A Roadtrip To Mayodiya - Arunachal Pradesh
with
Bikers Of Assam Touring Club
Our motorcycle club “Bikers Of Assam“ was formed on 20th January 2013
during our trip to Lake Of No Return, Myanmar. Therefore we decide to celebrate
our 1st Anniversary by organizing a ride called “Bikers Of Assam Touring Club
Foundation Day Ride 2014 ".
We were really confused in choosing the destination. Since a short city ride will not satisfy our bikers. We talked about various destinations and finally decided to visit a snow-capped tiny gateway to the Indo-China border, Mayodiya Pass.
Mayodiya, a unique hill resot situated at an altitude of 7000feet. It is named after Maya, a Nepali girl who missing in the snow and could not be traced out.
We searched about Mayodiya in Google map. Mayodiya is only 210KM away from Duliajan via Roing but could not be completed in a day since we had to cross the Mighty Brahmaputra. Moreover we wanted to visit Tezu, so we decided to do a three day roadtrip from 18th to 20th Jan 2014
Schedule
We were really confused in choosing the destination. Since a short city ride will not satisfy our bikers. We talked about various destinations and finally decided to visit a snow-capped tiny gateway to the Indo-China border, Mayodiya Pass.
Mayodiya, a unique hill resot situated at an altitude of 7000feet. It is named after Maya, a Nepali girl who missing in the snow and could not be traced out.
We searched about Mayodiya in Google map. Mayodiya is only 210KM away from Duliajan via Roing but could not be completed in a day since we had to cross the Mighty Brahmaputra. Moreover we wanted to visit Tezu, so we decided to do a three day roadtrip from 18th to 20th Jan 2014
Schedule
18th Jan 2014 – Duliajan - Tinsukia- Sadiya- Roing
19th Jan 2014 – Roing - Mayodiya -
Roing
20th
Jan 2014 – Roing - Tezu - Parashuram
Kund – Tinsukia - Duliajan
When we posted about the event in social networking
sites, many new members confirmed their participation.
In most of the rides we keep the extra bikes in our homes and do double riding but this time most of our bikes used during our Maha Roadtrip 2013 were in need of major surgery and were not in healthy condition.
In most of the rides we keep the extra bikes in our homes and do double riding but this time most of our bikes used during our Maha Roadtrip 2013 were in need of major surgery and were not in healthy condition.
On
18th Jan 2014 we started our journey at 11AM. I was riding my mighty Bajaj Pulsar180, my
sister was my pillion followed by my friends. When I asked where the other
members are, they replied “Bike ka brake kam hain, thik karne gaya hain ".
On hearing such updates I got very angry, we asked everyone to do proper
servicing of their bikes before the trip. We asked them to come and do the needful
next day in Roing.
When we posted about the event in social networking
sites, many new members confirmed their participation.
In most of the rides we keep the extra bikes in our homes and do double riding but this time most of our bikes used during our Maha Roadtrip 2013 were in need of major surgery and were not in healthy condition.
In most of the rides we keep the extra bikes in our homes and do double riding but this time most of our bikes used during our Maha Roadtrip 2013 were in need of major surgery and were not in healthy condition.
On 18th Jan 2014 we started our journey at 11AM. I was riding my mighty Bajaj Pulsar180, my
sister was my pillion followed by my friends. When I asked where the other
members are, they replied “Bike ka brake kam hain, thik karne gaya hain ".
On hearing such updates I got very angry, we asked everyone to do proper
servicing of their bikes before the trip. We asked them to come and do the needful
next day in Roing.
We reached Makum Petrol Pump, Tinsukia where we met rest of
bikers who came from different parts of Upper Assam for participating in our
event. There were 23 members including 2
female members and an eight year old kid. Some of our online fans also came to
cheer us. After a brief Introduction we
started riding towards Saikhowa Ghat, we crossed the sandy banks of Brahmaputra
and reached the ferry ghat.
We booked a ferry and crossed the Brahmaputra with 23 members, 10 bikes and the car. When we reached the Sadiya, it was already 4PM. Sadiya is a sub-divisional headquarter of Tinsukia District. In medieval times, there were trade routes leading from Sadiya into
Both
the banks of Brahmaputra were Dusty but crossing Sadiya Ghat was very difficult.
