Minus 10 degrees at a height of 15200 ft is crazy altitude for anyone. To be able to survive this altitude, you got to be healthy (like really) & not just from the outside. At that height, when the the air is thin & the Oxygen pressure is low, your lungs are subjected to real pressure tests.

At that altitude and temperature, people often gasp for air, and suffer from altitude sickness. Yes, that is real! My last experience with such high altitude was with Khardungla Pass at 18,000 ft. in Leh Ladakh a few years ago. It felt easy. Like a visit to a nearby mall. No nausea. No throwing up. No uneasiness. And no altitude sickness. That was 2018. Since then, mine & the world’s collective health hasn’t remained the same.

In 2023, I climbed Sela Pass before reaching Tawang, and I felt mild symptoms of altitude sickness. With a gradual increase in altitude & adverse weather conditions, I was falling more & more sick. My travel companions (my husband and younger brother) advised me to stay at the hotel & ditch the plan to Bumla.

But I don’t ditch mountains. I embrace them.

So, did I end up in Bumla Pass?

Continue reading then!

Welcome to the third blogpost of our Theme 5, “Introducing the Land of the Rising Sun in India – Arunachal Pradesh”.

In March this year, we introduced a new travel campaign, ‘Rediscover India, Incredible India’, as part of which, we bring unique & magnificent places of India to you one blogpost at a time. Each month, we choose a new theme and share curated experiences relevant to the theme week after week.

Day 3: Landing in Tawang

There are some people who change how you perceive the world. Similarly there are places that completely alter the way you view yourself and the world. Tawang is one such place.

Intermittent, mild rains welcomed us when we reached Tawang. There were trees of Cherry Blossom & Magnolia all around. As our vehicle twisted and turned through the mountain roads, I began feeling acute altitude sickness that I perhaps developed at Sela Pass earlier that day, but I kept my eyes open because no one wants to miss the beautiful sights around. 🙂

As we reached our hotel, the temperature had dropped by a few degrees. It was easily 3 or 4 degrees celsius but it felt much colder. I was layered up from head to toe, and needed a warm beverage, my kind of warm beverage – a hot cup of ginger-cardamom tea. It was Day 3 of our trip and by then, my expectations from a cup of tea had been repeatedly punctured. At that point in time, if they would have given me a cup of something that remotely looked like tea and tasted of Ginger, I would have accepted it. 😛😛 Let’s just say I did accept something of that nature. 😄😄

By the time it was night, I had lost appetite and my travel companions doubted if I would be ready to roll for Bumla the next day. So, we shifted our visit to Bumla by one day and kept the next day for local sightseeing.

Hot soups, electric bed covers and room heaters kept me alive that night as the temperature fell below zero degrees celsius. Thanks to Technology!

Day 4: The light and sound show in the War Memorial of Tawang

The next day, I woke up to the rising Sun, but went back to sleep again to rest up. The internet was wonky & thus worked to my advantage. I took enough rest and a Diamox tablet for the first time in my life.

One shouldn’t mistrust the medicines too much either. I have grown up to view medicines with doubt. We don’t take meds in normal cough, cold or fever. I personally like to rely on my innate immunity and work on my tolerance. Because popping pills to alleviate mensuration and migraine pains has taught me that every time you pop a pill, it lowers down your pain threshold a bit. Over the years, I shifted from one to three and eventually to four pills. So now, I like to stay away from pills as much as I can

That said, that day, Diamox worked like a charm. By the time it was 5 pm, I was ready to leave the comfort of my cosy hotel room to watch the light and sound show in Tawang war memorial. 🇮🇳 🇮🇳

I have watched many light and sound shows in my life and I think the best ones are the ones that tell you stories: stories of courage, compassion and love. At Tawang War Memorial, they tell such stories of love, compassion and patriotism during light and sound shows.

They tell you the history of Tawang, and its culture. They tell you about the repeated attacks of China and how Indian army braves it all, fighting in adverse situations so that we all can sleep comfortably inside our homes and worry about the report that needs to be submitted the next day at work. They tell you about countless soldiers who happily sacrificed their lives for their motherland so that all of us can stay together with our families.

A must recommended thing to do, when in Tawang.
Ticket cost per person – INR 20-50
Timings – 5 pm onwards
Depending upon the season of your visit, this may vary. I recommend you check with your travel agent or hotel & confirm it once.

Day 5: Bumla Pass through the snow, subzero temperature and a snow blizzard

We began early morning because entry to Bumla Pass wasn’t allowed after 2 pm. There were several check points in between where they check your permit and vehicle conditions. Only SUVs are allowed in that weather. Drivers would chain the tyres to avoid slipping/ skidding in the snow. That was new for me.

All the homes, markets and one-off shops on the way to Bumla were snowed in. The trees, their leaves, their trunks – everything was covered in a thick snow blanket. Every few kilometres, you could see a few localites de-icing the road. Gum boots, hats and gloves were a common sight. 🙂

We passed through villages & lakes…and finally were led to the Bumla Pass point. There were several vehicles parked out front. Ours was one more. We stepped out of our cab. I was packed in 7 layers, double socks, double caps, a bandana and a warm, Pashmina stole, and yet I could feel the cold.

They have made makshift toilets there for visitors. Half of the doors of those facilities couldn’t even bolted shut because of the snow.

Hygiene, cleanliness and shame – everything evaporates in adverse conditions. Survival instincts kick in and all you care about is to carry on, to breathe and…to not die. 😁😁

At Bumla Pass, you register yourself and they give you an entry ticket. A token number is mentioned on your ticket. When your token number is called, you can join the guided tour.

No photographs are allowed during the guided tour by the way. It’s a sensitive zone and one cannot be allowed to click photos.

Till your token number is called, you can chill in the canteen. Help yourself with a cup of really good tea, samosas, breakpakodas

After a while, our number was announced. A smart, handsome army officer took us & a bunch of other tourists on a guided tour. Along with the tour, a snow blizzard started too. They take you up on a high vantage point & tell you stories about India’s valour. They also allow you to ask questions. Amidst the blizzard and the ‘Q&A’, I was shivering and praying to God that I reach my home alive. Gods must have listened because they ended the tour soon after, but then a person asked a wannabe question as part of DCP (Desperate Class Participation). I was so annoyed that I demonstrated typical back-bencher behaviour and asked her to keep her questions for later, for the one-on-one conversation with the army officer because some of us preferred to stay alive. 😁😁😁 I really did. My husband asked me to shut up 😂😂 and walked me back to the base before a battle of words could begin. 😝

We came back to the base/ canteen, ordered another round of tea and samosas & decide to head back before it gets late. By then, I knew I would survive. 🙂 🙂 I clicked my first picture in Bumla by the Bumla Pass stone for memory, and got into the cab for our return journey.

On our way back, everything looked a tad bit beautiful & detailed. As we descended, I started getting better & thought, “May be, I should do it again sometime soon.”

After all, you don’t ditch mountains even though they test you in countless way. You embrace them.

The next few days were meant for Tawang sightseeing & visiting one of the oldest monasteries of Asia – the Tawang monastery. Let me share more about it in the next post.

Till then, keep travelling & be safe!