Sar pass Trek (May-June 2014) (National Himalayan Trekking Expedition organized by YHAI)

Sar pass Trek (May-June 2014)

(National Himalayan Trekking Expedition organized by YHAI)

                                                                                                                [YouTube Vlog of this Trek]

The Himalayas were again beckoning me as it was quite a long time since I trekked in Himalayas. The grandeur of Himalayas is always a fascination for me.

So, in 1^st week of April 2014, I booked online, at YHAI website, for the SAR PASS trek for me and my friend Amit Burman (@ Rs.4247/- per person) and we managed to get booking for reporting date of 26^th May 2014 (the online status of bookings was all full). Later, my wife’s sister’s son Aman Beriwal and Amit’s friend Pankaj Jain also joined. I had earlier done Sar Pass Trek in 1991 and 1998.

About a month before the departure, I made my morning walks more regular and I also joined the Gym, so as to maintain the stamina for the trek.

Two three days before departure, I purchased the necessary things and set rolling for the D-day.

Day 0 : 25^th May Sunday : Delhi to YHAI Base camp at Kasol (Himachal Pradesh)

At 4.30 pm in the evening, I and Aman started from my home in Punjabi Bagh, Delhi. We met Amit Burman there. We boarded Volvo bus 2x2 near Ambedkar Bhawan, opp Videocon tower, Jhandewalan, Delhi. I had booked Volvo bus tickets of Aashiana Travels in advance on 21.5.2014 through the website travelyaari.com @ Rs.1100/- per person for journey from Delhi to Kullu. The scheduled departure time was 5.30 pm and arrival time in Kullu was 4.30 am next day.

At 6 pm, the Volvo Bus started from Ambedkar bhawan. It halted at Majnu Ka Tila for 5 min. to pick up other passengers. The chairs in the bus were reclining, with thigh support. It was semi-sleeper Volvo.

As we crossed Murthal, at about 7.40 pm, it started raining heavily. At 8.40 pm, the bus halted for 45 min at Karnal for dinner at Punjabi Deluxe dhaba. At 11.45 pm, the bus picked 8 passengers from Chandigarh. We thereafter reached Kiritpur, and then the Himachal Pradesh border. From here, the ascent starts. The new driver took over from this point. The road position was bad for few km in starting from here. We slept in the bus.

Day 1 : 26^th May 2014 Monday : Kasol

At 6 am in the morning, our Volvo bus crossed Mandi (place in Himachal Pradesh).

After moving about 12 km from Mandi, at 6.30 am, our bus halted at Beas View Guest house n Bhojnalaya, which is 5 km short of Pandoh. We freshen up and took tea and biscuits here. Bhuntar was still 45 km and Manali was 100 km from here.

At 8.30 am, we got down at Bhuntar. It seemed that the early morning cold air of the mountains had got into my head, which made me temporarily unwell leading to vomiting when we got down at Bhuntar. I rested for about half an hour at Bhuntar, so that I stabilize, before starting onward journey to base camp at Kasol.

At 9.30 am, we boarded local bus from Bhuntar bus stand to Kasol (@ Rs.45/- per head), which ply almost every half hour. Bhuntar to Kasol is about 30 km and it takes about 1 to 1 ½ hours by bus.

At 10.45 am, we got down at YHAI base camp at Kasol (the bus was going further to Manikaran which is 4 km further from Kasol).

It was the same camp where I stayed during my last Sar Pass trek in 1998. It was several feet below the road level. The temporary stairs made of stone slabs led us to the reception of the base camp. Mohini, a young girl, was managing the reception. We filled check in forms. We met Pankaj jain who had reached 10 min back. We all four shifted to the group SP-25 (instead of SP-26). I took bath. There are constructed toilets and bathrooms at base camp, separate for girls and boys. There was a big tented area near the reception which was used for orientation meetings, camp fire etc. Further down, there were rows of tents on both sides. The participants live in these tents during their stay at base camp. They are provided two blankets each. Further down, is the house of the owner of this land (in which base camp tents are erected every year). A portion of his house is used as cloak room for storing the extra luggage of the participants.

At 12.30 pm, we four (I, Aman, Amit and Pankaj) went to the market in Kasol, which is 5 min walk. There were lots of foreigners, mainly Israelis. Kasol has changed over the years. Last time when I was here in 1998, there used to be only one or two small shops selling basic necessity goods. Now, so many shops and hotels and guest houses have come up here. It is a huge market now. Infact, as I discovered later during my stay here, Kasol is on the way of becoming another hill station in Himachal Pradesh, after Manali. We took Chinese food in an open eatery (Namaste Cafe). At 2 pm, we returned to the base camp. We sat in our allotted tent (Tent No.4) and gossiped with other participants.

At the entrance, near the reception, there was a temporary platform made of wooden plank on which electricity connection with some multi-plugs was provided. The participants were charging their devices (camera, mobiles etc.) here.

At 3 pm, there was orientation lecture for the SP-25 group by the Field Director Shri P.K.Savani (Adv from Gujarat) and Co-Field Director Shri Mool Singh Rathore (Govt teacher from Rajasthan, 09461501754). It is Mr. Savani’s last trek as Field Director. Mr. Mool Singh Rathore was camp leader, perhaps in last camp, during my Jaiselmer Trek in November 2007. They were assisted by camp leaders at base camp including  M.B.Balaji (Mob no. 08902364480, 08961436348) (affectionately called ‘Dada’) from Calcutta who is generally a camp leader in Sandakphu trek. Mr. Savani is leaving tomorrow, leaving the command to Mr. Mool Singh Rathore.

They gave us useful tips about the whole trek : what to wear, what to take up with us in our rucksack in the trek, what are the obstacles and difficulties we may face during trek and how to overcome them, etc.

After the orientation, we strolled in the market. At 5 pm, we returned to the base camp as we were being issued the rucksack, two blankets and one inner sheet.

At 8 pm, camp fire was organized (without any fire !) under the big tent, which was attended by participants of group SP-24, SP-25 and SP-26. Our group SP-25 was the organizer (Master of Ceremonies was Ananth 08657350847 ananth02@gmail.com from our group).

Since we were initially booked for SP-26 but changed to SP-25, we missed acclimatization walk of SP-25 which was in the morning today. Mr. Shoban (from Bangalore, 09845901968) was chosen as the Group Leader of SP-25 during the same. He has his business of Service Apartments in Bangalore.

At 9.30 pm, the bournvita was served and the camp fire came to an end. At 10 pm, lights off. We gossiped with other participants in the tent. In our tent, few participants of SP-26 were also staying. We were 8 persons in one tent.

Day 2 : 27^th May 2014 Tuesday : Kasol

The morning tea was served at 5 am. All participants of SP-25 and SP-26 assembled in the campus area of base camp at 5.30 am and walked about 1 km to a huge ground adjoining a hotel. The morning exercises were conducted here by the instructors Mr. Lakshmi (with long hairs), Mr. Banu Bhandari (09816144221) and Mr. Manoj. (These guys also organize private treks).

At 7.30 am, we returned to the base camp. At 8.15 am, participants of SP-25 and SP-26 lined up to see off and cheer members of SP-24 group who were leaving base camp and going to higher camps.

At 9 am, we members of SP-25 walked about 1 ½ km through the market to nearby jungle. The same three persons/instructors who conducted exercise in the morning, conducted rock climbing session. Mr. Lakshmi explained us the importance of rock climbing and rappling devices like carabiner, harness (rope), descender, helmet. Almost all members did rock climbing. In this, one would use the tips of his fingers and toes to climb up through the minute crevices in the rock. To ensure that he does not get injured if he falls, he is tied by a rope harness and carabiner whose control is with the instructor sitting at top of the rock.

At about 1 pm, we all returned to the base camp and had lunch.

After lunch, at about 2 pm, we again went to the same spot, this time for Rappling. Rappling is an exercise by which a person descends down a rock using rope and devices. The same three instructors conducted this session.

After the rappling session was over, at about 4.30 pm, we all roamed in the market. Few bought rain coat as it was to become very handy during rains while trekking to higher camps. I, amit and Pankaj went to Manikaran (4 km, 10 min bus journey from Kasol) and I bought new shoes as my liberty trekking shoe’s (gliders)sole had broken in the morning.

At 5.30 pm, we returned to the base camp. We stuffed essential items and clothings in the rucksack provided by YHAI and deposited the remaining/extra luggage in the cloak room of base camp. The camp leaders at base camp checked everyone’s rucksack and advised to further reduce the weight by removing unwanted articles like shaving kits, cosmetics, food articles etc. While trekking at height, the weight of the stuff in the rucksack becomes very important : the more the weight, the more the strain and unease during trekking.

Dinner was served at 8 pm. After that, I, Amit and Pankaj, after taking permission of the field Director, went to the market and booked return Volvo tickets from Bhuntar to Delhi for 4^th June (Rs.1100/- each). After that, we returned to the base camp where camp fire was going on. At 10.30 pm, lights out. We all were thrilled and excited at the thought of moving to higher camps tomorrow.

Day 3 : 28^th May 2014 Wednesday : Kasol base camp to Grahan

We all woke up at 6 am in the base camp and deposited the blankets and sleeping bag. Took bath and freshen up. Then we all took breakfast.

At 8 am, we members of SP-25 assembled in the campus area. We were total 43 participants in SP-25 (31 boys, 12 girls). Mr. Shoban was the Group leader. I happened to be the most experienced person in the group, having done almost all the treks of YHAI and having done this trek twice in the past.

