By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
May 11: The long drive on the hot, rugged dusty roads of North East India was a difficult experience. Inspite of Google maps, we lost our way and got seperated from the other 2 busses, because there were 3 different entry check post point routes to the State of Mizoram from the state of Assam.
Remember the smell of the first rain on dry soil? That is exactly the smell I got when I washed my super dirty hair at the Aizwal hotel room which we finally reached at night!
On the way we stopped at the Durtlong hills for some amazing view of the other hills and dales of Mizoram in the background of the setting sun. The first view of the twinkling lights of Aizawl city by night was also great and I did not know that it was quite a big sprawling town that seemed even bigger and better than other popular hill stations like Shimla.
Better still was the superb 360* view of Aizwal from our terrace suite room at the heart of the city! I did not know that the correct pronunciation is "Eyes-ole' meaning a ' field of wild cardamom". It is truly the city of highlanders with the river Tlawng in the west and of the river Tuirial in the east.
Next morning we drove up to the Kidron Valley and I was praying in gratitude to the skills of our driver as he negotiated the narrow width upto the edge of the road to pass by another tempo traveller. I really wonder how the vehicles are driven almost upto the edge of the hilly roads with a deep drop of the valley on the other side!
We got to see the beautiful Solomon church, and I was surprised at the mix of artificial flowers and real flowers in the beautifully maintained gardens. It had 4 pillars, each carrying 7 stars of David. Each of it's 4 towers carried a symbolic crown. There were 12 main doors on the 4 sides of the church. I peeped inside to see a simple cross on the alter with no partition walls inside. It was one of the most unique churches that I had ever seen.
It was a longer drive upto a height of 1465 meters, to go to Reiek Tlang, again with panoramic views of Aizawl and the surrounding Mizo Hills. In the middle we stopped at a bridge next to a power station yes for more and more views of the earth, water, sun, sky and space!
We first visited the Reiek Heritage village to get a better idea of community living among the Mizo tribals. We visited a model of the chiefs home and had fun as we joined a group of local singers. The North East region has many talented singers who start out as Choir singers in the local church before attaining international exposure. I tried to swing on a simple rope, and it was much more difficult than it seemed. The recollection of these simple childhood pleasurable experiences was unexpected.
Next to that was a bachelor's Pavilion where the tribal boys stayed together and were trained in survival skills by the elders. We saw a common man's hut without any windows or extra rooms. I could imagine the tribals pounding away the rice husks, feeding the chicken, displaying the hunted animal heads, cooking and sleeping in their tiny thatched roof homes. Life in the forest with just bare necessities, and surviving against the elements, animals or other men must have been really difficult. Yet they kept their their spirits high with rice beer, music, dance and community bonding which became an important part of Mizo tribal culture.
There was also a tent camping site and a tourist cottage complex for people who wanted to stay overnight at Reik in Mizoram.
In the evening I visited the Aizwal temple that was destroyed during the troubled insurgency times and rebuilt by the army. Even now it is maintained by army personnel..I was surprised to see a person in army uniform cleaning the Gods shrine.
We walked up and down the sloping roads at Borra bazaar and found some real bargains for daily wear light cotton clothes. I was also able to get a typical Mizo skirt of my extra large size..most of the ladies in the North East region seem to have tiny body frames as compared to their conterparts in the rest of India. I just kept appreciating their naturally beautiful faces and seemingly flawless skin tone.
We took a cab back to our hotel room and for the first time in my life I got caught in the evening rush hour traffic commute as our taxi waited for long on the sloping roads and finally the overworked traffic policeman did let us through!
Thank God we did not get adventourous enough to try out the bike taxis on the narrow roads!
Our final stop at Aizawl was at their small airport. We saw a damaged combat aircraft that was used in the 1972 war against Pakistan. We also saw a helicopter and a Christian prayer room on the airport grounds. With just 4 flights per day, the small airport staff of the small airport allowed us into the complex, just one hour before take off.
And it was here that I saw a nice counter selling a full range of decent local handicrafts that Mizoram is famous for.
Enough of road travel in the North East..we were relieved to go by the convenient flight between the Capitals, and I bid goodbye from the air to Mizoram with a smile..Wow India.
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.