ZIRO - A DAY SPENT IN APATANI VILLAGE

It was solo traveling in a real sense within the lockdown period. I had to take extra care carrying all my necessary utilities along with spare masks, hand sanitizers, spray sanitizers, extra bed sheets which I rarely carry in my backpack. The weight of the backpack has increased beyond my imagination.

My journey by public transport started at 7.30 in the morning from the Sivsagar bus stand towards North Lakhimpur town. I was excited to see the massive Bogibeel Bridge, recently opened connecting the Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts of Assam over the river Brahmaputra.

Since I took the opportunity to book a ticket early, I got the first seat behind the driver and thus had a clear front and side view. Our journey was for around five hours covering a distance of around 185 km with a short tea break at Dhemaji. Ultimately I reached North Lakhimpur at around 12.30 noon.

Having killed my appetite at a local restaurant near the bus stand, I proceeded to the area where the shared jeep for Ziro would start the next morning. A front seat of next morning 5.30 hrs jeep to Ziro was booked in the first instance which would leave close to the entrance of my hotel.

A budget hotel with basic facilities allowed me to recover my lost slumber of the early morning. A stroll in the evening exploring the location and with a cup of evening tea followed by dinner was the routine for the day.

The jeep started exactly at 5.45 hrs and having completed all the morning chores including a cup of tea but no breakfast. The front seat beside the driver helped me to explore the beauty of tea gardens, rough terrains, misty atmosphere, and gradual elevation along with enhancing geographical knowledge as learnt from the driver.

Around nine o’clock, we crossed Assam and entered Arunachal Pradesh through Papum Pare district where the Inner Line Permit (ILP) was checked by the state police. Soon the vehicle had a brief halt for breakfast.

The second check of Inner Line Permit was made on the way and ultimately after crossing a horrible stretch of around 20 km, we reached Ziro at around mid-noon.

My search for a budget residential hotel was complete by around fifteen minutes followed by a small spell of mid-day nap; I went out to explore the place.

It was a small sleepy town with a football stadium and a government hospital and few shops for utilities. A local bakery attracted me and I had a taste of confectioneries with a cup of hot coffee.

Since my hotel was very near the central location, I could witness the movement of vehicles and pedestrians from the balcony.  

As learnt from various sources, Ziro is the place of the Apatani tribe, which resides in the Ziro valley of the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Apatanis are a major ethnic group of eastern Himalayas, having a distinct civilization with a vibrant traditional village council.

The tribe has systematic land usage practices and rich traditional ecological knowledge of natural resources management and conservation, acquired over centuries through informal experimentation. The tribe has colourful culture with the skill of handicrafts made from bamboo and cane.

As I was having my second cup of beverage in my residential hotel, I came across a person sitting over a cup of tea who was from the Apatani tribe staying in Birii village and an owner of the homestay in the village itself.

Having seen my inquisitiveness about the tribe, he agreed to accompany me as a guide to show the villages where sub-sects of the Apatani tribe resides.

The time fixed was next morning eight o’clock, when the person, Nyatu Hage came down to my hotel with his motorcycle. He had suggested me,  travel by motorcycle as the roads were narrow within the villages and four-wheelers would not be a feasible proposition. Further, hiring four-wheelers would definitely give a pinch in my pocket since I was alone.

Our journey started with Hong Village, followed by Hari Village, Bulia Village, Hija Village, Dutta Village, Mudang Tage Village and Barmin Mich Village.

All the villages were adjacent to each other and within a diameter of around 20 km. There were traditional huts of Apatanis and with the onslaught of civilization and exposure to the outer world, some of the residents had urbanized their dwelling houses. It was more of a combination of ancient and modern culture side by side.

The majority of the traditional houses had a platform outside their house mostly on the roads where the religious functions including the sacrifice of Mithuns (a type of buffalo) took place during festivals.

I could find aged ladies with big black nose plugs weaving clothes, traditional baskets, and cane utilities required for their families. Since the sunshine was bright, the young persons were found to be in a gossiping mood sitting on the religious platforms.

There was a distinct change in culture as observed from the attire of the ladies where the old ladies were wearing traditional dress whereas the young ones had shifted to western dresses.

