Hey! It's wonderful to have you join me for last week in India (and my 27th week of traveling)! I'm grateful you have taken the time to catch up on my most recent adventures.
I've had the most amazing meals while visiting Nagaland and Assam. I was equally blessed to meet more terrific people who were kind, thoughtful and caring. What I've been unable to reconcile is the disconnect between my 'vibe' and the country of India. I have the feeling that the country's energy is going in a thousand different directions simultaneously without a specific outcome in mind. I find these pockets of the most incredible people and experiences that I'm grateful for. However, everywhere I go I feel like I'm immersed in incredible chaos which involves great swirling of individual/small groups pursuing their own goals. It's equally tough for me to reconcile that yoga had its birthplace in India. I think India, as a relatively new country (about 75 years), is much different as a concept than what this part of the world was like before all this disparate areas and people were amalgamated into one country. My education continues.
An interesting personal challenge I continue to encounter is my desire to be judgemental about the places I'm visiting. My analytical brain wants to focus on what is different as opposed to recognizing what is similar. Sadly, it's the differences that we perceive that creates barriers between us thereby preventing the creation of a global mindset. I've made good progress in being able to witness what I'm experiencing for what it is. And there are moments, like being in a local hotel room that I compare to a North American hotel experience, that alerts me to the personal development that I still need to do. My education continues!
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| The Coconut Guy |
I managed to expand my list of lost items to three in the last week. I've added a pair of sunglasses and earbuds to the jacket I lost after landing in Auckland back in November. Thank goodness for having a spare set of sunglasses as well as being in part of the world known for its technology!
Travel update: I'm now thinking I might add Scandinavia to my travel plans prior to returning to North America in mid-September. If I spend the planned 30 days in each of Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, my current adventures will wind up in early August. A conversation with a fellow train passenger this week has sparked the idea of adding Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark (a week in each country) to my travel itinerary. I've found a direct flight from Seoul, South Korea to Helsinki, Finland. I would also add Ireland as a final stop as my heart wants to return to Galway for a couple nights.
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 introducing local transportation using Grab, Ola and Uber.
Travel Maps
In the past week I traveled southwest, by train, from Dibrugarh to Diphu for two nights. I took the train from Diphu to Guwahati. On Saturday, I was on an Indigo flight to Chennai for my final two nights in India.
India: April 27 to May 3, 2025
Dibrugarh
Sunday afternoon was dedicated to exploring one Dibrugarh tourist destination - Blossom Exotica that I discovered in my Google searches. The location was within an hour's walk from the hotel with the promise of bringing to a mini tea plantation. The larger tea plantations were closed on Sunday, so this was the convenient option that was open.
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Assam Trunk Road
Dibrugarh |
Baruah Sweets and Restaurant
Yes, I can be readily distracted by sweets shops, even if I have to cross a busy street. I purchased a selection of sweets for the Tree Fern hotel staff who were amazing in making feel right at home. My apologies to the Hotel Hempi staff (my extended Karbi family) for failing to busy sweets for you! Unfortunately, I was unable to readily find a shop in Diphu to buy sweets for you! I successfully avoided indulging in the sweets I purchased except for the two treats I had in Jorhat along with my demi-tasse of milk tea.
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| I almost walk right past! |
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| Sweets side of shop |
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| More than just sweets |
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| Sweets, sweets and more sweets! |
Interesting place to visit. A good example how this business used Google Maps for effective marketing. I had my chance to walk amongst some tea plants as well as enjoy a cup of green tea with Dip, the owner of Blossom Exotica. I met Dip as I was making my way to the exit. He stopped me to ask questions about where I was from, etc. He offered me a cup of green tea brewed from the 'plantation's' tea plants. We had a half hour chat about how he started the business in the late 1990's without any prior experience in the tea business. He unsuccessfully tried to negotiate an extended leave from his job with the Indian government. He subsequently went on extended medical leave which he remains on to the present day. He was wearing a neck collar when I met him, which he removed while we were chatting.
I have a strong suspicion that I've become part of his marketing campaign through Instagram. He had an employee video the two of us as he explained the process for preparing the tea leaves. It's all about the length of time that the fresh leaves are immersed in boiling hot water. The entire process involves picking the leaves, rolling them by hand, immerse in boiling water for about a minute and drying the leaves.
My overall impression is that Blossom Exotica needs some tender loving care. Some of the bamboo walkways were showing their wear and tear. All the equipment and swings could use a coat of paint and cleaning. His place follows the general experience I've had in many Indian attractions in this part of the world. The attractions suffer from a lack of maintenance. The notable exception is the Kohima War Cemetery which was well maintained.
