BRAVING DECEMBER IN ARUNACHAL - 5

Day 5 : Sela takes Vengeance (30th Dec)

Next day we started early as we wanted to cross Sela pass as early as possible because it had snowed the entire previous day & also the Chief Minister was to visit the district of Tawang, so there would be traffic in the inhospitable terrain. So, after having breakfast we started for our day’s destination Dirang. First we went to see the Jang Falls which was really huge & roaring. Though in the chill of winter it wasn’t in its full glory but still it was a postcard sight & we were at our very best in clicking photos.
Before reaching the Sela top we just pitted once at JaswantGarh named after Jaswant Singh. There is a temple as a memoir of the war hero & as the place is above snow-line, the place was amazingly beautiful with snow all around & freezing cold.
Then we reached Sela pass once again & this time the driver couldn’t stop as from a pitstop by the Sela lake.
The journey to up till Sela lake was smooth. Still we noticed that there was much more snow than we encountered the previous day & also the temperature was much lower even in broad daylight. But things turned ugly during our downhill journey. There was much more snow on this side of the mountain & also there was uphill traffic, people who were entering Tawang. The worst part was a thin sheet of slippery ice had formed on the roads making it impossible to apply brakes. We saw cars skid (including our own – several times) sending a chill down our spine every time. Luckily we gave lift to one of the BRO (Border Road Organization) personnel who helped us greatly to get out of the sticky or rather slippery situation. Even our driver was terrified & was beyond his wits, but the BRO guy showed us how to get the tires out of snow, he kept prompting the driver not to use brakes, just take the car slowly in the first gear. We had to push our car in ankle-deep snow where we ourselves could get a firm grip in the slippery ice.
Many a times we got stuck in snow & slipped off the road (still keeping ourselves away from the ditch-side) but by taking help & also sometimes giving help to other vehicles, we finally made out if it safely. It was round 7pm when we reached Dirang, but the place was full. Firstly the CM had stayed there the day before & also many of the uphill traffic couldn’t reach cross Sela due to heavy snow & slippery ice, so falling back to Dirang. Thus, we couldn’t find any accommodation in Dirang & as it was already late, our driver suggested that we should drive back to Tezpur & as we were unable to visit Dirang, he would take us to Kaziranga. We were apprehensive about let him drive all night, as we had a hectic day & the driver was really scared while crossing Sela. But as he suggested that he was O.K & driving back to Tezpur would be the best option so we agreed & thus we kept moving for Tezpur in the dead of the night. Nearly at 9pm we stopped at a local eatery in an unknown small town for supper. After breakfast nay of us haven’t eaten anything & during the afternoon, we were in such a dreadful situation that the thought of lunch haven’t even crossed our minds. But in the eatery we could find anything substantial, & just have to refill our tanks with dear old ‘Maggi’ Noodles.
We drove the whole night retracing our path of half duplex bridges & waterfalls in the dark of night. We arrived at Bhalukpong around 3pm & have to wait there as vehicles couldn’t cross before 4am. But the guards were considering enough, & they let us pass after checking our IDs. We reached Tezpur at around 4am. The driver managed rooms for us at a decent hotel & suggested us 2 hours of rest & told us he would be back at 6 am to take us to Kaziranga.

Contd. In Later Parts ……

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