At 8.30 am, the members of SP-26 and SP-27 alongwith camp leaders and Field director at base camp cheered us while we walked out in line to go to the higher camps. Each member was given YHAI cap and a packet containing frooti, biscuit packet and toffees. It has become sort of customary for the members to devise a slogan for their respective groups. Our group members had devised the slogan “UP UP IN THE SKY, SP TWENTY FIVE”. One thing remarkable about our group was that almost all were youngsters and more than 80% were first time trekkers. Infact, I happened to the 2^nd oldest member of the group after Pankaj Jain ! Aman was the youngest member of the group.

The guide who accompanied us for today’s trek from Kasol to Grahan was Mr. Jaichand (09816473518). He is resident of Kasol. He also organises private treks.

We walked though the Kasol market and then took a detour from the market into the jungle. It was an up and down journey from Kasol to Grahan. We rested at few points. After crossing two wooden bridges, we rested for about 45 minutes at a point and played antakshri. The guide advised that we are not supposed to enter the next camp before 3 pm and that we can therefore go leisurely.

At about 1 pm, we all sat at a point and took lunch. I do not relish the packed lunch provided by the YHAI and thus I do not take the pack lunch and instead eat the stuff sold by some enterprising village persons on the way. There was a make-a-shift stall put up by the village lady alongwith her son Dinesh. Her husband Ram Lal (who is accredited with the famous folk song of Grahan : meri sridevia katthe chali tu) has gone with a private group to Mantalai trek. Dinesh has cleared 12^th class exams this year and he wants to do course in tourism. They were selling egg, omlette, Maggie and packed foods like chips, frootie, cold drinks etc. We took 6 boiled eggs (@ Rs.15/- per egg) and two egg bhurji (@ Rs.30/- per egg).

At about 2 pm, we again started walking. From here, the guide was one Mr. Maniram of Grahan village. He informed that this year, the snow in Hinachal Pradesh is unprecedented and has broken all records. He told that he is 50 years old and he has not seen this much snow in his village in his entire life (this year, 6 ft snow in village Grahan in December-January compared to about 3 ft usually). He further told that there is huge snow this year at Sar Pass.

After walking for about 1 km from lunch point, we had to climb up the mountain through the jungle. The climb became steeper and steeper in the last about two km stretch before reaching Grahan village. The climb took us to Village Grahan. We passed through the village and took some snaps. The village had totally transformed over the years. There were now so many Home Stays / guest houses in the village, which I was told, were frequented by the adventurous foreigners.

Our camp was pitched about a km walk away from the village. The camp was visible from the village. 

At 4.30 pm, we reached the Grahan camp which was at an altitude of 7700 ft. We were welcomed by the camp leaders Mr. Anand (from Karnataka, retired from Wipro in 2012) (ananda_hm1@yahoo.co.in, facebook : ananda-bangalore) and Mr. Dinesh Kumar Singh (working in PWD, Lucknow). They gave us the necessary instructions about the timings for soup, dinner, camp fire, morning tea, breakfast, packed lunch and departure next morning. They also informed about the separate toilet areas for boys and girls. Three toilets for boys and one toilet for girls, were pitched nearby on temporary basis by erecting enclosure with cloth sheet with zipper (Indian toilet sheet embedded into ground over a septic tank). The water for washing as well as drinking was provided through pipe, drawn from a stream. The cook was a handsome jolly boy from Delhi, named Ramnath Paswan.

The Bicchu leaves plants are in abundance in this region. These leaves have tiny stings at their periphery. If a person get stung by it, it causes irritation for few hours. The cure for this is the Bicchu buti which grows in its vicinity, which are dark green colored leaves. For finding out more about the Medicinal and aromatic plants of Himachal Pradesh, you may log on to http://books.google.co.in/books?id=gAQnTAU-3lcC&pg=PA560&lpg=PA560&dq=bichhu+leaves+in+himachal&source=bl&ots=pbGfw227be&sig=LVvmn-mfUyARlPsDoKyrR5LRK4o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cWWQU5fyHIyTuATI94GwBA&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=bichhu%20leaves%20in%20himachal&f=false )

On arrival in the camp, we were offered litchi juice as welcome drink. Then after half an hour, we were offered tea and biscuits. We were served with delicious tomoto soup at 6.30 pm. The dinner was served at 7 pm, which comprised Bhindi, dal, roti, papad and suji halwa. Then, the camp leader provided one sleeping bag and one blanket to each member. Three tents were allotted to boys and one tent was allotted to girls.

The local villager offered to sell the local snacks / cuisine called Siddu. It is made up of atta (whole wheat flour) with stuffing as per liking like potato, walnut etc. It looks like Momos in appearance.

At 8 pm, members sat out in open and sang songs. Bournvita was served at 9 pm. I sat with co-member Chandan (email : ckiitkgp@gmail.com) and was amazed at his knowledge about spiritualism and God. He informed that he hails from Patna and is a IIT-Kharagpur graduate and now works with TCS, Bangalore. He has done Mining Engineering. I had good discussion with him on spirituality.

The sky was very clear and was full of stars. It was a beautify view.

At 11 pm, we went to sleep. We 12 persons slept in one tent.

There was electricity in the village but there was no electricity in our camp. There was no mobile signal here. 

Day 4 : 29^th May 2014 Thursday : Grahan to Padri

We got up at 6 am. From 6.30 to 7.15 am, I did pranayam in the lap of nature away from the hustle bustle of the camp. I felt so much at peace and it sort of rejuvenated me.

At 8 am, the breakfast was served which comprised of aloo subzi, puri, sevian and tea. In packed lunch, chana and roti was provided. We returned back the sleeping bag and blankets.

At 9 am, we all assembled, thanked the camp leaders and cooking staff and at 9.15 am, we all moved for the next higher camp. Our guide for today was the same Mr. Maniram (resident of Grahan village).

For about 1 ½ km, we had to go down till the water stream / nallah. From here, it was up and up. The  climb / ascent was quite steep (though not as steep as was yesterday on way to Grahan). We rested at one place.

At 12 pm, we reached lunch point. A make-a-shift stall was put up by a Grahan villager here. We took 6 boiled eggs @ Rs.20/- per egg. All took packed lunch there. (15 minutes before the Lunch point, there was a water stream from where all filled up their bottles). We rested at lunch point.

At 1.30 pm, we started from Lunch point. A 20 minute walk upwards from lunch point and lo and behold we were at a dusty glacier ! Everyone was so excited to see the glacier of snow, particularly the first timers (most in our group were first timers, almost half members were from Bangalore). After crossing the glacier, it was about half an hour easy walk when we spotted the YHAI banner of Padri camp in the jungle. After walking 5 min from the banner, we could see the camp site.

At 2.45 pm, we reached the Padri Camp, which is at an altitude of 9300 ft. It is a very beautiful camp site. It felt out of this world. Five-Six tents were pitched in a huge plain / meadow. The imposing mountains covered with snow acted as perfect backdrop. The snow clad mountain peaks were so clear and appeared so near. It gave a feeling as if we were sitting in a 5-D auditorium like I-Max and the mountains were like a big screen / painting on the entire stage. A stream of water was passing by the side of our tents, which added to the beauty of the view around. The herds of sheaps and cows were grazing in the field.

On arrival, we were welcomed by the camp leaders Mr. Subhash Chander Arora (businessman from Ghaziabad) (subashchander9@gmail.com, 09717008644) and Mr. Shibu Dass (Keralite, working in Central Secretariat in Delhi for last 22 years) (sd8999@yahoo.co.in, 09871927076, 01123013360). We all lined up and counting was done, as usual. All got busy in clicking photographs. The weather was sunny and good. I brushed teeth and washed face in the running stream, which itself was a wonderful experience away from the maddening crowd of the city. We were served with tea and peanuts. All got involved in different activities. Some played gilli danda. Some played Frisbee. At 5.10 pm, tomato soup was served. Most of us played the game ‘Dumb charades’. The camp leader informed that Bear occasionally come in this area and that a cow was killed by a bear nearby and cow’s mutilated body is lying about 500 mtr away. Amit ventured to that spot and took photographs.

At 7 pm, dinner was served which comprised dal, loki subzi, rice, roti, papad and kheer. The sleeping bag and blanket were issued. Some rested in tents while others sang songs. It was a starry night and we could very clearly see the stars light up the sky. Such a view is not possible in cities.

There was no electricity and no mobile signal at Padri camp.

At 11 pm, we went to sleep.

Day 5 : 30^th May 2014 Friday : Padri to Ming Thatch

We got up at 5.30 am. We answered nature’s call in the open in the woods nearby. There were temporary toilets put up but the same were smelling. So most preferred to go out in the open, since it was a large jungle area. The running stream of water helped a lot.

As we were getting ready to pack our bags and leave the camp, it started raining at about 6.30 am, coupled with ole. We experienced the first rains in our trek. This is going to make today’s trek difficult and riskier because today our route is steep climb. Rains stopped after about 40 minutes. We all came out of our tents and took breakfast which comprised poha and daliya. At 7.45 am, packed lunch was provided which comprised aloo (dry) subzi and roti. Our guides for today were Tashi (young boy from Darjeeling) and Ishwar Singh (of Grahan village). I took a stick (@ Rs.20/-) being sold by the locals there, courtesy Ishwar Singh. I, as others, wore the rain suits.

At 8.10 am, we started from the Padri camp. As we moved, the drizzle gradually turned into rains. We went down and down upto the water stream/nallah.  The path had become extremely slippery. We then again trekked up and then again down. The path had become slippery. The climb was steep. We crossed over many nallahs on the way.

At 1.15 pm, we stopped at a place where Praveen (?) Rathore, a local boy was selling cold drinks, biscuits, chips etc. I bought frootie bottle @ Rs.50/- and some salted snacks and chocolate.

