[gunin]

Pasighat to Aalo: 100 kms (3 hours max)

Aalo to Mechuka: 180 kms (around 7 to 9 hours)

Before the current trip, I had been to Mechuka on two previous occasions- once during summer and the other time in winter. The winter trip in 2021 had left me a bit disillusioned thinking the place had lost its earlier charm as a dreamy getaway.

A few days ago, I had a long weekend and asked my colleague, Joibumsang for a trip to Mechuka. I wanted to revisit the place when it is green. Joi (short for Joibumsang) agreed and said that we could stay at his friend’s place, Mr.Nghakte and his family.

I was in doubt as to which car to take which car to take for the trip- the Bolero 4wd or the Isuzu V-Cross. The Bolero is perfectly suited for the narrow and rough roads which I knew we would encounter near Tato on the way to Mechuka. Then I remembered the V-Cross is not exactly a soft car either and it is more comfortable and quicker than the Bolero. So, we took the Isuzu.

Joi and I started early in the morning from Pasighat. We stopped for a heavy breakfast near Pangin. After eating, I went to the nearby washroom and pulled open the door to find a gentleman squatting and going about his business. We were both in mutual shock and I think it was his responsibility to latch the door properly.



Road block

Somewhere near Aalo, Joi bought some bananas without proper inspection. Most were over ripe and we had to throw them away. I also do this quite often- buying without checking too much. Sometimes these shopkeepers are not as innocent as they look.

The road passes through beautiful villages after Aalo. The Siyom river will provide one with company all the way to Mechuka. There are frequent road stops due to on-going road widening work. The empty loading bay of the V-Cross provided a nice place for stretching and resting during such stops.



The entire route passes through beautiful rivers

A senior gentleman waved at us and requested us for a ride till the next village. He and his son were carrying some logs from their plantation. We agreed and both of them hopped on the loading bay with the logs. I was very impressed with the fitness of the old man and how he could jump and climb so easily. He in turn was impressed with the V-Cross and gave huge thumbs up saying 4*4!! We continued on our way after dropping our new friends.

We came to the beautiful waterfalls after crossing Pene. Both of just ran like small children towards the flying mist of the waterfall. We got drenched quite thoroughly but we were not complaining.

From around Tato, the 40 odd kms to Mechuka was quite bad. But it is not a problem for a car like the Isuzu or Alto.

It was late in the evening when we reached our hosts’ place in Mechuka. Dinner was excellent with chicken and boiled vegetables. Our hosts’ little kids- Esther and Felfel were very happy with the crayons and pencils we had brought for them.

We woke up next morning to heavy rainfall and we thought we will not get any sights to see. In such times, it is better to simply accept the situation as it is. I mean Mechuka looked beautiful even without the sunshine. Joi and I walked up to the nearby monastery where a lady had come with her grandkid for prayers. She invited us for morning prayers the next day while her grandkid followed us in curiosity.



Rainy and beautiful weather



Early morning view of Mechuka




With the sweet kid

As it was raining we had the option of sleeping in for the day. But we had not come to Mechuka for napping. We took our umbrellas and the Isuzu and ventured out. We ate some tasty thukpa in a nearby restaurant for breakfast. Summertime Mechuka is exactly the same as I remembered from around 10 years ago. Green, beautiful and with almost no tourists at all.

We lost our way to the old monastery and drove in rain through some beautiful villages. We surprised a couple who had stopped their car for photos on the isolated road. They almost ran to their car to get it out of the way. People here are very nice. Later on, we also stopped in the middle of road for photos and ran to our car on hearing an approaching car.

By the time we reached the monastery, the sun was winning the battle with the rain. We spent a good amount of time in the monastery looking at the various forms of Budha.



Old Gompa



Here comes the sun!



Beautiful town

The kids were back from school and waiting eagerly for us to take out. Accordingly, our hosts joined us for an afternoon stroll around the town. A lady with a toddler on her back requested us for a lift to a nearby village. The Isuzu is very good for giving lifts- I could see the glee in the toddler’s face as we drove. Soon, Esther and Felfel started getting jealous of the toddler and wanted to ride at the back of the Isuzu as well. If I was not driving, I would have loved to sit at the loading bay too. It is a lot of fun. Another group of young ladies carrying their farm produce waved us for a lift to which we gladly agreed. After they got down, they helped an elderly couple to carry their stuff to the village. I guess helping each other is the way of life here.




Horses



A drive to savour

Mr. Nghakte guided us through a No Entry sign to a beautiful spot by the Siyom river. Looking at Felfel wading in the cold water, I felt she and my son Nibir would become great friends in no time. We spent the afternoon near a hanging bridge and I raced the kids to a sprint across the open meadows. It was a close race but I won.



By the Siyom






Views from the hanging bridge

We tucked ourselves in with a light blanket after another tasty dinner prepared by Mrs. Nghakte of chicken, fresh bamboo shoots, rice, dal and a dish of boiled chillies. Just a couple days back we were in Pasighat and trying to escape from the sweltering heat and here we could sit by the fireplace.

[gunin]

The next day:

We woke up early the next day and decided to climb the mountain which has Mechuka written on it in big, bold white letters. It is an easy climb of around 1.5 hours for anyone in reasonably good shape. A fellow traveller we had met on the way was also doing the climb and got very tired at the start itself and I think he went back.


Nice house



Joibumsang and Gunin. Happy!

The views from the top are amazing- one can see Mechuka town and Dorjeeling village (It seems it became famous after Salman Khan visited the place) from the top. It would be very nice if one starts to climb before sunrise- it would be like walking in the clouds.







Green country!


After spending a healthy amount of time at the top, we got very hungry and went to a restaurant near the new monastery. It is beautifully located. I tried the local trout which was not to my taste. Joi tried the pork which was not to his taste as well. We ate our lunch while scratching at the bites of the local insect named damdim inflicted on us during the climb.



Lunch time. We had just come down from that mountain in the distance

The kids were again waiting for us and we went off towards Dorjeeing village- around 5 kms from the town. The kids were a bit silent and upon asking found out they wanted to be riding at the back. Joi joined them at the back as well. I was jealous.


I want a ride too

A local lady advised us to visit their beautiful monastery but unfortunately we had already turned back from the place. We spent a lot of time at a nearby resort just soaking in the beautiful landscape. I got ambushed by Esther and Felfel while I was in this state. I think I have very low chances of survival out in the wild.



A pick up truck and the countryside



Nice place


It was dark by the time we returned. Dinner consisted of tasty pork, rice, dal and vegetables. I can’t thank our hosts enough for making us feel so at home and comfortable.



Tasty dinner

The return journey:

We started early from Mechuka thinking we can clear the road blockage timings. We had to wait around 2 hours just outside of Mechuka- turns out a huge rock had fallen on the road the night before. The people who were responsible for removing that rock took their own sweet time and in the end the rock was blasted into oblivion. A small piece of rock hit a person in the behind who was standing near me. Besides that, the journey back was largely uneventful and we made it back to Pasighat at around 9 pm.



With Esther and Felfel

Thank you for reading!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Dr.AD]

As always, a fantastic travelogue @gunin! Absolutely loved reading this. The photos of the mountain and the green landscapes are amazing. What a lovely terrain!

Surely I loved the landscape photos, but the one photo which I loved the most is the one with the kids standing in the back of your Isuzu. That is a magical photo! The joy on the faces tells the story! We all are those kids in our hearts. We all want to jump in a truck and want a ride. That is the purest joy of travel. Everything else is secondary.

Loved your storytelling and the photos that tell the story too. Thank you very much for sharing this. Please keep writing and keep sharing. Looking forward to more travelogues from you.