When does Kaziranga ever disappoint?

The drive to Tawang, Arunachal from Dhemaji via Tezpur, Assam was one of my hardest yet most rewarding ones. The 8 districts spanning the Brahmaputra plains and Eastern Himalayas in the two North-Eastern states do not boast of smooth terrain but sights that make it more than worth it, at all times. You truly are one with nature and in a warped spiritual way, you find yourself humbled. I know I did.

The smoothest stretch of my journey began just near the outskirts of Jorhat and as the Kaziranga trees appeared, there was tangible shift in the air! The setting sun had the sky opening up to dense forests till as far as the eyes can see on both sides, with that distinctive chattering noise (characteristic of such dense reserves) that lets you know that it’s bursting with life!

Yes, I did spot the famous one horned Rhino, Thankfully! Lots more to come in the next few days!

A glimpse of a portion of the Tibetan Plateau winding down around the yellow road passing straight the Bum La Pass.

My visit to Bum La at 15,200 ft, was a bittersweet one, for many reasons. At an altitude where shortness of breath with every step is not surprising, I had a bounce in my step as I set about reading about cultural programs every year, making pictures and spotting Chinese posts. The landscape dramatically changing over a few mountains, a chilly breeze, piping hot tea with Sunday langar ka halwa and I was a happy camper!

As I started to imagine that long yellow road as the old trade route that it was, I was reminded that it was this very yellow road, which witnessed bloodshed of such magnitude that it still gave me goosebumps 53 years later. For what is now possibly one of the most peaceful border passes India has, Bum La has a tragic history ingrained in its mountains, which crept in and left a bitter taste in my mouth. Beauty really doesn’t exist without scars, I suppose, then!