North Lakhimpur - Majuli ( Maha Roadtrip 2013 )

Bikers of Assam Maha Roadtrip 2013

North Lakhimpur - Majuli

15th Oct 2013

On 5th day of our trip I woke up and found there is a long line up for the bathroom. I checked my mobile and updated the status that we are in NLP & will ride to Duliajan via Majuli. One of my online friend Vishal Khanikar asked about our location.

It was already 9AM, we had the breakfast at Punjab Hotel. we had a long route to cover, so we left the hotel. We asked some locals about the route to Majuli.

The ferry ghat was about 19km away. The first few km of the road was ok but when we came near the ghat we could feel the damaged caused by water during flood. When reached Dhofola Ghat I recieved a phone call from Vishal he said he came to the Hotel and returned back as we already left.

We reached the Ghat. The heat of the sun and sand made us very thirsty. When I checked my bottle it was empty, someone already drunked it. There was a shop but they only keep pan and cigaratte. There was nothing to drink except water collected directly from the river without filtering. I drank the water, it was cool but not so clean.

We took a ferry ride and reached the other side. But we came to know the other side was not Majuli we had to ride 9KM and reach Luhit Ghat where we have to take a boat ride again.

We were riding in an Island. There were no proper road we had to ride through sand, grassland, marshy land etc. Somewhere we could see buffalo grazing near us.

Me: Ejak boroxun dile ekhon bill hoi jabo, eman ukho ukho kohua aru tolot metaka

Santanu: Koloi je ahisu, rasta thik ase tu

Me: Onroading, Offroading, Pahar roading, Bali roading, Meteka roding sob kori lo

Santanu: Maha Roadtrip tu

We reached the Ghat it was a small river compared to the first. There was no ferry but Three small boats tied together. It was big enough to carry a car. We took the boat and reached the other side.

While crossing The Lohit Ghat to Majuli we met a biker Krishna Medhi from Garmurh, Majuli.

Me: Apuni Garmur'or niki, moiu Garmur Satrar hisho

Krishna: Boulok Satra Sai jabo

Me: Gole deri hobo niki, ami ghui jam bhabisu

Krishna: Last ferry gole Satra sai jabo paribo, Iman dur ahise sai jauk

me: ferry nepalu

Krishna: Nepale thokar bibostha kori dim

We went to Garmurh satra and expressed our wish to visit the different satra of Majuli. He agreed to be our guide. He arranged Guest House of Sri Sri Garmurh Satra to stay and arranged fooding in his restaurant which remain 24hrs open in front of Civil Hospital, Majuli.

We got freshen up in the Guest House and had our lunch in his hotel. Then he took us to Sri Sri Dakshin Pat Satra. It was already dark. We kept our shoes in the gate and entered the Satra. I lit the Agarbatis and the earth lamps. The Mandir Doors was closed but there were some young kids practicing Dihanaam. The environment was very pleasent and peacefull.

When we asked the priest told that the Satradhikar was in his room and we could meet him. We went to him and took his blessings. He was very happy to know that we are from different places and ride together. He encouraged us to keep riding together and promote brotherhood in the society. He invited us to the Raas Festival of Majuli again.

The priest served us tea and showed the satra. Then we rode to Sri Sri Auantai Satra. It was a 8.30PM and the satra was already closed. There was no electricity because of Power Cut. We returned to the Garmurh

There was a Play ( Bhauna ) staged in Garmurh Tinali organised by the local businessman in occasion of Sri Sri Srimanta Sankardev Birth Anniversary but we were too tired and decided to sleep in the Guest House after having dinner in Krishna's Hotel.

Ziro - North Lakhimpur ( Maha Roadtrip 2013 )

Bikers Of Assam Maha Roadtrip 2013 

( Ziro - North Lakhimpur  )

14 October 2013

I woke up at around 3AM it was dark and cold. As we slept early we got up early. I had bath the water was damn cold.

