In order to go to the region of Aruchanal Pradesh, India’s Northeastern region, we need a visa. The visa may take 1-3 days to be ready.
Worth the wait, from what we read and hear from locals. This region of India is one of the most beautiful with regard to its nature and wildlife and is home to many tribal people, and is closer ethnically and geographically to Tibet and Bhutan than it is to Hindu India or Muslim Bangladesh. We are hoping to do some hiking, see waterfalls and discover tribal village life along the way.
We catch a 3 hour flight from Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu in the South, to the state of Assam in India’s North East. (With intention to proceed further North to the state of Arunachal Pradesh, circled on the map.)
Guwahati is where we land, in the state of Assam, squeezed between Bhutan and Bangladesh, with Myanmar to the right. Our intent is to proceed North, ~ higher altitude and colder climate in Arunachal Pradesh at the foot of the Himalayas.
The owner of our guest house drives us an hour and a half into the city to the visa office. Closed! Government holiday. Bummer.. this will postpone the start of our adventure. We return again the next day and finally are able to apply for our visas.
An hour later while eating lunch nearby, we get a call from the governement office. Our visas are ready!! Seems the officials took a shine to us, as it is unheard of to get visas so quickly. Our efforts to be at our charming best, paid off.
Delighted, we make plans to leave Assam early the next morning. We will need a car and a driver as the areas we are going to, have very little infrastructure, buses are irregular and many of the villages do not have bus service at all.
We have a rough outline of where we will sleep each night, which we arranged with our guesthouse owner, who happens to also be a travel guide, which is very helpful.
The night before we are due to leave, Ben gets hit with a high fever and is moaning and groaning. He rarely gets sick, so we are both hopeful that by morning he will be okay. He has to feel 100% well, as the region we are heading to, is remote ~ the kind of place you want to go to when you feel strong and healthy Not only that, but it will get colder as we head towards the foothills of the Himalayas. There is snow, which is hard to imagine from the heat of Assam. And the altitude is significantly higher and takes some getting used to.
But, this trip was not to be.
Ben wakes up and still feels “off”. We change our plans: cancel lodging, cancel the driver, and book tickets to fly back to Chennai, to spend a night there and then fly back to Sri Lanka the following morning.
You know the feeling when you get sick and all you want to to do is to go home? That is where Ben is at.
Of course, we are disappointed, but we are grateful that this happened before we hit the road and find ourselves dealing with sickness while in a remote region of India. And at any rate, our time in Pondicherry, Auroville and Assam have all been very rich and rewarding. So, looks like we are going back home to Sri Lanka.
On the way to the airport we stop at the largest market in Guwahati.
We enjoy a last twirl through this part of India where foreigners are few and far between, evidenced by the surprised reaction we see on the faces of locals when they see us meandering through the market.
Ben has a much needed shave and I stand outside at the corner watching the activities of the streets. My favorite thing to do in places where a lot is going on, is to stand still and watch as life swirls around me. Rickshaws line up, with people hopping on and off, workers carry heavy loads, vendors peddle their wares. It is a sea of color and a hub of busy bee activity non stop.
The photos tell the story…
I love the deep turquoise of the red rickshaw driver’s shirt and the lighter turquoise of the wall behind.
The tower of a mosque temporarily pulls our attention to the blue sky over the market.
A mosque, telephone wires, vendors, workers, colors.
Men still do the heavy labor here such as lugging loads on a wagon through the busy streets.
It is heartbreaking to watch this little girl cross the street in front of me, barefoot and hunched over by the weight of her responsibilities. I try not to pass “first world judgement” and instead imagine her playing happily in a playground.
I watch as couples get in and out of rickshaws while doing their market shopping, and schoolgirls in their uniforms go by, on their way home.
Only India can deliver such bright colors and color combinations so consistently and so frequently.
Rickshaws have an interesting history. In the early 19th century, peasants who migrated to big cities, had no marketable skills per se and turned to being rickshaw drivers, as the first step into the urban economy.
And an elegant man riding his bicycle in and amongst the rickshaws, the people, the traffic….
Wagons are full of green and brown coconuts, piled high. People stop to get one cut open for the coconut water right there and then on the street. A handy thirst quencher under the Assam sun. Others are sitting on the curb spooning out the soft coconut flesh.
Precut veggies are being kept fresh to cook along with rice for a quick bite on the street.
A young boy cranking out sugar cane juice with lemon. We never pass a chance at this yummy and highly nutritious drink.
The fruits at the market are plentiful as well as varied. Agriculture in Assam yields impressive produce contributing to Assam’s economy by “exporting” fruits and vegetables to other parts of India.
