Jungle of Delhi
Before heading to the Northeast of India we are spending a few days in Dehli. We arrive early morning in New Dehli. The city is what you would expect: noisy, dirty and smelly. It’s inhabitants and visitors spit plastic, shit, piss and other nasty fluids on the streets. The city wears it gracefully – like an expensive carpet on an exotic wooden floor. Yet there are corners which feel lush green with its gigantic trees. Some alleys feel like a walk in a jungle, not the concrete jungle, but the real one.
Trees frame arches, rootes overgrow the pathways, leaves hiss at the traffic. We are lucky to visit during a time the sky is even visible. Our intention to go easy on the street food for the sake of our stomachs is broken, as soon as we get our eyes on all the goodies. Stomachs are fine. One short train to Agra, to visit the Red Fort.
As well as the mighty Taj Mahal. Little did we know that it was the day of free entrance at the Taj Mahal and so this day was a truly overwhelming and a unique experience. Huge lines, kids being lifted over barriers and fences, lots of pushing but also lots of smiles and some selfies.
The other day we do some New Delhi Sightseeing (by metro) and restaurant hopping.
Enough city buzzing for now!
The bikes, still safely packed in the boxes, are ready for a 30 hour train ride to Guwahati, in Assam, the Northeast of India. Our bikes, divas as they are, need one bunk bed for themselves. Us, squeezed together, take place in the other one. And so it goes… by the end of the train ride, I receive sad news from home and decide to interrupt the journey for a while.
„To see things as they are“
In the meantime Rolfi takes the opportunity to join a Vipassana course close to Guwahati. In an intense 10 day course he gets to know this ancient form of meditation. 10 hours per day of meditating – no communication or eye contact is allowed in this time.
After the course Rolfi can stay with a local warm-showers host and his family who welcome him warmly in their home in Guwahati.
Later on he is doing a 3 days loop to check out the state of Meghalaya. Exploring the banks of the Brahmaputra and the hills in the south. In those 3 days he cycles beautiful small and quiet roads we were not expecting to find in India so easy. But luckily in the next weeks it’ll be like this most of the time.
During another warm-showers stay (platform like couch surfing for touring cyclists) he gets to know a local school and the students. The school was built by an australian missionary couple. The couple is not living in India anymore but touring cyclists can stay at their little wooden house/school. In the morning one teacher organises a little meet and greet with the students and then they can ask some questions to Rolfi.
After a almost 3 weeks we meet again in Guwahati and continue our journey together.
Arunachal Pradesh – Road to Tawang
It is time to go to destinations we are so eager to get to know. The North of the Northeast – Arunachal Pradesh. The state is bordering Bhutan and China. Due to an ongoing border dispute there is a special permit needed for the region. We follow the Brahmaputra river eastwards for a little while. With 2900km it is one of the largest rivers in South Asia. Originating from the Chemayungdung Glacier in Tibet, it fans over the northeast, heading to West Bengal and through Bangladesh where it enters the Indian ocean in the Bengali Bay. Millions depend on the river for water, agriculture, food and electricity. Many people are affected when the now so calm river turns into a roaring beast.
Cycling out of Guwahati certainly was not the funniest part but two days later we exit Assam and enter Arunachal Pradesh. On the way we meet the cheerful group of cyclist of North by Northeast (a tour provider specialised on the Northeast). They follow the same route us and we shall share a few more moments with them in the future.
The BRO (the border road organisation of India) makes sure we have a safe, entertaining and very very smooth ride by placing signs with cheesy slogans on the side of the gentle roads. The gradient is never more than 7 % and so we roll up the hills with moderate heart rate and not so much effort.
We arrive in Tenzin Gong, a buddhist village nested deep in the lush forest of the area.
Many more switchbacks curl over the hills. Up and down, pass by small villages and monasteries. Prayer flags swaying in the wind. The air is humid and misty. Everything feels calm and peaceful.
I personally love switchbacks.
Every turn gives a new perspective. Every altitude meter gained, a new horizon. Each hairpin, opens a whole new world.
When on our prior selected flat camp spot on the ridge of the mountain a monastery appears, we got invited to camp on the soccer field as well as for dinner and breakfast.
The next day we pass 3000 altitude meters and touch the first snow. At Mandala Pass a giant Buddha statue sits enthroned over the little settlement. Mystic, black trees sting through the grey and thick air.
We pass through Dirang and visit a museum. There are 26 major tribes and more than 100 sub tribes in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. In the “small” region we are cycling through there are at least 6 tribes. Passing through the smaller villages we would see a blend of different clothing, various traditional and non-traditional clothing.
Then it is time to make our way up to Se La (La meaning pass), to 4170 meters.
Like all the roads here the incline is gentle and the switchbacks are easy to ride. Pedalling up we feel the temperature is dropping and our breath is shortening. The clouds pass through us, stinging through our fingers, fogging the view.
Snow, slush and ice is covering the road. Occasionally we get a glimpse of the valley. We arrive at the pass and friendly military moustaches great us. The military presence on the pass is like on the entire road quite high – and the camp is just behind the pass. On the way up Rolfi has already spotted a little cottage, which is perfect for camping and provides shelter from the angry storm. So we decide to ride back down again a few altitudes meters and set up our little camp inside the shelter.
