Day 32 and 33 of Pedal the Himalaya tour

We encamped at the Dalai eco camp huts and basked in the sunshine, joined a local who was fishing and learned about their fishing practices and set up a fire by the river at night. Balin and his family were simply amazing. Balin does a lot of national / patriotic service which I can’t disclose but his unpaid service deserves to be recognised. He gifted us scarves from the Mishmi tribe as is the tradition here. ( in the last pic)

After a day of rest we aimed our sights at Chawnginti ( Chenguinty) 54 kms away but after enduring the scorching heat for 35 kms and realising that with just a couple of hours to darkness we wouldn’t get to our destination, we bought some vegetables and decided to camp at a village called Quibang. A lady ( Jaya aunty) running the tea and grocery store by the highway there allowed us to tent on the porch as it was risky to camp due to the roaming horned Mithun ( an aggressive bull cow) and let us into our home to eat and freshen up. She even rode Ashim’s bicycle! ( see the vid) It was a cold silent night except for some of the milch cows and goats roaming around at night. The decision to stay here was a good one as we were able to get a good glimpse of village life, her weaving loom where she was making a traditional shawl and traditional kitchen with the hanging fire platform for roasting.

What was sad to see was how the elderly are largely alone, the village filled with empty houses, with the children married and settled in Tezu and elsewhere. Primary schools seem to be non functional and falling into a state of dilapidation as there are hardly any children in the villages. They seem to be mostly in the plains or in a govt. residential school in some other place. No one goes to the Health and Wellness centers because they are either not staffed, shut or no one uses them as they believe in their own natural remedies.