at all, no less. It looked like salt had been sprinkled all over the tree. We were disappointed to hear his reply.
Just came. However, in the light sun, the deep gorges over the mountain, the small houses hanging on the hillside, the orange trees in full fruit, and even the wildflowers on the roadside made our view beautiful.
We reached the top of a mountain. Dirang, where we saw a Buddhist temple, beautiful with carvings and paintings, we continued our journey again and descended to another valley, the adventure was very interesting through the paths around the mountains, forest paths, and dry rock formations. Going a little further, there are thin white lines on the top of the mountain. The driver said it was snowing and we eagerly looked at it.
We will get there mom. The mole told me, but will it melt in the sun? My ignorance. When I went a little further, it was like soap under the bushes on the side of the road. Is it snow we excitedly stopped the car and jumped down? The atmosphere is very cold, I looked at it with my hand, come.. see you again. Everyone got into the car….and then the sight we saw… I can’t describe it. you have to experience it and one’s description cannot equal it.
The magical sights that nature has prepared for us. Pine trees full of snow hang like white blossoms. except for the eyes, no camera can capture the beauty that unfolds on those snow particles when the sun’s rays fall!! The coldness that penetrates the body makes the view even more beautiful. We reached Sela pass.
Mountains and lakes covered in snow. Lightly basking in the sun. How beautiful in pearly white color The sight of snow on the mountains all around As if someone had polished it, Do I want to sit or walk on it?
I head over heels. Oh, I don’t know anything. None of the firstcomers ever touched it. (If you look at the photo you will understand) After some time they all left. Here we climb, roll, throw, and build a figure. a story. (Driver first said don’t get down on the side of the lake, it’s dangerous because there is snow above and water below). Soaked in the snow until the craving was over. (not finished) My daughter was asking… “What happened to you, mam?”
Yes, I was happy… If only time and wealth are not enough, but also health, we can make such trips. From there we went to Tawang. Another homestay that night, it was fun to eat with the family watching what they cook in their kitchen and their closeness to us became a different experience. There you need another pass to go to Tawang China Boarder and Arunachal Registered vehicle. Both were fixed by the owner of the homestay where we stayed. The driver was good and smart. When he came to board the vehicle in the morning, the vehicle was covered in ice. Snow falls at night, and all the roofs of the building are covered with snow. The dog, cat, and cow here are all beautiful and full of fur.
Here we drive through the snow around the tire chain of the vehicle. It is colder than the previous day (-10) and we are going to an altitude of 15200 feet. It was understood that slipping and turning on the ice is extremely dangerous. Shallow lakes and Koka, just off the road. Snow is frozen. Many vehicles in front are skidding and tilting, while uphill vehicles are sliding backwards at even faster speeds. The vehicles behind are standing there, not knowing what will happen. Despite the chains, he was unable to slide on the ice. For hours creating obstacles in the way. Came running here. Our soldiers who help with love. Their life and work in that cold.
Our driver drives very well. He used to give Badam, Cashew, etc. to us who were without food. The young man had taken care of everything because he knew how to travel. We reached the top of the hill but did not spend much time there. By the time we got out, we were covered in snow. Snow particles falling with the murmur of the wind, lakes, and mountains soaked in the snow below, standing knee-deep in snow. Let’s see China Boarder through Binoculars…. The snow started falling heavily. We returned and spent the night again where we had stayed the previous day.
When their beautiful Deedinjams returned, they served hot coffee as if they were their own family, and their closeness and laughter were such that we did not feel that it was a paid service.
On the way back the next day, I saw another monastery where the little boys were sitting praying in the bitter cold covered with bare clothes. There was a scene that hurt my heart. Among the children sitting in a row, one child was very tired, and the child sitting with his head down, as if he could not do something. But watching them, there is a 20-year-old man walking by.
He came close to this boy and kicked him twice with his shoed foot. I was standing nearby and shouted “Oi” without realizing it. He looked at my face and gave me a pat and passed. Even Lord Buddha would be ashamed to see someone trying to follow him. The poor child looked at me piteously, and what can I say she was helpless in a country where she had no language or experience. Even today, the sight is a pain in the ass, his tired eyes.
While returning from there, I saw China war Memorial and stood in silence for a moment in front of the soldiers who gave their lives for us. One or two more small views with the hope that no one will have to sacrifice their lives for our country. Guwahati IIT and Guwahati University are also not to be missed. On the way, there is a beautiful view of the sun rays falling on the forest stream flowing steeply from the top of the mountain and the rainbow unfolding. After that, we also experienced the sight of forest fire spreading through the dry forest paths. The fire followed us like an enemy running across the hills, and when we looked back we saw billows of smoke billowing up and embers burning in the wind. When we reached a small river on the side of the road, the driver said, “Bhutan is on the other side. We need permission to enter!!
The next view was in a tea garden, the leaves of the tea plants that were cut flat were shining in the sun. Do not touch the plants. It is poisonous, medicine has been sprayed. Isn’t this the tea we drink for refreshment? We also went to a small lamp there. The boat ride across the Brahmaputra river was fun with the cool breeze. A mountain inside the lamp and a cave temple inside the mountain await us. The orange groves were full of ripe fruit. When we returned, full of sweet oranges hung from the trees, there was a wedding, but we longed to see their bride. He asked permission from the woman standing outside. They took us with a full heart. We were welcomed by singing and dancing. They take photos together and don’t leave without eating until they return. Then God has come there, and another Malayali from Kottayam came back after eating with us. Leaving beautiful valleys of snow.