At 2 pm, we reached lunch point. It started raining. We all took shelter under the tent put up by the chaiwala. We took omlette @ Rs.50/- and tea @ Rs.30/-. After the rain stopped, we clicked photographs. My pant of the rain coat had got totally torn due to continuous up and down movement on the path.

At 3.30 pm, we started from the lunch point. Tashi guide went back from here. Rathore, the young boy who was selling eatables, took his place, alongwith Ishwar Singh.

There was a huge ground and valley after that. From here, we could spot the banner of YHAI Ming thatch at the top of the hillock which we had now to climb. We were elated.

We climbed the hillock. It was fairly steep. Today’s trek was the toughest and lengthiest. 

At 5 pm, we reached the Ming thatch camp, which is at an altitude of 11,200 ft. We were welcomed by the Camp Leader Mr. Moon Singh Rathore (physical education teacher in Jalore, Rajasthan( (09414895206). We put our wet clothes under the sun.

At 5.15 pm, we were served with hot tea and two aloo bonda each. It was such a delight. It was a good camp site. We watched the sunset from here. The kitchen and water point (water by pipe from glacier) were downstairs. At 6 pm, tomato soup was served. At 7 pm, dinner was served. At 8 pm, bournvita was served. We gazed at the stars in the sky which was so clear. We were able to see constellations like saptarishi, scorpio, dhanur etc. very clearly. The milky way was also partially visible.

At 10 pm, we went to sleep.

There is no electricity here but the mobile signal was partially catching on going a little up from the camp site.

Day 6 : 31^st May 2014 Saturday : Ming Thatch to Nagaru

We woke up at 7 am. The temporary toilets were smelly and hence almost all went out in the open in the topsy turvy jungle for answering nature’s call. Going out and then coming back to the tents was itself a mini trek ! The breakfast was served at 8.30 am which comprised poori, aloo subzi, sevian, tea and thereafter packed lunch was provided. I washed my face after the sun rays kissed our camp.

At 10.15 am, we started from the Ming thatch camp. Our guides for today were Gopi, Praveen and Devi singh. There is no water after Ming Thatch camp till Biskeri (At Nagaru, water is taken out from glacier and it is very very cold) and hence all filled up their water bottles fully.

Our route today was climb up but not too steep like what we experienced from Padri to Ming Thatch. We passed through snow patches at several points on the way. Today, we all moved in a queue and the three guides helped us in making way by their footsteps in the snow patches. Most of the time during climb, we had very beautiful view of the snow clad mountains all around.

At 12 pm, we reached the lunch point. It was a good sunny day. I listened to songs on my Sony MP3, sitting leisurely on a rock.

Soon, it started drizzling and at about 1.15 pm, we all started from the lunch point. Ultimately, a large patch of snow, on which we trekked, took us to our tents in Nagaru camp.

At 3 pm, we reached Nagaru camp, which is at an altitude of 12,300 ft. This camp was actually on a glacier. It was too windy here, coupled with a mild hailstorm. We were welcomed by the Camp leader Mr. Akshay Dange (from Maharashtra). Three tents were provided for the boys. Thick sleeping bags were provided here, alongwith blanket. The facilities are scarce here because of the inclement weather and strong winds all the time, being on top of the hill. We found the behavior and tone of the camp leader and cooking staff a little rude, which we ignored, as anyone living at such height and under such harsh circumstances and adverse conditions for so long would become rude. The wind was at its furriest and it looked as if the wind would blow away our tents. We immediately changed our clothes (as these were wet due to sweat) in our tents. After some time, it became sunny and we all came out, though wind continued. We sat here and there on whatever little grassy patch was available and clicked photographs. Some sang songs and some danced. We were surprised to get mobile signal here, though there was no electricity. Most spoke to their relatives back home on their mobiles.

At 3.45 pm, we were served with coffee and peanuts. At 4.30 pm, tomato soup was served. Slowly and gradually, the sun went behind the clouds and it became too cold. All went back into the tents and put on thermals and other clothes to save from the cold and wind. One unique thing here was that there was no facility for toilet. Though they tried to put up temporary toilets and even brought toilet sheets, but the wind blew away the toilet tent. So, anyone desirous of answering nature’s call has to do so on the snow itself a little away from the camp with no place for hiding, in such chilling environment ! So, almost everyone decided to skip this activity here and most skipped the dinner.

The wind was very strong and the members hold on to the structure of the tents lest the tent blow away by the gust of the wind.

At 6 pm, we all went to the sleep.

Day 7 : 1^st June 2014 Sunday : Nagaru to Sar Pass to Biskeri

Today was the longest part of our trek, running into 14 km and most of the trek was through snow.

We woke up at 2.30 am. The bad weather was awaiting us. The drizzle soon turned into snowfall which changed to rainfall. We waited in our tents for rain to abate. We had planned to start for next camp at 4 am but the rain spoiled our plans. We got ready in our tents but the rain and strong chilly winds prevented us from coming out of our tents. In a brief 15 min period when the rain stopped, we returned the sleeping bags and blankets.

At 5.45 am, when the rain stopped partially, we started for the next camp through Sar Pass. We were helped by four guides – Nihal Singh, Ram Prakash, Shyam Lal and bhikam Ram. They were to guide us upto Biskeri Top in the snow. They all are from Grahan village.

We walked and climbed on snow clad mountains. The entire journey was on snow. The Nagaru camp itself was on snow, made by cutting the snow. We climbed for about 1 ½ hours continuously, in one queue, by following the footsteps prepared by the guide in front. It rained and snow fall on the way intermittently.

After three hours of climbing, walking and climbing, at about 8.45 am, we reached Sar Pass, which is at an altitude of 13800 ft. We faced blizzard here. The snow was flowing at furious speed with the wind. I had to put on the goggles even in such dark, to protect the eyes from blizzard. The snow fall was continuing since morning. It was too windy here. Our rain suits were turning out to be ineffective and most of us were getting wet. Surprisingly, at this altitude and under such bad weather and at such freezing temperature, one person under a small tent under the snow crevice was making and selling tea ! This was really amazing. Few sipped tea in such freezing temperature. From there, we walked on snow mountain for about half hour. Thereafter, the journey was up and down on snow, crossing the snow clad mountains. It was all white everywhere. Some of us were tired of walking and climbing on snow. Frequently, our foot went down under the snow upto knee.

After several hours, we reached a point which is called Biskeri top. This is the highest point after Sar Pass. It is at a height of 13500 ft. The last 50 ft before reaching Biskeri top were climbed by us by holding on to the rope already installed there. From here, new guides took over  : Om Prakash (08894000812, 09418432012, omprakash.adventure@gmail.com), Rajesh (09805285588, 08988288154), Ram Kishan @ Ramu (09805601570). Rajesh is from Mandi while Ramu is from Grahan. Om Prakash was their leader and he organizes private treks also.

From Biskeri top, there was a long slide down the hill in snow. We sat down on top with our rucksack on our shoulder and then started sliding down. Aman lost his mobile phone during sliding. Thereafter, we walked down on snow and again there was a slide, followed by long walk down on the snow. We reached lunch point which was a make-a-shift tent put up by a villager on the snow. He was selling maggi, omlete, tea etc. It was continuously raining since morning. I was completely drenched, so were few others. Due to this, the weight of clothes and belongings had become heavier. I, Amit and Aman took omlette, magi and tea, shivering under the tent while our rucksacks were out in the open under the rainfall. After lunch point, there were two long slides, which gave us the feeling of a roller coaster. Thereafter, we walked down on the muddy slippery path. I was delighted to see the green trees and vegetation. I felt as if we were in white snow for many days and as if we were seeing the greenery after several days. Under the rains, we reached the Biskeri camp. Many members slipped on the way.

At 1.15 pm, we reached Biskeri camp, which is at an altitude of 11000 ft. The camp leader Mr. Aditya (09505746991, fb: aditya tibrewal) came half a km up to receive and welcome us and to boost our morale. It was a nice gesture on his part. He is from Bhagalpur (Bihar) and is studying Computer Science in BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus.

I was totally drenched. It was continuously raining. We immediately occupied our allotted tents. To my surprise, when I opened my rucksack, I discovered that all my extra clothing and everything in the rucksack had got wet due to snow, hailstorm and rains ! Though the YHAI rucksack was supposed to be waterproof, but the snow and rainwater had peeped into the rucksack, making everything wet. Fortunately, the undergarments which were kept in a separate polythene bags in the rucksack were spared from this ordeal. I changed the clothes and wore a semi wet pyjama and borrowed a shirt from Pankaj jain. This was the only clothing I was left with. I was shivering and was having severe headache as I had not eaten any food for last several hours due to lack of toilet facilities. The camp leader promptly issued me a sleeping bag, and later a blanket also, at my request. It made me feel cozy, which was a great relief. I did not step out of the tent as it was cold and windy outside and with these clothes, I was bound to get sick and get wet the only dry clothes left with me if stepped out. At 4 pm, tea and Pakora were served. At 5 pm, tomato soup was served but I was sleeping in my sleeping bag and recovering. At 6 pm, dinner was served. Pankaj and tent-mates helped me in bringing the dinner for me in my tent, which comprised of Loki subzi, roti, papad and guess what ! Gulab Jamun ! The cook was Shiva from Delhi (works with Seven Seas caterers in Delhi). Amit and Aman skipped the dinner, they were also shivering. We were 9 persons in our tent. Each member was given one sleeping bag but no blanket. At my request, the camp leader gave one blanket for me and one for Aman, as our condition was not good.

We slept with the thought that if weather remain this harsh tomorrow also, then we will skip the next camp and go directly to Barseni which is about 3 hour trek from here and from there take a bus to the base camp Kasol which is one hour bus journey from Barseni. 

