After the Hornbill Festival, 2021 was canceled, the 3boys, Kashi, I, and Kibithoo were all set to explore Nagaland. Nagaland is the first state in India, where I ever felt like I was in a different country. There is something totally different about the nagas, unlike the other parts of India. Yet the nagas are more Indian than any other. In every part of the hornbill festival, people kept telling us how as Indians we all need to stay together for our motherland to flourish. We are all Indians. We are brothers and sisters. This sentiment echoes in the whole of the hornbill village.
Meet Kibithoo. Kibithoo was rescued by the 3 boys during their road trip in Arunachal Pradesh. They found him in Kibithoo the far east village of Arunachal and hence the name. He is a f***ing strong mountain dog. Extremely sweet, calm, and more comfortable with women 🤷. Love the time I spent with Kibi. Be it running behind him to stop him from escaping us, taking him for his morning pee, feeding him anything I eat - it was total love. And that's Kibi 👇
The routine was clear every day. By 10 am, we are at one of the cafes and by evening we are at the winter market. The gambling section of the winter market to be precise. And it was an absolute cracker. The first day was magical. We kept winning in every square we bet. The next day wasn't so great and the third was worse. We lost all our principal investment and also the money we had won in the last two days. Overall a crazy experience. Throwing the money into the gambling table just before the bet closes, Screaming in joy during wins and shouting in disappointment with 50+ gamblers around, sharing cancer sticks with random strangers, trying to work my way through some probability equations to increase my chances of winning... moments I will remember forever.
Photos below - Top left are photos of a few school kids that I met in Kohima. Kids here have swag. They are all into western music and Christianity. Kids get really curious about where I come from and how did I manage to grow 6feet. I have to admit that it was impossible to find sandals in size 11. Nagas say size 10 is rare. Forget 11. I decided to walk with what I had.
Also, I predict, the kid in the top right photo holding a pup at some point will rule Kohima. Look at the face of the pup he is holding. The pup knows one wrong move and it will go flying. Or the kid will hold it by its ear - just like holding a rabbit by the ear, he tosses the pup with a loud voice - "Harrami Kuttha". We just make sure Kibithoo is not walking around freely when this little don is around. 😂😂
The bottom right photo is me and Kashi with the homestay owner, who was kind enough to offer us a room at a regular price. She wasn't happy that we slept in our cars for two days. And later on, we learned that she is a single woman, who is taking care of a boys' hostel along with her 3 sisters. All of them were single staying in this compound running a boys' hostel and homestay business. Every morning and evening it is fun to watch these sisters making sure the boys don't anything mischievous. The boys in their 11th and 12th standards are ripe for all sorts of mischief. The youngest of the sisters is the toughest for all the boys to escape. Time just goes by watching all this.
The bottom left is Yangpa. Yangpa was at another hostel I stayed in Kohima. Every morning we exchanged a smile and a good morning. At times, she had stories of mischief done by the neighbor kid. I told Yangpa I will meet her when she is older as we posed for this picture.
When in Kohima make sure to keep aside two days for Dzuko valley. An experience that you will cherish for a long time. More about Dzuko valley here.
Tips:
- D Cafe in Kohima is a must-visit. Great food, ambiance, internet, and really friendly staff. The owner Dili is a great guy to hang out with. Make sure to spend time with him :)
- The Morung Kitchen also serves good food and has a good ambiance.
- For local rice beer, visit the BOC market area
Nagaland is definitely a place I want to visit again and stay for a longer period. Was it the love and the warmth of the Nagas, was it the food, was it the city view that I was sleeping and waking to, was it the good morning smile of Yangpa - I don't know. But the nagas have made me fall in love with everything they are. Thank you ❤️🙏