"3 Banjaare" on astonishing expedition into Seven Sisters's Land from Bangalore - 11

Day 12

It was a bright late morning in Itanagar(not being an early one supposedly at 6.00 am) as Mrs. Tarzan peeked from one of the windows and did not wish to wake up Mr. Tarzan who was sleeping like a horse over his right arm the whole night. Smiling at him, she started waking up herself and packing up stuffs.  An hour later she woke him up with tea prepared in electric kettle; however, only after several trials he was sitting on the bed with closed eyes while stretching his hand out for the cup of tea which she was scared to hand over sensing his state of sleep. Anyways, he could take few sips, open his eyes, get out of the bed gradually, but all of this followed by a yell,”What ? It is already 9. Why din’t you wake me, we are so late.”

Seeing all this Mrs. Tarzan was not angry but laughing inside. She knew she had to make choice, either let Mr. Tarzan sleep or to visit places on schedule. Well, she would always prefer best for Mr. Tarzan but would not let any harm in doing so by approximating the limit of the boundaries being pushed.

Following the breakfast, which was actually awful they left for exploration by 10.15 am. Itanagar is a capital city and hence they had expected a lot from this place in terms of hospitality, food, stay. But it was not a good experience overall and was more expensive also than the remote places which are literally cut off from the mainlands. Though there are several parks and even zoo, they wanted to visit only hand picked places and continue their journey of north East India. So, they headed towards Ita- fort which is more like ruins. Navigation from google was working till some point but after that locals were the best guides since this place was more like a residential area rather being an archaeological location. There were several streets which would eventually end up into a wider smoother road which leads to the fort. This drive on the curvy uphill road was much smooth which also had better hotels followed by fine villas scattered around. Eventually, following the fort boundary on left they hoped they are near fort and should emerge in front of the gate soon, but slowly they felt they drifted away from the fort. On inquiring with one passer by, it was apparently on the way from where they had been coming down. This lead to a U-turn for Cheetah and a mood swing for its master. Based on intuition they took some turn on the road among the villas which later appeared to be correct route as they could see one gate at a distance, but were not sure if it belonged to some other facility as there were constructions on the way engulfing road and this place with comparatively wider ground having minimal grass wore a deserted look for a morning.

Well, it was indeed Ita fort gate displaying bushes from behind the bars, adjoining small cabins which seemed like ticket counter on its left extended by tin shades. Mr. Tarzan walked forward hoping to get a ticket, but returned bare handed. It was supposed to be open as per the notice board but there was literally no one at the counter, the construction workers confirmed the timing but still it was unattended and the gate was closed. They waited for few minutes but it went futile as nobody turned up, probably it was a snail-paced city where no one visits architectural ruins much. Not wasting any time further, they headed back to the main road.

Next on Mrs. Tarzan’s list was Gompa which was not much hard to find. There were couple of narrow streets which end at the base of the small hillock where stood a series of stairs beside a huge entrance which was under construction. They stopped looking at the stairs trying to count how many of them had to be climbed and inquired with a passerby if they can park there, which turned out to be a relief as they were informed to take the road underneath the under construction gate. It was probably 1 km or so when they ended up to the top at a huge premises which had almost everything from small garden and tall trees to the eatery and smaller shops apart from the vast space for parking. Cheetah was laid under one of the trees surrounded by platform while Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan were enchanted by the bright Gompa. There were a flight of stairs from a vibrant gate which again opened into vast premises with the majestic Gompa at center which was shining under the bright sun while its golden  glittered. The breeze was gentle and cool swaying their sides as they stepped into this world. There were several flowers surrounding the flock of pigeons feasting on the grains probably offered by the monks. The visit inside was quick yet pleasant as the monks were reciting prayers.

With relaxed faces, Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan set off again to another place of their interest, actually Mrs. Tarzan’s selection, namely Geker Sinying. Mr. Tarzan didn't pay much attention to what it was or how it was supposed to be and solely relied on where she was taking them for their blind date. Actually it is one of Mrs. Tarzan's fantasy to take Mr. Tarzan on a surprise journey without him having clues of what or where, but that has a long road ahead for its implementation.

The place is commonly known as Ganga Lake embedded as a jewel surrounded by mountain folds around . Google map was also doubtful with the exact route and whenever the signs and google maps don't sync, it has to be a hunt for destination. Mrs. Tarzan, in this case followed the local signs  which took a diversion on right at middle of street market making Mr. Tarzan a bit furious of the doubtful track but again relying on his navigator he proceeded with caution.

