My travelogue to the Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains.

Right on Theyyam.

Mt. K from an aircraft, right in front of one's eyes!!!!! I guess I'd have asked the pilot to drop me off right there!! That must have been a delight.

Great start...keep 'em pouring!

Christmas has always had a special place in my heart, and what could be better than waking up to Christmas in Bhalukpong, amidst the lap of nature.

It was a beautiful morning. We were supposed to resume our journey at 7.30 a.m, hence we woke up early. It was 5.15 when we woke up and crawled out of bed to a very pleasant morning. It was not very cold, only light woolens would suffice there. The first thing I did after getting out of bed was to move the curtains away from the big windows and open the balcony. We were very delighted with the scene that greeted us. The quietly flowing Jia Bhoroli River was just beneath our balcony,outside the campus of the hotel,and the river was surrounded on all sides by lush green mountains. Birds were chirping and the cool breeze added to the flavour of Christmas morning. We could hear sounds of the daily morning chores in the hotel kitchen downstairs. A little girl was running around in the lawn downstairs and tagging behing her was a cute little pup. Hotel Solu is a very nice place. The room which we stayed in was very nice, and the garden in front with a few cottage like enclosures for dining, was very appealing. The lawn was very nicely maintained with flower shrubs and different kinds of plants. We stood in the balcony for a long time clicking photographs, and then we went downstairs. We ordered for some tea and breakfast. However didn't like the options available for breakfast. Only Puri/paratha etc were the options, no bread or toast. We didnt want to have oily stuff early in the morning, hence decided that we would have breakfast on our way, and just asked for 2 cups of tea. We also told them to keep our bill ready as we would be checking out in a short while. Having talked to them, we went out to the garden and the puppy spotting us, ran to us immediately. Very playfully it grabbed the bottom of my track pants with its teeth and started pulling me. I picked it up and cuddled it for a long time. It was really sweet. After a while my hubby went up to the room and I was still busy playing with the pup. Hubby dearest went upstairs only to click some photographs of me with the pup from our balcony. Soon the kid came again and the pup forgot all about me and ran after her. She told me that the puppy was called Tyson. Quite suited his personality
Time was running and I went back to my room to get ready. We got ready, packed our belongings and checked out of the hotel. After clearing the bills, we boarded the cab once again and started our journey.

Our destination for today was Bomdila. Uddhab said it would take 5 to 6 hours to reach there. We drove along the roads beside the Jia Bhoroli river and looked in awe at our surrounding. We were soaking in each and every sight that came before us. The condition of the road was quite bad, in fact 'terrible' would be the right word. It was a rocky ride. After about 20 minutes we reached the Tipi Orchid Sanctuary. Its a very neat place, with lots of plants and trees, obviously, but unfortunately this was not the season for orchids hence we could not see a single flower.There were a couple of different other kinds of flowers but we weren't able to view orchids in the Orchid Sanctuary. After clicking few photos there we resumed our journey. We then came across a place called Sessa. This place also has an Orchid Sanctuary but this time we didnt go in for a visit as we wouldn't be able to see orchids anyway. After driving for an hour,our driver brought the car to a halt beside a small house,with a shop in front. He said this was the place for breakfast.

We looked around the place. The roads were in a terrible state. Yet the place had a charm about it.Just opposite the shop was a small waterfall, from where these guys fetch water for their daily chores.Behind the shop the river flowed on. An old woman was sitting out in the sun beside the road and looked at us with a smile. There were a few kids playing around and a small baby sitting quietly in its mother's lap. I went to ask her if I could take a photograph of the baby,and she happily agreed. Seeing me preparing my camera for a photo, all the other kids came in to join for the snap. We clicked their photos and showed them the preview. The innocent kids were delighted to see themselves captured in the camera. Having finished with our photo session, we went ahead to have our breakfast. Not much options being available, we ordered for Maggi. One thing is for sure. Maggi has never tasted as good as this. During our entire Arunachal trip, we had maggi coutless times and it was amazing. They make it in a very different way with lots of vegetable and keep it a bit soupy. Also the quantity is quite a lot. I really doubt whether they use just one packet per plate, or more than that. While we were waiting for our Maggi, the baby was placed in a carton by another kid, and pulled all around the room by his elder brother.It remained quietly seated in the cardboard carton. It was a funny sight to behold,the baby being dragged along in a carton by the other kid, while the baby's mother was cooking maggi for us.
Finally our breakfast was ready. Steaming hot maggi with loads of vegetable was served to us in big bowls. We relished each and every spoon till the end. The price of Maggi in this state is almost Universal, at least was the same wherever we had it. Rs. 30/- per plate. And trust me,it is definitely worth it. After having paid the money we continued our journey once again.