We decided to start early and visit The villages Ziro Valley. Ziro is a beautiful town of Arunachal Pradesh, famous for pine hills and rice fields. It is the headquarters of lower Subansiri district, is located 1500 metres above sea level.

The Apatani are a tribal group of people living in the Ziro Valley. Apatani are permanently settled in one place and cultivate wet lands while other are nomadic in nature and move from one place to other in search of fertile lands. The Apatanis practice facial tattoos and women wears large nose plugs.

We packed our bags and reached our bikes. We found our Pulsar 200NS rear number plate and its holder broken. The guy who was shouting might have broke it last night.

When he enquired the manager told he was a local guy who was residing in the hotel since last 7-8 days. When we asked the manager to call him he requested not to argue with the locals. He compensated the damaged.

We reached Ziro. We saw the famous Apatanis Villages, its people, Air Strip and beautiful rice fields. We decided to start our return journey to resume our jobs/college on 17th Oct.

Two of our members decided to ride further to Daporjio, Arong, Yingkiyong and return via Dhemaji by 20th Oct.

We named their ride " B.0.A Maha Roadtrip Xtra Large ". We clicked a group photo together and returned back while they went to Daporjio.

On our way back we enjoyed the mindblowing landscapes of Yazali and reached the residental Colony of Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project of NEEPCO ( 405 MW ).

We had our lunch at Hotel Potin. I tried the Traditional Boiled Chicken. It was yummy. We reached Crossed Kimin Gate at 6PM and reached Pohumara.

Suddenly Arnab said: Chaliye Majuli chalte hain

Me: Majuli ??

Arnab: Haa ghar phone kiya tha, Majuli pass hi hai, Papa aye they.

Anshu: Majuli jane ka mera vhi maan hain.

Me: Pehle Hotel chalte hain, fir baat karenge

We reached North Lakhimpur at aroumd 7PM. It was Vijaya Dashami of Durga Puja. The city was in festive mood. We halted at Hotel Asha near the Bus Stand.

After having dinner in Hotel Punjab near Hotel Asha owned by same owner. We went to our room and discussed. We slept after finalising that we will visit Majuli next day.

Naharlagun - Itanagar - Ziro ( Maha Roadtrip 2013 )

Bikers Of Assam Maha Roadtrip 2013

13th October 2013

On 3rd Day of our tour I got up early and had bath. Jayanta called up his friend who arranged the hotel and invited him to our room. He reached the hotel at 7AM. We chatted for few mins. He told that the Ita Fort of Itanagar is not maintained well and visitors rarely visits there. 

                                            


Itanagar derives its name from the Ita fort. Ita Fort means Fort of Bricks. Which is an important historical monuments of Ahom Reign. 

We started our Journey at 8.30AM to Itanagar. Today two of our bikes were found with punctured tyre. We repaired the Tyre in nearest shop and fill petrol in NRL Naharlung. The fuel cost was low Rs71 per litre and had better pickup in comparison to what we fill in Assam.

 
The Road to Itanagar was superb, we were enjoying every curves of the road. When we reached Ita Fort we found it closed for some renovation work as told by shop keepers near the gate. 

We returned to Naharlung and had our breakfast with delicious Parathas and Tea. We started our Journey to Ziro, Arunachal. 

We crossed Bandardewa and reached Pohumara, Assam. 

When we were resting by the side of the road a biker riding an Avenger with a lady Pillion came to us and said " Tumaluk Bikers Of Assam niki ". 
We: Hoi 
Biker: Moi page khon sau 

He wished Happy Journey to us and moved away. We also started our journey. We reached Kimin Gate, Arunachal. The roads, trees and landscape totally changed compared to Assam. We crossed Hawa Camp at around 1.30PM. 