Day 8 : 2^nd June 2014 Monday : Biskeri to Bandak thatch

At 6.15 am, I woke up by the rays of the sun kissing our tent. Everybody got elated on seeing the bright sunshine after bracing bad weather yesterday. It eventually turned out to be a bright sunny day ! Few members who had decided to end the trek and go directly to Kasol, like us, changed their mind on seeing bright sun. We all took out our wet clothes and belongings and spread out on the grass and on the tents for drying under the sun. It presented the view of a relief camp.

The sun, in literal sense, changed all of us. I realized the importance and power of sunshine. Many answered nature’s call after two days, in the open near to snow patch behind bushes and trees. The mobile signal was available here but no electricity, as usual. The dinner, which I unwillingly took in the night, did wonder. My headache was gone and I felt rejuvenated again in the sun. I freshen up, washed face and took some snaps. I and Amit sat with yesterday’s guides Om Prakash etc who were going to leave shortly for Biskeri Top to fetch the next group.

At 8.30 am, the breakfast was served which comprised of poori, aloo subzi, sevian and tea. There was a water stream nearby. Two pipes from nearby glacier piece catered to  washing etc. It was a good camp site with wonderful close view of snow clad mountains with tall trees surrounding the camp. 

At 10.45 am, after sufficiently drying our clothes and belongings, we started from the Biskeri camp. Our guides were Tara Mani and Tulsi Ram (both from village Pulga). It was a steep descent all the way for 2 hours upto the lunch point. After some time, we climbed down through terrace stepping in the fields. We spotted pink colored flowers called Fshanter on small trees / jhad, which were prominent in this area. We crossed a deserted dera on the way. We crossed water stream / nallah at  various places. Mr. Moon singh Rathore (camp leader at Ming Thatch) was also accompanying us from Ming thatch. This region has Tosh and Kayal trees in abundance. These look like Devdar tree. Kayal tree produces oil which is used for burning.

At about 1 pm, at the lowest point on this route, we came down by rappling for about 40 ft between the rocks using a rope tied there by YHAI. After rappling, we landed at the foot of a big nallah, which we crossed by a temporary bridge made of 3 wooden logs tied together across the nallah. Then we climbed up where the local villager Krishna and her son Brij Lal from Pulga village had put up a temporary stall. I and Amit relished sweet curd lassi here, made locally out of fresh cow milk. It was so refreshing. We sipped five glass each. She charged Rs.10/- per glass. This was our lunch point.

At 2 pm, we started from the lunch point. The up and down journey took us through the jungle trail which was obstructed by fallen tree trunks at few places. We crossed over fallen trees. After about 45 min from lunch point, we came across a steep inclined trail almost about 50 degrees running about 60 mtr in length. We then passed through a long dusty frozen glacier, beneath which water stream was flowing.

Last 40 minutes were a steep ascent of about 45 degrees which was really strenuous, after so many hours of descent.

At 4.15 pm, we reached the next camp Bandak Thatch, which is at an altitude of 9000 ft. It turned out to be the most beautiful camp site. It is sometimes also called the Switzerland of India. It is a very large meadow spread over hundreds of acres in the mountains, totally lush green, surrounded by snow mountains on all sides. The tents, pitched in lush green grounds, presented a beautiful view. Cows, buffalos, sheaps and goats were grazing in the ground. Many water streams, in parallel, were passing through the meadow.  Some members played gilli danda, some played Frisbee. Some just sit and relaxed. All enjoyed the sunshine. The cow dung was littered everywhere in green fields. At about 6.45 pm, the sun went down and it suddenly became cold.

At 7 pm, the tomato soup was served, which as usual worked as tonic. At 7.30 pm, we were issued the sleeping bag and blanket and then the dinner was served. There was no camp leader at this camp and hence Subhash (cook from Delhi) substituted for the camp leader. We were getting mobile signal here but no electricity. At 8 pm, several members sang songs in the big tent made available by subhash as it was cold outside. I, Amit and Pankaj gossiped in tent and went to sleep. In the night at about 2 pm, I and Pankaj saw starry sky and could even spot milky way partially.

Day 9 : 3^rd June 2014 Tuesday : Bandak thatch to Barseni to Kasol

We woke up at 7 am. The sun rays had already kissed our campus area by then. Members answered nature’s call downward in the woods after crossing the open ground. At 7.15 am, the breakfast was served which comprised parantha, pickle and tea. No packed lunch was given today.

At 8.30 am, we all started from the Bandak thatch camp. Subhash led the way for us for about half km. There is no guide today and we have to reach our next destination following the arrow marks on trees and rocks. We climbed down the distance which we had climbed up during last lag yesterday.  It was all down and down. The descent was very steep. Mukesh Parmar ji (from Rajasthan, 09414206388) who enthralled us with beautiful rendition of songs during the entire trek, was feeling pain in his left knee while climbing down.

We passed through village Tulka. There are three villages here : Pulga, Kalga and Tulka. The foreigners frequent the village Pulga where many guest houses have come up over the years (15 years back, the YHAI camp used to be at Pulga). On the way, a Hydel power project and dam by NHPC was under construction by a contractor Patel Engineering.  Just after crossing the village and project site, was Barseni village.

At 12 pm, we reached Barseni bus stand. I and Amit took lassi. The bus started at 12.10 pm (the bus comes generally every hour). We 27 members boarded the bus, the remaining had not yet reached the bus stand and they will catch the next bus. Barseni to Manikaran is 16 km and bus ticket cost Rs.25/- per person.

At 1 pm, we reached Manikaran. Three members got down here to take hot water spring bath. After waiting for passengers, the bus started again at 1.30 pm for Bhuntar via Kasol. Manikaran to Kasol is 4 km and bus ticket cost Rs.5/- per person.

At 2 pm, we got down at Kasol base camp. We 24 members entered the basecamp amidst chanting of our group slogan. We were welcomed by Mr. Mool singh Rathore, Moon Singh Rathore, Balaji and other camp leaders at base camp. We were allotted tents. I took refund of Rs.800/- from Diwanji as I had paid for the bus tickets for all the members.

I, amit and aman went to the market and searched for a good hotel. Though we could stay in the tents in basecamp tonight, but we were fed up of staying in tents and wanted to roam about in Kasol like a tourist and see its night life, which was not possible had we stayed in basecamp. At 3 pm, we returned to basecamp. The rest of the members including our group leader Shoban had not yet returned and so our luggage which was buried under their luggage in the cloak room could not be taken out. They came at about 5 pm. We collected our luggage from the cloak room and returned the YHAI rucksack and sleeping sheet. All filled in the check out form and feedback form and collected the Trek completion certificate. Madhav, young boy who knows French and doing course in Tourism, working as camp leader at basecamp, helped us in this entire process. I stuffed all my belongings in my rucksack. Few members of our group bid good bye and left for their respective abodes.

At 7 pm, I, Amit and aman shifted to Purnima Guest House (Pankaj jain stayed in basecamp), which was next to the basecamp. Infact, from back side of camp, one can just cross through the barbed wire and enter the Guest house. It had fairly good spacious rooms having attached bathroom and toilet with geyser. We took one room (Room no.103 on Gr flr) with one extra bedding/mattress, for Rs.700/-. I put on my mobile after 9 days and put the camera battery for charging. I took bath after so many days and felt refreshing.

I, aman and Amit strolled in the market to find out a place to relax and unwind. Aman went to a cyber café to do some pending works. I, amit took food in Evergreen Restaurant, which is one of the best restaurants here in Kasol. The Food in Kasol is comparatively cheaper. The food for two of us, which comprised 1 malai kofta, 1 garlic naan and 2 tandoori roti, costed only Rs.180/- ! Then we walked back towards our guest house, to Yerpa Restaurant and Bar. The interior was superb and it could beat any ‘A’ rated restaurant and pub of Delhi. We took 60 ml pegs of smirinoff vodka, masala papad and cheese onion mushroom pizza. It remains open till 12.30 am. So many foreigners could be seen in the restaurant.

At about 11 pm, we returned to the Guest house. To our pleasant surprise, 21 members of our group were sitting in the lawn of the guest house and were having food, snacks and drinks. Aman was also with them. We joined them. Some of them were staying in the same guest house and some were staying in nearby guest house. We dispersed at 2 am in the night. It was one of the unforgettable night. We enjoyed the songs by Mukesh ji.

At 2.30 am, we went to sleep.

Day 10 : 4^th June 2014 Wednesday : Kasol to Delhi

We got up at 9 am in the Purnima Guest house. I shaved after 10 days and took bath. At 12 pm, we checked out of the Guest house and kept our luggage at the reception thereof. I, amit and aman went to Little Italy restaurant which is a famous food joint here. One can have a view of the main market and road of Kasol from here. We took pizza, burger, grilled cheese sandwich, strawberry lassi here. The food was delicious.

Pankaj jain came there. With him, we went to YHAI basecamp and said good bye to shri Mool singh Rathore, Moon singh rathore, Bala, Madahv and other camp leaders.

At 3 pm, we stood outside the basecamp on the main road to catch the bus to Bhuntar. At 3.25 pm, we waived hands and boarded bus outside Yhai. At 3.45 pm, our bus reached Jari. At 4.40 pm, our bus reached Bhuntar bus stand. We got down here. We walked to office of Swagatam tours, opp Bhuntar Post office. We confirmed our Delhi tickets here. He informed that bus has already started from Manali and may reach about 6.15 pm here. We walked past fruit shops. We sat in a eatery and took cold drink and chips. We watched movie in the office of tour operator. At 6.40 pm, the Volvo bus (Anmol Travels/bus no. 3431) arrived.

