Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!
I was enjoying my trip so far, clicking away merrily, although, the terrain was scary, and the weather ~ unpredictable and scarier. We had just crossed a long foggy stretch, where the driver drove in zero visibility, as though blind-folded. It was too scary because, we couldn't see any approaching vehicle or edges of the road. Only expert drivers can navigate this stretch.
Till now, except for the breakfast and lunch breaks, we hadn't stopped anywhere. My driver had noticed me clicking pics the entire trip and jumping inside the jeep when I first saw the snow. But, in this particular stretch when the fog cleared and we could see the sun shining brightly over the mighty himalayan peaks, he decided to stop, seeing that I'd nearly jump out of my window now. if he didn't, lol. He asked me to click a video for him too, as he slowly halted the sumo. So, inspite of stopping mid-way not being the normal norm in these public transport Sumos, I was delighted that our driver was obliging us, merely seeing my enthusiasm. So, we halted at this breath-taking spot, taking in nature's might, as well as beauty at its best. This stretch is called Baisakhi.
( Baisakhi village in West Kameng has a total population of 48 people and about 12 houses )
#Sea of #Clouds floating below ur feet. A view 2 die for! #travelphotography #ttot #lp #baisakhi #travelblogger #wow pic.twitter.com/QdclpDbyNC
— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) March 2, 2016
no fist, no fog, no rain...here, the sun was the king and it shone magnificently...
opened the car door and the freezing cold wind gushed in...
clouds beneath our feet...literally...
#Snow-walking in da incredible #Himalayas #Tawang #Sela #ArunachalPradesh #travelphotography #ttot #lp #travel #trip pic.twitter.com/ST4Ly7yxSJ
— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) January 23, 2016
loved walking in the snow, my first, my shoes would keep sinking in...
Road 2 #Tawang #travelblogger #travelphotography #arunachal #trip #ttot #lp #travel #road #Wanderers #snow #mountain pic.twitter.com/TCmnFyqATt
— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) January 23, 2016
it was time to leave, driving along the beautiful path...
towards Sela Pass...
we drove up and up, trees vanished here...only snow and rocky mountains...
after driving for forty minutes or so, we reached the Sela pass...at 13700ft!
( in summer time the blue waters of the above now-frozen lake is visible )
Frozen #SelaLake covered in #snow near #Sela #Pass.Still get goosebumps remembering it! #travelphotography #ttot #lp pic.twitter.com/V6tdHBcqZi
— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) February 15, 2016
Sela Lake..
According to legend, a sepoy of the Indian Army named Jaswant Singh Rawat fought alone against the Chinese soldiers for many days near the pass during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. That he was alone, he didn't let the Chinese know and used many tactics to make them believe there were many, by firing from various places single-handedly, by running to various spots stealthily. A tribal woman named Sela who had brought food and water to him, also helped him in his stealth tactics, is said to have killed herself at this spot upon seeing the dead body of Jaswant Singh Rawat. Singh was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his courage and devotion to duty. His memorial is located near the Sela Pass at the JaswantGarh War Memorial.
The Sela Pass is a high-altitude mountain pass located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng Districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in India. It has an elevation of 4170 m and connects the Indian Buddhist town of Tawang to Dirang and Guwahati ( wiki ).
When our Sumo n other cars got caught in a heavy snow-storm near #Sela pass at 14k+ft, and were stuck for 4 hours. pic.twitter.com/q4ByYYrqeA
— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) January 25, 2016
As we were passing the Sela Pass, our vehicle came to a grinding halt. There was a long line of vehicles ahead, in front of us. Someone had got stuck ahead in the snow, and there was delay in getting someone from the BRO to get the snow cleared. There was a blizzard too, and I saw the snow flying along with the wind ~ quite a sight, that! We were near the Sela Lake, so kept coming out of the vehicle. Another long line of vehicles had queued themselves behind us, by then. No vehicle moved, and we were stuck big time. It was freezing cold and the sumo's heating wasn't working properly, giving almost nil heat. We couldn't go out of the vehicle anymore, because, the cold had become unbearable then. Everyone sat inside the Sumo, keeping warm with each other's breath. It was a long, long wait - over four hours in the snow. We feared, if no one came to clear the snow, we'd be stuck the whole night, and could even die, because, it was that cold.
After over four hours, finally, much to everyone's relief the vehicles started moving...
It was a big relief...we won't die afterall, we all thought! The vehicles moved slowly, each following each other's trye tracks - else, we could get stuck again. It was dark by then, and we had three more hours of travel left. I could not click pictures anymore, so, simply stared into the dark night outside, as the driver expertly manoeuvred the tricky road. He had driven for over 12 hours now, whoa! Hats of to him for that much stamina and patience. But, there was still a long distance left to cover. We started going downhill first, and then after a while, uphill again. When in the dark night you see lights flickering at a distance, scattered ~ in the far away hills ~ it means some habitation is near. We had reached Jang ( famous for its water-falls ), which also meant, Tawang was near now. In the stark night we travelled more. The Sumo started dropping some of the passengers in their destination, till there was only three of us left, by the time we arrived in Tawang town. It was already past 11 pm when we finally reached. The Sumo dropped its last passenger and the driver turned to ask me where he could drop me. And then, I dropped him the bomb. Drop in front of any good hotel, I said. He was like ~ Whaaat? Any hotel? Haven't you booked? I replied, no. I had thought, I'd book in one when I reached Tawang by 7 pm, which was the original time. The look in the driver's face was of sheer frustration. He was like, O'hello maam at this time no hotels will be open, why didn't you tell me earlier, I could've called and arranged something, from Tezpur itself. How can I do now, since everything closes by 8pm, everyone will be sleeping.
He was right, everyone...infact, the whole town was sleeping. We were the only two people outside on the road. The driver was more nervous and worried than me. He was like ~ I could've asked you to come along with me if you were a man, but, since you are female I can't even do that. What will we do now? I didn't know a reply to that. I only knew, I wouldn't leave the sumo till I got a hotel, lol. We drove up and down the road, numerous times, the driver getting down to knock here and there, at various hotels/lodges. None replied or answered. Even the circuit house was closed, not a soul in sight. He 'hello hellow'ed' loud into the night - no response from anywhere. It was indeed a scary situation, plus, the temperatures had dipped even more, as it was almost 12am. Finally, luckily, after dialling a number written on a board outside a hotel, we got a faint and sleepy 'hello' on the phone. Someone woke at last. but soon cut off. The driver re-dialed, and alas, the person came out and I got a place to stay @Rs2000/- per night ( pricy, even though it was off-season ). I was in no mood to bargain, because, thank heavens I got a place atleast at last. My driver was far relieved than me. I really admire how helpful he was throughout. He could've easily told me, all this was not his responsibility and dropped me somewhere in Tawang. But the fact that he hung around, ensuring I got a place, he was indeed my hero that night! He left only after I was safely inside the hotel. I never met him again, although, he had given me his number promising to take me back to Tezpur in his sumo on my return trip. However, I couldn't call him as my network had simply gone bust ever since we had left tezpur! I'll always remember and be grateful to you, Arjun ( his name ) - and, this post is dedicated to you - a knight in shining sumo...
Tawang is a town in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, situated at an elevation of approx 3,048 metres ( 10,000ft ) to the east of Bhutan. The town once served as the district headquarters of West Kameng district, and became the district headquarters of Tawang district when it was formed from West Kameng ( wiki ).
Address : Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh
Read next part - Here! Stay tuned for all my road, rail, flight, cruise & walk trips.
( Images - ©Mine. All rights reserved. )
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