Men shopping in the fabric “shmates” section of the market.
Women with long black braids shop for bracelets and earrings. There is a thriving silver jewelry part to the market.
Even side streets with less activity are still interesting places with a “time warp” kind of feel to them.
A short video captures the feel of watching it all go by from the corner.
Thanks for the views. This is one of about six Indian states we haven’t yet visited.
Very welcome Peggy. We have way more of India to discover, but visiting the Eastern part of the country was something we have wanted to do for a long time and it did not disappoint. The proximity to Sri Lanka, makes going to India a really easy destination for us.
Peta & Ben
I’ve so enjoyed your trip to this part of India. I had to go back a couple posts and study the maps to understand what you were trying to do, since I thought you were already pretty much out there in utzaplutz, as my mom used to say. I feel your disappointment, but was relieved that Ben seemed to be getting better. Hope you’ll post his progress.
Funny how different the feel is from the stills to the video. It’s the sound that changes everything, the startling beep first thing, and the many many beep beep beeps that followed. The visual activity is so marvelous, I didn’t realize it was accompanied with clamor.
Love you guys.
Well, we were pretty “out there” in Assam, but the region we were trying to go to as you saw on the map a few posts back, was one state up and closer to Tibet.
Ben is completely fine, just took a few days of rest. We made the right decision as it would not have been fun to be sick and on the go.
India is colorful and yes, noisy. After being in any of the big cities, the constant beeping can be a bit much. So glad you took the time to watch the video as it gives a more complete feel to the experience of course.
Love you too!
xoxo
P&B
Thanks to you Sharon, we added two maps to the post.
Oh, that was up and down! I was rejoicing with you at the visas then suddenly plunged at the news of Ben’s illness. Hope he is ok now.
Yup Ben is fine thanks. He is a strong guy! Glad we rerouted though, it was definitely the right decision. Shit happens. Arunachal Pradesh will be another trip, another time. So it goes…
Peta
Wonderful photos and video! Sorry to hear of Ben’s illness. Hope he is on the mend. I’ve been sick while traveling and know the urgency to want to be home and recovering in your own bed all too well. I understand the trip cancellation completely!
Yup for anyone that has travelled and been sick for sure you can relate to our decision. It was definitely the right one and we were very pleased with our trip overall. The end part was to be but the cherry on top. This market provided a great many vignettes…
Ben is fine.
Peta
Oh wow. Did not know that region requires a visa on its own.
It is an interesting parallel the rickshaws have with China. Very similarly, the migrants with little skills getting into the booming cities filled the transport gap that these urban centers were lacking
Mel & Susan, the visas are required to restrict or stay abreast of tourism in this pristine part of the country.They are given out selectively. So for instance, tourists, such as ourselves are more likely to get them than NGO workers who are resident in India and might want to travel to this area.
Yes, the rickshaw economy is the same story across Asia.
Thanks for reading our post and leaving a comment.
Peta & Ben
Too bad about Ben getting sick. I hope he’s feeling better! I totally get how you just want to go home when you’re feeling poorly.
I’m impressed how you guys seem to take it all in stride and stay positive. Your little side trip on the way to the airport looks fabulous. The colours and energy in your photos from this part of the world never cease to amaze me.
By the way, thanks for the maps. I’m a map person and I really like seeing where all these places you mention are located.
Caroline
Caroline, this was the first time that health reasons got in the way of our plans, but we do our best to keep perspective. In this case, we were just really happy that we had not left for our road trip already as that would have been rather challenging. So at the end of the day, not a big deal to us.
So glad that you have enjoyed our posts and photos from our travels to India.
We forgot to put our maps up on this post, but thanks to our friend Sharon R who reminded us she had to go back to the earlier post to find one, we added them.
Peta
Caroline, this was the first time that health reasons got in the way of our plans, but we do our best to keep perspective. In this case, we were just really happy that we had not left for our road trip already as that would have been rather challenging. So at the end of the day, not a big deal to us.
So glad that you have enjoyed our posts and photos from our travels to India.
We forgot to put our maps up on this post, but thanks to our friend Sharon R who reminded us she had to go back to the earlier post to find one, we added them.
Peta
Great photos. Especially the sugar cane one.
Thank you for the compliment. My favorite photo is the rickshaw driver in front of the blue building.
Peta
That’s my favorite photo too. You capture the colors and movement and people so brilliantly – an artists eye, no doubt.
Glad to hear that Ben is doing better. Having a fever can be so fatiguing for days and days after – your call not to go on was the best.