The Dust created by the bikes ahead of me made the visibility low more over
there was only little sunlight. My bike tyre was half sank in sand; the rear tyre
was sunken upto the chain. We reached Sepakhua Town, Sadiya at 5.30 PM.
Everyone began to shout “ Bhook lag raha hain, bhook lag raha hain “
Everyone was hungry but we could not find a hotel or dhaba will cooked food for
23 people. We reached Santipur Gate (Arunachal Border) at 6PM. We decided to
have our dinner at Shantipur Gate, from our past experience we have known that
almost every town in hill areas gets closed after sunset. We had our dinner in
two different dhabas as a single one could not accommodate all of us.
Everyone began to shout “ Bhook lag raha hain, bhook lag raha hain “
Everyone was hungry but we could not find a hotel or dhaba will cooked food for 23 people. We reached Santipur Gate (Arunachal Border) at 6PM. We decided to have our dinner at Shantipur Gate, from our past experience we have known that almost every town in hill areas gets closed after sunset. We had our dinner in two different dhabas as a single one could not accommodate all of us.
When we went to the pass counter for permits it was already
closed. The Border Police personal asked us to halt in nearby hotels and start
our journey early morning to Roing then Mayodiya. They said it’s not safe to
ride at night; moreover Roing will be closed by the time we reach there. We
will face difficulty in getting hotels. We could also see some cars coming back
as they could not get hotels.
We had not booked any hotels in Roing, only booked a cottage in a Resort for the family. The resort manager told me that he had no extra cottage, so he could not accommodate all of us.
We convinced the Policemen by saying that we have already booked hotel rooms in Roing. They allowed us to enter by giving a group pass charging Rs50 per person. In the pass section we met some bikers who were returning back from Mayodiya. They said it’s impossible to ride in snow. They kept their bikes few km away and walked in snow.
With all the risk we entered Arunachal at 7PM. I sent my sister to the car which will be behind eight bikes followed by two bikes. The road was good but empty, our bikes were lighting the roads in a formation. We could see groups of boys sitting by the side of road but no one stopped us.
We had not booked any hotels in Roing, only booked a cottage in a Resort for the family. The resort manager told me that he had no extra cottage, so he could not accommodate all of us.
We convinced the Policemen by saying that we have already booked hotel rooms in Roing. They allowed us to enter by giving a group pass charging Rs50 per person. In the pass section we met some bikers who were returning back from Mayodiya. They said it’s impossible to ride in snow. They kept their bikes few km away and walked in snow.
With all the risk we entered Arunachal at 7PM. I sent my sister to the car which will be behind eight bikes followed by two bikes. The road was good but empty, our bikes were lighting the roads in a formation. We could see groups of boys sitting by the side of road but no one stopped us.
We reached Roing at 7.45 PM. The town was totally closed. We
went to the few hotels in the town everyone said “NO ROOMS”
Since
Roing was a small town there are only few hotels which were already full with
tourist who came to see snowfall in Mayodiya which is 60KM away, moreover none
of the hotels will take the risk of our bikes and accommodate a gang of 20
young boys together.
The Resort Owner who came to recieve the family said that his cottages are
already full. He has tents but couldn’t provide blankets to all of us. When I
told the situation to our new members, they said " No Problem, t will be a
different experience "
We never book any hotels during our tours, neither we carry tents and blankets.
Yes we know its crazy because we believe adventure is not planned. We know our
route and destination baki jo bhi hoga dekha jayega.
We reached the resort; it was in the bank of Deopani River. It was cold and
dark. We could hear the sound of flowing river and blowing wind. The resort
management provided four tents and a fire place which had two beds. We kept our
bikes near our tents as we were advised to keep an eye on our bikes by the
Shantipur Gate Police.
On 19th Jan 2014, I woke up early in the morning. When I got
out of our camp, the view was mind blowing. We were in a beautiful resort.
There were three traditional huts, camps, bikes and surrounded by high hills
and a river.
I went to the bathroom and took a bath the water was very cold. One by one, all
the boys got up. Since there was only one bathroom for all of us near the camp
some boys decided to go to the river bank to do the morning activities. They
dint follow the advertisement of ” Nirmal
Bharat Abhiyan” by govt of India.
Almost everyone in the camp got up by 7AM. Someone said “Dhoop nikalne pe baraf gal jayega". Though he said it jokingly
but everyone took it seriously and the word went viral.
