Warm greetings from Dibrugarh in northern Assam. Welcome to another week of embracing unexpected and most welcome adventures! So many tea plantations! As you can see from all the text below, I'm having a very 'chatty' blog post this week. Please bear with me as I process my Indian adventure with you.
My plans for resuming my adventures in Nagaland are officially ended. After my application sat idle for a week, I had a couple followups this week to provide additional information including a detailed itinerary including hotel confirmations and the names of those travellers accompanying me. I had more requirements to fulfill than I had time available. I also had a concern with the potential time involved given the limited travel options. I'm still processing my lessons learned from this experience. Initial thoughts - exploring Nagaland on your own with an unstructured itinerary is to be avoided as long as the Protected Area Permit is required.
The Nagaland experience and my subsequent travels in northeastern India have dramatically increased my sensitivity to being a foreign traveler in India. Every hotel is required to complete a Form 'C' to report on my hotel occupancy. I know many countries I've traveled in have similar monitoring in place, however, this is the first time in my travels I've had this level of interaction with the monitoring system. A good reminder of the thin line that we travel in life in keeping our freedom.
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| Largest variety of deer - female |
I continue to be blessed with, and grateful for, the amazing support from everyone throughout my travels. This week I'm thanking a few of my Canadian friends and colleagues. Special shout-out to Gladysse, my accountant, who has been by my side throughout this adventure (virtually) as I sort through a few business and personal tax questions as I travel. She's kindly agreed to receive business mail and share the correspondence with me so I can take the necessary action. The UPS Store dream team (Denise and Devon), where my mail is sent, have also been great help forwarding my mail to Gladysse. I feel like I'm part of this small global village where our community is supporting each other.
The past three weeks in northern India have been educational for me in realizing where the boundaries of my comfort zone currently exist. The word that comes to mind from my Indian travels is 'chaotic'. It's a word that Matias, who I met on the beach in Gulhi, when he described what he liked about traveling in Indonesia. I think I'm struggling with the amount of perceived chaos I'm witnessing. For example, the highway between Jorhat and Dibrugarh is being increased to four lanes. While four lanes do exist in parts, all the remaining stretches of highway are under construction simultaneously. Different effort is being focused in different stretches with some sections sitting idle. I guess each section will be completed eventually. I still have a personal distance to travel with truly being in the moment, embracing what comes my way and suspend judgement. Overall, I need to come to terms with the feeling of vulnerability and being adept in sorting through more ambiguity than I used to. It is one thing to say you trust in the universe and an entirely different reality when I need to make it happen.
My travels in Assam have been equally rich in support, kindness and warmth as you'll read in the section below. I've now decided to explore Assam over the following week and see what more I can learn. Dibrugarh is the farthest destination north I'll travel in Assam before heading south to Guwahati. Assam, by the way, has innumerable tea plantations!
On a very sad and distressing note, 26 Indian tourists were murdered in a day time terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir during the past week.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
This week's travel tip is focused on staying in the moment and embracing change in your travel plans.
Travel Maps
In the past week I traveled northeast, by bus, from Diphu to Bokakhat. My second local bus ride took me from Bokakhat to Jorhat. My final destination for the week was traveling, by bus, to Dibrugarh, the tea city of India.
India: April 20 to April 26, 2025
Diphu
Easter Sunday Mass
The Easter service was a beautiful experience. The music and singing filled the church for the two hour service. While I was unable to understand the words being spoken (in Karbi), the sense of community and celebration was evident in how the parishioners participated throughout the service. I think my inability to understand the service freed me to feel the experience I was immersed in. I tried to capture the singing and sense of community in the video selection below - fingers crossed there is enough for you to feel the service like I did. After the service, I met so many people who approached me to wish me a Happy Easter. I also met several nuns/sisters who were engaging and inquisitive. This is an Easter that will be a lasting memory!
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| Bishop in middle; Father Thomas on right |
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Young woman who
wanted a photo with me |
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Jonathan - a guardian
angel |
Community Lunch
The Easter Sunday mass was followed by a community lunch. The food was prepared communally and then distributed to the different families/communities that compromise the congregation. The families were responsible for bringing plates and eating utensils. I was blessed to be invited to have lunch with the clergy and other special guests including Dr. Dilip, his son and Jonathan. We had a most delicious meal as my photo below illustrates.
