Gunin
Well-Known Member
I was home (Guwahati) during the recent Durga Puja holidays and enjoyed just strolling around the city and seeing some Puja Pandals. My sister also came home from Dibrugarh with her two kids and after the Puja, she suggested going to Cherapunjee, Meghalaya for a short trip.
The day before, I had driven till the COVID check gate just before Nongpoh, Meghalaya and was turned off by the scene. There was a huge line of cars at the gate of visitors wanting to go visit Shillong. Most of these cars were Assam registered and to me it did not seem like a welcoming sight at all. No checking of Meghalaya registered cars by the way.
Therefore, I suggested Shergaon, Arunachal Pradesh as an alternate place to my sister and our parents too showed interest in the trip. Since our aged parents were travelling with us and we had three kids, we decided to take both my sister’s Mahindra Scorpio and my recently acquired pre-owned Toyota Yaris for the trip.
The Scorpio was driven by me and the Yaris by our trusted driver, Daimary. My parents travelled in the Yaris for the whole journey and were pretty comfortable even over some rough roads.
Day 1:
Guwahati to Shergaon: 240 kms
Route taken: Guwahati- Mangaldai- Rowta- Kahibari- Bhairabkund- Shergaon
Road conditions: Very good throughout the route
We started at around 7 am from Guwahati. I was driving the Scorpio for the first time and was really impressed by the way it picks up speed. The Scorpio was carrying my wife, sister and three kids. The Yaris followed close behind and my parents were very happy with its comfort and composure. Daimary was enjoying driving it as well.
A quick breakfast of hot puris at NRL Dhaba, a few kms after crossing Sipajhar filled up the human tanks. The kids were excited seeing big fishes kept in the aquarium of the dhaba.
The roads are in very good condition right till Bhairabkunda and even after that. We entered our details at the Arunachal Pradesh Checkgate and proceeded towards Shergaon. I would advise people to prepare ILPs (Inner Line Permit) online only as most of these smaller checkgates don’t have the authority to issue ILPs.
First photo break of the day.
I was happy to see all the kids enjoying the journey and not asking for the mobile phone. The two younger ones, Nibir and Liya aged 4 and 3 were busy picking on each other and eldest, aged 8 years, Lona was soaking in the fresh mountain air.
My parents for whom these roads were new were enjoying the views and were busy clicking pictures.
I had already booked a home-stay in Shergaon through Mr. Prem (owner of Lamuzukhi homestay). I would have loved to stay at Lamuzukhi Home-stay which we had visited 3 years back. Unfortunately, the home-stay has been let out to the SSB and only one room has been kept for guests. Mr. Prem booked us in another homestay which was our stay for two days.
We met with rain fall along the way and the temperature soon dropped. What a contrast it was compared to the sweltering heat of Guwahati. A few hours’ drive and we were already putting our jackets on.
We crossed places like Kalaktang and Tenzing Gaon on the way. There are lots of eateries/ dhabas in Tenzing Gaon. The food is good in these dhabas and is easy on the stomach and the pocket. There are cabbage and tomato plantations in Tenzing Gaon making for a beautiful sight.
We reached Shergaon at around 2 pm and were escorted to our home-stay located beautifully within apple orchards. The approach road is a little tricky with a sharp decline and a muddy track. The Yaris had to be driven very carefully on this track with loose pebbles and deep tracks caused by other cars. There is a river running some 100 metres from the homestay and the kids ran off to it. The water was too cold for a swim though.
River running near the home-stay
Lona befriending the huge dogs
We had a late lunch in the kitchen with a fire giving us the much needed warmth. Food was good with rice, dal and pork curry. With the rains still not letting up, it soon became dark and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. I wanted to take my parents to Chillipam monastery on the way to Rupa. While discussing with the home-stay people, they suggested visiting the Lhagyala monastery too which in Morshing, around 22 kms from Shergaon.