We had our morning tea in the resort and did warm-up of our bikes but the
ladies party were still sleeping. We clicked some group photos and boys were
almost ready. Everyone kept repeating "Jaldi
karo, Dhoop nikalne pe baraf gal jayega”
We
got ready and started our journey at 8AM. After riding few kms my sister
realized that her mobile phone was left back in the resort. So we went back to
the resort again. We rode back to Roing, had our breakfast, filled our fuel
tanks and started our journey to Mayodiya with full josh.
After crossing Roing Town we reached the Deopani river and found
there was no bridge. When we asked some locals about the way to Mayodia they
said "
Yehi rasta hain, nadi ke rasta se
". We said to each other "Adventure starts here Bikers " We
started crossing the river, in the first portion water entered my boots and got
little wet. Thankfully there was a small iron bridge over the main stream.
While riding uphill we could see some workers cleaning the sides of the roads
and drains so that waters can flow down during monsoon. We also found some JCBs
working to construct the landslide areas.
We reached Tiwarigaon which was the only
village 30kms before reaching Mayodia. We stopped many times to enjoy the view
of Lohit River before reaching Tiwarigaon. There was only 4-5 houses and a
small shop in Tiwarigaon. We could see many Maithun grazing in the village.
After crossing Tiwarigaon we could see the snow-capped hills. We felt cold
riding every kilometer uphill. The trees colour got darker filled with mosses
and humid. We stopped in a beautiful place 9km before reaching Mayodiya to
capture some photos of changing clouds, mountain ranges & snow capped hill
tops.
We started riding again. We could see heap of snow lying here and there. We
said to each other " yea baraf hain
kya, ha ha baraf hain, yahoo "
Mayodiya Pass is a single road covered with thick snow during
winter. There are two guest houses few meters before reaching Mayodiya Pass.
One is believed to be Haunted (Bhoot Bangla)
Thick snow starts form the Signboard where it is written Welcome to Mayodiya Pass. There is a Mandir, Army Check Post, Army Igloo and we could see Army Vehicles kept there.
People usually keep there vehicles near the Mandir and walk in the Snow to a Hotel named Maya Hotel in middle of Snow Covered Area. Its the one and only restaurant in whole area.
At 11.30AM we reached the Mandir and parked our car as its tyres were worn out and will not get good grip in snow.
Thick snow starts form the Signboard where it is written Welcome to Mayodiya Pass. There is a Mandir, Army Check Post, Army Igloo and we could see Army Vehicles kept there.
People usually keep there vehicles near the Mandir and walk in the Snow to a Hotel named Maya Hotel in middle of Snow Covered Area. Its the one and only restaurant in whole area.
At 11.30AM we reached the Mandir and parked our car as its tyres were worn out and will not get good grip in snow.
We started riding in snow, it was slippery like glass. If we
try to accelerate in high RPM the bike dint move only the rear wheel rotates
like performing burnout. If we go in the soft snow then it’s like riding in sand,
the bike stuck in it and it gets difficult to move.
We maintained a momentum and rode in the track made by SUV & Army Trucks where there is a thin layer of thin ice. At some places there was landslides which created potholes filled with muddy water & big stones.
We reached near Maya Hotel and stopped. The view was mindblowing; the area was filled with snow completely. We congratulated each other for reaching our destination.
We maintained a momentum and rode in the track made by SUV & Army Trucks where there is a thin layer of thin ice. At some places there was landslides which created potholes filled with muddy water & big stones.
We reached near Maya Hotel and stopped. The view was mindblowing; the area was filled with snow completely. We congratulated each other for reaching our destination.
Mayodiya Pass Near Maya Hotel Looks like somewhere place in
Switzerland or Kashmir. The area was so high that we can’t see the bottom. We
felt like we were in top of the world. It was so cold that we dint want to open
our gloves for few second. We wandered why people goes to distant places to
enjoy snowfall when such beautiful paradise in near our home. We clicked some
photos, played with snow and went to Maya Hotel.
Its was a small cafe made with Drum sheet. There was a fire place inside the hotel, which they keep burning continuously. It had only two tables which were full with customers as it was only restaurant in the area.
While having our lunch in Maya Hotel we found that there was no water in the area. They served us boiled water which was actually snow collected from outside.
