On route to the Capital (and also why I love trains)

Some of my fondest memories are of me travelling by train. The gentle rocking of the bogey, the myriad passengers (with each representing a different demographic), the food… I love it all. I will admit that this is not for everyone, but those who shun it outright are losing out an invaluable experience. Travelling in the air conditioned sections also tends to sterilise the entire experience.

I boarded the train on Sunday evening, to begin my journey of 2406 km spanning two nights and a day. My companions were a young bunch of friends who were travelling on partially confirmed tickets, a pair from Gulbarga and many others who crowded at our berths, their actual seats or tickets a mystery.

The next day, I took the time to walk around the train a few times to get a feel for the people in it. There were hard-line Hindus who were singing bajans all morning to twittering old kannadiga aunties who seemed a bit nervous. The highlight, of course, were views. From lush green fields to sparse sand dunes, we hurtled past them all.

For the last time, the train slowed down at Delhi and I jumped off to my next adventure.

 

Journey Along Snake Way

I reached Guwahati in the wee hours of the morning, a shared auto and a brisk walk after I reached Tushar’s place and promptly fell asleep. I spent the rest of the day on personal visits, one of which afforded me some spectacular views of the Brahmaputra and the others which provided invaluable information to base my travel plans on.

On reading my earlier posts, I realised that they lacked specific details for budding travellers who wished to travel the same route. It is an unfortunate truth that constant travel only affords me a limited time to write. I apologise for my brevity, but rest assured, I intend to expand my posts once my trip is finished. I thought I’d take the time today to discuss three aspects of my trip to Kohima which I consider especially important for first time travelers.

1) Of the travel

For the budget conscious, the bus from Dimapur is your best bet as they cost only Rs.120. The buses are rather uncomfortable though especially on the winding narrow roads, so a good alternative is a shared taxi (Rs.220). You can get one directly from the railway station and return journeys during off-seasons may continue till 8 p.m. giving you some extra time in Kohima, as the last bus leaves at around 4p.m.

As for local transport within the city, the buses (Rs. 10) travel often but communication is a barrier so often we just got off and walked to our destination. Some of the attractions are atop hills, so those looking for a comfortable journey should hire a taxi.

2) Of the people

Good Lord, Naga women are beautiful. It seemed that nearly every one I passed by, my heart broke a little. The men and women at Kohima were at their fashionable best, hipster in every sense and dressed to the nines. One could say that every day was fashion week there.

That being said, getting around is hard because of the language barriers. People shut you off or completely ignore you if you speak English or Hindi. While this may seem as rude, it is only a small bit of insecurity on their part, especially the men since the language really does not come easy to them, making them quite uncomfortable. The way around this is to ask the older people i.e. shop keepers and vendors who are more than willing to help you out, that or the younger generation of kids, especially women.

We had the distinct pleasure of three college girls who went out of their way to take us to our destination and only then did they take their leave. As a word of advice though, the entire state is strongly Catholic, so you might be given literature or preached to. It’s best to take those moments lightly.

3) Of the food

My biggest gripe with Kohima was the absolute lack of any Naga food at all. Noodles, rice and momos are available at every nook and corner but no hint of Naga food. The only place where we did find it was right opposite the bus stop, on the top floor of a blue and white building. The smoked pork there was delicious.
My actual craving for Naga food was sated at Dimapur, on Eros Road which is about a kilometre from the railway station. It has many small Naga eating joints that are very similar looking, and all run by families. This provided the ambiance of a nice home cooked meal.

All of that being said, Nagaland is truly a beautiful place and I hope that I’ll be afforded the opportunity to visit for a longer time the next time I come to the North-East.

 

Of Procedure and the Simple Things

        

While travelling, you notice that places have personalities and character, little quirks that are so ingrained in its fabric that whenever you think back on them, these are the moments that stand out in your memories.

On the bike to Nagaland House to get my Inner Line Permit (you need an ILP if you’re visiting any state sharing a substantial international border), you quickly notice that sometimes, the roads are in fact paved with tiles, some in small patches and others for up to a kilometre on end. Getting an ILP is a pretty straight forward process and costs only about Rs. 50. The permit itself is valid for a month and took only about five minutes.

While riding on any major road you are visually stuck by modified red cars which is the love child of a bus and taxi. They operate on fixed routes but with the comfort and speed of a car. Buses on the other hand are tiny and rather heterogeneous as their sizes, age and even assorted designs greatly vary. They also have the word pilot printed on the drivers door, a quirk which is apparently very Eastern as I remember all Bengali buses painted the same.

The love child

The afternoon was spent on a discussion on history of Assam and the Ahom kingdom with Tushar and his cousin, followed by a quick roll for lunch at Clay Pot (Roll Rating – 6/10), followed by a stroll through a local market, where I managed to pick up some delicious litchis that were in season.

At the local market

Clay Pot Roll

Litchi Love

Towards the evening, we went to Cafe Hendricks for some brews. It is this quiet little joint with a bit of an older crowd, with classic rock playing at all times. On Fridays and weekends, there is live music in the form of local bands that rock out the place. On that note, we retired to Tushar’s place for a quick meal and called it a day.