The sky was cloudy on the morning of the 11th in Yingkiong when I left on an old, beat up sumo for Pasighat about 6:30. I thought we would travel on the road along the winding Siang, as Pasighat is on the Siang, just before the river enters Assam and becomes the Brahmaputra. Instead, we took a more direct route over poor roads, first heading uphill and southeast from Yingkiong, away from the river. We passed through several Adi villages, including one named Simong, with the old folks sporting Moe Howard haircuts. In fact, one of the men, wearing shorts and with a broken arm, in our sumo had that type of haircut.
The sumo headed over the summit, between 4000 and 4500 feet in elevation, of the hills east of the Siang. It then descended following the course of another river, the Yamna, flowing south to a confluence with the Siang. Wooden fences lined the road in places as we passed fields and some houses, almost all with thatched roofs. We crossed the river to its east bank at about 2100 feet elevation and passed by the small town of Mariyang, about 30 miles from Yingkiong. The road from Mariyang south along the river was unpleasant, the worst road yet in Arunachal Pradesh. Under construction, it was very dusty, and our driver drove right behind another sumo raising clouds of dust rather than backing off a bit to avoid its dust.
About 10 we crossed a tributary flowing into the Yamna and reached the small town of Siyat, not quite 15 miles from Mariyang, where we made a lunch stop for a little less than half an hour. From Siyat it was less than 40 miles to Pasighat. We continued south along that miserable, ugly road. The road construction, with piles of dirt along the roadside, made views poor, though at places there was less construction. We did get some good views of the fast moving whitewater Yamna. The road was cut into a cliff just before we reached the Siang, at about 600 or 700 feet elevation. The Yamna flows into the Siang just upriver, but we didn't see the confluence.
The road along the wide Siang was paved. Jungle covered hills were on the opposite bank. We reached flat terrain and then crossed the long bridge (765 meters I think, so about half a mile) over the Siang just three miles before Pasighat, where we arrived after 12:30. The dusty town was hot and humid, at about 500 feet elevation. I found a hotel with a somewhat interesting open market in front of it. There wasn't much else to see in town and there was no electricity until 5.
I was up before 5 the next morning for a sumo that left at 6 bound for Tezu to the east. On the dashboard the sumo had statues of Hindu gods, two Christian crosses, and Tibetan prayer flags with Om Mani Padme Hum written on them in Tibetan, so I felt reasonably well protected unless Allah should feel slighted. We again crossed the long bridge over the Siang and headed east on the wide paved road, now no longer along the Siang, which flows south from Pasighat. Only about ten miles from the bridge the sumo turned off the paved road and traveled along much poorer dirt roads, even tracks. One of the other passengers told me we were avoiding road work between Pasighat and Roing, a town more than half way from Pasighat to Tezu.
Under cloudy skies the sumo headed generally southeast through flat, green terrain and villages of thatched roofed houses. We crossed streams, one by a wooden bridge that the driver had us walk over while he drove over it. The flat countryside had some trees, but was mostly grass and scrub, all green. A little after 8 we reached a wide river that we would have to take a small ferry across. However, a guy was in the water about waist deep trying to repair the ferry's propeller. The propeller repaired, the small ferry was loaded. It had room for only two cars, driven onto the ferry over boards just wide enough for their wheels. The cars sat atop the ferry's midsection with their front and back bumpers almost overhanging the gunwales. Several motorcycles were also loaded, along with people, and the precariously loaded ferry took off for the other side. It came back similarly loaded.
We got our turn about 9, a five minute crossing, and then drove for about half an hour generally east to the wide Dibang River, flowing towards the Brahmaputra. On its banks we made a 20 minute rice and pork lunch stop and then crossed the river by ferry about 10. This ferry was a little larger than the previous one, though it also carried only two cars, similarly loaded. The ferry powered slowly upriver for about half an hour. A little rain fell, but only briefly. On the river we saw cows being loaded onto boats. The river had many channels.
After crossing the river the sumo headed further east on poor tracks for about half an hour until it reached a road heading north to Roing. On the way to Roing the sumo stopped at an Arunachal Pradesh border post. We had crossed the state line into Assam somewhere during our detour. My permit had just expired, but the border guard either didn't notice or didn't care. From the state border another 15 miles brought us to Roing, about noon. From Roing the road southeast to Tezu, about 35 miles away, was in good condition, except at river crossings where it deteriorated to gravel among boulders. We drove across on small bridges or through the shallow rivers next to substantial bridges being built.
We arrived in Tezu about 1:30. I wanted to go to Parasuramkund in the hills, about as far east as a foreigner is allowed to go in India, but there were no sumos. Sumos to Parasuramkund for the next day had seats only in the far back, almost always very uncomfortable. I checked into a hotel before a brief, but heavy, rainstorm. I rested in my room and then took a late afternoon walk around town. An officious policeman accosted me and insisted I register at the police station. I walked through a residential section, all relatively modern, towards the Lohit River beyond the edge of town and then walked along some of its channels on soggy ground. Back in the center I found a Tibetan restaurant and had momos for dinner, The proprietor told me his father and grandfather had fled from Tibet and that there are 1500 Tibetans in a refugee camp outside town.