After a stormy night the morning greets us with a beautiful sunrise and a crystal clear blue sky. Coffee and breakfast above the clouds before pedalling up to the pass (again).
A long downhill awards us for the effort and by the end of the day we have climbed up again 1500 meters to Tawang (3048m). Aside from its location, Tawang is famous for its monastery which is the largest of India.
The 14th Dalai Lama passed through Tawang when he fled Tibet from in 1959 and the 6th Dalai Lama was born in this area. When we arrive Tawang it is busy with its Losar preparations. Losar is the buddhist New Year and for the Monpas it is a family celebration. Each member of the family invites to their own house on different days – for prayers, food, wine and singing. The buddhistic new year celebrations start at the end of february and will last for about two weeks. The roads fill up with cars searching for parking to rush to the monastery.
Our host invites us to cheer the New Year with a few sips of the local millet wine in the early morning. The wine fogged our mind the entire day (not being used to drink at all).
We take the chance to join the cheerful group of North by Northeast for a transport back. Our bikes hop on the back of Rohin’s tiny Suzuki. A miracle car braving all the passes of the northeast as well as deep river crossings. It reminds me of “Sternschnuppe”, the pocket sized swissknife of a car of a dear friend! We hop in the support vehicle with the rest of the group, enjoying the chats and all the things we learn about the different regions.
Arunachal Pradesh – Road to Ziro
As soon as we leave busy Dirang the landscape changes. The forest is lush. Humidity increases as we go east. It’s a constant up and down. The road is becoming more of a track, and we are happy to be back on gravel after the smooth passes towards Tawang.
With elevation gain the mist becomes so thick that one time we got surprised by a horse just appearing out of nowhere 10 meters in front of us. Spooky!! A few horses shred down a trail because we scare them on the quest for a camp spot. Camping here becomes easier yet it is still hard to find a spot which is flat and not populated.
We follow the Bichom river until a damm. Our trail is damaged by a huge landslide and it takes a bit of searching to find the way to the other side.
A steep track leads to the villages Thrizini and Palizi. It is quiet and remote. A few motorbikes pass by, Mituns greet us from the side of the roads and friendly yet often confused faces of people collecting wood turn towards or shake their heads.
The air is thick, the humidity enters every pore of our bodies and sleeping bags. Mystic mist is laying over the valleys.
Our bikes were pretty easy to handle the past weeks but and now a new issue occurred. My back rack becomes loose again and again and we realised the thread is completely worn out. Superglue does the job for now…
The way down to Seppa is rainy. Seppa means swamp and that’s exactly how it feels. The road is a maze of potholes and puddles.
Another pass and we enter a different landscape. Fields are flooded, probably almost ready for sowing rice. We cross the Papu River and pass by the typical long Bamboo Houses.
Spiderwebs squint towards the sunrays. The jungle lies on the steep slopes, overgrown with every kind of exotic green we like to have in our homes. It’s sounds – sometimes small, like those of a little mouse, sometime big like a marching band of elephants – indicating the vast life that must hide in it’s depths. We only get to encounter some birds, monkeys, a Himalayan squirrel and of course spiders and bugs.
The little markets offer a variety of local greens, eco- friendly packed in banana leafs. We cannot resist the baby pineapples on the road side. And local mushrooms to add a new recipe to our camping cook book!
Inspired by the track of longest MTB race of India we head north at Sagalee and take the small road towards Ziro. On the way we pass through many Nyishi villages (one of the largest tribes of Arunachal). We see many Christian churches, on the way. Many people converted to Christianity, yet keeping their ancient traditions.
The green curtain of the forest opens the stage for a new chapter as a brown carpet unfolds infront of us: Mudmasters redefined! It is a beautiful road yet but is hard to cycle. It rained every night and so the roads turned into puddles of mud and deep thick sludge. We make slow progress as we climb one hill after another. Our km to elevation gain ratio is about 100km to +2000m. Four days already and the legs and the lungs feel tired! The humidity provokes a cough during the last days. And so we huff and puff – still smiling – through the beautiful landscape. Yet Ziro is coming closer as we pass through Pistana.
Happy to arrive in Ziro, we find a place where we can eat Dosas and a nice little cafe. Rain drizzles over the busy town. Honestly we didn’t expect Ziro to be that big. But our homestay is a in old Ziro, in a quiet area. New houses mixed with old traditional bamboo huts. Our host gives us a tour through the village and we ride to the lake and a viewpoint.
In the evening we enjoy the warmth of the fire. The houses here have a central fireplace – in the middle of the room – where everyone gathers.
Our last day in Arunachal has come. Looking at a map we realise we only crossed 1/3 of the region. There would be so many places to explore as the region is so big. We head back to Assam and plan to dry our sleeping bags in the lowlands for a few days as we bike to Majuli Island, a river island in the Brahmaputra.
A few more Kilometers of dirt roads, one broken chain and a ferry ride later, we arrive in our little bamboo cottage. Route planing, research, washing, !drying! and relaxing is on our agenda here.
Woanders 
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