The Tawang valley is not only home to the massive Gompa, but also to a number of traditional villages. Because we’d spent so much time getting up there, we told ourselves that we would stay at least two days in the area. Our rear ends needed a rest and the thought of traveling again made [...]
What do you do when resources are scarce, but you really need new garage doors? In Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang valley, you save your cans of mustard oil, smash them flat and voila – the door is yours. We’re definitely going to start saving our mustard oil cans from now on. You [...]
Geography and politics have conspired to make the Tawang Valley very hard to reach. In fact, the only way to get there is to either bounce around in a jeep for two days, or to fly there with a helicopter. We did the jeeps on the way in – a scenic if somewhat uncomfortable way [...]
Yay for local culture! The other night, we were invited to the premiere of the movie ‘Journey of Life’, a film made by young Tawang people. We spent three dollars each on the entrance fee, something that entitled us to sit on the nice couches pictured below. The plastic chairs were a dollar less. Everybody [...]
Is it a spider? Is it a hairball we pulled from our shower? No! Can you guess what its used for…
We’ve come to the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India for two things: the Tawang Gompa and the Lake of No Return. We haven’t made it to the lake yet, so more on that later. We have, however, just spent two days in Tawang checking out the town and its Gompa, or Buddhist monastery. [...]
Martin shared about our tour of the Kaziranga National Park in Assam here, but I think it deserved a few more photos, so I’ve put together this gallery. This park should be on everyone’s Travel To-do List. It was an experience of a lifetime. Big animals. Untouched jungle. Nearly no foreign tourists. Baby elephants. [...]
I’m a girl and girls sometimes cry. We can’t help it. Well, I can’t help it at least, especially when I’m tired. One wrong word or move and I become a fountain. Combine exhaustion, near constant bus rides and a new hotel every night. The result: a recipe for Jaime Disaster. This week’s trigger was, [...]
India is a large enough country to have corners that are totally un-Indian. Tawang Valley, located in a corner of Arunachal Pradesh, is such a place. Ethnically, this is a side-branch of Tibet, and the local Monpa people speak a dialect of Tibetan. The food is similarly Tibetan-influenced, as are buildings, clothing and the general [...]
Today, we took time off from our Arunachal Pradesh quest to visit a national park – and what a park. Kaziranga is perhaps not the best known park in the world, but for us it ranks among the top attractions in India – it even counts as one of the major highlights of this whole [...]
Personal space means one thing to us and something all together different to Indians. When I board a bus at home (San Francisco), I hope that the empty seat next to me stays empty. It’s not because I’m antisocial (no, no – of course not). It’s because I like my space, especially on public transportation. [...]
If I were to be completely honest, I’d have to say that wearing anything other than a Muumuu is impractical. The Muumuu, or Muum as I like to call it, is the world’s greatest outfit. You name me one other piece of clothing that you can wear while sleeping, running errands, cooking, throwing [...]
Once upon a time I made a video reenactment of my experience in a Dharamsala yoga class. I put it on Youtube so I could share it on our blog. It’s since been watched over 150 times, with varying reactions. I will make no excuses for the video, but I will leave you with the [...]
How to receive a travel permit for Arunachal Pradesh trough a travel agent in Guawhati, Assam
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
