Welcome to the next theme of our ongoing travel campaign of 2023, ‘Rediscover India, Incredible India’, as part of which, we bring unique & magnificent places of India to you one blogpost at a time.

This week is the time for our next theme, and here we are with Theme 5: Introducing the Land of the Rising Sun in India- Arunachal Pradesh. Being the largest state of northeast India, Arunachal Pradesh shares its border with Assam & Nagaland in India & Bhutan, Burma and Tibet internationally. A culturally diverse & a naturally gifted state, Arunachal takes your breath away figuratively with its stunning landscapes, and literally when you scale its mountain passes at high altitudes. 😀

The land of unlimited surprises

After travelling to Assam, Meghalaya and Sikkim in the last two years, I assumed I knew what to expect in Arunachal Pradesh – untouched places, scenic waterfalls, gigantic mountains, warm people & an amazing vacation full of memories. 😀😀

But you can never predict what would happen in a Northeastern state. Can you?

The Cherry Blossom trees all around me, questionable food in most places, life-saving ginger tea in army canteen, narrow escape from death at Bumla Pass, going off-the-grid for hours at a stretch because of low network, befriending local dogs who walked with us on hikes, talking to locals & listening to their stories, merging with the peace & quiet of monasteries & losing all the chaos inside & outside me in the process; Arunachal Pradesh took me by surprise every single day and gave me tons of memories unknown to urban life.

Sub-zero temperature and the bone-chilling cold

We went to Arunachal in March end this year. Given that I had survived the cold of Delhi just then, I was pretty sure that I would be able to manage Arunachal too. But girl, I was so wrong. The temperature dipped to minus 5 and minus 10 degrees celsius at places, with such brutal cold winds that sometimes I felt I had left the mortal world for good & transcended to heaven.

The shit hit the fan when we crossed the Sela Pass on the third day of our 10 day long trip. At an altitude of 13,700 ft., I was slipping in and out of my energetic-conscious self. For the large part of our trip, I was almost out. The altitude sickness was getting to me, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. And the cold/ snowfall was making it worse. The altitude had never bothered me before. But then, the sedentary lifestyle eventually catches up with you.

By the time, it was time to visit Bumla Pass at 15,200 ft., I was more prepared mentally & clothes-wise. For the first time in my life, I wore 7-8 layers 😀😀😀 of heat-tech, fleece, Marino wool, feather jackets and Pashmina. Yeah, didn’t spare anything at all. This is how my friends, I survived the snow blizzard at Bumla Pass at minus 10 degrees that felt like minus 20. 🥶 🥶

Being Patriotic, Being Indian

It’s impossible to not talk about Indo-China wars, the escape of Dalai Lama from Tibet to India via Tawang, the bravado of Indian soldiers, the brutal cold & unforgiving nature & the indomitable spirit of Indian Army, when you talk about Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Many tourist places in Tawang especially at high altitudes including Bumla Pass are manned by India army, with immaculate arrangements. There are also museums around the area that you can visit to take a trip down the memory lane, puff your chest & be proud of being an Indian. 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 There’s also a light & sound show that’s organised in the war memorial area in Tawang in evenings that I absolutely recommend to everyone. It takes you through the history of Tawang beginning from pre-independence era to 1962 to recent events.

We explored Arunachal Pradesh on an elaborate 10 day long trip in March this year. Arunachal is still untouched and closer to nature than to urbanisation. We stayed in wooden houses that were built some 80-90 years back and prayed in ancient monasteries dating back to the twelfth century. While I was layered up in several jackets and woollens, little kids in monasteries were running around in one cloth, looking perfectly fine and happy, showing how adaptable humans are. We can adapt to the goodness of life just as easily as we allow ourselves the guilty pleasures of urban life.

I invite you to take this journey with me to Arunachal Pradesh over the next four weeks as I recount my experiences with the mountains, monasteries and cute-little cafes in between. Join me as I take you through this virtual tour of the incredible piece of land in India that receives Sunlight ahead of all other Indian states & exists boldly, peacefully & proudly.

Till then, keep travelling ♥️♥️ and be safe!