Tezpur, Assam, IndiaKF Boutique Hotel 2500Rs / $40.25 (double including breakfast)
New Seat Assignments
We picked the two seats behind the driver today. Arjun picked us up at 5:30am and by 6am, luggage was loaded on top, covered and we were on our way. Two in front with Arjun, three on our bench and two in the back. We were happy the jeep was not overstuffed.
Mighty Cold / Best Views
It was mighty cold and the clouds were much higher today giving us the best view of the mountains and valleys dotted with smokey villages and gompas. When we had arrived in the dark three days earlier, we had missed most of this. We were happy to see the gorgeous scenery today. We drove through picturesque Bompu villages. Many of the homes had potted chrysanthemum or marigolds outside. Corncobs tied to dry on eves or covered balconies. Woman carried loaded conical baskets on their backs.
Bald Tires & Snow
We stopped for hot chai after an hour and a half. I noticed one of the Sumos parked behind us with completely bald tires and the retread partially peeling off. Arjun's tires looked great, with plenty of tread left.
Soon afterwards we got to snow. And at Se La pass, elevation of 4170 m (13,700 ft), the small lake was partially frozen.
On the southern side, the snow was even heavier so gorgeous. Arjun drove cautiously and frequently got passed by bolder drivers. He did tell us that the way back is often faster than the 14 hours it took on the way up. We were hopeful.
Good Time, Then Slowed to a Crawl
At around 3 pm, right in front of an army base we got a flat tire. It didn't take too long for Arjun to have us back on the road. And in a town just before the checkpoint, he had the flat spare fixed. And soon thereafter we got to the paved two way road and making good time.
About an hour out of town, Arjun received several calls and he slowed down to a crawl. We were getting irritated questioning that we finally were on paved road and why were we going so slow? Arjun kept having a conversation with the Indian couple and we deduced that they told him to look for a particular address. Arjun stopped the car and disappeared into a hospital. We again did some assuming because we were kept in the dark. We thought he needed to ask for directions. He eventually returned and I told him that we were fed up. We just want to be dropped off at the hotel and, after that, you can deal with these people. "We have a problem", Arjun said,"They want to requisition my car". I thought he must mean "repossess". "Didn't you pay your car payments?" I asked. Eventually we understood that the President is coming to town in a few days and the military or police were taking possession of all the Sumos in town for the duration and without compensation for he drivers.
Arjun took a back road toward the junction which put us about 200 meters from our hotel (which is on the junction at the outskirts of town.) He paid a tuktuk to get the other couple to town. The sweetheart insisted on carrying my pack to the hotel. We passed police in the road and Arjun told us they will stop any Sumo coming into town. The main crossing in front of the hotel was void of any Sumo traffic. News travels fast. Arjun will have to lay low for the next few days.
We had another marathon travel day behind us. It was 8 pm, we enjoyed a long shower and ordered room service... a pizza.
Novemer 19, 2014
TEZPUR
KF Boutique Hotel 2500Rs
Taking the Whole Day Off
Instead of taking two days to get to Ziro, we decided to spend an extra day here in Tezpur. We needed a day off in the comfort of a nice hotel to catch our breath, so to speak.
There is nothing to distinguish Tezpur from any other bustling dusty Indian city. It does have a small poorly maintained park and lake in the center.
It is Complicated to Get to Ziro
In the afternoon, we hopped in the shared auto rickshaw to town to get some tickets Itanagar or Ziro for tomorrow. At the ASTC bus station, we were first sent from one counter to the next, nothing goes smooth in India.. We were confused when they did not have a direct bus to Itanagar because that is a big transport hub and the way-point described in our Lonely Planet. But the guy at the bus ticket window told us we should take the 5AM Tezpur to Lakhimpur bus and catch the shared sumo from there. Sumos will be leaving from Lakhimpur to Ziro all morning, he said. And we would have to be let out at the crossroads to catch a passing Sumo, he advised. It sounded complicated so we talked to other travel agents and bus companies for better ideas. No one had a Sumo or bus to Ziro. There are private buses to Itanagar but those go at night. We decided to go with the original ASTC recommendation and went back to get tickets. "We don't sell advance tickets", the ticket seller said. "Just show up in the morning and pay when you board".
We were a bit concerned about not having reserved seats and found another knowledgeable guy to ask for advice. "Stand on corner in front of KF Hotel at 4:45 am, the bus will stop there to pick you up." he said. "There will be seats." That's the plan then.
Dave continued on in town, he wanted to buy a SIM card from Aircell and pump the ATM. I just wanted to get back to the hotel and hopped on an auto rickshaw. Some female students sat next to me and were very amused that a foreigner took the auto rickshaw.
2025-05-23