Thanks Judith, that’s a lovely compliment.
Oh yes, no regrets re not taking the trip.
Peta
I so love reading about your travels Peta & the ease with which you change your plans.
Good to read in the comments that Ben is feeling better. Will you try again to go to this area do you think?
Thanks Lynn, glad you are enjoying our adventures. We would love to come back to this area and explore the regions we had intended to visit, but who knows how life rolls… Time will tell 🙂
Peta
Fantastic details and visuals. Makes me want to hurry off to that very place to do what you like to do Peta. Stand still and take it all in!!
Thanks Lois so glad you enjoyed this post. Maybe you and Chris will come to this part of the world while we are living here. Standing still and watching the flow is definitely one of my favorite things to do in a bustling place.
P
I so love the colors as well, Peta and can imagine the joy and entertainment level of seeing the world go by at a busy street corner. I’m sorry you couldn’t stick to plan and I hope Ben got better soon. The NE corner of India will be for a future adventure! It sounds extremely interesting.
On a different note: have you guys ever considered driving yourself to more remote areas, or is that just too crazy and dangerous? I’m well aware of traffic “rules” in Asia, but part of us is considering driving a camper van there one day…
Liesbet, we did not actually consider renting a car because the hassle of renting one and then dealing with directions and narrow mountainous roads might have changed our carefree approach to this trip. There is very little or no wifi signal in that area, so using anything like google maps would not be possible. Of course getting lost could be part of the fun too unless it was getting late in the day and it does get dark very early in these parts (sunset at around 5.30).
I don’t think it would be crazy and the only “dangerous” part would be the narrow and possibly very bad roads.. it would mean more effort for navigation of the roads and maps and knowing how to fix anything should your camper have an issue as there is little infrastructure. And then, driving out of any Indian city to get to remote parts, well that would certainly be both a challenge and interesting!!
Peta
Question: What does the “elegant man” on the bike have on his forehead?
Judith, in answer to your question about what the “elegant man” in the photo has on his forehead ~ There are three categories indicating the three basic groups within Hinduism:
Horizontal lines for followers of Shiva, vertical lines for followers of Vishnu and straight on marks for followers of Devi. Within each of these categories of devotees there are many variations, black lines, red lines, yellow lines, curved lines, rounded lines, and so on. Each of these configurations indicate the particular school of theology within each group, and there are many designation even within a single group.
Ben & Peta
Intriguing, beautiful and adventurous. What is next for you nomads?
Enjoy!
Boyd, so very nice to hear from you! Glad you are still following us on our Green Global Trek. What is next? Well that is a great question…. we are still for now, paced by Ben’s work obligations, but after that, well the world is our oyster. The bucket list of countries we have not been to, keeps growing. Are you traveling these days?
xoxo
P&B
You were not only at your pleasant best with the visa people but also at your levelheaded best when making the decision to turn back. I am not good at that! Glad to read Ben is feeling better, and it does help to know that you are close enough to give this another try. I suppose my distance from so many of my adventures is what pressures me to keep on going even when not feeling 100% (rationalizing – haha).
I’m also impressed with your ability to regroup and get the very most out of your time in Guwahati instead; you are right that the pictures paint a great picture of your brief time in the midst of their life.
Lex that is such a good point. I think the fact that India IS so close to Sri Lanka, we know that if we want to, we can reschedule this trip for another time. Absolutely right on.
We are definitely inclined to be opportunists.. and if one opportunity falls through, well it means another one opens up for us. We had an amazing 3 weeks in Pondicherry, Auroville and Assam and were very happy with our trip.
Peta & Ben
Busy, busy, busy. Nice little vignette of a market. I like the sugar cane shot the best.
Thanks Dave. Glad you enjoyed the market vignette. Nice to know which photo resonates with you…
Peta
We have that in common Peta… I too love to just be still and watch the world go by. My favorite thing is to find a bench and just sit. People watching is fascinating and I learn so much by forcing myself to be still and in the moment. The language, the colors, the smells, the smiles, the frowns, they all pass by. It’s a great exercise in patience, something I greatly lack in my daily life.
That corner you stood on was SO full of life, it’s almost unimaginable but it definitely gave you a feast for the senses.
Glad to read that Ben is feeling better. It’s so difficult to be off one’s game when traveling.
Thanks Patti. I think sometimes when people travel they tend to rush from one sight to the other. We are definitely not those types and would rather really absorb the atmosphere and sights and sounds of wherever we find ourselves. I also find I get way better photos if I am standing still as that way I can blend in more than if we are constantly moving with the crowd.