Dinner Time
The kids had a great time running across the home-stay without a care. Throughout the two days, they just kept playing, eating and then falling asleep. Quite a win for us
Some random shots
Our steeds in the cold Shergaon night
The day before, I had driven till the COVID check gate just before Nongpoh, Meghalaya and was turned off by the scene. There was a huge line of cars at the gate of visitors wanting to go visit Shillong. Most of these cars were Assam registered and to me it did not seem like a welcoming sight at all. No checking of Meghalaya registered cars by the way.
Therefore, I suggested Shergaon, Arunachal Pradesh as an alternate place to my sister and our parents too showed interest in the trip. Since our aged parents were travelling with us and we had three kids, we decided to take both my sister’s Mahindra Scorpio and my recently acquired pre-owned Toyota Yaris for the trip.
The Scorpio was driven by me and the Yaris by our trusted driver, Daimary. My parents travelled in the Yaris for the whole journey and were pretty comfortable even over some rough roads.
Day 1:
Guwahati to Shergaon: 240 kms
Route taken: Guwahati- Mangaldai- Rowta- Kahibari- Bhairabkund- Shergaon
Road conditions: Very good throughout the route
We started at around 7 am from Guwahati. I was driving the Scorpio for the first time and was really impressed by the way it picks up speed. The Scorpio was carrying my wife, sister and three kids. The Yaris followed close behind and my parents were very happy with its comfort and composure. Daimary was enjoying driving it as well.
A quick breakfast of hot puris at NRL Dhaba, a few kms after crossing Sipajhar filled up the human tanks. The kids were excited seeing big fishes kept in the aquarium of the dhaba.
The roads are in very good condition right till Bhairabkunda and even after that. We entered our details at the Arunachal Pradesh Checkgate and proceeded towards Shergaon. I would advise people to prepare ILPs (Inner Line Permit) online only as most of these smaller checkgates don’t have the authority to issue ILPs.
First photo break of the day.
I was happy to see all the kids enjoying the journey and not asking for the mobile phone. The two younger ones, Nibir and Liya aged 4 and 3 were busy picking on each other and eldest, aged 8 years, Lona was soaking in the fresh mountain air.
My parents for whom these roads were new were enjoying the views and were busy clicking pictures.
I had already booked a home-stay in Shergaon through Mr. Prem (owner of Lamuzukhi homestay). I would have loved to stay at Lamuzukhi Home-stay which we had visited 3 years back. Unfortunately, the home-stay has been let out to the SSB and only one room has been kept for guests. Mr. Prem booked us in another homestay which was our stay for two days.
We met with rain fall along the way and the temperature soon dropped. What a contrast it was compared to the sweltering heat of Guwahati. A few hours’ drive and we were already putting our jackets on.
We crossed places like Kalaktang and Tenzing Gaon on the way. There are lots of eateries/ dhabas in Tenzing Gaon. The food is good in these dhabas and is easy on the stomach and the pocket. There are cabbage and tomato plantations in Tenzing Gaon making for a beautiful sight.
We reached Shergaon at around 2 pm and were escorted to our home-stay located beautifully within apple orchards. The approach road is a little tricky with a sharp decline and a muddy track. The Yaris had to be driven very carefully on this track with loose pebbles and deep tracks caused by other cars. There is a river running some 100 metres from the homestay and the kids ran off to it. The water was too cold for a swim though.
River running near the home-stay
Lona befriending the huge dogs
We had a late lunch in the kitchen with a fire giving us the much needed warmth. Food was good with rice, dal and pork curry. With the rains still not letting up, it soon became dark and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. I wanted to take my parents to Chillipam monastery on the way to Rupa. While discussing with the home-stay people, they suggested visiting the Lhagyala monastery too which in Morshing, around 22 kms from Shergaon.
Dinner Time
The kids had a great time running across the home-stay without a care. Throughout the two days, they just kept playing, eating and then falling asleep. Quite a win for us
Some random shots
Our steeds in the cold Shergaon night
