You travel alone so that you find out you don't have to be dependent on others, apart from finding yourself and then slowing finding out that all lives are interdependent...No matter how hard you try( unless you are completely living raw all by yourself like "Into the wild", which didn't have have a happily ever after!). The most enjoyable trip ever, with the best companions ever, constantly changing with the places with loads of spontaneous unexpected adventures :)
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| Angelina - one of the best companion to the most difficult trek ever! Double Decker which took away my life triple times...once while going and twice while climbing up! |
Day 1. 3/5/17 Landed my foot on my 1st north east state Assam ~ Guahati.
My very first Gauhati friends with whom I enjoyed my first turbulence and the extra leg space exit seats
:D That's Mr. Tai kai, the DC of Arunachal Pradesh on my right (who did give me a smile instead of window seat and will help me get the permits wherever required 
:P) and Mr. Dhruv, a mechanical engineer by profession and musician by passion! And his young sis has just got her first book whispers of the seashore published. That's the perk of travelling... You get to know so many amazing people.
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| My breakfast which didn't break my fast, but who's complaining! |
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| NH 6 (Shillong ~ Cherrapunji) |
So I'm here! How long this day was awaited... After visiting almost all the states of India, the 7 sisters remained untouched.
Day 2. Stepped on the 2nd state -Meghalaya...Day spent in Shillong - Elephant falls, rented bike followed by Shillong city view point, Mawphlang sacred groove and the heritage village in the Scotland of India.Night spent in Cherrapunji.
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| The triple layer Elephant falls |
Elephant first falls (there are three levels in all) The name was derived by britishers due an elephant shaped rock nearby which was destroyed
during an earthquake
The eerie scared groove trek, which has to be done under the guidance of a guide as people experience weird stuff if they upset the deity.. Like by taking something out of the forest... Though I do not believe in the revenge part, I did not take the rudraksh shaped seeds as a token of respect.. Clockwise from left - the snake lily, entrance of the forest, the stones (monoliths) used by king and his people during meetings.. Didn't look quite comfortable, decorative mushrooms, rudraksh seeds from the rudra tree and ferns used as earnings during the festival of the women cannot afford actual ones.. There were a lot of stones kept specially for bull sacrifices done during 800yrs ago.. I did not click them.. The guides are specifically supposed to be of the #lyngdoh (descendants of the burma tribe) clan and only they get to be the king.. There will be a new king coronated this year...In short, for two hrs, I was in #gameofthrones.. Btw yes, my guide did watch few episodes 
😂 #fictioninanonfictionworld or is it the other way round?!
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| To more beautiful views and faster :) |
Convincing the security guy to rent me his bike for few days was unexpectedly easy... Making my connectivity super easy and super scary... Also fulfilling my long long dream of riding on the hills.
Day 3. The day of waterfalls and caves. Seven sister waterfalls, Bangladesh border view from Mot Palong park, Thangkharang park, (had to leave kynrem falls due to super bad rocky roads), Mawsmai caves, eco park, R.K.M museum, Nohkalikai falls, Arwah – Lumshynna cave (which was a sea around 6 crore years ago), Umtynghiang falls, Dainthlen falls.
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7 sister falls
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| On the edge of India and Bangladesh |
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| Mawsmai caves |
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| Noh - ka - likai falls |
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| Arwah caves |
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| NO fence required ? :O |
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| Dainthlen falls |
You are not a solo traveler unless you ride your vehicle or else driver counts as a company!
And though solo travelling appears to be charming, it's equally scary and risky...I was waiting to get a chance to ride my Vespa in the Himalayas.. This was my first intercity( Shillong ~ Cherrapunji) ride on a hilly road which had the best and worst of terrains.
After riding through, Shillong (elephant falls) ~ Shillong peak ~ sacred groove ~ Sohra ~ Cherrapunji, my realization was the more beautiful the mountains appear during daylight, the darker and deeper they appear at night... Zigzag turns, hairpin bends, cornering bikes and the views are fun during the day.. But these same things become life threatening as sun sets, roads become empty, cold sets in and all sources of lights and paths disappear...This was the first and last day I'll be driving on a hilly area after sunset.