The approach road after travelling amid narrow streets was not in good shape as expected but it offered scenic view of the green mountains and was not more than a few kms. At the end they stood on vast area which had a small complex reading as a parking for 2 wheeler and also a ticket counter, opposite to which was a flight of steep stairs against a wall which had no view of what lies at the other side but did read as the entrance to the lake. Cheetah lied beside the entrance while Mr and Mrs. Tarzan went on to explore the other side of the wall. The end of stairs was a level ground fashioned as a small park with a huge board stating about the lake and couple of benches.

On taking another step, beyond the ground was a glimpse of emerald green lake, an embedded emerald among the lush green vegetation on the mountains. This place also offers trekking and staying options to enthusiasts and is a popular picnic spot for the locals. On reaching the level ground one can notice criss cross staircases on either sides leading downwards towards the lake which was now looking majestic from this height, and also that at their both ends they open up pathway encircling the lake. On reaching down you can actually feel closer to the lake and have an urge to have a ride on boat.

From here Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan took the pathway to have a walk around the lake which was interestingly a carved path amid the denser forest on sides opposite to the lake. You can enjoy the adventure of jungle and a view of lake while chitchat on the way.

The other pathway was encircling the lake from opposite direction and at the far end seemed to have a shelter hut which looked cute in such greenery.

They walked on and on enjoying the vicinity till a point closer to midway destination which was a small park and also boating point that looked joyful with kids playing around and a flock of people relaxing by the lake side.

They took several pictures during their walk at various angles till that boating point. Feeling lethargic at the thought of walking back again for same distance, they dropped the idea of exploring the other pathway and returned. While returning Mrs. Tarzan wore a proud look looking at Mr. Tarzan as if,"See, how amazing places I take you to without you even knowing the name or way".

It was almost noon when they returned to the Itanagar city while Mr. Tarzan was hunting for Nitrogen being furious at the higher expectations with this city, when Mrs. Tarzan noticed a small shop to get it done and let him cool down along with Cheetah snoozing off on Nitrogen after which they headed towards their next destination Ziro. It was already 1.30 pm by then.

Ziro is a relatively unexplored destination in Arunachal Pradesh which is gaining popularity owing to its Music festival for which enthusiastic travelers from the globe visit. Mr. Tarzan was amazed by its name when he heard it for the first time while doing research about north east. So, here they were now moving towards their destination.This another highway from Itanagar towards Ziro was smooth like butter on the twisting mountains enriched with various species of trees. Feeling hungry, Mrs. Tarzan noticed huts at the highway side selling maizes, asked MR. Tarzan to pull over and have one each as she knew there was not going to be any chance of lunch in the journey ahead. For few patches, the road took them into plain ground  and small villages.

At the start it was more of land, brighter as the barren land of Ladakh and mainly you will be curling between the mountain guards. After an hour or so the greenery started to pitch in which changed the view completely except the road which was still very smooth.

The drive on mountain could be enjoyed very best on this highway, it was curving every now and then that within every 200 meters they would be swaying on the edges, while soft music enhanced their ambiance. It was a bright day in the vicinity of mother nature. There were several mountain folds so close to them with shallow valleys that could be reached on stretching an arm.

At times the river would also accompany the mountains and valleys with clear sparkling water on white and pale gravels.Occasionally the sun would hide behind the clouds scattering its rays with aura.

There was this curve around a  mountain fold where the shallow valley was lush green overlooking another series of mountains, a perfect look alike scene from Ooty.

At several places they stopped and took numerous pictures since they had plenty of time for the short distance, only 111 km to travel, and this day would be well spent while fooling around. It was late noon when they were deprived of that awesome highway and slipped into remote land of the forests after hopping in and hopping off several mountains.

They knew it when the road became rather a dusty rickety trail on hillocks overlooking shallow and narrow valleys. They were moving from one hillock to other till a point when they were on the highest of those hills that Mrs. Tarzan called to pull over. This place offered majestic view of the valley full of lush green forest surrounding a very large river base with several mountain folds fading behind each other.

It was so remote place that tourism could not pollute it...a place with fresh air !

After riding on all those hills, there came a vast plains surrounded by thick forests along the coast of the same huge river which they had adored from a height some time back.

There were civilization in this area  with beautiful bright houses and also had an army base. Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan took another break by the riverside enjoying the view before setting off.   

It seemed to be last civilization until they slid into the bushy land full of small villages having just a bunch of houses with signs of fish farming as they started spotting couple of the farms from there on.

This continued till the junction from where one road goes towards Koloriang and then to the China border while the other way is towards Ziro. Slowly they began climbing on another mountain which had rickety dusty road but better than the trails they came from. Here also, the sight was similar except for the river part.