As learnt from the guide, though the western culture was gradually taking over the entire society but during festivals, both males and females wore traditional dresses of each ethnic tribe.

There were few differences in the types of dwelling houses, food, dress, and culture among the habitats of each village but that could not be distinguished through our visual experiences.

Finally, we went to the house of Nyatu Hage, which was renovated after the same was dedicated to a homestay. However, the traditional kitchen, utensils, other implements had been restored as an exhibition. I had the opportunity to meet his mother, a lady of around ninety, but fit to manage household chores, had a cup of tea, and then moved towards an artificially constructed lake and a Shiva temple. We returned to Ziro in the afternoon, physically tired but mentally enriched with a new experience.

It was a wonderful and amazing experience of witnessing eight Apatani villages with an Apatani guide who was acting as an interpreter at times. Despite, a day is too little for experiencing the lifestyle of a community but the glimpse also taught lessons for the so-called civilized population to maintain harmony between culture, heritage, and preservation of nature. Water resource management was one of the noticeable features of the village where the streams and rivulets were being channelized for agriculture around the year.

The solo trip to Apatani village of Arunachal Pradesh increased the thirst of experiencing the tribal lives in other locations of the state as also other states of northeast India with the hope to witness many more diversities of our beautiful country.

How to Reach Ziro

The nearest operational airport near Ziro is Jorhat which is 98 km away from the place followed by Lilabari which is at a distance of 123 km. Though there is an airstrip at Ziro regular flights are not available. The nearest railway station is Naharlagun which is 101 km away from Ziro. The easiest way to reach Ziro is by road from Itanagar which is 109 km away and North Lakhimpur is 117 km away.

Boarding & Lodging

There are few hotels in Ziro which are considered budget hotels and not of any star ranking. Otherwise, the tourists can reside in homestays in Apatani village will definitely add flavours to the tour.

Other than local cuisines, tourists may have the choice for Assamese food, food with  Chinese touch though in modified form, and many bakery cuisines in the town itself. Staying in Apatani village, the choice becomes limited and has to depend on local cuisines only. 

MAJULI – THE LARGEST RIVER ISLAND OF THE WORLD

 

We just missed the ferry carrying our vehicle by five minutes. Actually, we had to come all the way from Sibsagar to Nematighat via Jorhat covering around 55 km.

Our journey was to Majuli, the largest river island of the world located on the Brahmaputra in Assam.

We had a desire to visit the place for quite a long time but the plan did not materialize for some reason or other. 

My journey started from Kolkata to Sibsagar via Dibrugarh with the desire to visit upper Assam. After a brief stay in Sibsagar with my relative, both of us planned to visit Majuli which was also unseen by my relative, though he was posted in Assam for almost a couple of years.

Since Majuli is an island and there is no bridge on the Brahmaputra, the passengers and vehicles are generally transported through ferry. Each ferry has the capacity to transport four vehicles at a time along with a few hundred passengers and around fifty-two wheelers.

When we reached the place called Nematighat, the boat leaving earliest had already loaded four vehicles and we had to wait for another one hour for the next ferry. We utilized the time by strolling near the ghat area and having lunch as it was already noon.

Our ferry started exactly at one o clock in the afternoon. The journey on the river was for one hour against the tide. We enjoyed the cool breeze along with few drops of rain. The scenery of both sides of the river was excellent with lush green fields on the horizon and rippling waves of Brahmaputra.

Since the journey was unplanned, we did not have a chance to book any hotel or homestay. But we kept few homestays on our bucket list based on a search on few websites.

On reaching Kamalabarighat, on the other side of the river,  we did not lose time in searching the homestays and hotels and based on ambiance, facilities, and price, we finally selected a homestay which was in the centre of the island.

Tiredness, fatigue, and rain hindered our mobility of the day and we chilled on the balcony of the homestay with a cup of tea and snacks.

Evening rain and thunderstorm disrupted stroll around the place and we had to stay indoors enjoying the drizzle and sound of water drops falling on the trees and roof of our room.

The homestay was an ethnic Assam house, slightly above the ground level with the thatched room, bamboo floors, mud walls and naturally airconditioned.