We stopped here and there for taking pics and then there was a beautiful waterfall on the way where we spent some time.

On our way to Bomdila we encountered numerous army base camps. It really amazed me to see so many army camps. I have never in my life seen so many army camps within a span of such short distance. The picturesque surroundings added a large degree of appeal to these army camps. Huge mountains, streams running here and there, and a constant flowing river near the army camps made it an ideal place. I could have spent hours gazing at these sights.

One more thing that amazed me was the banana plantation there. I have never before seen banana trees in mountain areas. This place seemed to be thriving in banana plantations. We spotted a lot of pineapple trees, and orange trees as well. Trees loaded with fruits is a sight which I always cherish.

After a couple of hours we stopped again at a shop tucked away in the mountainside to buy some dry eatables,like cakes, biscuits and chips. We saw that all the shops were selling oranges.These were the local oranges they said. We bought some oranges and also bought Kiwis from there. Kiwis are their local fruit and believe me are quite different from the Kiwis that we find here in the cities. The Kiwis there have an awesome taste. Maybe thats because they are fresh from the trees and not kept for days in cold storage.

The road to Bomdila is the only road which can be spoken of positively. Thats the only smooth gravel road that I encountered in our entire trip. Hence the drive did not take long. We reached Bomdila at 1.00 p.m

The hotel that was booked for us was Hotel Siphiangpong. Rampal had booked a Super Delux room for us here at the rate of Rs.2200. However the room not being in a good condition we shifted to the suite room, at the rate of Rs.5000/- per night. Extravagant but required because both of us are very choosy about the rooms we stay in. After a tiring and adventurous day in the mountains, we like to come back to the comfort of a cozy and luxurious room, hence we prefer to spend a bit more on the rooms we stay.

Having said that, the room was not at all worth the money and so were the services. The room was very nice and clean, a small sitting room with sofas and a centre table, a dressing table and a bedroom with a 32" LCD. The most appealing thing about the room was the balcony which opened up to a fantastic view of Bomdila. the bathroom was okay, neat and clean, but the flush was not working and the geyser was not heating the water as it should have done. Though the room was lovely, still it was not worth Rs.5000/ at least.

We ordered for lunch in our room. Fried Rice and Dry Chilli chiken was our lunch for the day. It was yummy. After lunch we freshened up and went downstairs as our driver was waiting to take us to the Bomdila Monastery.

Gaden Rabgye Ling Monastery or better known as GRL Monastery,was situated at a distance of just 10 minutes from our hotel. The Monastery is situated on top of a mountain, and as I always feel when I enter the premises of a Monastery, this time also I felt the same peace and tranquility when I entered. I could hear soft chiming sounds from a distance, and could see many Lamas going about their regular activities. Lamas are Buddhist monks or boys who are preparing themselves to become monks. Just opposite the main monastery is the accomodation for these Lamas, and we could see many young Lamas studying in the sunlit balcony or playing around. We photographed a lot of them. After having seen the Monastery to our heart's content, I lit a Buddhist Lamp and came out of the Monastery. It is said lighting of these lamps is very auspicous and your wishes are fulfilled.
We came out of the place to learn that there is a Monastery guest house within the campus of the Monastery where tourists can stay. Being very curious about how a stay in a Monastery Guest House would be, we wanted to have a look. The name of the Guest House is Doe-Gu-Khil Guest House. It is situated a bit downhill from the main Monastery. We went down to check the rooms in the guest house. A guy belonging to the Guest House assisted us and happily obliged by showing us the different rooms. All I can say is it would be a different experience altogether to stay at this place, away from the crowd, within the peace and serenity of the Monastery. Though the acomodation is very basic, yet there is a charm about the rooms. All the rooms are wood panelled, have attached bathrooms, Geysers and there is a very charming dining room. Though people would not get the comfort and luxury of a delux hotel here, yet it would really be magical to stay in a place like this. The only repulsive thing about this place was a constant strong smell of phenyle that followed us wherever we went in the Monastery Guest House. The room rates are economical too. There are 2 kinds of rooms, one kind for 750/- and another kind for 1450/-. Both kinds were okay. The guy who took us round the guest house was a really sweet chap and told us that this is a very basic place and not as good as the hotel where you are staying. He was very humble and polite and gave us the contact information and procedures to book the guest house in advance.

