Mechuka Madness

theyyamdancer

Indeed. And I would dearly love to know who discovered that umbrella/parasol - a gift from my niece in England - which has pictures of cats on it (incongruous?) and to what use it has undoubtedly by now been put... I can imagine many uses as well as an umbrella in the forthcoming monsoon. For instance, a baby's hammock; or a place to winnow rice; what else?

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"Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

theyyamdancer

I really appreciate your encouragement, Mousourik, and I would like to say a big Thank You to you for helping me plan this trip behind the scenes. Your research into Arunachal Pradesh has proved invaluable. I am only sorry that you have not been able to visit yet.

Also, thanks to Jorge Reverter, whose brilliant recommendation of a travel agent enabled us to complete this journey safely and enjoyably.

And, thanks to K.S. Bluechip who encouraged me to insist on the boat trip which I certainly don't regret.

And, thanks to Ananya for her helicopter advice!

And, thanks to Vistet for advice gratefully received on altitude sickness.

Now, back to the travellogue...

After the Ziro experience we drove down to Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, in some trepidation - would we find a working internet cafe after so long in the wildnerness? Would we be able to catch up on some laundry after many days of cold weather and bucket baths (when we were lucky). Such prosaic matters filled our heads until we visited the State Museum of Itanagar. It was extremely well displayed and answered many of our queries about tribals. Also we were very happy to find a stash of books by Verrier Elwin, whose trail we had been following. We had a long chat with the curator of the museum and he was even happier to find people to buy the (somewhat dusty) contents of his bookshelf!

Inside the display cases we saw the costumes of the many different tribes. There was also a wonderful Thanka Gallery - an appetizer for the Buddhist delights of Tawang. I learnt that the Buddhist tribes of Arunachal are:

The Monpas of Tawang
The Sherdukpen near Bomdila, West Kameng
The Nah-A, Neo-Buddhists of Upper Subansiri
The Memba of West Siang
The Tai-Khampti of Lohit
The Singhpo of Changlang

My personal favourite of the deities depicted is Tara, the Green Goddess. She was portrayed in the wall-hangings, thankas, under her pseudonym of Doikor.

At the risk of putting some people to sleep, this is the complete list of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh given in the museum, and I am quite sure it is not complete:

Monpas, Sherdukpens, Nyshis, Apatanis, Tagins, Adis, Galos, Khamties, Mishmis, Wanchos, Noctes, Tangsas, Mishing, Hill-Miri, Adi Bori, Monpa, Memba, Hrusso, Adi Minyong, Bugun, Khamba, Sajolang, Idu-Mishmi, Nyishi, Adi Padam, Puroik, Kaman, Taraon, Bangni Puroik, Abor (old name for Adis), Singphos, Ninagas, Bhutias, Akas, Daflas, Lisu, Tangsa, Tai Khampti.

There were great weapons as well as many bamboo artefacts. Altogether a treasure trove. Plenty of people (locals) were visiting.

After the interlude of the capital and its bright city lights (not really - power cuts feature just as regularly there as everywhere else in Arunachal) it was time to take a sidetrack down back into ASSAM and spend a few days at Kaziranga National Park, in search of wildlife and some welcome heat after the chilly uplands.

As we crossed the border the tea gardens in all their splendour were like a refreshment for the eyes as well as the palate.

theyyamdancer

This story continues in:

The Last Chicken in Tawang

for the time being. The Tawang Valley being somewhat separate - both geographically and spiritually - from the Siang and Subansiri Districts, I think it deserves a different thread.

snonymous

What an interesting trip, Theyyamdancer. Im moving to the Chicken thread now.

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theyyamdancer

This story continues in the thread called:





Archery contest in Bhalukpong; Bomdila Daze; Dirang Delightful

asha210

When are the pics comming ??

theyyamdancer

I have started with photos from our stay in Kolkata, posted already in the photo section, and today I started to scan the first batch of photos from the Brahmaputra. But they did not load since they are too big a format. They need to be reconfigured and I'll try again tomorrow. Patience, asha!

asha210

Fine, i'll check out the Kolkata section for now.

theyyamdancer

I have started uploading my photos of the Brahmaputra today. More will be coming over the next few days. (It is a very slow process, to take the developed negatives from my autofocus Yashica, scan them, reformat them, place them here on India Mike's photo section. But I am learning how to do it.)

piran_e

Theyyamdancer

You really seemed to have had a great time in Arunachal, with lots of interesting stories fro everyone to read. I hope it encourages more people to travel in this marvelous area.

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Walking a Dream

theyyamdancer

Yes, indeed, Piran! And I can't wait to go back and see more...

How are you getting on?

I just read the latest on your blog which answered my question. Manas, of course. Great reading and very enlightening.

v3prasad

Your description of Arunachal trip got me interested to make a plan.

How was the accommodation? Was it clean?

How much did it cost you for the vehicle and the accommodation?

I am also looking for options to stay for 2 weeks or more at a single location to explore the daily life of people and the nature around, so do you have any suggestions?

Prasad

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“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” - G. K. Chesterton

theyyamdancer

Hello Prasad,

Sorry for the delay in replying. Yes, the majority of the accommodation was clean. Quite basic in many cases, but given the remoteness of the destination, surprisingly comfortable. You should not be afraid of power outages. Bring a good torch. And do not expect your mobile phone to work. For costs, I prefer not to enter into details here. Please contact the people I mentioned in my travel report. I am quite sure they adjust the price to the client.

Your last query is the most interesting! Well, without knowing your personal tastes and the reason for your visit, it is really hard to answer, but I can try. My favourite of all the places we went to was Mechuka. It is quite difficult to reach and you need patience and a good driver. The roads are very long and winding but the scenery as you arrive makes you forget the discomfort. You say 2 weeks? In total? In which case, it would be difficult because of the permit situation which only allows a maximum of thirty days. You would be better off travelling around and seeing lots of places in my opinion than staying for a fortnight only in one place. However, if you had to choose, for example, to witness typical Arunachal life, you could perhaps stay for a while in Ziro, the heartland of the Apatani plateau.

theyyamdancer

Prasad,

You might also usefully ask IndiaMike member KS Bluechip about his travels in the very far east of Arunachal Pradesh. We did not have time to venture that far afield. There are some very unspoilt areas to be discovered as well as Namdapha National Park in the vicinity of Tezu.

Grand Himalayan Road Tour (GHiRT)- What to Visit?

Another place if you are really adventurous is the far north of West Siang province, Pemako, which has captured my imagination. You would need to do some serious trekking to reach there and you would need a guide. The area of Pemako is where the Tsangpo river crosses the Tibetan border at the MacMahon line and enters Arunachal Pradesh, where it becomes the Siang river. It is considered a sacred place. It is "off the map". Time it was put back on the map!

See this very interesting thread by kullukid for more about the Pemako legend:

Riddle Of The Tsangpo Gorge