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| Entrance |
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| Be alert to where you walk! |
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| Tea plants and swing |
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| Watch your step |
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Small pond stocked with fish
Enjoy a romantic interlude by the water |
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| Dip, the owner |
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Enjoying a cup of green tea's medicinal
medicinal effects 😁
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What made this hotel striking enough to mention was how welcomingly unexpected the entire visit was. I received a five star hotel experience in this northeastern Assam city. As arrogant as this may sound, I felt like I was in top notch North American hotel for the two nights I stayed here. It was like an oasis in the middle of this city.
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| Shower w/o geyser |
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| Sitting area |
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| Comfy bed |
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Desk and more sitting
area |
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| Lots of room |
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| Neighbourhood (l) |
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| Neighbourhood (r) |
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| More great food |
Epic Train Ride - Dibrugarh to Diphu
I figured I had traveled as far north in Assam as I wanted. My original travel plan was to reach Dibrugarh to fly to Chennai after visiting Mon Village and Longwa, the village straddling the India/Myramar border, in Nagaland. When my Nagaland plans changed, I discovered, as I was looking at options, that I could fly to Chennai direct from Guwahati instead of taking a connecting flight from Dibrugarh. While I try to avoid retracing my travel route, I decided to return to Diphu for two nights because I thought, given my perceived options, I would enjoy my time the most in Diphu. With Martina's help (Hotel Fern GM), I booked a 1st class berth on the Monday train from Dibrugarh that stopped in Diphu. BTW - I've now had a mini-lesson on the different classes of train travel in India. My initial train ride from Dimapur to Diphu would classed as a general seating where most train passengers are found.
I'm glad I arrived at the train station early. I've learned to allocate extra time for the unexpected at train stations and airports. I'd rather have extra time to be waiting in the travel terminal than fussing at the last minute to manage unexpected obstacles.
I had a couple small adventures getting to my seat on the train. The first adventure was confirming the train's platform number - #4. While I had a confirmed ticket, the inquiry counter person directed me to the ticket counter for a yet to be determined reason. The ticket counter attendant was confused why I was at her wicket when I had a ticket. She sent me on my way to Platform #4 with a mild look of disdain. I managed to walk the entire length of the train until I found someone who had the right information about where my berth was. The extra exercise was good for me!
I had the two person berth to myself except for the last hour when I was joined by Aakash, a 26 year old man who was working in his father's road construction business. While he had attended university, he thought that working in the real world was where he would gain the practical knowledge he needed for the business. He expressed surprise at my travel destinations. Visiting Nagaland was off the table as his parents objected to him going to such a dangerous state. Good to know after spending six nights in Nagaland. He was equally perplexed about me going to Diphu. He thought that was equally a dangerous thing to do given the Karbi people's activism in establishing their own Karbi state. The 1951 constitutional amendment gave the Karbi people an autonomous region within the Indian state. Oh, the things I learn from others in my travels.
Overall, the 6.5 hour train ride was comfortable and much more enjoyable (and easier) than riding the bus. I avoided the issue (misadventure) of switching buses/finding the right bus to return to Diphu as I was unable to find a direct bus. I was provided with a pillow, two clean sheets and a face towel for my journey. I also had online access to the train's planned vs actual schedule throughout the journey. This train journey was scheduled to last 4 complete days traveling 24 hours/day. That is one heck of train ride!
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| Getting to Platform 4 |
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| On my way down to Platform 4 |
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| 1st class Sleeper berth |
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| Looking towards aisle |
Return to Diphu
I had three objectives in mind when I returned to Diphu. Enjoy visiting with my new friends at Hotel Hempi, get a haircut and buy a bottle of wine for the Catholic clergy. I was successful on achieving these objectives plus I was blessed to receive so much more as I share in the sections below. The universe's benevolence is greatly appreciated.
Hotel Hempi Reprise
I received several blessings during my two night return visit to Diphu. My first blessing happened immediately after I checked in. Sujit, the owner's younger brother, happened to be in the lobby as I was enjoying a cup of milk tea. I was the beneficiary of learning more about the Karbi people through my conversation with Sujit. He explained here are five Karbi clans represented by five different birds found on a Karbi totem. I found the following additional information about the totems after our conversation:
'Totemism has been important in the cultural and religious life of the Karbis. The Karbis considered a number of plants and animals as a totemic object. The Karbis revere different species of plants and animals as sacred and they never go for collecting or consuming in case of plants and never go for killing or eating in case of animals, because they beliefs that such plants or animals have helped or protected their respective ancestors in some way or the other.'
