sanuroxz
Super User
myanmar ..it is
The mobile call woke me up.. yes it was by the Maxi cab counter guy and his broken languages.. it took me 5 minutes to understand he is saying to come at 10 AM instead of next 10 minutes
I had enough time to get ready .. had breakfast with Mami..and she was a wonderful story teller…I was so excited to visit Myanmar and mainly the largest lake of the state which is present in another nation..Mami started the story of Rih dil which was completely unknown for me..
There was once a girl named Rihi who unfortunately had a very cruel stepmother and father. One day, the father took Rihi’s young sister deep inside the forest and killed her. Rihi eventually found her lifeless sister and inconsolably wept. A friendly spirit called Lasi found Rihi crying. He revealed to her the healing powers of a magical tree which Rihi used to revive the life in her dead sister. To quench the thirst of her young sister, Rihi turned herself into a small pool of water by using the leafs of the same magical tree. Time passed and Rihi was forced due to unforeseeable consequences to change herself into a white mithun. As she wandered through pastures to find a permanent place where she would be safe, her urine formed small lakes wherever she went. It is believed that even today these lakes exist and can be found in the Vawmlu Range in the Myanmar side. Rihi eventually settled down in the village of Sanzawl not fat from the River Ruun. But the demon spirit of the river threatened to suck her if she lived there permanently. She left wandering again for safer pastures, and finally settled down in the current location, in a form that she cherished the most – that of a lake. The name Rih honors and stands testimony to Rihi.
Mimi blushed by remembering her wedding before 3 years how the newlywed couple headed straight to Rih dil for photo shoot just after all the marriage rituals got over.. and she proudly declared that she was lucky to visit a foreign nation just after getting married.. immediately after wedding the couple including some 20 close relatives booked 3 maxi cabs and headed to the holy lake .For many other newlyweds in eastern Mizoram, crossing the border into Myanmar and taking wedding photographs at the natural lake is one way to capture the most important day in their lives. Apart from its stunning beauty, its allure not only lying in its unusual shape, a wedding photograph at Rih Dil is of cultural significance as it is the “most important lake in Mizoram” — except that it is 22 km away from the nearest Mizo town and in a different country.
It was time to break the discussion with Mami as the Maxicab counter guy called again to come soon.. Joseph guided me till the counter and I as usual got a window seat.. Sum was half filled and we left Champhai market and I was noticing the huge paddy fields on the way and we were crossing tiny settlements on the way..Road was ok type till we started climbing one hill.. and the road condition became worst.. road was full of small stones due to wide road construction.. Probably that was the worst patch of road in entire Mizoram..
As we were reaching close to our destination the Harhva river which divides Myanmar with India was clearly visible along with the border town Zokhawthar.. Finally after 90 minutes we were able to cross those 23 KMs…and I was landed in Zokhawthar .. Its just another small border town of india having population of almost 2.5K .
Zokhawthar is not the exact point to enter Myanmar as the border crossing gate/bridge is situated at another 1 KM from the market place.Thanks to Joseph who had guided the Maxi cab driver to arrange a vehicle(bike) for me to enter into Myanmar.. and there he did.. Not only arranged a bike but also a biker who will take me to Rih Dil lake and bring me back to Zokhawthar maxicab counter. And he asked 300 INR..perfect deal…
road to myanmar
border crossing
So we were ready with the Chinese bike.. quite difficult to sit for me.. not at all comfortable and road condition added some more pain…Road till the border was pathetic .. I was sure that I would fall down from that bike anytime
but somehow we reached the border..
There was a check post in Indian side where a day pass used to be given to travel to Myanmar and any indian national is allowed for a single day ..by sunset they must have to come back..we stopped there and I was about to open my passport and other documents for verification but my driver denied by sign that nothing required..Officially you have to submit 1 ID proof there also pay 10 INR while entering.. but in my case nothing such happened.. The funny communication between me and the driver was still going on.. neither I knew Burmese nor he was understanding either hindi or English .. we were allowed inside Myanmar without even a single query ..