At 6.45 pm, the Volvo bus started.

At 9.30 pm, it halted for 45 min at a dhaba at Sundrnagar for dinner.

Day 11 : 5^th June 2014 Thursday : Delhi

At 6.30 am, the Volvo bus reached ISBT, Delhi. We all got down. Aman’s father picked us in his car.

At 7 am, I reached home.

Another good trek came to an end.

Important points and tips :

# During the entire trek, my Sony Walkman MP3 came very handy. Wherever we rested or halted for a long time, I listened to my favorite songs on it which instantly transported me to an altogether different world in conjunction with the beautiful view around me.

# Though almost everyone in our group was a singer in his or her own right, I would like to make a special mention about two girls – Rini and Mridula. These two bubbly girls were the ‘FM Radio’ of our group and never got tired of singing songs continuously during trek and kept us all enthralled by their rendition of beautiful songs throughout the trek.

# As we climb higher and higher, the prices of food items go on increasing, which is quite understandable.

# As told by the camp leader M.B. Bala, one of the way to protect from cold in mountains is to take 1 spoon of honey everyday after dinner there and so purchase 250 gm of honey. If feeling hungry, then take 2 pcs of Threptin biscuits, they will substitute for the food. Similar function is performed by Horlicks tablets.

# There is no electricity in any of the camps on Sar Pass route. The first two camps have no mobile signal while the next 4 camps have mobile signal.

# When moving to higher camps, put all clothings and articles in separate polythene bags and then put these bags in the rucksack, to prevent them from getting wet.

# While walking in snow and while climbing, ensure that you have a stick with you. While sliding in snow, keep all belongings secured under the rucksack under zip as these may get lost in snow during sliding.

# For protection from rain and snowfall, take a proper and effective rain coat / poncho.

# Keep weight of the articles in your rucksack to the minimum. After all, you have to carry this weight. The lesser the weight, the more the comfort.

# I have given the contact numbers and email addresses of various camp leaders and guides, wherever possible. More information about a particular camp or route can be requested from them.

Journey to Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram

Travelogue :

My journey in enchanting Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram

By Mr. Sunil Goel

(www.sunilgoel.blogspot.com)

I have always been fascinated by the countryside, mountains and greenery. This is perhaps the reason why I am trekking since 1991. The constraints of time, given the profession I am in (I am a practicing lawyer and legal consultant in corporate and financial matters) do not let me go on treks and excursions quite often though I love to travel and explore new areas. After every few months, the city’s chaos and mad race for competition and success gets so sickening that I feel as if the mountains are calling me to sooth my nerves and to rejuvenate me once again to face the challenges of life. Every trek and excursion, I feel, charges me for another few months.

This time I planned to go to a totally new area of our country, that is North East. This region is comparatively less known and not much tourist infrastructure is there. This region, unfortunately, somehow has been the victim of Government’s apathy and neglect. I wanted to see how the people live there and able to manage their day to day lives. I also wanted to meander through the hills and mountains in said area.

Ms. Manomayee Purohit (with whom I did excursion trip of Leh Ladakh in 2006) planned a programme comprising travelling through Nagaland, Assam and then integrate this with trekking in Mizoram. The Trek in Mizoram was organized by Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI). It was supposed to be a National trek. Myself, Amit Burman, Vanita ji (with whom I have done many treks / excursions), her friend Mythili Iyer and Mythili’s brother and sister-in-law Kailas and Sudha joined in. We were thus 7 people. However, some of us made slight changes in the prog due to our individual constraints. The programme comprised starting from Delhi on 22^nd October 2011. However, the festival of Diwali fell on 26^th October and I wanted to celebrate this with my family at home. There were other festivals also around that time. After analyzing the itinerary prepared by Manomayee, I selected 30^th October 2011 as my travel date from Delhi as on/around that day I could catch up with them in Dimapur in Nagaland. Kailas and Sudha, who are juvenile diabetics (but they are wonderful people and I admire the way they have conquered their situation to lead happy life), were not to join us further in the Mizoram trek after Nagaland and Assam excursion.

We all had booked our air tickets 3-4 months prior to the journey. On 22^nd October 2011 (Saturday), I with my son Himanshu in my Hyundai Verna Fluidic reached New Delhi airport (Terminal 1D) and see off the other 6 members viz. Manomayee, Amit Burman, Vanita ji, Mythili Iyer, Kailas and Sudha, with promise to catch them after a week on 30^th October. It was my first meeting with Amit, Mythili, Kailas, Sudha. They took the flight to Gauhati (capital of State of Assam). There they hired a taxi (Tata Suma Victa) for 10 days. The taxi agency charged Rs.2000/- per day plus cost of diesel plus Rs.300/- per day for the driver. The driver’s name was Chandan (09402927260) who was a young smart energetic boy of around 28 years. They travelled to Jorhat, Majuli (both in Assam) and then places in State of Nagaland viz. Mokokchung, Wokha, Kohima, Touphama, Khanoma, Dimapur. 

I was told that prepaid mobile phones and those of companies other than BSNL are not working in Nagaland and Mizoram. For this reason, I purchased a new connection from MTNL (which converts into BSNL outside Delhi) and did not carry my routine BLACKBERRY phone which was a Airtel prepaid connection. However, while in Nagaland and Mizoram, I found that  prepaid phones were working there and the phones of companies other than BSNL were also working. I had obtained Inner Line Permit, a few days on advance, from the office of Deputy Resident Commissioner at Nagaland House, in New Delhi which we were told, is required for visiting Nagaland, though I discovered later that we hardly need it in Nagaland.

NAGALAND

30^th October 2011 Sunday

On 30^th October Sunday, I started from my home at 4.50 am in early morning. It was all dark. The weather was pleasant which is peculiar to October end in Delhi. I preferred to wear full sleeve T-shirt with Jeans to avoid exposure to morning breeze as my throat had just recovered. At about 5.20 am, I reached the New Delhi Airport (Terminal 1D). I reached the checking in counter just in time. The departure time was 6.15 am and the counters closes 45 minutes prior to that. Got issued Boarding pass. Boarded Indigo airlines flight 6E-273 to Kolkata. The darkness gradually gave way to dawn and improved visibility. The flight started on time at 6.15 am.

At 7.50 am, the aeroplane landed at Kolkata airport (Netaji Subhash Chander Bose Airport). I picked my luggage from the conveyor belt : one big trekking bag and one hand bag which contained items like eatables and camera. I came out of the terminal. Walked with my luggage on trolley towards International Departure Terminal from where I was to catch my next flight to Dimapur. It was a 10 minutes walk. On reaching there, I found that the Air India Flight No.AI-9701 which was to start at 11.30 am to take me to Dimapur was delayed. I had no other option but to sit inside the terminal and wait for the announcement. There was no proper restaurant inside the terminal for taking breakfast. I munched the biscuits, Haldiram bhujia and dry fruits from my hand bag. At 10 am, the security check for my flight was announced. I checked  in my baggage. The flight ultimately took off at 12.30 pm. It was a small plane (ATR).

At 2.30 pm, the flight landed at Dimapur Airport in Nagaland. It was a small airport.  From the aircraft, I directly walked to the terminal. Spoke to Manomayee on mobile who told that she and other members were about to take lunch in Hotel De Oriental Dream which is opposite Hotel Saramati near Super market in Dimapur. From the airport, I took an auto (who charged me Rs.200/-) and reached Hotel De Oriental Dream which was about 5-6 km from the airport. The other members were delighted to see me. We all took lunch together. I took parantha, Paneer and dal while few took non-veg food. I am a strict vegetarian and due to this, I was to face problem in the days to come as this region is a paradise for non-vegetarians. 

After taking lunch, we walked nearby. There was market around (called super market). These 6 members were staying at Commissioner’s Guest House just near the said hotel. I had arranged for my stay at Circuit house Dimapur which was just about ¾ km away. We all in our Sumo taxi went to Circuit House. It was planned that we all will stay in Circuit house.  I had asked for arranging 3 rooms but the caretaker Hom Raj Sharma (a Nepali) informed that only 1 room is available for today for me. He allotted me VIP Suite Room no.201. I put my baggage therein. The room had all facilities like TV, Fridge, AC, Dining table, study table, visitor’s room, sofa, balcony, attached toilet and bathroom having geyser.  The tariff charged for the said Suit was Rs.700/- per day.( For non-officials, the tariff for the suit was Rs.1000/-. The tariff for double room AC was Rs.500/- for officials and Rs.700/- for non-officials and tariff for Double Room Non-AC was Rs.350/- for officials and Rs.500/- for non-officials. These tariffs were increased only recently vide Dy.Commissioner’s order dated 8^th September 2011). However, there was no facility for food in the Circuit House. You could only have tea, bread, egg, though the same were cheaply priced. I spoke to the Circuit House incharge Ms. Akokala (09436013091) on phone. She promised that she will arrange 3 rooms tomorrow. The other members went back to their Guest House (with plan to move to Circuit House tomorrow) and the driver parked the vehicle in Circuit House for safety purpose. I was told that there have been many incidents of vehicle theft in Nagaland. In room, I watched TV and went to sleep at 8 pm as we had to rise early in the morning for next day’s excursion.

On unique thing I noticed was that the sun set very early here and it became all dark by 5 pm in the evening. The shops and markets close by 5 pm. In the morning, the sun rises very early and at 5 am in the morning, the sun is already there forcing you to get up. This is all because sun rises in the east and we were in the farthest eastern part of the country. In a way, the working hours here are reduced. Though the markets close by 5 pm, but they start their day/market as usual at about 10 am.

