Connection reset. Kaziranga.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It’s been a while since our last post. We were too lazy in Kaziranga, then we rushed to Guwahati just to collect second bike and the same day – moved on to hit Arunachal Pradesh and… that was it with our connectivity. Neither Tata Photon nor Blackberry work beyond Arunachal boarder, and Airtel works occassionally (Vodafone and Idea – at all). And we were in AP for 5 days..

So we have a lot of updates to make and we’re starting from now on!

——–Kaziranga——–

The moment we realized my (Jacek’s) bike is not delivered yet, it was clear we have to adjust our plans of going to Tawang. So we left our stuff with a friend in Guwahati and with absolute minimum of luggage we head towards Kaziranga on one bike.

A pretty uncomfortable experience for a 6.3′ guy to sit as a pillion, especially on a bumpy road like initial stretch from Guwahati. Second part is quite scenic and in good condition, but we have appreciated it only on our way back, as we had to drive at night most of the time.

When we reached what struck us, was a lack of tourists. Soon enough we got to know the reason… Kaziranga was closed due to some bridge collapsed during monsoon 4km into the park. They were to re-open it on 1st November, three days later…

But we managed. What’s there to see in Kaziranga, are mostly rhinos, wild elephants and buffalos and all that we managed to see just by venturing a bit into the park. So our Safari was cut short, but very time efficient (compare it to tiger hunting in Corbet!!!) and fully satisfied (with some paisa saved also) we went on enjoying the village live. Hanging around the forrest area, a stroll in the tea gardens, visiting a weekly night market with fresh&natural vegetables and world’s most spicy chilli, discovering pretty collonial buildings of the tourist lodge (basic accommodation but strongly reccomend for charm & value for money!). And to top it all – we’ve visit a hairdresser for a haircut with full fledge head and shoulders massage (for 85Rs only) – much needed after a ride! We have also had a nice chat with the park guard about his experiences with rhinos (proved with a big scar on his back) – the relationship bonding that bought us an allowance to venture a bit further into the closed park than a regular tourist was allowed…

Jinx & giant spiders

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our trip has been jinxed from the very beginning. The jinx is called Indian Railways.

We have posted our bikes three days before departure which – considering we ourselves were also travelling by train – seemed to be a safe buffer of time. Nope. When we reached Guwahati none of them was here yet. Hence we headed to Shillong and Cherrapunji, where we got the news “Your bikes are here”. So we went back full of excitement to start the actuall part of our experience not the sissy kind of touristy stuff. News turned out to be only partly true… one bike has arrived, the second is supposed to be shipped today…

That leaves us with no option but making one of us a pillion for a ride to Kaziranga, from where we’ll go back here to pick the second bike and FINALLY hit Tawang. In short – we’re doing our trip in complete reverse order.

But here’s some update from yesterday which – despite the lack of our babes – was awesome…
—-
Cherraounji(25th October). We started early (6am) and headed for the root bridge, our driver Malcom a quite fella was there with his pimped up maruti 800. We had to drive 15 kms and then 3 km trek in the jungle. It looked more like the set of Jurassic park: a steep slope down the valley lost in rain forrest where everything seemed to be bigger. Giant (fist size!) spiders were literally everywhere, so as less scary huge butterflies and pomelo fruits that looked like way overgrown oranges. View was stunning – hills raising some thousand meter high over palm trees, with waterfalls and lush green landscape.

We reached the root bridges in about half an hour. Amazing structures not built, but grown: modeled by human construction of living roots of certain kind of tree (to be googled.) We hesitated a bit and then decided to cross them,. They were shaky but suprisingly sturdy and fun. We’ve seen it all – small thin young ones and paved with stones double decker. All soaked in greenery unseen elsewhere in India (maybe Kerala) and with idillic villages near by (we bought a pomelo fruit from one of them villagers which made for our healthy breakfast). Then we made it back up the hill. Some few thousand nearly vertical stairs got all of us (including the guide) deadly exhausted… The rest of the day was just peacfull sightseeing of some waterfalls and rock structures around the Cherrapunji.

Day 1-2-3

D day (22nd October 2010)

After a year of planning both of us are at the train station waiting for the train to dock. Since we changed the dates and made last minute reservation we got only one seat. Anyhow we managed to survive the night and next morning we got our own seats. One good thing about Rajdhani is that you don’t have to worry about food its served on time and its always hot(not the best but when you’re hungry its there)

Guwahati (23rd October)

We reached around 6:00 pm and it was already dark. We rushed to check if our bikes are here and to our disappointment the answer was negative. We decided to spend the night in Guwahati and plan for the next day. Finding a decent hotel in Paltan bazaar is a pain after checking few I decided to contact my friend who recommended a very nice hotel in a good locality. We had our dinner by 10 and we agreed that we will not be wasting our time waiting for bike and we should head for Shillong.

Shillong (24th October)

We were at Shillong around 12 and after a short visit to the tourism office we were all set to move out of the town and head for Cherrapunji. We walked around for some time and visited the rebranded Cafe Coffee Day to some new coffee shop (Let’s Coffee – to be precise), we ordered Egg Dosa and Chicken Dimsum (they were AMAZING) and after a short stroll in the city we booked a taxi for Cherrapunji. The driver was playing good rock numbers, we were amazed by the fact that here they play good English music in cabs (no Venga boys or Barbie girl). Once we were out of Shillong we started to enjoy the view.