There was a bridge which divides/connects India and Myanmar over Harhva river.. In the bridge half part marked in white are of Indian part and the part marked in Maroon was Myanmar’s part…once we crossed the bridge we are on the Burmese soil.. That part of Myanmar is having a small town Rihkhawdar ..Loads of Burmese shops.. I decided while coming back I will leave my biker there and spend the day and I will either walk or get some lift upto Zokhawthar.. We were riding on the worst roads of Myanmar.. climbed one mountain ..the Chinese bike was roaring like anything..and surprisingly they follow Right hand traffic… we spotted another Myanmarese village on the way named Khawmawi.. I was witnessing the life style of local Burmese people.. all men and women were busy in some works.. Kids playing some were returning from school.. My driver was quite experienced and riding the bike quite fast but carefully…
Finally after riding 4 kms I spotted the lake J. The Lake offers a delightful sight. The water is very clear and appeared deep blue from a distance. It is approximately one mile long and half a mile wide with a circumference of about three miles. The deepest spot is said to be about 60 feet. As per the Mizo folklore, it is believed that the departed souls make their passage through this Lake before they go to their eternal abodes…and we reached the shore of the lake…
Adjoining the Lake, there were some cottage-type rest houses. Probably, these are for Myanmar tourists as Indians are issued only a day’s pass. But I doubt from mainland Myanmar who used come there for visit crossing such a long distance…There was also one Rih Lipui Restaurant but I ignored eating there… There was option for boating as well but it did not excite me…We sat there for sometimes ..clicked few pictures… and the sun was getting hotter by then also I was feeling hungry…we decided to return back.. once we reached Rihkhawdar it took me 15 minutes to explain the driver that I was not going to come back to India with him .. and finally he understood also gave me his contact number in case of any issues as I was not having any valid document to enter Myanmar
red part is myanmar white is india
aha.. rih-dil
the broken restaurant
rest house for myanmarese
heart shaped
As I was hungry I entered a hotel.. the front side of the place was a wine shop plus grocery shop and back side is the river viewing bar.. and I was all alone there.. I thought of having couple of local and SE Asian beers.. so came out to the shop and picked my cans.. but to my surprise the lady in sign showed me 2500 and I realized she was asking in Kyats… and I paid her 180INR for 2 cans It took me another 15 minutes to explain that I need some snacks to eat.. and yes to explain what is Egg.. I have to literally draw a picture of egg and referring to hen and my lord when I entered their kitchen they prepared the omlettet just like we prepare puri completely oily… noway I ate that…so they prepared some other snacks.. which was yummy…
And I spent their 2 hours just gazing at india .. was thinking where I was at that moment.. a smile came on my face.. finally accomplished another dream of visiting Rih Dil J came outside and roamed sometime in that remote Burmese market.. local products like fruits ,vegetables ,meat also Consumer durables manufactured in Far Eastern countries like South Korea, China, and Malayasia are available freely. All the shopkeepers were women with Thanak , a sandalwood paste on their faces.
After roaming an hour in the market I visited the Monastery present there.. It was a beautiful monastery ..but I did not find anyone there and it was closed ..so I took few pictures from outside.. I realized that nothing much to do there so decided to arrange a vehicle for me which will drop me in Zokhawthar..
sipping beers gazing at India
my snacks during preparation
the output
the oily ommlette
burmese flower
local fried rice and pork fried
entrance to monastery
all hooked
burmese market
The mobile call woke me up.. yes it was by the Maxi cab counter guy and his broken languages.. it took me 5 minutes to understand he is saying to come at 10 AM instead of next 10 minutes
I had enough time to get ready .. had breakfast with Mami..and she was a wonderful story teller…I was so excited to visit Myanmar and mainly the largest lake of the state which is present in another nation..Mami started the story of Rih dil which was completely unknown for me..There was once a girl named Rihi who unfortunately had a very cruel stepmother and father. One day, the father took Rihi’s young sister deep inside the forest and killed her. Rihi eventually found her lifeless sister and inconsolably wept. A friendly spirit called Lasi found Rihi crying. He revealed to her the healing powers of a magical tree which Rihi used to revive the life in her dead sister. To quench the thirst of her young sister, Rihi turned herself into a small pool of water by using the leafs of the same magical tree. Time passed and Rihi was forced due to unforeseeable consequences to change herself into a white mithun. As she wandered through pastures to find a permanent place where she would be safe, her urine formed small lakes wherever she went. It is believed that even today these lakes exist and can be found in the Vawmlu Range in the Myanmar side. Rihi eventually settled down in the village of Sanzawl not fat from the River Ruun. But the demon spirit of the river threatened to suck her if she lived there permanently. She left wandering again for safer pastures, and finally settled down in the current location, in a form that she cherished the most – that of a lake. The name Rih honors and stands testimony to Rihi.
Mimi blushed by remembering her wedding before 3 years how the newlywed couple headed straight to Rih dil for photo shoot just after all the marriage rituals got over.. and she proudly declared that she was lucky to visit a foreign nation just after getting married.. immediately after wedding the couple including some 20 close relatives booked 3 maxi cabs and headed to the holy lake .For many other newlyweds in eastern Mizoram, crossing the border into Myanmar and taking wedding photographs at the natural lake is one way to capture the most important day in their lives. Apart from its stunning beauty, its allure not only lying in its unusual shape, a wedding photograph at Rih Dil is of cultural significance as it is the “most important lake in Mizoram” — except that it is 22 km away from the nearest Mizo town and in a different country.
It was time to break the discussion with Mami as the Maxicab counter guy called again to come soon.. Joseph guided me till the counter and I as usual got a window seat.. Sum was half filled and we left Champhai market and I was noticing the huge paddy fields on the way and we were crossing tiny settlements on the way..Road was ok type till we started climbing one hill.. and the road condition became worst.. road was full of small stones due to wide road construction.. Probably that was the worst patch of road in entire Mizoram..