31^st October 2011 Monday

At 5 am in the morning, I got up in the Circuit house, took bath and then breakfast. The driver Chandan, who also slept in the Circuit House dormitory, went to Commissioner’s Guest House and brought Vanitaji, Manomayee and Amit. The other three did not come and preferred to rest. Today, we had planned to go to Village Benreu in Peren District which, we were informed, was a beautiful village having a resort.

At 7 am in the morning, we started in our Tata Sumo Victa from the Circuit House.  We were not aware of the way to Benreu Village. But we still started hoping to find the way by asking the passerbys on the way. As we knew that Village Benreu was in Peren District, we first enquired about Peren. We were informed that for going to Peren, we have to first go to Jaluki. The distance from Circuit House to Jaluki turned out to be 42 km. We then reached Peren. However, once we are in Peren, we were surprised to see that not many were aware about Benreu. The ones who knew were totally wrong about the distance to the Village Benreu.

At 11.30 am, we reached Village Benreu. The distance from the Circuit House Dimapur to Village Benreu was found to be 94 km. The name of the resort, prepared by the Govt. in the village, is called Mt. Pauna Village Resort. It had 7 huts for accommodation. To our luck and surprise, we discovered that 31^st October happens to be the day for their annual festival. The local naga boys and girls and villagers had gathered in the resort in their traditional attires to celebrate their festival which is called LANGSIMNYI Festival. The programme was called “Festival of Conservation of Ecology through Culture”. We watched their traditional dance and then wrestling competition by children and teenagers. The boys and girls were too cute. We got ourselves photographed with them. The villagers, including the local SDM who seemed to be a learned young man, were very hospitable. They not only offered us Rice bear (which is their traditional drink; rice brewed after fermentation) in glasses made of bamboo and also in Rhino horn but also offered us to join them after the prog for the lunch. A group of school / college students from Sikkim had also come and performed before we had reached there. The food was mainly non-vegetarian with beef, pork, fish etc. I felt suffocated and came out of the dining hall while others relished the local cuisine. It was a feast for them. The resort incharge invited us to stay for a night in the resort and find out about the local culture but we gently declined his invitation as the same did not fit in our itinerary. Thereafter, we went to the Benreu village attached to the resort and spent some time there. Saw the wooden and stone gate at one corner of the village which, we were told, was used in ancient times as entry to this village.

At 1.45 pm, we started from the Benreu village for going back to Dimapur. While returning from Benreu, we took some wrong turn somewhere. Due to this, it took us long to reach back Dimapur. On the way back while passing through local area and villages, as the day was getting over, I experienced fouling smell of meat near every human settlement.

At about 6.15 pm, we reached Commissioner’s Guest House, Dimapur. I dropped Vanitaji, Manomayee and Amit there. Me and Chandan came to Circuit house. I took bath. At 7.30 pm, m and chandan reached back Commisisoners Guest house. We all took dinner together there. At 9.15 pm, me and chandan returned to Circuit House. Chandan was acomodatd in dormitory but he was not very happy and demanded a room and at my request, the staff gave him room no.209 (Rs.350/- per day). At 10.30 pm, I went to sleep after watching a little of tv.

1^st November Tuesday

After morning chores and after doing a little pranayam sitting in the balcony of my room at circuit house, I reached Commissioner guest house. We 7 person in our Sumo Victa started from there at 7.15 am for our today’s excursion. Today, we planned to go to Intanki National Park. The locals were not much aware about this place. After asking at many places, we ultimately reached said place at about 8.45 am. The last stretch to that place was almost non-motorable but our driver managed to drive up and down at dusty and muddy terrain to reach there. We were told that for entering the National park, we would need permission from Deputy Commissioner Office, Dimapur which we did not have (as nobody told us). We were also told that there is some dispute going on between two groups of locals who claim some part of the land under the National Park to be theirs and sometime back the dispute had turned violent.

Thus, we had to contend by roaming in this area. There was a dak bunglow nearby. We went there, to be welcomed by the breeze emanating from the Brahmpura river flowing nearby. This region is almost the boundary area of  Nagaland and river Brahmputra was flowing as a thin river alongside it, separating Nagaland from Assam. After spending sometime there, which was sufficient to relax us, we planned to return. On the way, at about 10.50 am, we reached Nagaland Zoological Park. There is an entry fee to the Park which is a small amount. Inside, we walked and watched various species of animals including Sloth Bear. We also saw a leopard there, caged. We could also see the famous Hornbill, which is Nagaland’s state bird.

At about 12.15 pm, we started from the zoo, back to our guest house. On the way, in Dimapur market, we took lunch at a Punjabi restaurant and also enjoyed lassi. We rested at the Commissioner  guest house for a while. Immediately thereafter, we all went to the Hongkong market  to do a little shopping. But I did not find anything worth buying. Sudha managed to find some beautiful beeds as she is fond of designing.

In the evening, at about 3.45 pm, I went to Kachari Ruins, which are located just opposite the Circuit House. Kachari was a tribe which ruled this region few centuries ago and Dimapur used to be their capital. Though it appeared to be under the control of Archeological survey of India, but inside it was not properly maintained, with revellers drinking and sleeping under the wild long grass which seemed to have grown up owing to improper upkeep.

By this time, it started getting dark. I walked to the Circuit house, situated just opposite. After freshening up, went to Commisisoner guest house and we all had our last dinner in Nagaland.

ASSAM

2^nd November Wednesday

We woke up early as we had to do a long journey by Road from Dimapur to Barpeta Road, Assam. At about 5.30 am, we all started from the Circuit house, Dimapur. On the way, we noticed bihari women offering water to the sun at the  embankments of small rivulets and water bodies wherever they got, on the occasion of Chhath puja. On the way, a few kilometers before Kaziranga, at about 7.30 am, we halted at a dhaba and took our breakfast and tea. Then we passed by Kaziranga National Park and took a few snaps at its imposing large gate. En route, we stopped at a AC restaurant and took lunch.

It was a very tiring journey. We reached Barpeta Road area at about 7.15 pm when it became all dark. We reached a Guest House of Assam Govt, opposite Prasanti Tourist Lodge, under Assam Tourist Development Corporation, Amtala, Barpeta Road. Checked in three rooms. Me and Amit Burman stayed in one room. Amit and Kailas immediately went to office of Forest Reserve in Barpeta Road to get entry passes to Manas National Park for tomorrow. The office was about to close but since Manomayee knew somebody in that office, they waited for us to arrive there and collected our passes. In the morning, the said office open late and we would have got late for entry into Manas if we collected these passes in morning.

We sat together and shared each other’s experiences in life, while sipping bear. Thereafter, we took dinner prepared by guest house staff. At about 10.30, we went to sleep.

3^rd November 2011 Thursday

At about 5.30am, we got up, took bath, breakfast and got ready for our journey to Manas National Park, Mathanguri. At 7.30 am, we started from our guest house in our sumo victa. At about 8.30 am, we reached the office of Forest Range Officer, Bansbari Range. The entry gate of Manas National Park is just 200 mtr from here. We got our passed checked here (which we collected last night) and also informed the said office about our requirement for Elephant Safari tomorrow morning so that they can intimate the elephant owners in advance. The season for animal sighting in Manas has just started 2-3 days back and till the season starts full fledge, the elephants owners are bringing elephants for safari only on advance notice. We also booked here for our accommodation in the only place available for stay inside the Park, which is Inspection Bunglow (IB) at Mathanguri. Since the season has just started, we were lucky to get the accommodation in the IB. The IB is a bunglow maintained by the Government for keeping a vigil on the activities at the border as Mathanguri is the last point in Assam and a river flows adjoining it, dividing Assam and Bhutan. The per room charges for stay at Mathanguri IB are quite steep at Rs.1200/- per room. For the food, they charged Rs.100/- per person per meal. In addition, we were charged Rs.300/- as entry fee for our vehicle and Rs.50/- per person as entry fee and Rs.200/- for dormitory room for the driver.

At 8.45, we reached the gate of Manas National Park. We all got down and were very excited at the idea of staying inside National Park today. We took few snaps. Then we started our journey inside the Park to Mathanguri Inspection bunglow in our sumo victa on jeepable track, with jungle on both sides. Sadly, we could not sight any wildlife. After a 1 ½ hour journey inside the jungle, at about 10.15 am, we reached the Mathanguri Inspection bunglow. Occupied our rooms. These were good rooms, better than our expectation. One can enjoy a very good view of the surroundings from here. A river is flowing just adjoining and present a very calm, serene and scenic view. After taking some snacks, we got down to the river and dipped our legs which rejuvenated us. Then we took lunch in the small mess there. The food was good. Thereafter, we decided to go for a ride to the neighbouring Bhutan. We started in our Sumo but sooner realized that the road was very poor and the path was hilly and circular. We could hardly achieve speed of 20 km per hour. But Bhutan was about 25 km. After going for about 12-13 km, we decided to return back. This route is very virgin and is rarely used for going to Bhutan.

After resting for a while at the IB, we at 2.30 pm started for the Jeep Safari in our Sumo inside the jungle. Since the season has just started, at various palces, the labourers were doing work to repair the jeepable track and to cut the long (almost 10-20 feet high) wild grass. At many places, the grass was burnt by the jungle staff to enhance the visibility of the wildlife. We were unfortunate to not to spot any wild animal in natural habitat. Few other tourists including foreigners were also roaming in the jungle in open jeeps to spot the wildlife. As the sun was setting down, we returned back to the bunglow. Enjoyed the beautiful sunset from the bunglow. By 4.30 pm, it was all dark. We took our dinner at about 7 and then went to sleep.

