We embarked on a mega road trip starting on 19th March from our Mumbai residence in Chembur and reached back Mumbai on 12th May after clocking more than 11000 km on the road. But before I start telling the tales from this trip I would like to reply some queries we have often faced. So here are some pointers about our trips in the format of question and answers:
Do we make advance booking for accommodations: Not always. When we know the place as well as the date we are going stay there and if it's a touristy place where finding an accommodation might be difficult, we book in advance. Or if we want to stay at a particular accommodation then we book in advance. But many a times we don't surely know the place where we are going to stay on a particular date as we like to keep our trip flexible. Besides, sometimes we make a night halt as per convenience and then we just check into a roadside hotel which seems good. At times we were pleasantly surprised to find very good hotels at places we expected least and at times we had to stay in hotels we would have rather not. We have learnt to adapt as a road trip cannot be planned ahead in details without losing the spontaneity which is the fun part. As a precaution we keep a set of bed linen with us in case we find the ones provided too offensive.
Our Vehicle: It's a Honda BRV - a seven seater automatic transmission vehicle - 2016 model. 1497 cc, 119 bhp with a ground clearance of 210 mm. It's a petrol car with a mileage of around 14 km/l on highways. It is not 4 wheel drive but that has not caused us much problem even though it faced off-roading quite a bit, maybe due to it's ground clearance. We keep a jump start cable, air compressor and a puncture repair kit in the vehicle. Learning to keep ourselves equipped drawing lesson from each trip.
How long do we travel in a day: Depends on the distance between the two consecutive places we want to visit. Generally we try not to travel for more than eight hours in a day and take breaks to straighten our limbs and break the monotony. But at times we have travelled up to ten hours or even more, especially if we did not find a suitable accommodation. And Sanjay alone drives, I don't drive.
What about food: We always try to taste the local cuisine and famous street food. Many people ask whether that does not create health issues. We try to maintain a balance by taking very simple food for at least one meal, having fruits and fresh juices. Besides, when having street food, we always choose the popular joints ensuring we get freshly prepared food. So far we have not faced major problem.
How do we manage laundry: As we travel in our own vehicle, we can be quite generous with packing reducing the need for frequent laundry job. Whenever we stay at a place for more than a day, we take care of our laundry. And we do try to take a break for two nights after a gap of few days.
The expenditure part: We are not very good at tracking expenditure. But in this trip I religiously recorded the rental expenditure along with the facilities provided to make it more informative. We try to not spend big rent for just an overnight halt and love to indulge on longer stays. I try to write reviews for all accommodations and eateries in Google with pictures which can be referred to if interested. I also tried to include major sightseeing expenditure if there is any.
We left Assam in October 2022 after taking early retirement from ONGC. It was almost one and half years and we wanted to celebrate Bohag Bihu / Assamese new year in Guwahati. There was a marriage in Jorhat during that time which we wanted to attend too. So we planned for this road trip to Assam covering few places in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. After reaching Assam we planned to visit Mizoram and Meghalaya.
For previous episodes from this trip may please visit the posts :
On 03.04.2024 we reached Guwahati in the evening. On 05.04.2024 we visited Umananda - the smallest inhabited riverine island in the midst of mighty Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
Aizawl - the beautiful capital city of Mizoram
The only state we have not visited in North East India was Mizoram. This time we wanted to amend that. So we planned a trip to Aizwal - the capital city of Mizoram from Guwahati. The term Mizoram is derived from two Mizo words: Mizo is the common name for native inhabitants and ram means land. It is southernmost state in North East India bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is one of the smallest states - the fifth smallest state and sparsely populated - the second least populous state in the country, with the majority of people comprising Mizos, the ethnic tribals. Over 90% of the state is forested, with the hills, valleys, rivers and lakes making it a nature lover's paradise. Like other northeastern states of India except Sikkim, Mizoram was previously part of Assam until 1972, when it was carved out as a Union Territory. Mizoram was declared as as India's 23rd state on 20th February 1987. The literacy rate of Mizoram is above 90% - second best among all the states of India after Kerala.