The road condition was terrible but the landscape were beautiful. The young bikers was having a tough ride especialy the Pillon Anshuman of Yamaha YZF R15 V2.0. 
It was around 4PM. We were tired. Everyone kept on repeating " Ke#a iman beya rasta aru 100KM kiman deri je lagibo " or " Plain rasta 200-300km matlbei nai, atia he gom paisu 1km kiman dighol " 

We just tried to boost each other that Struggling for every single kilometer will turns Into a memorable experience after reaching The destination just like the Crazy Parashuram Kund Trip 

We were riding for last few hours in rough hilly roads and three hrs more to go. We were Tired, We were Hungry, We need some Coffee, We reached Potin Tinali. Potin is a Village in Yazali Tehsil in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh. 

We had some refreshment. There were some Arunachali boys and girls in the stall. It seems that they are also going to Ziro. They asked : Kot jabo Me: Ziro They: Sweater & Jacket anise nai, Ziro Tanda ase. Me: Ase bag'ot They: Thik ase jabo, ami vi goi ase 

We rode few Kms and it got dark. We wore our Jackets and started riding. Now the roads was comparatively better. I was leading with the Pulsar 220. I was enjoying every bend of the curvy road. 

It was cold & dark when we entered Hapoli, Ziro nearly 80% shops were closed. It was only 7PM. 

We checked some Hotels but found all booked. We were tired & hungry because of the whole day ride in bad roads. 

Alast we found a lodge with two rooms but it was not sufficient to accommodate all of us. Later we found a Hotel with big rooms and big beds so we decided to shift the hotel after having our dinner. We parked our bikes in the hotel parking area. 

We had our dinner and check in the Hotel. We cleaned ourselves and were inside our cozy blankets. Suddenly we heard knock in the door. 


I answered: Kun hoi but I got no reply. Again someone knocked at the door. 
I answered: Kaun hain knocker: Darwaja khol fir pata chalega kaun hain 
I answered: Kya hain bey knocker: Bike hata do, kaha lagaya hain 
I replied: Thik hai, ek minute 


I asked my friends to park the bikes together in some safe place.

 
It was cold and we were tired. We slept peacefully. Our third day of our tour came to an end.

Kaziranga - Tezpur - Naharlagun ( Maha Roadtrip 2013 )

Bikers Of Assam Maha Roadtrip 2013

On 2nd Day I got up early and had bath. As the battery of my mobile was low and our room did not had enough charging points for all of us I went to the reception and keep for charging. I and Arnab decided to explore the resort and its surrounding which seemed interesting from conversation with the night guard. 

As the resort was in Kaziranga National Parks Area we show some Monkeys, birds and small creature when we went inside the Woods. 

We decided to start of our roadtrip we decided to start our trip early in the morning but found our bike punctured in our hotel parking area. 

                                              

Thankfully we carried a foot pump. We filled air in the tyre and rode few kms. When we found a tyre shop where repaired the tyre. We had our breakfast at Jakhlabandha we crossed Koliabhumura Bridge. 

                                               

The Kaliabhomora Bridge is a pre-stressed concrete road bridge over the Brahmaputra River near Tezpur in Assam (India). It is named after the Ahom General Kalia Bhomora Phukan. 
This bridge connects Sonitpur on the north bank with Nagaon District on the south bank. 
The length of this bridge is 3015 meters. 

Then we visited Agnigarh, Tezpur. Bikers Of Assam at Agnigarh, Tezpur 

Agnigarh is a hillock located in Tezpur, Assam, India. In Hindu mythology, it is the site of the fortress which was built by Bana Raja, the king of Asuras (demons). Lord Krishna's grandson Aniruddha fell in love with Usha, Bana's daughter. Usha's love for a simple mortal came to Bana's notice and so he kept Usha in a separate island. This is the site of the legendary romance of princess Usha (the only daughter of king Bana) and Aniruddha. Usha was imprisoned inside the palace which was surrounded by a wall of fire. The place came to be known as Agnigarh. 

The present day Agnigarh (Agni - fire, Garh - wall), now only a hillock facing the Brahmaputra, provides a panoramic view of the great river and Tezpur. The hillock has been developed into a park and recreational area by the Assam Tourism Development Corporation and it is one of the popular tourist spots in Tezpur. 