4^th  November 2011 Friday

We got up early in the morning at 3.30 am. It was a little breezer and colder. At 4 am, we watched the sunrise.  By 4.30 am, the sunshine had already touched some portions of the bunglow. At 4.30 am, we all started in our Sumo to reach back the entrance Gate of Manas National Park. We reached there at 5.30 am. The elephant owners with 5-6 elephants were waiting there for us to give us the experience of Elephant Safari. There was a platform from where one can climb on to the elephant. We adjusted 2 persons on one elephant each. It was my first experience of elephant safari. It was amazing to see how the elephant could trounce upon the high bushes and vegetation to reach the interiors of the jungle to enable us to see the wildlife. It was very thrilling. The elephant took us to the remotest portions if the jungle in search for wildlife but we could see nothing except an elephant in its natural habitat. By this time, the sun was emitting scorching heat and we had no choice but to return back to the Gate where Vanitaji was waiting.

At 7.45 am, we started from Manas National Park Gate for our forward journey to Gauhati, which is our last leg of the journey. We took breakfast at a marwadi restaurant at Barpeta Road on the way. In the evening, at about 3.30 pm, we reached Gauhati Airport and bid good bye to Kailas and Sudha who were going to Kolkatta for sightseeing. The remaining five i.e. me, Mythili, Vanitaji, Manomayee and Amit Burman reached at about 4 pm at the Travel agent’s office in Guahati. We were joined there by Sangeeta Kendel (Manomayee’s friend, who reached from Maharashtra). We cleared the account of Chandan, our driver and bid farewell to him. We six booked our bus tickets to Aizwal, Mizoram, which cost us Rs.650/- per person and which is a over-night journey. We were transported by a bus to the Bus Terminal. From there, the big bus started at about 6 pm for Gauhati.

In the night, at about 8 pm, our bus passed by Shillong.

5^th  November 2011 Saturday

In the morning, the bus developed a snag and had to be repaired. The repair work took longer than expected. This disrupted the entire programme.

Our bus reached Aizwal at about 7 pm in the night. It turned out to be the longest bus journey of my life.

We got down at one of the bus stands. From there, we took two taxis (Maruti 800), who charged us Rs.250/- per taxi and reached the YHAI, Aizwal at about 7.30 pm. Mizoram is called the land of Maruti cars. One can see Maruti 800 in abundance here.

On reaching YHAI hostel, which is at Luangmual, we were welcomed by Ms. Mastie Etlar, Nunui, Zuali and Lalboih at the reception (who are college girls). We filled our forms and we were allotted our rooms. Other participants of our group had already taken their dinner. We six took dinner. I and Amit went for a walk outside the hostel and returned after 1 hour. At 10 pm, went to sleep.

MIZORAM

6^th November 2011 Sunday

Woke up at 7 am. Got ready. All took breakfast at 8 am in the mess. Met fellow participants. After breakfast, most went outside for sightseeing. We six at 9.45 am strolled out and decided to discover the surrounding area. Went to a nearby church. Since it happened to be Sunday, the life in Mizoram appeared to have come to a standstill with all shoos and establishments closed and people thronging to church for prayers and enjoyment. Then we walked to famous War Memorial nearby, which is a cemetery of those who lost their lives in the freedom struggle in Mizoram.

At 1 pm, we returned to the hostel. Took lunch. After some rest, we again walked out to discover more of the nearby areas. After walking for about 3-4 km, we returned back to the hostel at about 4 pm.

We were served tea and pakora in the evening at the hostel and then delicious dinner in the night. The cook was a local whose name was Kunga. The name of the base camp incharge was Mr.Doa. In the night, we were given a presentation about the trek by Ms.Muani who is Jt.Secretary of UHAI Mizoram and surprisingly speaks good hindi. She educated us about various useful words and phrases used frequently in Mizoram in day-to-day life and explained their meaning. She also sung a beautiful Mizo song in a hilarious gesture: “Eskimo Siliava, Sangi Mendi Lai”. Mr.Abhay Joshi from Bhavnagar was selected as our Group Leader.

At 10 pm, we went to sleep.

7^th November 2011 Monday : Trek from Basecamp to  Vaipuanpho camp

Woke up at about 6 am in the morning. After breakfast, at 7.30 am everyone lined up in the campus outside for a briefing by the YHAI State President and for flagging off for the higher camps. We were 28 persons in our group. We were provided three guides : David (09612214342), Loma and VL. We were provided a bus which transported us to a place from where our trek was to start and dropped us there at about 8.50 am.

After walking for about 2 ½ hours, we reached Serlui, a small Hydel project (1 MW) of the Power and electricity Department of Govt of Mizoram. This was Aizwal-Reike Road. Shortly, we reached Suspension Girder Bridge over the river and walked over it and took snaps. It was a beautiful view. We sat in a dhaba by the side of the bridge and took tea. Then we got down to the river and sat on rocks and enjoyed the scenery with legs dipped in the river.

At 2.15 pm, we reached our first camp i.e. Vaipuanpho camp.  Met the camp leader. We were given welcome drink and pakoras, as is the tradition in every YHAI trek.

At about 7.30 pm, we were served dinner in the open. We all participants mingled and we also had a campfire where the participants and the camp leaders and cooks sang songs and cracked jokes. There was no electricity in this camp. The tents were pitched on cemented surface. The toilet was a pucca toilet but one had to cross a small make-a-shift bridge over a stream to reach there. There were total 3 toilets.

At about 10 pm, we went to sleep.

8^th November 2011 Tuesday : Trek to Ailawng Camp and caving

I got up at about 4 am in the morning. Came out of the camp. It was a starry night and one could see thousands of stars in the sky. Ravi, who is a scientist, was gazing stars. We two tried to spot the cuckoo bird whose voice could be heard. We were joined by Sandeep Pandurang (from Bangalore) who is an avid nature lover. I was stunned and mesmerized by his vast knowledge about flora, fauna and insects. He told that the continuous sound (like a pressure cooker) which we were hearing throughout in this region, was an insect called Cicada and the sound emitted by it signifies that it is inviting its female counterpart for mating ! He also told that the life cycle of cicada is very short and it dies immediately after mating.

As the sun came out of slumber and the darkness gave way to light, more and more participants woke up and gathered there for morning tea and to do their morning chores. Vanitaji had a complaint that my voice, being loud and due to my speaking with Ravi and Sandeep in the early morning, she could not sleep properly.

After taking breakfast, our group started at about 7.30 am for trek to the next camp. Today’ trek was about 8 km. But it was a tough trek. There was steep hike at places. The terrain today was almost up-climb today. Vanita ji had a harrowing time in doing todays’ trek. (She even fainted at one place and on reaching Ailawng camp, she in the night today was transported by jeep back to the base camp for taking rest as she dropped from the trek).  In today’s trek, several participants got bitten by leech. We walked on road at some places.

At 1 pm, we reached the Ailawng Camp. On reaching there, we were served hot tea and pakora.

At 2 pm, the group members led by the caving guides were taken to the caves for caving, which were reached after walking for about ½ hour. I found that it was really very dangerous to cross the caves. There was total darkness inside and one had to carry torch and at the same time keep both hands free for maneuvering. On had to climb up and down inside and sometime to crawl in total darkness and there was shortage of oxygen and fresh air inside. I had walked a few steps inside cave when one member in the front yelled that she could see in her front that it was too risky and therefore has decided to get back and suggested others also to get back. Hearing this and as I was already feeling suffocated, I retracted back and shunned the idea of caving. This idea was also shared by at least 10 other members. The others mustered courage to do the caving (cave was about 120 mtr long and there was kites (chamgadad) inside) and I salute them for their courage. We, who could not gather courage, waited outside, at the other end of cave, for the courageous members to reach there  one hour after travelling through the harrowing cave. One by one, all members reached there, all drenched and their clothes, hands and feet all dusty. We pulled them out from the cave. After that, we all gathered and walked to another cave which was infact small space beneath a big rock and one went in and came out from the same opening. The 1^st cave is called Khuangehera Puk (162 mtr long) and the 2^nd cave is called Suandunga Puk (25 mtr long). “Puk” means cave. hereafter, we all walked back to the camp.  On way, we witnessed locals playing football in a open space on the mountain which presented a beautiful treat for the eyes. There was a big tree and an open graveyard/kabristan. Some members climbed on the tree.

At about 5 pm, all returned to the camp. Some of those who got dusty due to caving took bath. At 6 pm, dinner was served. From 6.30 to 8.30 pm, campfire was held and all enjoyed. The tents were pitched on cemented surface. The toilet was a pucca toilet.  There were  3 toilets for gents and 3 toilets for ladies. There was no electricity in the camp (there was electricity in nearby village but nobody ventured out due to total darkness outside). At 10.30, went to sleep.

9^th November 2011 Wednesday : Trek to Hawlhhah camp via Reike

At 5.30, I woke up. After freeing from toilet and facewash, took breakfast (puri, tea) and started at 7.40 am from the camp for trek to the next camp. At 9 am, we reached point Reike (which is part of Reiketalang village). This is the highest point of Mizoram. One can have 360 degree view of whole of Mizoram from here. It was a very beautiful view. One could feel pleasant breeze here. There is also a watch-tower here from where one can have better view of the valley. We spent about 45 minutes here and took snaps.

At about 9.45 am, we started again. Upto Reike, it was climb up. Now, it was down and down. At about 11 am, we reached ethnic village resort. We ate packed lunch here. There was a cafeteria, we took tea here. There was parking area also, for the tourists to park their vehicles. I could see a big mobile tower nearby. At 11.50 am, we started again and had to walk on road. We passed through a village which appeared to be non-rural and we saw a bank and then shops selling branded snacks and beverages. Most of the route is jeepable path.

