April 1st Mokokchung to Mon

We left at 8:15am down the road for our 7 hour drive that took us 8 hours plus one hour lunch in Sivasagar. We basically came out of the Naga hills and down onto the plains, passed through Assam where we had lunch and then climbed the mountains into Nagaland again, but at a point that was further north. The land from Mokochung to the Assam border was Ao tribe territory, and while driving we counted 10 guns and only 1 lady weaving. We rattled, shook and wound our way both up and down the mountains in Nagaland on roads that definitely required a higher wheel base to accommodate all the potholes and unpaved sections. When we hit the Assam plains with the tea plantations the traffic became what we both remembered it like – people walking, men with carts, ox carts, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, cars, buses, trucks and cows all in a very crowded road. In Assam they had traffic lights, while in Nagaland they still have a traffic circle with a podium in the middle for the policeman to stand in his lovely white uniform to direct the traffic.

Tea plantation with Acacia trees in Assam

At lunch in Sivasager (the Sky Chef Restaurant part of the Hotel Shiva Palace) we had an excellent meal and enjoyed Khasmiri bread (nan with almonds, raisins and dried cherries). We also had a Kingfisher beer – made in India. Nagaland is officially a dry state but Assam is not, so we thought we would share a beer at lunch. It was much improved over the home made rice wine/beer that has been served in Nagaland.

We arrived at Helsa’s cottage in Mon, Nagaland after a count of another 5 guns and a couple of sling shots. The name of Helsa’s cottage is derived from the first letters of the names of the owner Auntie’s children.  She operates 2 of the possible 3 places to stay in town. We were actually at the best place in town even though the room was very sparse, bed hard, electricity only a couple of hours in a 24 hr period, but we did have a cold water sink tap and a western toilet attached to our room. We were tired from the long drive and asked for our bucket of hot water – the choice was in the morning or in the evening as you get only 1 bucket per day. We asked for it at night as in the mornings it is too cold. Our bucket arrived a few minutes to 6pm and while Leslie was doing her bucket scoop shower the electricity went out, leaving her in pitch darkness. We now know that regularly from 6pm – 7pm, from 6 – 7 am as well as from 2 – 4pm there is no electricity in Mon and that is why the room is supplied with candles and matches. The requested 7pm dinner was served at 7:30pm and we were surprised to see that the 6 room cottage had all rooms rented, one to us, one to two older French ladies who could not speak much English and their guide did not speak French, an Indian film crew, and in a quad room cum storage room accomodated a Canadian young couple who had joined up with an older Australian man and an older German fellow. We later learned the quad room had been a last minute set up for those guests as the film crew had come to film the Aoling Monyu festival, and they would have no place to stay if they didn’t take the storage room offer.

Our trip Route

We enjoyed hearing everyone’s stories both in English and in French – the French was good practice for us for our upcoming May Camino walk through France. We had listened to our French lessons in the car as we had driven along during the day so French was a partly in our minds.

There was a thunder and rain storm in the evening which dropped the temperature down and required jackets. Electricity goes off at 9pm so that puts an end to reading. Everyone is asking about where the Aoling Monyu festival is happening…. Nothing is really clear to any of us tourists who have all come to see this festival, but we feel it must be worth seeing if there is a film crew here to record it.