Then we started our journey to Itanagar. 

We crossed Bhalipara, Sotia, Jamugurihat and reached Biswanath Chariali. It was about 3.30PM. Some of our bikes needed chain tightning so we went to a garage. 

The garage owner welcomed us and said: Apunuluke kali rati Kaziranga fale ahi asil niki. 

We: Hoi amiye asilu 

Garage Owner: Tshirt'or colour aru AS-04 Avenger khonot bag bondha style'or pora sini paisu. Moi gari loi Jorhat'or pora pise pise ahi asilu 

me: Chain kidal check kori diok sun 

While his mechanic to check our bikes, we met a localman who came to repair his bike. He deals in computer hardware. While chatting with him we asked where is the best restaurant which server delicious rice thali. He asked to go inside the lane to a Local Hotel named Baido Hotel. 

As it was about 4PM we were very hungry. We went to the hotel. It was small from outside. 

Gaurav Hotel or popularly known as Baidew Hotel locally served the most delicious Rice Thali of the entire roadtrip.

                                 



It was about 5PM of 2nd day our our trip. We crossed Biswanath Chariali and cruising at speed of 60kmph. I was a pillon and decided to ride. We stopped our bike and signaled others to continue riding. 

We stopped for 2mins and started riding. We started riding at 80-90kmph and hoped to meet others in few mins but after riding for 10-12mins at high speed still there is no sign of others. We couldnt even see their tail lights. 

Santanu: Dada val rasta dekhi pura dobaise, full speedot solauk 

I rode for another 20mins most of the time we were above 100kmph but still there is no sign of others. We crossed Hawajan, suddenly I felt the vibration of my mobile with a faint voice of my singtone. 

I answered: Hello 

Arnab: Kot ase 

Me: Kiba Jan par holu 

Arnab asked someone and answered : Apuni agot goi ase aru pura dobaise, ami petrol pump'ot humaisilu... 


                                             


It was about 6.30 PM when we reached Narayanpur on 2nd day of our trip. We were waiting for other bikers to join us. The town was in festive mood of Durga Puja. 

We waited for few mins & suddenly my cell phone rang. It was Jayanta : Kot ase, ami Chah khabo humaisu 

Me: Deri hoisu Naharlung ba Itanagarot khaba

Jayanta: Hotel Booked sinta nai

We reached the Tea Stall. It was a small stall, we ordered for tea and realised there was no fresh sweets & snacks. Even there was no Jelebi in Durga Puja season.

When I asked for a packet of snacks we noticed that the waiter is weird.

Arnab: Eitu ki piece bey

me: Baad diya Chah khua aru ulua

We have our tea and reached our bike. I was about to go by Santanu & Arnab said: Chintoo'dak jabo diok, pan dukanoloi sauk

I shouted: Chintoo bola deri hoise

Chintoo came to his bike and started riding. The waiter was running behind shouting: " Phone number diyok na "

I had no Idea whats happening I asked: " Ki hoise bey "

Arnab replied: Tar naam bule Jaanmoni, Chintoo'daye gom pai tak " Oi Jaanmoni " buli naamere mati dile.

Hi fida hoi gol. Atia tak Chintoo'dar phone number lage. Jaanmoni is a GAY 

We reached Naharlung and halted at Hotel Chandni which was arranged by a friend of Jayanta. Though the name sounded something fancy by the Hotel was big and Luxurious. We slept after eating fruits and snacks as the Hotel Closed the Restaurant moreover we were not hungry after overeating at Gaurav Hotel :-D

Duliajan - Sivasagar - Kaziranga ( Maha Roadtrip 2013 )

Bikers Of Assam Maha Roadtrip 2013

Life turns boring to do the same work repeatedly like a machine. Our biker group was formed to add some adventure in our life. We meet up once in a month and go to some unexplored destination. Most of our ride were one or two days ride. Since most of our members were either student or newly appointed employee therefore we dint get long leaves.