We requested our host to serve ethnic Assamese food which of course included fish from Brahmaputra and vegetables cooked in their style. The food was really enjoyable with a taste different from lower Assam.

Frequent power cut added with the tiredness of journey forced us to take early bed and plan for the next morning was to visit a large portion of the island along with “Satras”.

Actually, Majuli, other than being a river island has the significance of having many “Satra”. Satras are more of a school boarding cum pilgrimage where young people are being imparted education on the preaching of Shankardev.

Each Satra has a temple and a residential complex where students stay, serve, and avail of religious education. Satras are treasure troves of cultural artifacts. Among all the Satras, we could visit around seven which are popular and big in size viz. Garamur, Dakshinpat, Akaya, Gobindapur, Kamalabari, Kamarkuchi, Shyamrai and few others on the way. Throughout the day, we managed to visit and interact with the students and priests-cum-teachers who are known as Satradhikar.

The next morning, after breakfast we had a trip to a village where “Messing” tribes resided. With the help of a local resident, we had a glimpse of their lifestyle, including their dwelling houses and activities of men, women, and children.

The only connection through the land is the North Lakhimpur district of Assam and daily one bus plies between the mainland of Assam and the island.  

As the frequency of the ferry services reduced because of Sunday, we had to rush to jetty within eleven o clock so as to avail earliest available ferry to return to Nematighat.

Though our trip was only for a couple of days, yet it was an eye-opener for us, to have witnessed the lives of the people residing on an island facing natural calamities like rain, storm, flood and waterlogging.

We salute the residents of Majuli, who despite facing so much hardship, welcomed and greeted us with smiling faces and sincere hospitality.

Brief Information about Majuli

Majuli is the largest river island which has been converted to a district with a total land area of 553 sq km and a population of 167000. Majuli is surrounded by the river Brahmaputra and river Subansiri but continuous erosion is reducing the land area of the island. The major attractions of the island are 22 Satras some of which are more than 500 years old. The major tribes are Messings, Sonowals, and Deoris and non-tribals are Kochs, Kalitas, Ahoms, etc.

How to Reach Majuli

The nearest airport and railway station is Jorhat which is around 33 km via Nematighat. It is better to avail own vehicle so as to have full sightseeing of the island. Otherwise, auto and taxi services are available from Jorhat to Nematighat and after crossing the ferry, auto services and hired cars are available from Kamalabarighat in Majuli.

The tourists can also come from North Lakhimpur by bus since the bridge has been constructed on another side. There is only one bus service in a day plying between North Lakhimpur and Majuli. Otherwise, the trip can be made by hired car also.

Boarding & Lodging

There are few hotels and homestays in Majuli. The quality of the hotels is not up to the mark but the homestays are much better. There are eateries near Kamalabarighat and essential items are also available. Pilgrims visiting the Satras generally stay in Satras with basic amenities. Power problem and network problem is a major issue in the island, especially during monsoon.   

 

 

VATICAN – VISIT THE SMALLEST COUNTRY OF THE WORLD

 

Have you ever heard of a country where you can cover the entire country on foot? Yes, it is there in the world where you can only travel on foot and you cannot ride a car.

It is the world’s smallest country located in Europe. It is the Vatican, where the Pope, the most respected person of Roman Catholic sect of Christianity resides and governs.

In terms of the Lateran Treaty (1929), it is a distinct territory “under full ownership, exclusive dominion sovereign authority and jurisdiction” of the Holy See. The state by itself is a sovereign entity of international law which maintains temporal, diplomatic, and spiritual independence.

In other words, the entire administration of the Vatican is separate and not in any way connected with the decision of the parliament of Italy but governed by the Holy See.

The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins.

A small area separated with Italy by River Tiber covering an area of 0.19 square miles is the smallest independent state. The total population of the entire state is 825. Can anyone imagine a country so thinly populated?

A bridge on River Tiber connects Vatican City State with Rome and a tourist can only walk down from the road of Rome to the state crossing a gate.