At 2.30 pm, we reached the Hawlhhah camp. We travelled total 11.5 km distance today. We were welcomed by the camp leader Rupesh Nandi (from Kolkata). We were offered soup, tea and biscuits. This camp was in the jungle by the side of the river stream. We were tempted by the stream and many, including me, ventured and took bath in the stream which had rocks hidden in it and stream was flowing in a descent. There were big black holes in the rocks in the stream and sitting in it with legs hanging outside acted like jacuzzi !

At 6.30 pm, dinner was served which comprised rice, dal, mix veg, pickle. From 7.30 to 9 pm, we had campfire (by burning deadwood at every camp). It was not very cold and was rather pleasant. There was no constructed toilet in this camp. This is inside jungle, much away from any human habitation. A big septic tank / hole made at one place in the jungle where one can ease. One bucket was provided. For washing and teeth brushing, one had to get down 15-20 steps to reach the stream. For stay, two big polythene tents were pitched up on jungle surface, one for gents and the other for ladies. Thermocoal mattresses were provided and 2 blankets per person were provided. It acted like a dormitory.  For the 1^st time in this trek, we all 16 males slept together in one tent. The tent was airy. The dew kept falling the entire night, making water to collect over the tent and making it colder inside. At 10 pm, we went to sleep.

10^th November 2011 Thursday : Trek to Nghalchawm camp

We got up at 5.30 am. After freeing from morning schedule of toilet and washing, took breakfast at 7 am. At 8.30 am, we started from the camp. Rupesh came with us upto ¾ km. He was young and energetic. It was all decline from here and it was basically a jungle trail.  In ½ hour, we reached a river stream. We had to cross it. We took out our shoes to prevent them from getting wet. Some members were beaten by leaches here. (I was told that in some parts of the world, getting bitten by leach is a therapy as the leach such impure blood and leave pure blood in our body). We reached a hut after ½ hour walk. From here, we have to climb up, which got steeper after some time and lasted throughout. I got tired. We could move very slow due to steep climb. It appeared whatever height we came down yesterday, we were climbing the same from the other side.

At 11.30 am, we reached Village Lengte. Took packed lunch here. I plucked a big fruit (Mausami like) which was red from inside. It was very delicious. Others also ate it. The locals told that it is called Ser Tok. At 1.15 pm, we started again after resting. The road was just nearby. We crossed the road and then climbed down in the jungle. In the jungle, we had to move up and down.  There are thousands of varieties of butterflies in Mizoram and we spotted several colourful butterflies in the jungle. After coming out of the jungle, we walked about ½ km on the tar road.

At 2.30 pm, we reached Nghalchawm camp. The camp leader Mr.Rova welcomed us. We were offered welcome drink : Rasna, soup and biscuits. We washed ourselves. It was a good camping site. There were 4 tents in one row and 4 tents in the opposite row. The tents were pitched on 4 inch cemented surface. It appeared to be a permanent camping site. Thermocoal mattresses and 2 blankets each were provided. The toilets were pucca toilets – two for gents and two for ladies, downstairs. One had to bring water in bucket from behind the kitchen, which looked very odd and mindless.  At all camps (except Hawlhhah), tents have zips and thus can be closed fully.

At 4.30 pm, we were given tea. At 6 pm, we were served dinner. Mizo food was served. I somehow did not like it and managed with only the soup part. We did campfire till 9 pm. Some members were busy taking contact details of others, with promise to keep in touch after the trek. Kardam Modi from Gujarat was such a good player of flute that he enthralled everybody during the trek with the bollywood songs and bhazans on his flute. Went to sleep at 10 pm.

11^th November 2011 Friday : Trek to Sihhmui and then by bus to basecamp

We woke up at 5.30 am in the morning. Took breakfast. At 8.40 am, we started from the camp. Within 15 min, we all reached the tar road. We walked about 1 km on the tar road (the walk was a little ascending upto the village) to reach Village Nghalchawm.  It took us total 35 min from the camp to reach hbere. We sat in the village. Charged our mobiles and camera battery in the villagers houses. People in the village watching TV in their homes. The camp leader Rova accompanied us upto this point. Mizo is a woman dominated society unlike other cultures where males dominate. In marriage. Rs.420/- is given by the boy side to the girl side ! While women work, the men generally sit idle.

At 9.25 am, we started from the village. From here, our walk was descending. At 10.20 am, we reached the hanging bridge over the river. Few had still energy left to get down to the river and take bath therein. I slept after crossing the bridge, by spreading my yoga sheet. At 11.40 am, we all started for the final lag of our trek. It was 10-15 min steep climb from there, then 10 min down. Thereafter, we reached the road.   Our bus (arranged by YHAI) was waiting there. This point is near to a place called Sairangon NH-54. All got into the bus. Some sat on the roof of the bus.

At 12.30 pm, the bus started for onward journey to the basecamp. At 1.30 pm, we reached the basecamp. (Vanita ji was resting there). Took bath. (Since Sangeeta had to catch train from Guahati, she left the hostel at 2 pm after bidding farewell to all). Few members left for Burma for sightseeing in Champai village and Champai river.

At 3.35 pm, we five left for the market to do some shopping and sightseeing as we had nothing else to do and our flight back to Delhi was on 13^th November. We walked to the bus stand, which was 10 min walk from the youth hostel. Took city bus from the bus stand. Got down at Temple Square in Aizwal (bus charges were Rs.10/- per person). It is market area. We entered into a shopping complex. Vanitaji and Mythili ji did some shopping. We took food in Crown Restaurant. Most restaurants serve mainly non-veg food made of pork, beef, chicken; only few have veg food also. We took masala dosa, American choupsey, lassi, cold coffee. At 5 pm, it became dark and almost entire market closed down. Abhay Joshi, Malti and Saroj Patel were also roaming in the market like us. We took a city bus from there to another local market (Rs.8/- per person ticket). From there, we 8 took two Maruti 800 taxi for YHAI @ Rs.100/- per taxi. Reached Youth hostel at 6.40 pm. We learnt mizo words from the girls at the reception.

The dinner was served at 7.30 pm but we skipped the same. Some members had already left after the trek. Met one trekker (Mhapsekar) who was with me in Darjeeling trek. Went to sleep at 10 pm.

12^th November Saturday

We five hired a Innova taxi for sightseeing in Aizwal today. The taxi came late at 9 am.

At 10 am, we reached Mizoram Science Centre. It is a good place for recreation developed by the State Government. Infact, I found this centre to be at par with the one in Singapore. There was even a 3D theatre in it, which was recently inaugurated. We enjoyed a short movie inside it.

At 12.20 pm, we reached KV Paradise. But it was closed. Took snaps there. Then at 1.50 pm, we reached Solomon’s Temple. It is infact an incomplete church. We also went to Museum (near Governor’s house) but it was closed by the time we reached there. At 4.30 pm, we returned to the youth hostel.

Dinner was served at 7 pm. Whatever members were left, wer so mingled that the idea of separation was disturbing them.  Our room today was empty (as our roommates had left) and only me and Amit were left in our room. At 10.30, went to sleep.

13^th November  Sunday

Woke up at 6 am. Took bath and breakfast. Bid good bye to all. At 8.15 am, our taxo came. Me, Mythili, Anurag and Ankit got into the taxi as our flight was earlier than Vanitaji, Amit, Manomayee. Started from youth hostel at 8.30 am. Reached Lengpui Airport, Aizwal at 9.45 am. We 4 took breakfast in the restaurant at 1^st floor of the airport as there was sufficient time for the flight to take off.

At 11.30 am, the Air India flight took off from Aizwal airport. At 12.30, the flight landed at Imphal airport. Then after 20 min, it flew again. At about 1.30 pm, we reached Calcutta airport. Anurag and Ankit left for their respective places in Kiolkata. Mythili ji took her flight to Mumbai which was about to leave. My flight to Delhi was late, which got further delayed and thus I had no option but to wait ant the airport.

At 7.30 pm, the Spicejet flight took off from Calcutta airport. At 9 pm, reached Delhi Airport. I caught a taxi and reached home at 9.30 pm.

Thus, another beautiful journey and trek came to an end.

Useful information about Mizoram trek:

1.   Postpaid Vodaphone, Airtel connections working here. The pre-paid connections are also working in Aizwal. Mobile signal is available almost throughout the trek route.

2.  There is no electricity at any camp. So charge your gadgets fully in advance. Charging can also be done en-route in the villages. If possible, carry a portable charger.

3.       Carry salt for removing the leach in case you are bitten by leach.

4.       Sunday is totally closed in Mizoram. The whoile Mizoram come to a standstill. Even the buses do not ply. So plan you program accordingly to avoid any inconvenience on this account.

5.       Language and food is a problem in Mizoram. The vegetarians, particularly, will find very less options for veg food.

6.       The lifestyle of Mizo people is very modern. They have excellent dress sense.

7.       The sun rises very early and sets very early.

Useful terms in Mizo (which we learnt during the trek) :

Mizo                                      English/Hindi

Klome                                   Thank you

Idem em                              How are you

Mang tha                             Good night

Chibai                                    Namaste, good morning, Good morning and like

Ainge ming ?                      what is your name ?

Tunge ming ?                     who are you ?

K mangai che                     I love you

Hilim                                      happy

E hilim em ?                        Are you happy ?

Riltram                                  hungry

Cho                                        food

Thinkpui                               tea

Tui                                          water

Saa                                         meat

Ku ba                                     supari

Kanu                                      mother

Te                                           small

Lian                                        big

 Sunil Goel advocate B.Sc. L.Lb L.Lm

New Delhi (09810215488)

email : sunilgoel@rediffmail.com