Peta
I’m so sorry Ben got ill. It must be a disappointment not to be able to travel as expected but you were smart to have delayed your trip till Ben is well.
And, it gave you a chance to share more photos with us. I always love these as India is so vibrant a country. Its traffic scares the heck out of me – no wonder you just stand around and watch – you’re probably too terrified to move!
And the saddest photo is of that little girl. Children are not often in your photos, so this one of a very young girl straining under the weight of her burden is heartbreaking. I’m trying not to judge, and her family probably eats better because of her contribution, but she’s nearly bent double.
Will you re-schedule your trip?
Thanks for your thoughtful comments Shari.
I tend to have trouble crossing roads no matter where I am.. I just walk, sometimes without looking. In really big cities such as Delhi and Mumbai I literally could not cross the street without shutting my eyes and holding onto Ben for guidance.
There are two happier photos of children in the last few posts. The little girl in the doorway with her mom on the first post of Assam, and the younger girl with her dad at the temple and even younger the toddler in the doorway (Auroville post).
I had such mixed emotions while watching this little girl carrying that heavy load, it almost stopped my breath. And then in an instant she was gone. But the image of her burden has stayed with me. I wish that I could have helped her somehow. My mind was racing on what to do, but she disappeared very quickly.
Reschedule? Inshallah:) Luckily we are pretty close to India so it is not out of the question.
Peta & Ben
I’m so sorry to hear Ben got sick. I’ve been in his shoes, and it’s not fun being sick in a strange place. I assume now he’s well again?
It’s unfortunate you had to cancel that last visit – especially after the effort to get the permits! I predict a do-over 🙂
I loved the video! It gives a very different feeling from just a photo. I don’t know why I never think to take videos. They are wonderful souvenirs.
Joanne, it is actually very unusual for Ben to get sick, and yes thanks, he is absolutely fine.
We may well go back at another time, it is just too alluring a destination for us.
We actually take quite a lot of videos, as they of course have the ability to capture the additional element of sound. Ben really enjoys putting a few of these strung together and edited.
Peta & Ben
The pictures and the video are fabulous. Glad you decided to return home. Always best. I am sure you will return and explore the part you missed. Better than at the start of the trip!
Thanks Darlene, we may well be back. Luckily India is close to Sri Lanka and we do hope to return. Thanks for the compliment on the photos and video!
Peta
I believe that the images you saw there will forever stay in your heart and mind, Ben and Peta. Thanks for sharing this experience and pictures with us and bringing this part of the world closer!
Thanks Agness for stopping by to read us and comment on our blog. So glad you enjoyed our trip to India.
Peta
Oh what a pity Ben got sick. I do hope he’s recovered. And that you’ll get to Aruchanal Pradesh some other time. It sounds fascinating.
We might well go back Alison, it is certainly close enough, or maybe that was our one opportunity. Time will tell, but so it goes and flows. It is definitely a very fascinating destination given the combination of natural beauty and indigenous people.
Peta
Hoping that Ben is feeling well. Good decision not to proceed. As much as we like adventure, health and safety has to come first. A disappointing turn of events to be sure.
Ben is totally fine, thanks. He recovered after a few days of rest at home. We were disappointed but did not dwell on the fact that we changed our plans as we had already had a solid experience and adventure in both Auroville and Pondicherry as well as Assam. Sometimes shit happens…
Peta
So sorry to hear about Ben’s illness but it sounds like you made the right decision. It doesn’t make sense to take such a risk in a remote area. Thanks for taking us along on your journey. You have opened my eyes to India!
LuAnn, we definitely made the right decision. No regrets whatsoever. It all works out the way it is supposed to. We were fine with it, we had a great trip overall. Glad you enjoyed the journey and that we opened your eyes to India!
Ben & Peta
Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered which of Guwahati’s street corners you stood on to watch the city life pass by, but oh, what a swirl of activity and color around and about you. Each of your pictures has a story to tell. And yes, we know the feeling of being sick and just wanting to return to familiar surroundings. A wise choice and I’m so glad to read that Ben has recovered.
Thanks Anita, you are probably absolutely right that no matter where we stood, there would have been a “swirl of activity and color”. Even though the trip was cut short, we were perfectly happy with the experiences we had already had. Thanks for your lovely comments.
Peta
Thanks for this post. We share a border with Assam, but I haven’t been to Guwahati yet.
Did you have to drive up to Arunachal from Assam? No airports there in Arunachal, and how long before you got your visas approved?
Thanks!