                                                                        

Some Amazing Facts about Vatican

Ø It is the country for the citizens of the world. No one needs to cross through any immigration process and get stamped in the passport for entering the state

Ø Vatican has a post office located in the central arena which has a separate zip code

Ø Vatican has only 300 meters railway track for carrying goods and not passengers and there is only one railway station called Citta Vaticano

Ø Highest number of tourists which is about five and half million visits Vatican every year for religious, cultural, historical, and political significance

Ø Vatican has its own currency that can simultaneously be used in Vatican and Italy but usage is little as most of the tourists are day visitors

Ø There is an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in the Vatican, where one of the instruction languages of operation are Latin

Ø Vatican has its own army who are deployed to guard the entire state including palaces, museum and chapel

Ø Vatican has its own football team which takes part in European games

Ø An average Vatican resident consumes the highest quantum wine which is around 54.26 liters every year

Ø Vatican has an elevated escape passage called Passetto di Borgo which leads to Castel Sant’Angelo on  the banks of River Tiber

Ø Vatican has been considered as the only country which is totally a World Heritage site

                                                                        

Sight Seeing of Vatican

Saint Peter’s Basilica-Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican is a church built in Renaissance style in the city. The church is designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo. It has been considered the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world.

Sistine Chapel-Sistine Chapel, in the Apostolic Palace, is the official residence of the Pope. Originally known as Cappella Magna, the chapel serves as a religious and functionary papal activity. The fresco painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the famous painting “The Last Judgment” by Michelangelo draws the attention of the tourists for years. The other paintings include the lives of Moses and Jesus Christ by famous painters who depict the contemporary artworks of the Renaissance period.

                                                                             

Vatican Museums-Vatican Museums, with around seventy thousand artwork, of which around twenty thousand artworks under the display, depict the excellence of art and sculpture of the Renaissance period. It is the third-highest visited museum with fifty-four galleries with masterpieces of Roman art have been considered as one of the largest museums in the world.

How to Reach

The Vatican City State is connected through any mode of public transport including buses, underground trains, and cabs from any part of Rome.

Tourists arriving from foreign countries have to disembark either at any international airport or at Termini Railway Station and avail local transport system.

Boarding & Lodging

There are umpteen numbers of hotels in Rome suiting to the budget for lodging including few hotels within walking distance of Vatican City State.

Restaurants and food joints are available within the state as also outside the state. Considering the tourists from all around the world, the restaurant caters to various types of cuisines with different types of tastes.

Entry Process

There are tickets required for entering the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums. The tickets can be purchased from the counters or through an online process. The tickets are also being sold by local vendors. Tourists can avail of personal guides or audio guides, suiting to their language.

In case of online purchase of tickets, the tourists can avail the facility of “Skip the Line”.

                                                                    

My Experience

It had been an incredible experience of having visited the smallest country of the world and that too the seat of the highest clergy of Christianity. Since it was a Friday, we did not have the opportunity to see the Pope, who greeted the visitors every Wednesday and Sunday, based on his availability at Rome.

The fresco paintings on the ceiling and walls created by the greatest artists of all times bewildered me. I remained astonished that how a person could draw on the ceiling and that too at such a height. The combination of colours, the lively portraits, and the realistic sculptures was exemplary creations of the artistic skills of human beings.

A visit to Vatican City State, during the visit to Western Europe, would definitely roll back our knowledge of history during the Renaissance period.    

 

 

 

MANDASARU - THE NATURE'S TRAIL OF EASTERN GHATS

 

Despite changing our travel schedule thrice, we did not get a reservation in the Wooden Cottage, the only place to stay in Mandasaru. With a lot of despair, it was decided to have a day trip from Daringbari, so-called “Kashmir of Odisha” by some tourists and local residents.

The distance was just 32 km and there was ample time for leisure driving through the meandering roads, hairpin bends, and forests of Phulbani district of Odisha.

We could rarely find vehicles overtaking us or coming from the opposite direction and hence we moved like “King of the Road” through the national highway.

In between, we had photo stops at few spots wherefrom the misty mountains of Eastern Ghats with lash green coverage could be seen on the horizon.

We had to keep the speed of our vehicle in control as occasional fog in some locations disturbed our visibility and it was pertinent not to take any risk in the hills especially when we were from the plain land.  

The sunlight was playing hide and seek among the tall shaded trees and the weather was perfect for enjoying nature’s trail. The temperature was hovering around ten-degree census and we had to remain contented with full sleeve sweater or jacket to combat the chilled wind.  