To go to Aizawl from Guwahati by road one has to go via Silchar. There are two routes to Silchar - one via Nagaon and the other via Shillong. We enquired about road conditions and came to know that the route via Nagaon was comparatively better presently though Shillong route is shorter. We have a friend Bipul Gohain who is the senior most executive of ONGC in Silchar work centre. For final verdict I contacted him. He also recommended the Nagaon route and invited us to stay with him in Silchar for the journey halt. We also wanted to visit Jaintia hills - a part of Meghalaya we have not explored so far. So we planned to start for Aizwal on 06.04.2024 and afterwards visit Meghalaya before coming back to Guwahati for Assamese new year.
On 06.04.2024 we started at 6:25 am after a cup of tea. While going towards Nagaon from Guwahati one crosses a small stretch of Meghalaya and we filled petrol in a depot there as it is cheaper in Meghalaya. After almost two hours we had breakfast in Anurag Dhaba in Nagaon at 8:30 am. It was more of a lunch as it was a thali. Later we would be glad that we had a heavy breakfast as we had to skip lunch that day.
We reached Haflong, the lone hill station in Assam at around 12:30 pm which we had visited earlier. However this time we did not enter Haflong town as the road bypasses it. Road to Haflong was mostly good. After Haflong it was quite bad and the situation is worsened as the road construction is in progress. At one point we had to wait for almost an hour as there was a blockade due to road construction job. We did not see any option to have lunch.
Reached Silchar at around 4:30 pm and got our car washed as it was caked with mud. Reached Bipulda's residence at 5:30 pm. It is at the other end of the town and we saw a large part of Silchar. Bipul da's wife Manisha, my GT batch mate in ONGC is posted in Rajahmundry work centre and Bipul da lives alone in his official residence in Silchar. He had to go on a official trip, but his house was open to us with his staff informed about our arrival. Everything was in place for us when we entered the house including a welcome note by Bipul da which warmed our hearts. We spoke to the absent host and hostess over phone. We are friends since my joining in ONGC and we felt at home in his house. Pradip, his man Friday, prepared a nice dinner and we surrendered our weary limbs to bed for a peaceful night.
Next morning on 07.04.2024 while waiting for Pradip to arrive, we had tea listening to Assamese song and went through Bipul da's book collection. After a hearty breakfast prepared by Pradip we started at 7:10 am for Aizawl taking the NH 306. Following Google maps we left the NH without realizing and took the older route through villages of Hailkandi district. The route is shorter but road condition was extremely bad. At around 9:30 am we crossed over to Mizoram at a place called Phaisen. One needs Inner Line Permit to visit Mizoram and it can not be obtained online. This is available from the Liaison officer, government of Mizoram in Kolkata, Silchar, Shillong, Guwahati and New Delhi. Generally it can also be obtained at border check points when people are stopped for checking ILP. But in Phaisen there was no such arrangement and we were simply allowed to enter.
After crossing over to Mizoram we reached NH 6 near Kolasib town. There is a view point with a selfie point at almost midway from Silchar to Aizawl at a place called Bualpui. We took the selfie but view was veiled with cloud. NH 6 is also bad at patches and it is even difficult to distinguish as NH. At times we confused it with other road and had to turn back. Markets were mostly closed as it was Sunday and Mizoram is a predominantly Christian state. Yet at a place called Kawnpui seeing a few shops open Sanjay bought a few oranges - quite expensive at 100 INR for five pieces. The Silchar Aizawl route passing through Durtlang Hills was very beautiful but as it was cloudy, could not capture the views very well.
We had a room booked in Govt tourist lodge in Aizawl as we heard Govt tourist lodges are good and cheap. We could book it easily online. After reaching Aizawl we had to struggle to reach the tourist lodge as Google map was not helpful. When we asked a gentleman he could not explain due to language problem, but he guided us riding his bike in front of us. Such a kind person! We reached tourist lodge in Chaltlang at 2 pm. It is a huge property with parking space. But not very well maintained. Looking at some parts of the lodge it seemed it had seen better days but lost its sheen due to negligence. Our room was spacious and from the corridor running in front our room we had a magnificent view of Aizawl. The rent was 1000 INR per night. Surprisingly they wanted us to opt for room service. So we had lunch in our room - chicken curry, daal, rice, boiled vegetables and green salad.