Sujit also gave me the gift of a Karbi scarf.
Dhon also spent time with me over the two days sharing more info about the Karbi people, the hotel and local activities.
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| More context to these Karbi totems |
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Receiving Karbi scarf
from Sujit |
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Later in the evening, I met this young man who was with his family celebrating his baby brother's birthday in the hotel restaurant. He took great interest in me. Once he learned I was from Canada, he came back with phone with images of the Canadian flag to show me. He also brought me a piece of birthday cake to enjoy!
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| My newest friend |
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| Delicious birthday cake |
Gotam, my waiter, introduced me to a wonderful traditional Karbi dish with pork and bamboo shoots. He also proactively offered me a dish of cut fruit and cream for my dessert. What made this meal extra special was Gotam's proactivity as he was a shy man who was self-conscious about his English skills. I appreciate the extraordinary blessing I received through his kindness, thoughtfulness and self-confidence. He also packed some fruit and boiled eggs for me to take for lunch for my upcoming train ride.
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Traditional Karbi
dish |
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| Dessert |
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| Gotam |
Local Hair Salon (aka barber shop)
I found a local barber shop for an overdue haircut. Phuntri, the barber, had been cutting hair for the past three to four months. I decided to stop asking questions about his hair cutting experience to curtail provoking more anxiety about my choice of barbers. Ignorance can be blissful! 😉 You'll notice my barber lacks a proper chair to cut hair. His friend, who had been getting his hair dyed prior to my haircut, was busy taking photos and videos during my haircut.
I had stopped at this place by accident (or call it a mistake on my part). I thought I was at the location that Junali had suggested. I discovered, on my way to the Bishop's house, the Unisex Hair Salon that was about 150 metres further down the road than where I had stopped. Junali's recommendation would have been much different - enclosed location with A/C, proper chairs and the associated cost (300 - 400 Rs).
I received a decent haircut that I was happy with. The added blessing I got was my haircut for free (instead of the stated price of 50 Rs - less than $1).
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| The hair salon |
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| Meet my new barber - Phuntri |
Epic Train Ride #2 - Diphu to Guwahati
My second epic train ride was 4.5 hours long journey in a second class A/C carriage. The first class option was unavailable on this train. The 2nd class berths have curtains for privacy instead of the doors found in first class berths. You are provided with two sheets, a pillow and a face towel similar to first class amenities. The ride was both comfortable and uneventful.
One of my new traveling companions was a corporate lawyer from Mumbai who had been traveling through Assam. He had a daughter living in Ontario, Canada and a daughter living in London, England. His law practice focused on helping Indian companies establish their businesses both domestically and internationally. My new friend (forgot his name) had also completed two master degrees in Norway over a period of a few years - having been invited to study in Norway as part of his law practice. His mentioning of Norway triggered a potential new travel plan for me to explore Scandinavia in August.
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| Diphu train platform |
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| Diphu train platform |
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| 2nd class - four berths |
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| Fellow traveler |
My introduction to Guwahati started with the railway main station experience. In one to those 'follow the crowd' moments I was fortunate to find the main entrance. I had three new friends following me trying to sell me a replacement wheel for my suitcase. Yes, they were very astute in noticing my impaired wheel and were armed with different types of suitcase wheel assemblies. Lucky me! Overall, there was an incredible amount of diverse activities happening in this train station. Navigating through the people, noise, activities and staying alert to potential pickpockets is an interesting experience. I am slowly adapting.
I was blessed with finding a ride to my hotel almost immediately using the Uber app. While I was waiting for the car to arrive I had a mini encounter with a local taxi driver who I think believed he should be giving me a ride.
Here's a brief description of Guwahati's significance (click link above for more info):
'Considered to be the gateway to north east India, Guwahati is the largest city in the region. It is situated between the southern bank of Brahmaputra River and the foothills of the Shillong plateau. Dispur, a part of Guwahati, serves as the capital of Assam.'
Mini Taj Mahal
I discovered, through my trusty friend Google Maps, that a mini Taj Mahal was located a short walking distance (3.2 km/2 mi) from my hotel. The replica is located in a field with a total absence of signage to explain who created this replica, why it was created and what purpose it serves. Here's a link to the 'official'
Taj Mahal in Agra if you want to compare and contrast the two structures. I think I still need to travel to Agra to see the real thing!
