North east India is still very unknown.. and most people dont even know how beautiful the north east states are. Here is a small peek into my recent trip to Mizoram; I took a flight from Delhi to Aizawl (Lengpui Airport), Mizoram (Only Air india services this route currently and has a halt in Kolkata.) Delhi to Kolkata is 2 hrs flight and Kolkata to Aizawl is about 1 hr flight.
There is news about Indigo and Go Air planning to add to this route in October 2019 (we just have to wait and watch).
Keep in mind non- Mizo's have to obtain an inner line permit to enter the state. You can find info here on procedures, I believe it's a simple procedure.
The airport is about 1 hr drive to the city but keep in mind while departing that the city has major traffic, so keep some cushion in terms of time.
Unfortunately, i did'nt take a picture in Aizawl since I was super occupied so I requested my fren Spi to send me a picture.
Well the view from everywhere in Aizawl is pretty much this. Just gorgeous!
Also good thing to remember is that Mizoram is a dry state, but you can carry 1-2 bottles of alcohol if you fly in.
On the way to Champhai, there was a mud slide due to rain and a section of the road was washed away 2 days earlier so it was a slow drive. Also we had a 1 yr old and a new born in the car so we had to stop often and could not drive very fast.
The entire trip took about 8 hrs.
I've always wanted to see one of these shops. There are many along the highway called 'Nghah lo dawr meaning Shop without shop keepers'... these are owned by local farmers who need to work on their farms during the day. The prices are written on the plastic bags and you keep the exact change in the money box (which is just a plastic bubble gum jar hung with a wire). In this side of the country, people are honest and helpful. For example if your car breaks down, no car will pass by without asking if you need help.
Champhai is bordering Burma (Myanmar) which makes it very easy to cross the border and get there.
Also Read: phawngpui national park
My friend Jane took me for shopping the day after we arrived, there is only one market but they have a lot of things like clothes, food etc. We stopped at one of the best restaurant as per my friend Jane for coffee, which was actually at a local hotel called Hotel Chawgthu. We actually bought chocolate eclairs at a nearby bakery (Bi's Bakery) and ate it at the restaurant with coffee (Yes, they allowed it :)) ... I just followed Jane's lead.
The next day was my last day, I had just a week off from work and I was so pressed on time. I however, decided to stay back for a trip to Rih Lake also more popularly known as Rih Dil (Lake in Mizo).
It is a perfect heart shaped natural lake just across the border in Myanmar (you have to register to cross the border and the driver has to leave his driving license at the immigration gate... they will also check your car). I belive it's become stricter now than it was before to cross the border.
Rih dil is very popular in Mizo folklore and its known as the tunnel to heaven and the final passage for the soul. The lake is also known to have the existance of a Dragon and till date can only be seen by whom the dragon chooses.
I found a paper written by someone about this and you can read it here.
With alcohol restriction in Mizoram, Myanmar is very popular for people to visit and have a good time as there is alcohol shops in plenty.. however, authorities have become stricter now and it's difficult to bring back any with you.
The next day i took a public sumo back to Aizawl, since i get car sick i booked two of the front seat for comfort.
I spent 2 more nights in Aizawl spending time with cousins and friends. I just chilled in Aizawl so i dont have much to add, but there is a lot to do... maybe we will do another post sometime.
I chose to spend my last day getting my hair colored at Hlutea's Hair & Beauty... owned by my amazing friends Hlutea who does amazing hair colors. Check him out if you are in Aizawl.
I went from a blonde to a darker shade with ash ombre.
I hired a car to drop me to the airport and departed from Lengpui Airport.
Even though it was a week's trip and a lot of travelling involved, I really enjoyed this trip... The hills were calling and I had to go :).
You can see more pictures of my travel on my instagram.
Instagram: Pieces_of_pink