As we were reaching close to our destination the Harhva river which divides Myanmar with India was clearly visible along with the border town Zokhawthar.. Finally after 90 minutes we were able to cross those 23 KMs…and I was landed in Zokhawthar .. Its just another small border town of india having population of almost 2.5K .
Zokhawthar is not the exact point to enter Myanmar as the border crossing gate/bridge is situated at another 1 KM from the market place.Thanks to Joseph who had guided the Maxi cab driver to arrange a vehicle(bike) for me to enter into Myanmar.. and there he did.. Not only arranged a bike but also a biker who will take me to Rih Dil lake and bring me back to Zokhawthar maxicab counter. And he asked 300 INR..perfect deal…
road to myanmar
border crossing
So we were ready with the Chinese bike.. quite difficult to sit for me.. not at all comfortable and road condition added some more pain…Road till the border was pathetic .. I was sure that I would fall down from that bike anytime
but somehow we reached the border..There was a check post in Indian side where a day pass used to be given to travel to Myanmar and any indian national is allowed for a single day ..by sunset they must have to come back..we stopped there and I was about to open my passport and other documents for verification but my driver denied by sign that nothing required..Officially you have to submit 1 ID proof there also pay 10 INR while entering.. but in my case nothing such happened..
The funny communication between me and the driver was still going on.. neither I knew Burmese nor he was understanding either hindi or English .. we were allowed inside Myanmar without even a single query .. There was a bridge which divides/connects India and Myanmar over Harhva river.. In the bridge half part marked in white are of Indian part and the part marked in Maroon was Myanmar’s part…once we crossed the bridge we are on the Burmese soil.. That part of Myanmar is having a small town Rihkhawdar ..Loads of Burmese shops.. I decided while coming back I will leave my biker there and spend the day and I will either walk or get some lift upto Zokhawthar.. We were riding on the worst roads of Myanmar.. climbed one mountain ..the Chinese bike was roaring like anything..and surprisingly they follow Right hand traffic… we spotted another Myanmarese village on the way named Khawmawi.. I was witnessing the life style of local Burmese people.. all men and women were busy in some works.. Kids playing some were returning from school.. My driver was quite experienced and riding the bike quite fast but carefully…
Finally after riding 4 kms I spotted the lake J. The Lake offers a delightful sight. The water is very clear and appeared deep blue from a distance. It is approximately one mile long and half a mile wide with a circumference of about three miles. The deepest spot is said to be about 60 feet. As per the Mizo folklore, it is believed that the departed souls make their passage through this Lake before they go to their eternal abodes…and we reached the shore of the lake…
Adjoining the Lake, there were some cottage-type rest houses. Probably, these are for Myanmar tourists as Indians are issued only a day’s pass. But I doubt from mainland Myanmar who used come there for visit crossing such a long distance…There was also one Rih Lipui Restaurant but I ignored eating there… There was option for boating as well but it did not excite me…We sat there for sometimes ..clicked few pictures… and the sun was getting hotter by then also I was feeling hungry…we decided to return back.. once we reached Rihkhawdar it took me 15 minutes to explain the driver that I was not going to come back to India with him .. and finally he understood also gave me his contact number in case of any issues as I was not having any valid document to enter Myanmar
red part is myanmar white is india
aha.. rih-dil
the broken restaurant
rest house for myanmarese
heart shaped
As I was hungry I entered a hotel.. the front side of the place was a wine shop plus grocery shop and back side is the river viewing bar.. and I was all alone there.. I thought of having couple of local and SE Asian beers.. so came out to the shop and picked my cans.. but to my surprise the lady in sign showed me 2500
and I realized she was asking in Kyats… and I paid her 180INR for 2 cans It took me another 15 minutes to explain that I need some snacks to eat.. and yes to explain what is Egg.. I have to literally draw a picture of egg and referring to hen and my lord when I entered their kitchen they prepared the omlettet just like we prepare puri completely oily… noway I ate that…so they prepared some other snacks.. which was yummy… And I spent their 2 hours just gazing at india .. was thinking where I was at that moment.. a smile came on my face.. finally accomplished another dream of visiting Rih Dil J came outside and roamed sometime in that remote Burmese market.. local products like fruits ,vegetables ,meat also Consumer durables manufactured in Far Eastern countries like South Korea, China, and Malayasia are available freely. All the shopkeepers were women with Thanak , a sandalwood paste on their faces.
After roaming an hour in the market I visited the Monastery present there.. It was a beautiful monastery ..but I did not find anyone there and it was closed ..so I took few pictures from outside.. I realized that nothing much to do there so decided to arrange a vehicle for me which will drop me in Zokhawthar..
sipping beers gazing at India
my snacks during preparation
the output
the oily ommlette
burmese flower
local fried rice and pork fried
entrance to monastery
all hooked
burmese market