Its was a small cafe made with Drum sheet. There was a fire place inside the hotel, which they keep burning continuously. It had only two tables which were full with customers as it was only restaurant in the area.
While having our lunch in Maya Hotel we found that there was no water in the area. They served us boiled water which was actually snow collected from outside.
After having our lunch we started our return journey to
Roing. It was about 3.30PM when we reached the mandir near the signboard where
we parked our car. It was almost deserted. The sunshine disappeared and we
could see layer of fog coming down.
As it was getting darker my sister went to the car. After riding few Kms I saw some locals drinking some premium brand whiskey by the side of the road. They waved their hands and invited me to join for a drink but I don’t drink while riding, so I just waved my hand to say thanks and kept riding.
We stopped many times to capture the amazing landscapes and sometimes a rare bird. The car kept moving and we dint even saw its tail light. After crossing Tiwarigaon it was fully dark. The road was fully deserted and with pin drop silence. Only engines two bikes were roaring.
Sometimes we could see the lights of the Roing Town from the top of hills. It was very cold but kept riding and reached the Deopani River where we could see the taillight of our Car parked on the other side. We crossed the river and reached the car. They told us that they were much tensed as we were late.
As it was getting darker my sister went to the car. After riding few Kms I saw some locals drinking some premium brand whiskey by the side of the road. They waved their hands and invited me to join for a drink but I don’t drink while riding, so I just waved my hand to say thanks and kept riding.
We stopped many times to capture the amazing landscapes and sometimes a rare bird. The car kept moving and we dint even saw its tail light. After crossing Tiwarigaon it was fully dark. The road was fully deserted and with pin drop silence. Only engines two bikes were roaring.
Sometimes we could see the lights of the Roing Town from the top of hills. It was very cold but kept riding and reached the Deopani River where we could see the taillight of our Car parked on the other side. We crossed the river and reached the car. They told us that they were much tensed as we were late.
We decided to go to the Roing Petrol Pump as the car needs
to be refueled and come back to the Mishimi Hills Resort to halt for the night.
We reached Roing in 6.30PM. Most of the shops in the town were already closed. We stopped in a cafe while the car kept moving towards the Petrol Pump.
After having tea one my friend went in search of a PCO as his Mobile has no service in that area, other went to a Pan Shop and I was standing outside the Cafe. I saw our car returning towards the resort. A man who was fully drank came to me and asked me to buy him some food. When the Cafe Owner saw this he called the man, gave a samosa and asked him to leave as they are going to close the shop.
We reached back to the resort, We got two cottage in the resort. My sister and the family took one cottage while we boys adjusted ourselves in the other.
We reached Roing in 6.30PM. Most of the shops in the town were already closed. We stopped in a cafe while the car kept moving towards the Petrol Pump.
After having tea one my friend went in search of a PCO as his Mobile has no service in that area, other went to a Pan Shop and I was standing outside the Cafe. I saw our car returning towards the resort. A man who was fully drank came to me and asked me to buy him some food. When the Cafe Owner saw this he called the man, gave a samosa and asked him to leave as they are going to close the shop.
We reached back to the resort, We got two cottage in the resort. My sister and the family took one cottage while we boys adjusted ourselves in the other.
The dining hall of the Resort was a typical Mishimi cottage
adjusted to the Kitchen. There was a fire place in the center of the room. We
sat by the side of the fire and had our dinner. We talked about our future
plans, past experience, bikes, cameras etc and spent some quality time. We went
to our rooms and talked till late night recalling the funny incidents of our
previous trips.
On
20th Jan 2014 we woke up early, took bath and got ready. It was the 1st
foundation day of Bikers Of Assam and we were very excited. We checked our
bikes and found that the chain of all our
bikes were giving weird sound and
need to be cleaned and lubricated.
We left the resort and started our ride. We reached Roing at 8AM and decided the have our breakfast. We came to know that there is Bandh in Assam called by various organizations. We decided enter Assam via Dirok Gate late night and enjoy the natural beauties of Arunachal whole day.
The road to Tezu was newly constructed and had very beautiful scenery but sometimes it ends suddenly with rivers where there was no bridge. We crossed many rivers and reached Tezu at 12.30 PM.