We learnt that there were no special tourist attraction spots in Mandasaru, but the major attraction was remaining close to nature for the entire day.

As we reached Eco-Tourism Park of Mandasaru, the location from where the entire valley was visible, we had to purchase tickets to enter the park. But before entering the park, we had a heavy breakfast as we started from Daringbari with the mission to enjoy as much time as possible in Mandasaru.

Hence, we did not waste time for breakfast in Daringbari and there was not a single food joint on the entire stretch to have breakfast.

As we entered the Eco-Tourism Park, the undulating path through the flower garden led us to a watchtower wherefrom we had a panoramic view of the entire range of Eastern Ghat Mountains and its valley.

On one side of the park, there were two wooden cottages on different levels which were fully equipped with all modern amenities and the French windows gave ample opportunity to have a view of the valley from the room itself.

Since both the rooms were occupied, we had to be contented having seen from outside and peeping into the common area maintaining decency.

The food was supplied by local female members of self-help groups who were also catering to the food supply of the tourists who were on a day tour but on pre-booked order basis. However, snacks and beverages were available on a continuous basis.

We had a stroll of few locations within the boundary of the park wherefrom the views of the valley and ridges were clear and had a good physical exercise having ascended and descended rocky steps.

There were few other tourists mainly from the district and state who had also come to enjoy the winter vacation. Some of them also had carried their own food and were enjoying the place as a picnic spot.

Before going for stroll, we had booked lunch in the restaurant which included typical Indian food consisting of rice, lentil, vegetables, fish, and pickles. The charge was reasonable and our objective was not only tasting local cuisine but also helping the ladies of the self-help groups who were toiling hard to support their families.

During the course of interaction, it was learnt that the major concentration of tourists was during winter. But the coronavirus had refrained the advent of tourists in the current year. It was also understood that since there were only two rooms in the cottage, the same remained booked on a continuous basis since the lifting of vehicular movement in the district.

Since we had already covered major spots within the Eco-tourism Park, we decided to return to Daringbari after lunch.

How to Reach

The distance between Daringbari and Mandasaru is 32 km and can be covered in around one and half hour keeping in consideration the hilly track and restricted vehicular speed. The distance between Brahmapur (nearest railhead) and Mandasaru is 150 km that can be covered in almost four hours. The distance between Bhubaneswar, the state capital, and Mandasaru is 255 km that can be covered in around six hours.

It will be a pleasant drive from the plains through hilly roads with sharp bends, but damaged roads at few spots may irritate the drivers and passengers to some extent.  

Boarding & Lodging

The only place to stay in Mandasaru is an Eco-Tourism cottage that can only be booked online through their website. There are proposals for setting up a few homestays outside Eco-tourism Park which are under consideration.

Since the entire kitchen of the park is handled by the ladies of self-help groups, the varieties of cuisines are limited and mostly stereotype. Hence tourists may not expect food as per their likings and tastes.

There is a roadside joint outside the park, where a local person can supply simple breakfast or evening snacks as also beverages. Few food joints adjacent to the park are shut down because of the low concentration of tourists.

What to Do

The place is within the lap of nature, where serenity and tranquility are the main USP. The chirping of birds, view of sunrise and sunset, misty mountains may soothe the eyes of the tourists along with a touch of a cool breeze. A leisure walk through the jungle trail or interaction with the local tribal people may bring a change of monotonous urban lives.

My Experience

Though I have not gained experience of staying overnight in Mandasaru, but apparently, it seemed that stay for a couple of days might be prescribed for urban tourists to rejuvenate their energy.

The view of lush green mountains, the sound of a flowing spring, wakeup call by various kinds of known and unknown birds and sound of cool breeze touching the leaves of gigantic trees in the park would be a different experience.

Since the place had not experienced the rays of development; a short stay would definitely induce fresh oxygen into our lungs and help to reactivate our zeal and enthusiasm.   

However, the ladies working in the eco-tourism park were taking adequate care to protect themselves and also tourists to prevent everyone from being infected.

After we had already covered major spots within the Eco-tourism Park, we decided to return to Daringbari after lunch.