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| Khasi hills |
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| OMG that's a lot to ride over |
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| The road where I rode |
Day 4.The day of waterfalls, metal, bamboo and live root brides...and yeah 6000 steps! Tyrna village – Nongriat, single live root bridge, Sacred groove, doubledecker root bridge, rainbow falls. (The most strenuous trek I've ever done...6k steps up and down, a week later and the legs were still sore!)
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| I was happy initially until the steps seemed never ending! |
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| On the way to Single root bridge! |
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| Coz #yogaeverydamnday |
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| Bridges and more |
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| Double - Decker root bridge |
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| Nope it wasn't raining. It was the waterfall's spray :D |
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| Awesome M.K. 7Star homestay peeps @ Cherrapunji :) |
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| My trek mate |
Till now, the only info I had from my Geo txbk about Cherrapunji was it was the most highest rainfall receiving area.. Today I actually saw the unpredictable weather here, sunny, at one moment and sudden windy slanting heavy rains and it dries again!Guess I'll just have to ride in the rains
Day 5. The day of clearest river, Asia's cleanest village and rode till the Bangladesh borders..Also the day I gladly returned the bike. NH 40 – The roads filled with the most beautiful, coldest, continuous scary sharp hairpin bends and twist and get the darkest at night. With so much cornering, I'm a mountain rider now!).
Dawki, Tamabil to meet the army at Bangladesh border, Umngot river, Shenopdeng in Jaintia hills, single live root bridge, tree house, Khasmar river waterfalls in Nohwet village, Mawlynnong – Shillong – police bazaar - Guwahati.
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| Dawki |
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Meghalaya
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| Bangladesh border |
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| In Shneopdeng - Asia's cleanest village |
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| Tree houses |
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| Standing live on living Roots! |
Day 6. The day I traveled through 3 states, crossed the Bhramaputra river via NH 52 - touched the Bhutan border and stepped on my 3rd state, Arunachal Pradesh (without an ilp!) via NH 13. Night spent in Dirang in a Tibetian house of my first newly Buddhist friend :P
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| Thinley's tibetian house :) |
Day 7. Dirang to Tawang via NH 13, Sela pass, Nuranang waterfalls, light show at war memorial, 6th Dalai lama birth place.
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| Over Sela pass |
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| Tawang |
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| Momomia |
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| The entrance of the Monastery |
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| Outside Monastery |
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| North India Finally ! |
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| Thukpa |
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| Bhutanese petrol pump |
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| Glaciers |
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| On buddha Purnima ~ 10 May '17 |
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| Some weird tasting thenthuk |
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| The clouds |
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| On the way to Tawang |
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| Betel and stuff I despise :( |
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| Salty buttery tea |
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| Panipuris! |
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| Mountain fluffy dogs |
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| Tawang Monastery - Asia's 3rd largest |
Day 8. The day I touched the 3rd border, China at Bumla pass, Tawang monastery (largest in India and 2nd largest in Asia) and lit candle on occasion of Buddha Poornima, Bumla pass, Madhuri lake, PengaTeng Tso lake, Bap Tent Kang waterfalls, Zeminthang lake.
Day 9. Tawang ~ Bomdila ~ tezpur ~ Guwahati.
Day 10. 12/5 Back to Guwahati, visited Kamhaya temple, Art of Living temple, Guwahati ~ Delhi, Delhi ~ Rishikesh, Night spent in a Vikram (Don't ask !) ;D
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| Art of Living, Guwahati |
My 5th Art of Living ashram... The feeling of doing one's sadhana and chanting followed by ashram's healthy breakfast - pasta, sprouts and the herbal tea in this sweet safe place cannot be compared to anything! I'm glad I came here and met swami Arpitji and Krisanu.. So many judgments and prejudices needed to be broken 
:) and I'm so happy for all the AOL work happening here
Day 11. Woke up after a cold windy night in Vikram, caught the 4.30 bus from Rishikesh ~ Uttarkashi, Reached the Sivananda Kutir at 12.00, which was going to be my heavenly abode for one whole month! (Lot of #himalayas and #ganges Tags :D )
Day 12. Yoga TTC commences
3 states, 3 borders... After compressing a month long trip into a week and still being able to experience the taste of North East, it was hard to bid adieu to one of the most scenic, wild and beautiful place...
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