Entering into Assam
I was specifically told not to enter into Assam borders after 5pm. A caring shopkeeper, where I stopped for chai, informed me about this. It was 2pm. He suggested me to stay back in Alipur Duar (bordering to Assam) for the night. Next day morning, left early. Was stopped at the border for checking. After the initial round of checking my bags & I was also asked for identification papers; I obliged. I was told to stop on the bridge ahead to speak to a higher officer & only then proceed. About a km later, I was again stopped by the police. An officer with 2 stars on his shoulder (Mr. Hazarika) was inside his white gypsy. He refused to let me through, bcos a bundh was called for from the ALFA/ULFA (whoever) in the 1st 3 districts. Ohh, mind you, that if someone had to go through Assam, this was the only entry point & exist as well.
He told me some scary stuff; you will get looted, you would be injured, you will go missing….blah blah…. I don’t have anything to go back to & I had no choice (bcos this bundh was for 3 days) but to go ahead, I said. & there was no way I would wait for 3 days doing nothing. I convinced him I will be careful, & I will not stop anywhere in between. After about 30 mins, he gave me his mobile no & asked me to call him if I had any problems mid way.
There was no soul on the road, except few children playing around. All the trucks were lined up on both sides of the border, with the driver & the cleaner sleeping under the shade of the truck. I have to admit, apart from all the heroism I displayed in front of him, I was scared. I didn’t stop anywhere. I only did when I saw few policemen on the roads or under a tree taking shelter. I would do some gossip for 5 mins, drink water & then move on. By lunch time I was through the problem area & into the safe zone. Took a good break & then proceeded towards Guwahati.
Baskin Robbins
I wanted to celebrate my entry into North East. But didn’t know how, where & when. I left the thought alone. 3 days in Assam, I left for Arunachal Pradesh. Didn’t go the usual way, but took a shortcut. It was very scenic. Entered the city of Itanagar, filled up Gas & took a picture for my record & when I was returning back to Assam (due to heavy rains, I couldn’t continue my ride through AP & then into the Northern Assam to hit Teju; the rain had washed away the NH on Dhemaji), much within the city limits, I saw BR. I immediately stopped, parked the bike. I was looking so dirty & out of sync with the rest of the world; I was also stinking, wearing my Capri’s, red t-shirt, leather jacket, short hair with a beard.
After contemplating much of what to eat, I settled down with a Banana Split with Rum ice-cream & pineapple topping. Yum it was! That was my celebration!
Tough Decisions
I was in a lot of pain with my left hand. The cause is very simple. Overuse the hand bcos of use for clutch in a bike. It took a lot of effort to ride; then specialised in riding the bike using only my right hand (not advisable) at long stretches. By the time I reached Tinsukia, it was way too much for me to handle; the choice was to either continue in pain OR turn around so that I could keep a check on it & also seek medical help & also rest. My goal to reach the eastern most point of India remained a dream; I turned around from Tinsukia & headed to Jorhat & then towards Nagaland & then the rest of North East. This one is yet to be achieved!!
I was specifically told not to enter into Assam borders after 5pm. A caring shopkeeper, where I stopped for chai, informed me about this. It was 2pm. He suggested me to stay back in Alipur Duar (bordering to Assam) for the night. Next day morning, left early. Was stopped at the border for checking. After the initial round of checking my bags & I was also asked for identification papers; I obliged. I was told to stop on the bridge ahead to speak to a higher officer & only then proceed. About a km later, I was again stopped by the police. An officer with 2 stars on his shoulder (Mr. Hazarika) was inside his white gypsy. He refused to let me through, bcos a bundh was called for from the ALFA/ULFA (whoever) in the 1st 3 districts. Ohh, mind you, that if someone had to go through Assam, this was the only entry point & exist as well.
He told me some scary stuff; you will get looted, you would be injured, you will go missing….blah blah…. I don’t have anything to go back to & I had no choice (bcos this bundh was for 3 days) but to go ahead, I said. & there was no way I would wait for 3 days doing nothing. I convinced him I will be careful, & I will not stop anywhere in between. After about 30 mins, he gave me his mobile no & asked me to call him if I had any problems mid way.
There was no soul on the road, except few children playing around. All the trucks were lined up on both sides of the border, with the driver & the cleaner sleeping under the shade of the truck. I have to admit, apart from all the heroism I displayed in front of him, I was scared. I didn’t stop anywhere. I only did when I saw few policemen on the roads or under a tree taking shelter. I would do some gossip for 5 mins, drink water & then move on. By lunch time I was through the problem area & into the safe zone. Took a good break & then proceeded towards Guwahati.
Baskin Robbins
I wanted to celebrate my entry into North East. But didn’t know how, where & when. I left the thought alone. 3 days in Assam, I left for Arunachal Pradesh. Didn’t go the usual way, but took a shortcut. It was very scenic. Entered the city of Itanagar, filled up Gas & took a picture for my record & when I was returning back to Assam (due to heavy rains, I couldn’t continue my ride through AP & then into the Northern Assam to hit Teju; the rain had washed away the NH on Dhemaji), much within the city limits, I saw BR. I immediately stopped, parked the bike. I was looking so dirty & out of sync with the rest of the world; I was also stinking, wearing my Capri’s, red t-shirt, leather jacket, short hair with a beard.
After contemplating much of what to eat, I settled down with a Banana Split with Rum ice-cream & pineapple topping. Yum it was! That was my celebration!
Tough Decisions
I was in a lot of pain with my left hand. The cause is very simple. Overuse the hand bcos of use for clutch in a bike. It took a lot of effort to ride; then specialised in riding the bike using only my right hand (not advisable) at long stretches. By the time I reached Tinsukia, it was way too much for me to handle; the choice was to either continue in pain OR turn around so that I could keep a check on it & also seek medical help & also rest. My goal to reach the eastern most point of India remained a dream; I turned around from Tinsukia & headed to Jorhat & then towards Nagaland & then the rest of North East. This one is yet to be achieved!!
4 comments:
WOW good that u started writing abt the trip.. Better late than never :) Waiting to read more..
i know.
Thank you!
-Prashant.
Man this is awesome. Came from Dhanyas blog. I am doing a Keral trip Next month and all alone solo as of now.
And that bird of yours looks cool. Happy and safe riding
Thank you Dhanush! I have already completed my ride.
You have a great ride!
Post a Comment