During lunch, the Bishop invited me to join him and the priests for dinner at his residence, formally known as the Bishop's House. Being invited to dine with the Bishop would be a remarkable gift irrespective of what country you are in. I know from the reaction of the hotel staff that this invitation was incredibly special! We had a lovely meal that was apparently prepared with me in mind. When I asked if there was any spicy dishes, the bishop indicated the people preparing the meal were aware of my delicate palate. Hahaha!🤣
His Excellency (that's the decorum in addressing the Bishop) took the time to show the Pastoral Care centre - an impressive centre with elementary, high school and college education being offered. The Centre also includes conference facilities to support the Diocese's education activities. One priest is an engineer and architect so they were able to minimize building design costs using in-house capability. The community had international funding support for the building construction. The visit was an eye opener of what is possible with a committed group of people. My education in life continues.
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| Dr. Dilip and youngest son Gabriel |
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I was a special guest invited to eat with
the clergy and sisters |
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Father Thomas (l); Most Rev. Paul Mattekatt
Bishop of Diphu Diocese |
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| Our most delicious meal |
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| Jonathan's extended family |
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| Bishop's House artifact |
Hotel Hempi
My initial two night stay morphed into the most awesome five night stay. I thought my Nagaland permit would be approved in two days and I'd be back traveling in Nagaland. I am most grateful I was completely wrong. I was able to attend Easter Mass and spend Monday in a very comfortable place writing my weekly blog.
Every meal I had in the hotel dining room was terrific. Extraordinary service and delicious food. What a winning combination! Mahesh, a waiter, was the person who suggested visiting Kaziranga National Park to see Bengal tigers, one horned Rhinos, elephants and the list goes on.
I learned throughout my stay about how much support I was receiving behind the scenes from the staff members. Jonathan was active in connecting me with Dr. Dilip prior to Easter Mass. He also was the consummate host in the church and after the service introducing me to his family, friends and other parishioners. Jonathan also took time to tour the new high school that was currently under construction. He was a true guardian angel. Visiting with Jonathan and his family is another good reason to return to Diphu.
Junali, who worked in the hotel's reception area, was also working behind the scenes to ensure I had the best stay ever. She connected with the church officials to alert them to my plans to attend the Easter Sunday mass. Junali also connected with friends in the Kaziranga National Park area to see what support was available once I got off the bus. She, and her fellow colleagues, also connected with the bus conductor to ensure the bus stopped by the hotel to pick me up and confirmed my drop off location. Dhon was also actively involved in managing my bus transportation. Jonathan ensured I got on the bus and my luggage was stowed away. What a gratifying and humbling feeling to have someone, who I just met, take me under their wing so thoroughly and kindly! She is the best! How much magic am I allowed to have during this adventure?
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| Reception |
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| Lobby |
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| Dining room |
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| Dining room |
My New Friends
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| Pleased to introduce Rose |
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| Please meet Dhon |
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| Introducing Junali - a woman of magic |
Gifts
Jonathan's wife
I am deeply grateful to Jonathan's wife for her thoughtful and generous gift of a Karbi scarf. How incredibly special gift for a lasting memory of my visit. Just means I will need to return to Diphu next year as part of my travels to Nepal in November 2026.
Fellow hotel guest
I met Das, a fellow Hotel Hempi guest, while I was having my breakfast. He was curious about my travel plans. He had been in Diphu attending a wedding. After a brief discussion, he took a napkin and drafted a travel itinerary to help me in visiting key Assam destinations. He sparked my interest in traveling to Jorhat to visit Majuli Island after my planned safari in Kaziranga National Park. He suggested I take a jeep safari from the east gate as, from his experience, I had the best chance to see more wildlife than the other two gates. The only area I'll skip on his itinerary is Arunachal Pradesh state as a Protected Area Permit is required. This state borders on China with some history of tension between India and China. His rationale for sharing this itinerary was he felt it was his responsibility as an Assam citizen to ensure I had a great stay in his state. I found out later that Das is a senior person in the Indian government located in Guwahati.
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| Das' Assam travel itinerary |
Bus Ride
I'm pleased to share I had an uneventful four hour bus ride. I sparked a little angst when I asked to change my drop off location to Bokakhat instead of Kohara. I was advised by the lodge owner where I was staying for the next two nights to get off at this location as I would be only five km from his location. I even got a phone call from someone to reconfirm my decision to change my drop off location.
