I always looked for jobs which
allowed me to travel. And the lucky that I am (touché) I have managed to be in
jobs that allows me to travel.
Before I stepped into motherhood
I had a job which allowed me to travel extensively across North East and the icing
on the cake were the cosmetics and personal care goods I was dealing with.
And nine years later (in between
taking a break to raise a child, two more jobs) I have again landed in a job
where the travel bug in me is back.
So as the head of North East in my
current job, my first stop is Mokokchung in Nagaland.
As I started packing, I looked up
the weather forecast in Yahoo and it reflected 10 degs as max and 2 degs as min
temperature. Already in shivers, I pulled out the warmest and the heaviest
jacket from the closet to begin with.
This would be my maiden visit to
Mokokchung. Tickets done, hotel booked, I boarded the Shtabdi Express from
Guwahati to Marinai. By Guwahati standards too, it was cold, dark and foggy and
seemed the whole world was fast asleep as I stepped out of my home.
It took roughly six hours to reach Mariani, a
small town in Jorhat district. To my dismay there were no cabs to Mokokchung at
that time. As a stroke of good luck I met a family who were headed to Mokokchung
and I paid them my share and hitch hiked with them.
The shared Sumo ride was a good
one. The Sumo was dusty. I took the front seat with the driver. We passed by
the lush green tea estates on the outer fringes of Jorhat and were finally in
Nagaland. The driver halted and asked us to show our inner line permits at the
check gate. As I walked towards the check point, I could hear Hotel California being
played faintly. There were two cops in the counter. Both were busy playing
Candy Crush while crooning to the famous Eagles number. Some things only happen
in North East India!
And from then on I started my
bumpiest ever road trip. I wonder if there were any roads to begin with. The road
zig-zagged the craters. The winds got colder, houses prettier and fog thicker.
We took a pit stop midway at New
Camp. The place was lined with a few tea stalls and tiny grocery shops. I bought
a packet of biscuits and sipped the milkiest cup of tea. The stopover was for
about ten minutes. It was already dark and the wind was hitting hard. We got
into the car for the final leg of our ride.
I do not recall much of it as I snoozed
right after. I don’t even know if I snored. I opened my eyes when the car took
a sharp left turn and infront of me was Mokokchung. It looked like as if the
stars had fallen on the hills. The hill was glittering like diamonds and it was
the most amazing sight. I almost felt I was on a high and was hallucinating.
As we reached the town the car
halted and asked everyone to take their respective luggagages.
“Is that it”, I asked the driver.
“Yes”, he said affirmatively.
“But you have to drop me to my
hotel. If not the hotel then at least to the main town area”, I told him.
I called up the hotel to ask exactly
where it was located. They directed me well.
I told the driver the address and
said “I will pay you another hundred bucks extra. Take me to the hotel”.
““Madam, your hotel is a walking
distance. Just keep walking straight, you will reach a police point. That is
where your hotel is located”.
I believed him like a fool and
started walking,, lulling my heavy trolley bag and the laptop bag on my
shoulders.
I kept walking to the police
point and there was no signs of my hotel. It was getting colder and the streets
were empty. It felt like midnight. I just looked up my watch to see the time. I
was just 5:50 p.m.
I asked a passer by about the
hotel and he pointed towards the right and said “keep walking that side”.
“Can I get a taxi now?”, inquired.
“Ma’am, its too late. See.. even
the shops are shutting down. You wont get a taxi now.”
I looked towards where the gentleman
was pointing. The road was an uphill walk. With a heavy breath I begun my track.
And I must tell you… it wasn’t the most amazing thing to experience on earth.
After walking which seemed like ages, I reached the town hall. I called the
hotel again and told them I was near Town Hall. They were surprized to hear
that I had walked that much distance.
I kept walking further asking
another man for directions (just to know whether I was on the right track or
not) when I saw a Maruti Van approaching me. A girl stepped out from the
co-driver seat and said, “I am from Whispering Winds. Did you call up asking
for directions?”
I cannot fathom how grateful I will
always be for their gesture.
I was starving like a pig. I had
a very early grub. Slowly the chill was settling in my system. I could feel my
bones freezing. Fingers became numb the moment I took them out of pockets to
receive calls (whatever few calls I could manage to answer).
I asked at the reception to give
me a room heater. I pulled the heater as close as I could manage to my bed. It
was 8:45 pm when I decided to shut eye.
I could hear faintly, happy
voices singing Ronan Keating, Extreme, Scorpions ballads as well as guitars
strumming too.
Day one ended on a tired yet
adventurous note.
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