In this Himalayan state you don’t have to go too far to seek adventure, all you have to do is ride and you will get all the thrills the off road experience while being on the road such as crossing streams with heavy currents, riding on a one meter wide suspension bridge or even spotting some wild animals and for my luck I did spot one Clouded leopard crossing the road and I could recognize it because had already seen one in the zoo at itanagar. Too close and yet could not capture it on lens.
Now I have been moving in the mishmi territory, and the change is quite visible with people with different features, clothing and the differently designed machetes that they carry. One can see electric poles – a sign of development and better governance with school and medical units, however not sure of the inside truth.
The Mishmi tribe has 3 subtribes and Mizu Mishmi, Idu Mishmi and Digaru Mishmi. The region I have entered is of the Mizu Mishmi’ tribe and its believed this tribe not too long ago lived up in the mountains near a huge lake, the lake is still present and is named after the place Glao’ or Glow lake. As the foundation for the roads in this area was being laid out these tribes came down from their ancestral place and built settlements closer to the road. However people still use the lake to catch fish and leave their cattle (Mithun’s) in this jungle to graze. There is one caretaker who feeds salt to these animals so that they still remain domesticated.
My agenda became very clear, to see this ancestral place with a locals and to be safe and not disturb any sentiments of people as there were some obligatory rituals to be performed before we reach the lake and to show me the way as it has to be traversed through thick tropical forest with a few varieties if big cats. It takes 6 -7 hrs to reach the lake.
The next few days I spent in finding someone to take me there.
Interestingly it was more difficult to find one because of the time I was there. The reason: It is a last few days of harvesting the Opium crop.
Everyone in every house hold seems to be involved in harvesting opium. As it turns out I had to wait for a few days to go to the lake. This time is used to visit these fields and watch tribal’s do what they all do at this time. This is what I find out: Kani’ as it is called here is a very important ingredient and is deeply woven in the Mishmi culture. It’s a part of the ‘Jhum Kheti’ system (cultivation where a piece of forest is cleared in a designated area and is used for farming with rotation of crops, it does not require an irrigation system.) Every mishmi pooja needs it along with a sacrificial meat. The women do all the work with initial help from the men, and the men use up all the produce. Every produce is consumed by the locals and it does not leave the mishmi hills.
Finally after a week people got free from their hectic work and I gathered few of them to come along, we picked up ration, mainly rice and salt and left for the lake. Since we left in the afternoon we camped by the kamlang river and headed up in the morning.
The trek is a steep uphill climb begins from a broken hanging bridge across the river and then keep climbing up for about 10 to 12 kms and its quite strenuous on the way you will come across orange plantations, loads of Bamboo of all kinds and Mithun’s . The last bit is a downhill climb for an hour before you reach the lake. Over all it takes about 8 hrs from Ziro point in Wakro.
On site the lake a huge mass of water spread across 6-8kms and is surrounded by mountains from all sides, in the distance are snow clad peaks the contrast in the scenery. Around the lake many small streams feed the lake which eventually drops into the Kamlang river to reach the Mighty Brahmaputra.
At the lake I got to pitch my tent within a camp already there of the fisher folk as in the open the cattle may create havoc. Sofrum my local guide burnt some incense and performed a small prayer for acceptance before we enter the lake.
The next few days were spent by the lake chilling, taking a ride in the huge lake on a bamboo raft, going with the tribal to see if there is any animal caught in the trap, made a new bamboo raft with 7 bamboos, ate some deer meat of course loads of fish. (Smoked, boiled dried).
We waited till all our ration got over and then unwillingly headed back to Wakro with an invitation to come back during the rains as the fishes will be 3 time more that what we saw this time.
As I came down from Glow, the skies become so clear that snow peaks become very clear. Thinking that it would be a great time to head towards kibitoo, situated at the China border I headed into Anjaw district. A place less travelled and is home to 2 hot spring , Millenniums’ first Sun rise and from where our late Prime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi got inspired to name the state as Arunachal Pradesh