I did have some adventure in getting to the lodge from the bus stop. I had assumed there would be multiple drivers at the bus stop. I was wrong. I walked along the highway for a few minutes until I a tom tom driver stopped. The tom tom driver I found, who only spoke Hindi, misunderstood my destination and took me to a hotel near the bus stop. That is when the universe intervened on my behalf. The hotel staff, who spoke English, got in contact with Sunny, the owner of the lodge I was staying at. Sunny confirmed he would pick me up in front of the police station, where the tom tom driver dropped me off. I had been in contact with Sunny during my bus ride to confirm my expected arrival location and time. Sincere thanks to a benevolent universe! 🙏
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| Cool day; bus was half full |
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My kidneys are slowly recovering after several
jarring bumps along the way! |
Bokakhat
I had two ideas in mind in my Kaziranga National Park stay. I would invite the chance to have a more rural village experience into my traveling and go on a jeep safari in Kaziranga National Park. I had both intended experiences. I also learned more about where my comfort zone resides when it comes to my accommodations. I'm definitely defaulting to surrounding myself with creature comforts on this trip!
Sol Village Kaziranga
I had read in this location's reviews about how simple and basic the lodge facilities were. The warning from other guests was that if you are looking for luxury and amenities, this would be a place to avoid! I thought that would work for me. The other appealing bit of information was the village setting so I was away from the city environment. Sounded lovely. I ended up getting everything I asked for and then some.
The unexpected gift was Sunny, the Sol Village owner. He was kind, generous and thoughtful. An example of his character shines through in how he helped two guests who had the most unfortunate accident. The couple was driving from Guwahati early in the morning when the car left the road, rolled several times on its way down a small gully landing right side up in water that reached just below the vehicle's windows. Neither passenger suffered any injuries, nary a scratch. They contacted Sunny immediately, about 3:30 am, as he was expecting their arrival. He calmed the two guest down, hopped in his vehicle immediately, and drove the 40 km to where the accident happened. He assisted them with the necessary incident reporting on the scene and brought them to their room at the village. He continued to assist them with the follow-up reporting required to get the rental vehicle released and the insurance claim underway.
I admit I initially found my accommodation unsettling. Always a gap between what you ask for and the reality of receiving what you ask for. No wifi. Thank goodness for my Indian SIM card (AirTel) and great mobile phone coverage throughout my northeastern India travels. No toilet paper for the first night. I had everything I needed, just lacked the amenities I usually have in the hotels I stay in. I also felt somewhat isolated as there was a lack of restaurants and shops in the area. I truly was in a village environment. Be careful what you ask for.
Thank goodness the meals were included in my room costs. Great food prepared by Sunny's family. The breakfast was somewhat light - two boiled eggs, some watermelon and a few biscuits.
I also had a special blessing to share a couple meals and conversation with Sreshtha, who with her husband, had walked away from the car accident earlier in the day. She is a 35 year old teacher from Kolkata. Part of our conversation focused on her concern about being alone as she got older. The conversations I have provide such important insights about others and points for my own self-reflection. I have an open invitation to stay in contact with her as well as I have a host in Kolkata for my next trip to India! I also shared the link to my blog post with her should she be interested in periodically joining my adventure!
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| 'Village' entrance |
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| Path to two rooms |
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| The two rooms |
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| Second room |
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| My home for two nights |
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| Bathroom |
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| My sleeping area |
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| Dining area |
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| Dining area |
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| Meal serving area |
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| My breakfast |
Village
I walked about six kms - three kms in each direction from the lodge. The primary reaction from the locals when they saw me was staring. It was unusual for anyone to respond to my greeting or to smile. I think the reaction was, perhaps, indicative of the frequency they saw a foreigner in their village. There were a few people who waved and smiled.
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| Village road |
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| On left, one of many small village stores |
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| Sign has seen better days! |
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There was this massive house along the road. It
was behind a large brick fence. |
An important perk staying at Sol Village was that Sunny was licensed to conduct jeep safaris in the park. The real plus was that Sunny is passionate about animals and he knew something about every animal and bird we encountered during our 3.5 hour safari. We were accompanied by a park ranger, armed with a shotgun as part of the 1200 Rs park entrance fee (~$20 CDN/$14 USD/€12.5). The only added cost was paying for Sunny and his jeep for the afternoon which came at a ridiculously good price.
Animal poaching is such a big park issue that there are permanent stations throughout the park where park rangers are housed to monitor and prevent poaching.
