Trip to Tuting , Gelling and Singa in Arunachal Pradesh

Hi George,
I keep visiting Arunachal several times every year. So you need not visit India twice.Mid December to Mid Jan is a very good time to visit Arunachal as it rains very little during this time.Also all temporary roads remain open and risk of landslide is almost nonexistant.
In winter I visit Arunachal generally in second or third week of December or second week of Jan.
During your winter programme we can travel together for about a week to good places in Arunachal.For the remaining days of your trip I can help you selecting places and other things . If you wish I can share with you pictures of different places in Arunachal that I had shot during my visits.This might help you to select places of your interest during your praposed visit. I need to know your e-mail ID to e-mail pictures.
Similarly as you need RAP , we Indians need ILP and I have observed that the things are very easy and speedy to get it from Delhi office of Arunachal Pradesh.
Regards,
Kaushik

Hi Kaushik,

In my eagerness I may have bitten more than I can chew. Having gone through your postings again, I realised that there was no mention of duration and distances walked from village to village. My medical condition is known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth and atrophied muscles means very little stamina for long distance/duration walks. At the moment, I am able to cover only 4km in 75 minutes on alternate days. Trekking agencies cover 15km to 20km per day which is beyond my capability. Lately I have pushed myself to cover slightly over 5km in 90 mins.

Once I've done that I'm done for the day as there is very little left in my system to carry me forward, as I am too exhausted by then. I believe I would be able to work towards covering 8km daily in 3 months time but my upper limit is probably 10km per day.

If your walks are within my ability (of slow walking) then I would like very much to join you, otherwise thank you for lifting my spirits and permitting me to dream of what I had been able to do previously.

I would love to have a look at your photographs.

Many thanks & regards,
George

Hi George ,

Yes I am aware of your medical condition.
It is not necessory that you need to walk long distance to enjoy Arunachal Pradesh. Some fifteen years back the story was different. There were very limited road connectivity.Now very good road network is available. You can see most of the things while sitting inside hired car ! And in most of the tourist circuits it involves less than one or two kms of walking at the most.So you absolutely need not worry.
I was pleased at your interest to visit Arunachal and being Indian I am inspired to cooperate you.
So pl do not get disappointed. We will communicate further and you will be offered many choices of places to select yor option. And also my possible involvement at some points in the selected route in December.
Regards ,
Kaushik

Hi George,

I got your email and understand you are having some issue in communicating with Kaoushik, I am going to share his email to you so that you can be in touch with him directly. In IM, as you are a new member, may be there is some security settings that prevent you to share your email in open forum but anyway that's a good idea I guess. Let me know if you receive my email or not.

I too have a plan to visit Siang Districts in December this year, let's see how things shape up.

My apologies to Kaoushik as I still couldn't upload the snaps he sent on this trip, let me try a few today. All these snaps are taken by Kaoushik in his Tuting-Gelling-Singa Trip.

Enjoy the snaps and let's thank him for capturing a few snaps from one of the remotest part of India and sharing with us those nice moments.

Few More Snaps of Kaoushik from same trip here. They are amazing!!

Kaoushik, I think, it needs a small narration from you on these 10 snaps if you can. I don't have much idea on them other than last two.

Last one is Inspection Bunglow Tuting and the last but one is the famous Gandhi Bridge on mighty Siang River.

Nice pictures! Thanks kaoushik and kshil
.

Wonderful photos!

Beautiful shots.

What is the approximate altitude of the places shown? Noticed banana trees in some of them, does it mean it is semi-tropical in climate?

The Inspection bungalow(s) look very decent. I've spent nights in crummier PWD bungalows than this.

Is the river Siang the same as the Tsangpo that originates in Tibet?

Thanks,

george

The Siang is the Arunachali name for the Tsangpo.


I have no wish to hijack this wonderful thread, but you may like to read my report:


http://www.indiamike.com/india/other...adness-t78512/

The cost to stay in Inspection Bunglow is just US$ 3 per day including two meals and two times tea !

Yes it is, the area through which Tsangpo enters in India is still one of the most mysterious and least accessible stretch in the world. Have you read the following thread?

Riddle Of The Tsangpo Gorge

It is originated from Manas Saravar in Tibet and flows towards East, the same lake from where 3 other famous asian rivers are also originated, Indus flows towards North, Sutlej towards West and Karnali towards South.

The Tsangpo rises in south-west Tibet near Mount Kailash, sacred to Buddhists, Hindus and Jains. It flows east for 2,700 miles (1,700 kilometres) before entering the sheer Tsangpo gorge, a 150-mile canyon cutting through the eastern Himalayas whose remotest falls had not been reached by outsiders, Chinese included, until a decade ago. As it charges through the gorge, the river falls from 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) to 1,000 feet. In India's Arunachal Pradesh it makes a 180-degree turn and becomes the Brahmaputra; in Bangladesh it joins the Ganges to form a giant delta. It is one of only two great rivers rising in Tibet or China that remains undammed. The other is the Salween, for which dams are also planned.
The Zangmu dam is under construction for which India has objected. But I think that India should not worry at this.From visual observation of this river emerging from China and the Brahmputra entering Bangladesh , it seems that water flowing from China to India contributes less thn 5% !

I am planning for Tuting after couple of weeks. I hope this information will help me a lot.
Which path will be better Dibrugarh-along-tuting, or Dibrugarh-Pasighat-tuting.
Any other suggestion.
Anything from your side, Kaushik??

Hi raghavpulse,

It depends on your mode of transport. If you are thinking of taking the boat up the Brahmaputra (which is cheap and scenic) then you can board the boat at Dibrugarh, all the way to Pasighat, taking all day to reach there. From Pasighat you can visit the Mishmis and the Adis and then proceed to Along, stronghold of the Adis. From Along head north towards Tuting, via Mechuka. It is a fantastic journey!

After that, you might wish to head towards Ziro, to visit the Apatanis.

Then back down to the Assam plains and onwards home.