Shillong’s police bazaar was too crowded for us so the open space and fresh air of Cherrapunji really made our day. Within minutes the sun was gone and it was all foggy, added a mystic element to the whole landscape(Now we know why its called the Scotland of North-east).

Its 4 am I am sitting in my rooms waiting for the sunrise so that we can head for the living root bridge and the waterfalls.

Preparations.

Yeah!

Few shots of whats ahead of us….

Tomorrow at 2pm we’re boarding the Rajdhani Express to Guwahati. Our bikes should be there by now. It’s time for last minute cross check and preparation and ….tomorrow we’re off to Base-camp

For more updates keep an eye on this page.

Quick updates – follow us on Twitter @2tdlm

Pictures – both here as on Jacek’s Flickr.

Intro

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

16 days, two motorbikes, a map, a camera and one of the most astounding yet least recognized parts of India.

We intend to cover 4 states Assam, Arunachal, Meghalaya and Sikkim. Explore and expose their natural beauty and unique culture as well as to promote leisure riding and safe touring on  two wheels.

Jacek (Poland). is 27 years old management consultant in Delhi  and owner of the coolest expat network in Delhi - DilliNet. For him this tour is about understanding and exploring the real India through his lenses and pen.

Javed (India)  is 24 year old software consultant in Gurgaon and a bike enthusiast cum travel freak with a mission to explore as much as he can. Hailing for Northeast this tour is all about knowing his roots, about the part of the country he is from and put it as one of the most.

For both of us – touring by motorcycle  however the main agenda is to promote safe riding Exploring and exposing the beauty of Northeast India to the whole world.

Both of us are well tested in the road battles. Each of us crossed the (in)famous Manali-Leh route on bike and together we have ventured from Delhi to Goa (not to mention countless smaller trips). Javed has also biked to Nepal and crossed Vietnam on two wheels, while Jacek was experimenting with dirt bikes in Cambodia. But this is probably the most challenging yet the most exciting biking experience in our lives.

Planned for 16 days round trip through the North-East will be a discovery of the most scenic yet one of the most inaccessible part of India. Not many before – and certainly not many foreigners – decided to do what we plan.

We will try to escape the regular tourist routes and tracks as much as we can and go beyond what travel agencies offer. Discover the real North-East on wheels: its wild nature, unpredictable climate and thriving cultures.

WHATS so special about North-East?

North-East India lie deep in the lap of easternmost Himalayan hills in north-eastern part of India. Connected to rest of India by merely 20 km of wide land (at Siliguri, West Bengal), the North-East India shares over 2,000 km of border with Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The North-East India is home to varied number of tribal groups (almost 166). Each tribes has their own distinct culture, which gives them a unique cultural identity. Numerous of art forms and festivals of the region are intrinsic part of its rich culture and tradition. Many of festivals like Bihu, Jhum Cultivation, Ke Pemblang, Nongkrem, Durga Puja and Karchi Puja are some of the most important festivals, which are mirror to rich socio-cultural life of North-East India

Destinations

Guwahati
Gateway to the North-east Region, Guwahati is the largest City in Norhteast. Its etymological root is derived from two Assamese words, “Guwa,” meaning areca nut and “Haat,” meaning market. Fixed between the picturesque hills of the eastern flanks of the Himalayan mountain range, Guwahati houses the political capital of the state, Dispur. Guwahati is a vital tourist base point, besides being an attraction in its own.

Tawanag
Splendid canvas of unspoiled scenic beauty. Where the first rays of sun kiss the snowy peaks to a blushing rose and the last fills the saucer of the shivering sky to its brim with countless startsthe world of mystics and enchanting beauties forms the western most district of Arunachal Pradesh. Located at the soaring height of near about 10,000fts above MSL sharing boundaries with Tibet in the north, Bhutan in the south west and Sela range of West Kameng the East is the home of Monpa tribe.

Kaziranga National Park
This Park lies partly in Golaghat District and partly in Nagaon District of Assam. It is the oldest park in assam covers an area of 430 Sq kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South.
Host of two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned Rhinoceroses.Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognised as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species. Compared to other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility.

Shillong
The place, the people and the climate all combined together to create an amiable atmosphere, termed as “Scotland of the East”, Shillong is situated at a height of 5,000 feet on the plateau of gentle hills. Cool colonnades of tall pine trees clad with whispering green leaves glistening in the sun surround the city. On its bosom lie several lovely waterfalls – Spread Eagle falls, Elephant Falls, Beadon Falls etc.

We also intend to stop on the way at some interesting places including Bomdila,Nameri National Park and Cherrapunji.

WHY?
Its the Hidden Treasure of India, a must for an adventurer. After Biking in the mountains of  Himachal, Uttrakhand,Kashmir and Cruising through The desert of Rajasthan, Rann of kutch in Gujrat, Western Ghats of Mharashtra and beaches of Goa and Kerela. Northeast is the only untouched part for us. Exploring the unexplored is always tempting

HOW?
We take the train to  Guwahati  and from there we head for Tawang followed by  Kaziranga and then we head towards Shillong – Cherrapunji and if time permits we hit Gangtok and Darjeeling.

It will be 2000 -3000 km round trip covering one of the most exotic places in Northeast + further 2500km on the train.

Well this is just the beginning we’ll keep you posted …..