After a very satsfying trip to the Monastery we drove back to our hotel again. We had the entire evening free at our our leisure. Not much to see in Bomdilla except the Monastery and the view of the mountains surrounding the town. Hence we came back to our room and spent the rest of the evening in our balcony sipping hot coffee and gazing at the surrounding mountains. As darkness descended, the mountain side came alive with small lights which dotted up the entire darkness. It was a sight to capture in our memories for ever.

The temperature started dipping as the darkness started increasing. We checked with the guy in the reception who had a thermometer installed, to measure room temperature. The temperature at that point was -2. Human psychology worked and we started feeling more cold after having confirmed the temperature.
After having spent a lovely evening on the balcony we decided it was time for Dinner and then to bed as tomorrow was a long day. We would start for Tawang at 7.00 a.m and the journey was to be long and tedious, through Sela Pass. We were really looking forward to this day hence we decided to go to bed soon. We had a tasty dinner. Hubby chose to have chappati and chicken while I stuck to noodles. Temperature dipped very low by that time and though we had a room heater which was constantly on since we came in, we requested the reception for an additional room heater and extra blankets. There was big delay in getting the things we wanted and it took numerous calls to finally get everything in place. After one last look at Bomdila enveloped in darkness, we snuggled down into bed and slowly moved off to dreamland.

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Great going cutiepie! I could visualize each moment...I cuddled the puppy with you, and could feel the jerk on those rugged roads. However, it was a pity to learn that you didn't get the expected service from your hotel, after shelling out a fortune. Enjoying every line of the write-up....keep 'em coming!

Thanks Sagar. The pleasure is all mine as in writing the travelogue I am reliving each and every moment.

Cutiepie, we stayed at the Monastery Guest House back in 2009 and it was not a good experience at all.

Enjoying your report!

Oh thats bad to hear. I just had a look at the roooms though and found them to be okay-ish. Dont have an idea about the services. Are teh services bad? Or the facilities?

It was terribly draughty and freezing cold. Some other guests had lit fires - open fires - on the landing outside our room ; and they were cooking their food there (ironically there were huge notices on the back of the door of our bedroom forbidding food inside the rooms!). As a consequence of the impromptu dinner party outside, smoke seeped under the door into our room and we were suffocating and hardly slept all night. The geyser for hot water was broken. Bed tea - or any kind of tea at all - was not forthcoming in the morning, in spite of numerous requests. I actually shouted and swore at the staff. They said, Yes I know it is not permitted to let guests cook on the premises. But, if we don't allow it, other hotels will allow it. So what should we do? I felt sorry for her. But I felt more sorry for us. I have not written about this before, preferring to dwell on the positive side of travel experiences. And now - in hindsight - it makes me laugh.

Hmm... thanks for your inputs Theyyam. This would definitely help future travellers

@cutiepie...hope you are working on that next report..you sure have a "hungry" group of readers waiting here for it lol....don't be unfair to them.am one of them

She has really been putting efforts, I can assure you that!

I know how daunting the task of writing a TR can be, and she has done a great job in sharing the experiences of the first 2 days in such a short time. She is well aware aware of the clan of hungry people like us, it seems .

sure is sagarneel...never managed to write one till date....patience deserts me at the last moment..sure feel good to read a well compiled one tho

guess small talk as we wait...lol

Its never too late, though!

cutiepie ,

Christmas and new year has always been special for you - whether its in Bhutan or in the remotest Arunachal- isn't it ? Who can forget first snowfall in Bhutan. Very good going. Sorry to know the premium you had paid for just more than average room. Very nice description...