The sumo headed over the summit, between 4000 and 4500 feet in elevation, of the hills east of the Siang. It then descended following the course of another river, the Yamna, flowing south to a confluence with the Siang. Wooden fences lined the road in places as we passed fields and some houses, almost all with thatched roofs. We crossed the river to its east bank at about 2100 feet elevation and passed by the small town of Mariyang, about 30 miles from Yingkiong. The road from Mariyang south along the river was unpleasant, the worst road yet in Arunachal Pradesh. Under construction, it was very dusty, and our driver drove right behind another sumo raising clouds of dust rather than backing off a bit to avoid its dust.
About 10 we crossed a tributary flowing into the Yamna and reached the small town of Siyat, not quite 15 miles from Mariyang, where we made a lunch stop for a little less than half an hour. From Siyat it was less than 40 miles to Pasighat. We continued south along that miserable, ugly road. The road construction, with piles of dirt along the roadside, made views poor, though at places there was less construction. We did get some good views of the fast moving whitewater Yamna. The road was cut into a cliff just before we reached the Siang, at about 600 or 700 feet elevation. The Yamna flows into the Siang just upriver, but we didn't see the confluence.
The road along the wide Siang was paved. Jungle covered hills were on the opposite bank. We reached flat terrain and then crossed the long bridge (765 meters I think, so about half a mile) over the Siang just three miles before Pasighat, where we arrived after 12:30. The dusty town was hot and humid, at about 500 feet elevation. I found a hotel with a somewhat interesting open market in front of it. There wasn't much else to see in town and there was no electricity until 5.
I was up before 5 the next morning for a sumo that left at 6 bound for Tezu to the east. On the dashboard the sumo had statues of Hindu gods, two Christian crosses, and Tibetan prayer flags with Om Mani Padme Hum written on them in Tibetan, so I felt reasonably well protected unless Allah should feel slighted. We again crossed the long bridge over the Siang and headed east on the wide paved road, now no longer along the Siang, which flows south from Pasighat. Only about ten miles from the bridge the sumo turned off the paved road and traveled along much poorer dirt roads, even tracks. One of the other passengers told me we were avoiding road work between Pasighat and Roing, a town more than half way from Pasighat to Tezu.
Under cloudy skies the sumo headed generally southeast through flat, green terrain and villages of thatched roofed houses. We crossed streams, one by a wooden bridge that the driver had us walk over while he drove over it. The flat countryside had some trees, but was mostly grass and scrub, all green. A little after 8 we reached a wide river that we would have to take a small ferry across. However, a guy was in the water about waist deep trying to repair the ferry's propeller. The propeller repaired, the small ferry was loaded. It had room for only two cars, driven onto the ferry over boards just wide enough for their wheels. The cars sat atop the ferry's midsection with their front and back bumpers almost overhanging the gunwales. Several motorcycles were also loaded, along with people, and the precariously loaded ferry took off for the other side. It came back similarly loaded.
We got our turn about 9, a five minute crossing, and then drove for about half an hour generally east to the wide Dibang River, flowing towards the Brahmaputra. On its banks we made a 20 minute rice and pork lunch stop and then crossed the river by ferry about 10. This ferry was a little larger than the previous one, though it also carried only two cars, similarly loaded. The ferry powered slowly upriver for about half an hour. A little rain fell, but only briefly. On the river we saw cows being loaded onto boats. The river had many channels.
After crossing the river the sumo headed further east on poor tracks for about half an hour until it reached a road heading north to Roing. On the way to Roing the sumo stopped at an Arunachal Pradesh border post. We had crossed the state line into Assam somewhere during our detour. My permit had just expired, but the border guard either didn't notice or didn't care. From the state border another 15 miles brought us to Roing, about noon. From Roing the road southeast to Tezu, about 35 miles away, was in good condition, except at river crossings where it deteriorated to gravel among boulders. We drove across on small bridges or through the shallow rivers next to substantial bridges being built.
We arrived in Tezu about 1:30. I wanted to go to Parasuramkund in the hills, about as far east as a foreigner is allowed to go in India, but there were no sumos. Sumos to Parasuramkund for the next day had seats only in the far back, almost always very uncomfortable. I checked into a hotel before a brief, but heavy, rainstorm. I rested in my room and then took a late afternoon walk around town. An officious policeman accosted me and insisted I register at the police station. I walked through a residential section, all relatively modern, towards the Lohit River beyond the edge of town and then walked along some of its channels on soggy ground. Back in the center I found a Tibetan restaurant and had momos for dinner, The proprietor told me his father and grandfather had fled from Tibet and that there are 1500 Tibetans in a refugee camp outside town.
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