There were orchids blooming in regular intervals while they were crawling on frequent curves on this mountain. Somewhere there were couple of village with handful of houses. One of them had an interesting structure resembling a huge earthen pot.

The sun had started settling down and offering them a quiet and serene sunset to watch far away from the noisy Bangalore. They had also taken a break to watch it with quick chat and set off to reach Ziro before the dusk.

After revolving around this mountain, they started climbing down and that's when they saw first view of Ziro which appeared to be more of water than land, owing to fish farming.

By the time they finally entered the town, it was dusk and the warmth of the day suddenly vanished at 5.30 PM. Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan had already booked their stay for 2 days and when tried to call the hotel no one picked up. On repeated trials they got connected to hotel but were informed that hotel can't accommodate them. Furious Mr. Tarzan called Yatra customer care but even after an hour nothing fruitful came out while they were still stranded on the road. Those folks were so irresponsible to tell him to go and find a stay even when it was their failure to handle the situation, be it a professionalism or simply a trust. Mrs. Tarzan saw him loosing temper for the first time but could not help him except saying, "Don't worry that much. I can sleep in the car. Let's go near the police station, we will park there". Listening to it, Mr. Tarzan was laughing inside while wearing same furious face, he fell in love with her again !!

He then made another booking online from another travel site - MakeMyTrip. But when called the hotel for directions, again they informed that they can't accommodate. This made Mr. Tarzan red. Anyways, on calling customer care they assured him to arrange alternative. He was hopeful this time as this same travel site offered them alternate stay for Itanagar as well. Meanwhile he also thought to start looking for some hotel, which sounded like a least possibility in such a place whose population is not even in thousands.

Moving ahead, they located a huge infrastructure which Mrs. Tarzan guessed would be overpriced and if they are lucky they may get room . If there is no other option then they would have to take it.

Mr. Tarzan took them inside and went to the reception after parking in the premises. Mrs. Tarzan curiously watched him while feeling the chills with Chhetah. In few minutes he returned to call her inside. As she stepped out, she shivered while wearing a thin jacket. The place went too cold beyond her imagination. He told her that they were offered to sit inside and see the cottages available, if they like they can stay for night. So, they went to the dining area and Mrs. Tarzan demanded tea while Mr. Tarzan was outside having a conversation. The tea arrived and so was Mr. Tarzan few minutes later. There were 2 huge white mugs which sent the aroma in the whole space before even approaching them. As Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan sipped the tea, all their worries left them and they sat peacefully till the last sip. It was one the best tea they had (other than Mrs. Tarzan's). Mr. Tarzan left while on call and Mrs. Tarzan was handed over thick magazines to read which were encyclopedia of North East. She loved to read and watched pictures with great excitement. The staff were offering their best services to her. When Mr. Tarzan returned, Mrs. Tarzan asked while grinning and almost biting her teeth, "Another one ??" How could Mr. Tarzan say No. So there came another pair of Masala tea which Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan enjoyed while relaxing. You don't need perfect backdrop or specific timing or special occasions to enjoy or relax. Happiness comes quietly with each moment shared together with true love and whole hearted acceptance. Whether it is being homeless at a stranded place without much cash in hand or diesel and a wasted plan.

Mrs. Tarzan was shown the cottage which she felt was awesome if they were going to stay and have fun around but not worth of 7500 Rs. for just a night. Meanwhile, Mr. Tarzan got call from customer support about alternative accommodation. Mrs. Tarzan liked this place so much that she proposed to have dinner here as they were literally starving at 7.30 pm since their only meal of the day was in the morning which was noodles and samosa (excluding MRs. Tarzan's laddoo). Mr. Tarzan's smiled at her with a nod. She ordered for both them, delicious paneer for her and chicken and fish for him while showing him the magazines and the information she collected with great enthusiasm. It was again a very special dinner for the only special guests and they were getting the royal treatment as Mr. and Mrs. Tarzan were already liked. It was a beautiful evening indeed when they both talked and laughed. Soon Mr. Tarzan got confirmation about the stay and he called the hotel for direction which was not so easy to follow as google map was not updated with roads and it was dark to clearly spot landmarks.  Anyways, with couple of landmarks as per the direction they headed off to the hotel and could reach by 9.40 pm. It was one of the best stay in Ziro and appeared to be huge too. There were several cottages near the parking area and the reception from where they were taken to their rooms behind. The room was actually a king suite and was so huge that would be equivalent to a one bhk apartment in Bangalore. It was decorated in antique style, be it sofa or curtains, or bedsheet and pillows, or wooden divider.They had a pleasant night in royal suite right in front of huge room heater. 

Part 10 Part 12