Solomon's temple: After lunch we went to see Solomon's temple. Driving in Aizawl is quite difficult as roads are narrow and steep with sharp bends. Google map is not helpful many a times. Once you are in a wrong place sometimes it's very tough to turn back especially when you are not familiar with the traffic restrictions. Getting directions from locals is not easy as many of them are not conversant with English or Hindi even though they try to help. Whenever we asked for directions, they tried to explain even with sign languages sometimes leading to hilarious situations. We decided to hire a vehicle for sightseeing the next day. Somehow we reached Solomon's temple. Intended as a re-creation of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem it was built by a small Christian sect, Kohhran Thianghlim (Holy Church). It is the largest church in Mizoram with a capacity to accommodate 2,000 people within the main hall and 10,000 people within its courtyard. It was closed as it was Sunday! We peeped through the gate at the beautiful church made of white marble surrounded by a pretty garden alongside two other visitors dejected like us.
We came back to lodge and roamed around in the neighbourhood till dinner time. From the lodge we had a glittering night view of Aizawl.
On the morning of 08.04.2024 we got up and watched the sunrise from the corridor. After breakfast we went for sightseeing in a hired car for the day costing 3000 INR. Our driver was Akbar and he belongs to a village near Silchar. He came to Aizawl running away from home when he was 13 years old. Quite a street-smart and very talkative. He kept us entertained with stories from his life.
Lalsavunga Park: We first went to Lalsavunga Park. It is situated at a distance of about 18 km from Aizawl in South Hlimen and named after a great Mizo chief. Lalsavunga Park is on top of the Kross Tlang mountain at an elevation of 1179 metres and offers panoramic view of the surrounding area. The area of the park is 120 acres and the mountain range is 1 km long. Also known as City Forest, it has been maintained as a natural forest with botanical gardens, bamboo forests, and medicinal plants. There is a walking trail to reach the top with two suspension bridges. There is a restaurant inside the premises and several view points. We saw some cottages too but did not see any activity suggesting anyone occupying those in recent past.
Falkwan Zokhua: Then we went to Falkwan village to see Zokhua - a cultural centre set up by the Art & Cultutre Department, Government of Mizoram to showcase the the lifestyle and culture of a traditional Mizo village. The centre is a mini live-museum where Zawlbuk (Dormitory), Lal In (Chief's House), Pum (Blacksmiths) and other Mizo typical houses are erected. The houses have many artefacts inside used in daily life of the Mizo people. However there was neither anyone to explain the different type of huts and artefacts on the site nor was there any written information.
Akbar stopped at a roadside stall on the way to Falkwan . The shop had large quantities of Watermelons which were huge in size weighing upto 15 kgs. These are Burmese water melons and cost upto 700 INR per piece.
Then we went to the main market area. Here we took leave from Akbar though we hired the car for whole day as we wanted to experience the city intimately by exploring it on foot.
Mizo Diner: We wanted to taste Mizo traditional food and saw few restaurants recommended in the net. I asked the lady in the tourist lodge reception. She recommended Red Pepper in Chanmari which was also one of the restaurants recommended in net. So we went to Red Pepper for lunch. It was very beautifully decorated and looked real cute. But they serve traditional food only after 5:30 pm. So we went to Mizo Diners in Zarkawt - another restaurant recommended for traditional food. The entrance was not very pleasant. But inside it was neat and clean. The food was really good. We had Mizo Bai - vegetables boiled with herbs and spices and Vawksa Rep Chhum - pork boiled with cabbage and herbs. Both were good to combine with plain rice. But the staff could not explain properly and we ordered fried rice. Mizo Bai was terrific and both the dishes were healthy. Very reasonably priced too with large portion sizes. The lunch cost us just 620 INR and we were totally satisfied.