The safari involved traveling on a ring road through the park. The jeeps were required to stay on the road, so unlike my Sri Lankan jeep safaris. In Sri Lanka, the drivers are busy crisscrossing the various park tracks in search of animals. We saw only two other jeeps during our visit.
The park is a combination of open 'savannah' and dense bush. Driving through the park was a wonderful experience, surrounded by a multitude of wildlife. We had the potential to see a plethora of animals including Bengal tigers (not on my safari), elephants (mother and baby sighted), greater one horned rhinos (lots in the distance; one up close), swamp deer (all four types seen) and water buffalo (lots seen) plus loads of birds like the magnificent hornbill (one seen flying from a tree). A Bengal tiger had been seen by our park ranger earlier in the week.
We were blessed we had a cloudy, breezy day for the safari. We had a brief shower as we were exiting the park. Grateful for the lack of rain as Sunny's jeep lacked a canopy for cover. If it rained, we were getting wet. I thought this was consistent with Sunny's business model of keeping everything basic.
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Sunny highlighted the last point
on this sign. Entering at your own risk! |
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| Water buffalo |
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| More Water Buffalo |
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| Buffalo and Rhinos |
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| Stork |
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| Largest variety of deer - male |
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| Rhinos |
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Bird that likes being
in the water |
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Bengal Tiger - marking
their territory. |
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We saw this rhino up close. So close the park ranger
adjusted his shotgun to be ready. I was too
slow in getting my camera ready for a better
photo |
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| Same rhino - exited the bush |
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Had been feeding on
rhino carcass |
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| Vultures |
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| Largest variety of deer - female |
Jorhat
I ventured, by bus, to Jorhat with one objective in mind, namely to be in what I thought was the best place to resume my Nagaland travels through Mokokchung if my PAP application was approved. The backup plan was to visit
Majuli Island, the largest river island in the world which I had learned about earlier in the week from Das, a fellow Hotel Hempi guest in Diphu.
A quick note of thanks to the universe for my bus conductor. He stopped the bus prior to reaching the bus station as he knew I wanted to travel along the Assam Trunk Road. He negotiated my fare with the alto drivers to the point of objecting the initial price quoted for my trip. He had me get back into the bus with my luggage after which one driver agreed to a lower price. The conductor and I shook hands, with me sharing a big smile of thanks. My driver had to borrow money for petrol to make the trip. He looked like he won the lottery when I paid him. Important moments like this remind me to be forever grateful.
Now back to Majuli Island. A quick summary from the government website about Majuli Island's significance: 'Majuli has been the cultural capital and the cradle of Assamese culture for the past five hundred years. The island has also been the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture, initiated around 16th century by the great Assamese saint-reformer Srimanta Sankerdeva and his disciple Madhavdeva. '
Unfortunately I was thwarted on both travel options. The FRRO rejected/cancelled my PAP application with a request to start a new application on Thursday. The cancellation included instructions to provide a detailed itinerary along with the continuing request to identify my fellow travellers. I did make one last attempt to resubmit my application, however I was unable to get the necessary documentation from the Mokokchung hotel in time to complete my application on Friday morning. I abandoned any plans to visit Nagaland given the time remaining and the travel challenges I know I'll have if I venture on the route I planned to take.
My plans to visit Majuli Island, which the hotel graciously helped me organize at the last minute, were cancelled as the ferry service to the island was suspended indefinitely on Thursday due to the Brahmaputra River's rising water level. I discovered the suspended ferry service news Friday at 6 am, an hour before my scheduled departure. I owe Sunny from Sol Village a big thanks for a comment during our safari about ensuring I chose the right ferry for the river crossing. I was checking on the ferry service safety record when a news article about the ferry suspension appeared. I was able to cancel the arrangements and avoid an unnecessary taxi ride to the ferry terminal to learn about the suspended ferry service. After doing further research on ferry safety, I now think canceling the trip was a hidden blessing. The ferries are known to consistently violate most safety regulations, like overloading passengers (up to 50% more passengers than legal capacity), without any regulatory oversight.
I spent some of my time researching about Taiwan in preparation for my upcoming arrival on May 5. I do need to book my flight to Japan as the information is required on the form I need to complete prior to my arrival (applying my lesson learned from my Maldives customs experience!)
