Travelling Tim

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April 30, 2005

Haflong, Hill-Station of Assam

A change from the normal 2nd class, I booked a seat in the air-conditioned chair-car on the Shatabdi Express to Lumding Junction. Chair Cars, as the name suggests, are coaches that have nothing but reclining single seats, and are quite comfortable. Food is served from time to time, and a moderate amount of hawkers fill the gaps with any snack the traveller might require. A night in the retiring-room of Lumding station followed - these are rented rooms at most railway stations in India; always good value, and very convenient when breaking a journey, though this one did have rats in the bathroom! However, they kept to their side of the door, and I kept to mine, so there was no confrontation. In the morning, I changed from broad gauge to metre gauge for the journey to Haflong, 23rs. The train was all 2nd class, and stopped at each little station and halt along the way. Even when going, it barely exceeded a gentle trotting speed, and so took 6 hours to cover the 80 or so kilometres, but as with all Indian train journeys, there is always someone to chat too, many things to look at, and frequent small snacks of bananas, peanuts, tea etc. to pass the time.

The scenery made the slow trip worthwhile, though, with excellent views of the North Cachar Hills. The route went through much forested jungle, including a vast amount of bamboo; millions and millions of them. Much is harvested and trucked to Bangalore, for the incense industry - an amazing distance to travel on these roads, considering the route taken north to Guwahati, then south through the West Bengal corridor before even Kolkata is reached.

The weather had changed recently, and I had my first experience of monsoon weather. The pressure on the barometer drops very fast, then the rain comes down in an absolute torrent. Sometimes it clears quickly, whilst at other times the clouds and rain continue for longer, if not at the same monsoon-intensity. This evening, a wind got up as well, and the temperature plunged to a chilly 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

My first hill-station of the trip, Haflong. It is the only hill-station in Assam, and set in very pleasant and scenic surroundings. Though not as developed as other, more well-known hill-stations, it is still an interesting place to visit, with a small central bazaar or market-area, and many hill top views of the surrounding valleys and hills. It has just one hotel, the 'Hotel Elite', as the Assam Tourist Lodge is presently commandeered by the military, of whom there is a high presence in the area, to combat the threat from local terrorist groups.

Once the rain had cleared and the sun came out again, I walked into the hills to get a better view of the surroundings. As is usual off the 'beaten track' of tourists, everyone is as curious about me as I am about them, and I had a number of pleasant conversations with local residents. The children love to have their photo taken, especially when they can see the result instantly on the screen of my digital camera.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, there is a big presence here of Christian missionaries, especially the Welsh Presbyterians, who have achieved the astonishing result of an almost 100% conversion of the locals. With the current falling attendances of English congregations these days, it may not be long before the Assamese start sending missionaries back to the UK!

The roads out of Haflong have been washed out for over a year now, and the government seems in no hurry to get them repaired, so the only alternative is the railway, which for me meant another 5.5 hour journey on the ridiculously named Barak Valley 'Express'. I arrived after dark in Badarpur, and found a small lodge for the night, before an early start for the bus journey to the state of Tripura, and its capital Agartala.

There is still quite a bit of terrorist activity in this area, especially in the mountainous Langtarai region, so buses and trucks have to travel in a military convoy that sets off at regular intervals. The buses and coaches all pack together, and move at a slow rate, dicatated by the slower trucks. The army drive up and down the convoy in their Mahindra jeeps, and station men along the many hills and outcrops. The journey was uneventful, I am happy to say, and we arrived at Agartala sometime after dark.

Posted by travellingtim at April 30, 2005 02:30 PM