It was hot and sunny. The road that leads to Dirok Gate via Parashuram Kund was narrow. The views were mind blowing. We reached T.B Tinali one road leads to Parashuram Kund while other leads to Hailung and Indo-China Border Kibithu.
We decided to ride few kms till Lohit View Point. We crossed Hawa Pass and reached the view was breathtaking. We could see the zig-zag hilly roads of Arunachal and the beautiful Lohit River. We spent some time and reach back the tinali where we had our lunch.
We left the resort and started our ride. We reached Roing at 8AM and decided the have our breakfast. We came to know that there is Bandh in Assam called by various organizations. We decided enter Assam via Dirok Gate late night and enjoy the natural beauties of Arunachal whole day.
The road to Tezu was newly constructed and had very beautiful scenery but sometimes it ends suddenly with rivers where there was no bridge. We crossed many rivers and reached Tezu at 12.30 PM.
It was hot and sunny. The road that leads to Dirok Gate via Parashuram Kund was narrow. The views were mind blowing. We reached T.B Tinali one road leads to Parashuram Kund while other leads to Hailung and Indo-China Border Kibithu.
We decided to ride few kms till Lohit View Point. We crossed Hawa Pass and reached the view was breathtaking. We could see the zig-zag hilly roads of Arunachal and the beautiful Lohit River. We spent some time and reach back the tinali where we had our lunch.
We started riding; there was hill on one side of the road
and a river flowing on the other side. The river looked very beautiful and we
stopped every 50mts to capture it in our cameras. We saw one of the most
beautiful sunsets of our life. As we reached the Parashuram Kund Bridge it was
already dark where we stopped for few minutes. Parasuram Kund is situated
within the Kamlang
Reserve Forest forest of Ruddhraksha Lohit River
We stopped there few mins and kept riding. We wore our
jackets as it was very cold and getting dark
We reached Wakro at 5.30PM and stopped for a Tea break. Wakro is in the hub ofKamlang Reserve Forest Glow Lake
We reached Wakro at 5.30PM and stopped for a Tea break. Wakro is in the hub of
When I switched on
phone my Aircel mobile got network and I immediately called back home and
updated my status on social networking sites that we are still alive,
everything is alright and riding back home.
We reached Tengapani, Choukham at 6.30PM and visited the Golden Pagoda. The Choukham Buddhist Monastery which was established in 1968 and also The Golden Pagoda, Tengapani Estd 2010. Chowkham is the nodal point for Manabahum and Tengapani Reserve Forest with floral and faunal diversity. The Golden color was reflecting in the lights and looking very beautiful but I was little sad as we dint reach before dusk.
We clicked some photos and reached Dirok Gate at 8.30 PM where we stopped for a tea break once again as it was very cold. We enquired at the gate if it was safe to enter Assam during Bandh. The border guards gave us green signal and asked us to keep riding without stopping anywhere. We reached Makum at 9.30PM. Where we bid bye to each other and rode back to our respective homes.
Thus Bikers Of Assam Foundation Day Ride was complete. 3 days- 22 ryders- 1 kid- 10 bikes- 1 car rode through Rivers, Roads, Hills, and Snows etc and experienced the beauty of our Amazing Northeast India.
We reached Tengapani, Choukham at 6.30PM and visited the Golden Pagoda. The Choukham Buddhist Monastery which was established in 1968 and also The Golden Pagoda, Tengapani Estd 2010. Chowkham is the nodal point for Manabahum and Tengapani Reserve Forest with floral and faunal diversity. The Golden color was reflecting in the lights and looking very beautiful but I was little sad as we dint reach before dusk.
We clicked some photos and reached Dirok Gate at 8.30 PM where we stopped for a tea break once again as it was very cold. We enquired at the gate if it was safe to enter Assam during Bandh. The border guards gave us green signal and asked us to keep riding without stopping anywhere. We reached Makum at 9.30PM. Where we bid bye to each other and rode back to our respective homes.
Thus Bikers Of Assam Foundation Day Ride was complete. 3 days- 22 ryders- 1 kid- 10 bikes- 1 car rode through Rivers, Roads, Hills, and Snows etc and experienced the beauty of our Amazing Northeast India.
By Madhurjya Protim Rajkonwar
Founder - Team Leader
Bikers Of Assam Touring Club, Duliajan
Mobile No:
09854278289
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