Day 3: Jang to Tawang
Woke up at a leisurely pace knowing that Tawang is only 30 odd kms away. The sun was out shining and the dark, grey clouds of yesterday were nowhere to be seen.
A quick check around our little car, and off we went. Our first stop for the day was the Nuranag falls, 5 kms from Jang.
One can reach the base of the waterfall. Mists of cool water hit you as you get closer to the fall.
Some pictures:
A bright sunny day in Jang
Walking down towards Nuranag falls
The falls from a distance
Mists begin to hit you as you get closer
I am a fan of waterfalls where you can reach close to the water. The best part about this place was that it was totally crowd free. After spending some time here, we resumed our drive towards Tawang.
We had a heavy breakfast at one of the roadside dhabas. Turns out it is run by an Assamese family from Tezpur. At Rs.100/ plate which includes rice, dal, aloo fry, some sabzi and chicken, its value for money. I like driving on a full tummy haha.
Some pictures of the way to Tawang:
Nice smooth roads
No lack of rivers here
Soaking up some sun
Soon, we reached Tawang. Since it was only noon, we decided to roam around and visit the Tawang monastery.
The clear weather had followed us to Tawang. The last time I had come here, Tawang seemed to be covered in a cloak of grey. This time, it was a very pleasant green.
Some monks were busy studying here. It was very peaceful.
There is a camp type setup run by the monastery for tourists I think. There was noone there however, so couldn't ask for details.
Lovely prayer flags
Near the entrance of the monastery
Our little car
A place for prayer
At the monastery
Soaking in the views
Inside the monastery
A little tired
Monks busy with cricket
Greenery
After leaving the monastery, we went back to Tawang town for lunch at a local hotel. There was a crowd of tourists who were making so much noise that it was getting on my nerves. I guess noisy tourists come as pack and parcel of any popular destination. The poor hapless waiter was having a difficult time keeping up with the numerous orders. We ordered boiled chicken with vegetables and rice. As our dish was simple to prepare, we were served earlier much to the annoyance of the noisy people haha.
There are a number of hotels in Tawang. We zeroed in on Hotel Mon Kyemojong a little away from the market. It has good views of the town and the staff is very courteous. Definitely recommended.
Upon enquiring from the hotel staff, we were informed that the local taxi operators were not allowing private tourist vehicles to go to Bumla and Sangetser lake. One had to book a sumo/ bolero from them for these places. This left a negative impression on my mind. Not that I would take my alto to such places, but if I had a capable vehicle I would definitely want to drive myself. However, I have read subsequent reports on other forums where people have driven their own cars on this route, so I think this might have been a temporary situation.
In any case, we booked a Bolero for the next day and checked in the hotel.
Hotel
Local kids
After resting for some time, we went to the local market for some shopping in the evening. As we walked we saw many structures having prayer wheels in the middle of road junctions. Some distance away from the market,
there was an elderly gentleman who was praying and turning these wheels. It was a very peaceful setting. My wife took this opportunity to say some prayers while turning the prayer wheels.
Day 4 and 5 coming up