Opulence Hotel Resort
How blessed I was to have a warm and welcoming hotel team! A team member was quickly able to organize my proposed Majuli Island excursion with a twist to save money. The plan was to have a taxi pick me up at 7 am, drive me to the ferry terminal, then I would board the ferry as a passenger and then connect with a driver on the island for the island tour. A driver would be waiting for me to take me to the hotel on my return ferry ride. This plan would save me about 1400 Rs by avoiding transporting a car across on the ferry. The hotel was also packing a box breakfast for my journey.
Should I also mention I resumed enjoying the creature comforts of a full service hotel!
I continued to have excellent meals at this hotel. The server suggested the menu options for both dinners I had at the hotel. What an amazing dining experience!
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| Lemon Fish |
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| Sizzling Chicken Steak |
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| Hotel restaurant |
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| Hotel restaurant |
The team also purchased my bus ticket online for me as well as connected with the bus conductor to have the bus stop on the highway opposite the hotel to pick me up. The hotel staff waited with me on the roadside until I was safely on the bus and my luggage was stowed away. Yes, catching a bus in this part of India is a whole different type of experience with lots of similarity to my Sri Lankan bus adventures. If you have the bus conductor's phone number, you can work small and convenient miracles!
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Our temporary highway
bus stop
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| ASTC Chartered Bus (A/C) |
Jorhat Walkabout
I treated myself to a 8 km (5 mile) walk along the Assam Trunk Road for exercise, enjoy the first-hand city experience, and in search of a bakery. I was rewarded on all counts! I also had someone stop their vehicle to offer me a ride because he thought it was too hot to be walking. I had a similar experience in Diphu where two different people stopped to offer me a ride because of the heat. I declined all the offers as I needed the exercise. So much thoughtfulness.
I wish I could recreate the experience of being in these different cities to help appreciate the contrasts, the assault on your senses at times and the hospitality shared by locals as you walk by.
BTW - I had a very small sampling of sweets. I was also offered a small cup of milk tea to accompany my sweets. What a treat1 I purchased a number of sweets that I gave to the hotel staff in thanks for their kindness during my stay.
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| Bhogdoi River |
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| Assam Trunk Road - 4 km from hotel |
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| Bridge |
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| What an amazing find on my walk |
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| Counter up close |
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| More sweets |
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Meet the man from the sweet shop who served me.
He requested this selfie! |
Welcome to Dibrugarh!
I took the initiative to ask the conductor if I could be dropped off near my hotel as it appeared the bus drove passed it on the way to the bus station. Thank goodness for Google Maps to help in communicating destinations. As I soon learned the bus stops in front of the hotel as part of its route! I just needed to ask.
BTW - my trusty English speaking Google feminine voice has changed to an English speaking feminine voice with an Indian accent since I started traveling in India. I'm now interested in what happens in Taiwan, my next destination!
I'm sharing a few photos of the area around my hotel. More about Dibrugarh in next week's post. The link above has info about Dibrugarh if you're interested in learning more. I'm in the tea plantation territory.
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| Hotel Tree Fern - my new home |
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| View from Assam Trunk Road |
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| Sidewalk near hotel |
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| Assam Trunk Road near hotel |
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Roadside walk -
without sidewalk |
Travel Administration
Wow! My intuition about traveling in northeastern India was fulfilled. Embracing change has been essential to enjoying my time in this part of the world. A couple things to keep in mind in your travels. On the accommodation side, you may want to avoid prepaying stays if you can like I did. The other consideration is developing 'Plan B' if you sense your original plan needs to be modified. Once I learned from the FRRO officer I needed to leave Nagaland, my immediate need was finding accommodation in Assam near to Dimapur which is the transportation gateway to Nagaland. Once I was in Diphu, the universe opened the floodgates to potential travel and destination options while I waited for my permit to be processed. I developed a travel plan considering the best point to reenter Nagaland (Jorhat) in Assam as well as a 'Go/No Go' decision point (how much time I had left, distance to travel and perceived ease of travel) to guide my future travel. Best advice, keep your heart open, and think forward so you can embrace the travel suggestions you are about to receive.
Next Week
I'm taking the train to Diphu where I'll spend a couple nights. I thought revisiting Diphu was my best option. From Diphu, I'll take the train again to Guwahati for three nights. On Saturday, I catch a direct flight from Guwahati to Chennai where I spend my last two nights in India. I'm in Chennai so I can visit with my good friend Pravenna's parents who live a couple hours north of Chennai. I had visited them in August 2023.
'See you' next week!
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