Bara Bazar: Then we roamed around in Bara bazar. It is the main shopping centre and functions as the lifeline of the town. One can find traditional clothes, garments, works of handicraft, food items, and almost every other thing in the shops and stalls lined up on either side of the roads. Bought two T-shirts for each of us with Mizo design printed on the front costing 500 INR per piece. The girl at the counter originally quoted 550 INR. When I asked whether there is any discount, she readily reduced it to 500 INR and I felt victorious as I am poor in bargaining. Bought some coconut puffs from a bakery as bakery products are supposed to be good here. Also purchased some bananas as Akbar recommended local bananas. Then we entered a cafe called Bylane cafe in Zarkawt where a group of youngsters were having fun singing songs by ABBA. We had a pleasant time listening and watching them over a pot of Honey Ginger tea.
Roaming around the heart of the city we got see for ourselves the famed traffic discipline! Nobody cross the traffic lines, don't overtake, don't honk unless extremely necessary and stop for the pedestrians if they see someone is waiting to cross the street.
Red Pepper: Then we went to Red Pepper again for dinner. As I mentioned earlier it is very aesthetically decorated using traditional Mizo artefacts. Ambiance is very pleasant. But we found the food disappointing. There was not much choice for traditional food as many items listed on the menu were not available. We had Mizo Bai, Sangha Kan Ro, fish finger and local rice wine. Mizo bai there was a light soup with potatoes and some green herb. Sangha Kan Ro was ordinary fish fry. Fish fingers were very thick with no taste of fish. We liked only the wine. The price was however quite reasonable.
We wanted to walk back to the lodge and asked for directions. Met a gentleman who was fluent in English. He told us that the distance would be nearly 4 km and gave us clear directions. We walked to the lodge and we walked almost 15 km through the day.
On the morning of 09.04.2024 we left Aizawl at 8:10 am after breakfast. Filled petrol in a place named Serkhan. Our next stop was at the selfie point in Bualpui. This time we took the NH route crossing over to NH 306 from NH 6.
Serlui B Hydel Project: Then we tried to visit the Serlui Hydel Project. Serlui B Dam is an earth fill and gravity dam on the Serlui River, about 35 Km from Kolasib Town. Serlui B Dam has three units, with each unit generating up to 4 MW of power. It was quite a struggle to reach the dam as Google map was giving wrong directions and not many people were aware of it. After asking many people and keeping constant vigil we saw the diversion from NH 306 to the project near Bilkhawthlir village. It was 12 km from NH 306. The road was mostly good and quite scenic running through mountains line with Betel nut trees and pretty villages. Then we reached a tourist lodge in a beautiful location with a lady care taker. But it did not seem to attract much footfall. Climbing down a staircase from the tourist lodge we could see the riverine lake formed due to construction of the dam but not the hydel power project. We did not venture any further as it was already around 1:30 pm and it would take us another one hour to reach the NH.
At around 2:30 pm we reached the township of Vairengate near Assam border. There we stopped at Thelma Hotel run by a mother-daughter duo for lunch. The place was very basic but clean and food was good. We had chicken thali containing rice, dal, bai, chicken and a onion chutney each thali costing 100 INR.
After that it took us another one and a half hour to reach Silchar at around 4:30 pm. Bipul da was back from his official trip and we could meet after a gap of few years. We had a pleasant evening catching up over a long tea session. He had to leave for an official dinner and we retired early to bed after dinner.
On the morning of 10.04.2024 after breakfast we took leave from Bipul da started at around 7:45 am this time heading to Meghalaya.
Aizawl is the third largest city in North East after Guwahati and Agartala. Our short stay of two nights and a day in Aizawl was quite pleasant. Tried to savour the local flavour as much as we can visiting few tourist spots, tasting Mizo dishes in local restaurants, walking on the city streets, interacting with locals. It is a beautiful city with breathtaking views being situated atop a series of ridges. The citizens are friendly and very polite. Mizoram does not get much tourist footfall due to its remote location and not so good connectivity which is slowly improving. With its pristine natural beauty, pleasant climate, rich cultural heritage, delectable cuisine and warm hospitality, Mizoram surely deserves more attention.
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