Whenever we meet up in our rides or in social networking sites we use to discuss about a grand tour.

A grand tour requires lots of planning physically, mentally and economically. We were planning for the Roadtrip since our first roadtrip to Lake of No Return, Myanmar.

The date was almost fixed since Durga Puja holidays was most suitable time for most of us but the destination was not fixed. We discussed about the destination in every roadtrip and G2G. Everyone came with different ideas finally we decided to merge the different destination in a single roadtrip and named it as " Bikers Of Assam Maha Roadtrip 2013 "

The complete circuit of the roadtrip comprises of all the important historical monuments of Assam & Arunachal Pradesh.

Day 1

On 11th Oct 2013 it was Saptami of Durga Puja. After offering my prayers to Goddess Durga at our nearest puja mandar. I started the tour from Duliajan on 9AM. Two of my friends Abhijit & Bijoy came to pick me up from Digboi. Bijoy had decided to ride single in his Pulsar180 and complete the whole trip while Abhijit will return from Sivasagar. He is not participating in the whole event as he had some official work and even he didnt get his leave. He came to cheer us.

                                            

We reached Naharkatia on 9.30AM where Santanu was waiting with our new member Arnab and Anshu. They have debited to complete the whole tour in their Yamaha YZF R15 V2.0. I will ride with Santanu in his Pulsar 220.

At around 11AM we reached Moran where we met Bhargav & Mrinmoy on their Avenger 220. We decided to visit the first and most important historical place of Assam " Sivasagar ".

We visited the Ranghar Pavilion, Sivasagar, Assam

The Rang Ghar is a two-storied building which once served as the royal sports- pavilion where Ahom kings and nobles were spectators at buffalo fights and other games at Rupahi Pathar particularly during the Rangali Bihu festival in the Ahom Capital of Rangpur.

Then we visited the Talatal Ghar. The Talatal ghar is the largest monument of Ahom Architecture. The place which was built as a military base during Ahom Rule. It had two secret tunnels and three flours building below the ground which was used as exit routes during Ahom Wars.

                               

It was around 1AM when we bid goodbye to Abhijit at Talatal Ghar. He came back and we continued our journey. We had our lunch at Hotel Nilkantha, Janji and reached Jorhat Bye Pass by 2.30PM where we met Madhurjya CH with his friends. Madhurjya CH had done two most memorable journey with us in his Honda CBR. He came to Cheer Us.

We reached Dergaon, it was getting darker and we stopped for a Tea Break in a stall which is owned to some relatives of Bijoy. Though they asked us to halt for a night we decided to keep riding. We crossed Kohora and Bagori Range of Kaziranga National Park and reached Burapahar as it was already 8.30PM we decided to halt in a resort called Wild Reach Eco Resort, Kaziranga

We had our dinner and our bikers went to their respective rooms. It was about 12 O'clock midnight. We recieved a call from Jayanta who was coming with Om Prakash and crossed Kohora Range. The started there journey lately from Tinsukia as they had some official work.

I and Arnab decided to wait by the side of the gate to receive Jayanta. We were sitting in a hill by the side of the highway. It was dark as the lights went off.

Suddenly Arnab shouted: Aaah kiba kamurile

me: hap sap hoi niki

arnab: nohoi, mejali porua niki

We heard some sound and someone was checking with a search light. I asked : Kun hoi

He replied: Sir moi Pyarelal, night guard.

Me: Night guard, rati kiba ulai niki

Guard: Nai dada kali nai ulua

Me: Kali nai ulua mane

Guard: Purohi he ulaisil hati

Me: Purhohi ??

Guard: Ei tinta rasta di hati Jungle par kore ( he showed three elephant corridor from where elephant crosses the Jungle )

Arnab: Light to de sun, rasta tu sai lou. Hati ulale polabo lagibo

Thankfully nothing happened. Jayanta and Prakash reached the Resort by 12.30AM. The already had their dinner on their way.

The first day of our trip was over. We all we very tired and slept as soon as we went to our bed.