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This important cultural park was about a 4.5 km walk from my hotel. Great combination of exercise and an enriching cultural experience! 😁 I thought the park hosted a remarkable representation of the diversity found in the northeast including statutes and wall murals throughout the park. The park had a great museum, a room with ancient literature, an art gallery and so very much more. The overall experience, however, is diminished by the lack of consistent maintenance resulting in water foundations inoperative with stagnant water, lawns unkept, broken walkways and an obvious lack of tender loving care.
Here's the short description from the park's official website (link above):
'Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra was conceived as a grand exposition of the life and culture of the people of Assam and North-East India, of its diverse ethnic groups & sub-groups that created the cultural mosaic of the North-East in general and particularly of Assam, in respect to all its beauty and splendour.'
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| Entrance - 100 Rs ($1.64 CAD) for foreigners |
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| Elegant walkway into park |
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| Museum |
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| Poor statue needed repairs |
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| Park entrance security - two very sweet people |
Welcome to Assam's oldest dairy brand!
An unexpected gift on my walk was this roadside dairy retail store which was at the entrance to the dairy. I indulged in mango ice cream and bought a container of yoghurt for later. Under the category of the odd things that happen, I was asked for my autograph by a store patron who had been sitting at a table adjacent to the store. I think he told me that he was a former police officer.
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| Dairy store - a bit of heaven on earth |
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| Honey was also available |
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| Yoghurt, milk and milk drinks |
The Coconut Guy
I stopped for a drink of coconut water from the guy below selling coconuts on the roadside. Cost was 60 Rs - about $1 CAD. I learned, while living in Barbados, that coconut water is good for one's renal system.
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| The Coconut Guy |
I found this gem after spending a disportioncate time of time looking for a place to stay. The fact the hotel was 30 minutes from the city centre made this stay that much more comfortable. The four star hotel was 'reasonably' priced, beautifully decorated with a great focus on the customer experience.
I did have the unpleasant experience of being in the elevator when the power shut off as I was on my way to checking out early on Saturday morning. After a few disconcerting moments, the generator kicked in and the elevator was on its way once again.
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| Premiere room |
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| City view from room |
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| City view from room |
Guwahati International Airport
The Guwahati International Airport, which doubles as an Indian Air Force base, was a less spectacular airport in my Indian travels.
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| Waiting area for flights |
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| Somewhat surprising to see Starbucks |
Chennai
Welcome to Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, India's fifth largest city with over 12,000,000 inhabitants! I last visited the city in mid-August 2023 which overlapped with Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
I had the delightful experience of learning in the moment about how to locate the Uber driver that was waiting for me. The pick up point was a parking garage in 'AeroHub West' which ended up being a ten minute shuttle cart ride from the domestic terminal. There was a short walk from the shuttle drop off point to the elevators to ride to the second floor and find column C where my driver was waiting. I took the stairs given the number of people and their luggage waiting for the elevator.
Wow! Chennai was super hot for this time of year. The temperature was 36C (97F); feeling like 45C (113F). I cancelled my plans to visit
Guindy National Park which was a 15 minute walk from my hotel. The Park was closed during my last visit so returning to Chennai was going to be my second chance to see the park. The Park visit will need to wait to next time!
I'll share more about the Park Hyatt Chennai in next week's post. I was blessed to be treated exceptionally well once again!
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| Approaching Chennai from east |
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| Chennai |
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| Chennai |
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| Marina Beach |
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| Park Hyatt Chennai |
Travel Administration
Welcome to the vast world of ride apps beyond Uber. An area for research in traveling is researching ride apps offered in the different parts of the world you are planning to be in. For example, a major South Asia ride app is
Grab that I've found is much better than Uber in the countries that Grab is available. India is a whole world unto itself when it comes to ride apps. I've been a passenger through
Ola Cabs as well as new competitor
Rapido. My Ola and Rapido rides, which were inexpensive and reliable, were organized through someone else's app. Uber India has been hit and miss for me with Chennai being a place to avoid if you're trying to schedule a ride for a future date and time. I avoided PickMe in Sri Lanka (and used Uber) as the PickMe customer reviews were entirely negative, mostly about the drivers were untrustworthy.
Next Week
I'm switching countries next week. I fly to Taipei, Taiwan's capital city, through Singapore, a city that I've had the good fortune to have visited on three separate occasions. I'll be traveling throughout Taiwan until June 4th, when I hop on a plane for Japan. I'll be twelve hours ahead of EDT.
'See you' next week! Stay happy and healthy!
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