The Road to Mokungchung

02.02.2010

Returned today from my trip to Mokokchung. There is no doubt that Mokochung is a great place. But to enjoy this vision of greenery and rolling hills blanketed in mist, one should be willing to undergo the ordeal of a six-hour drive in a “zonal taxi”, usually a TATA Winger or Sumo. (Hiring a vehicle is prohibitively high and assuming one could do this the journey is still titing!) The vehicle would hurtle through the narrow and tortuously winding road. Having said this, I must concede that the journey, if made at a sedate pace, is visually rewarding as the road skirts the mountains continuously on the route. (Next time you see a map of Nagaland, don’t be misled by the straight lines depicting roads. What is not depicted is the mountainous nature of the terrain. Except for Dimapur, the topography of Nagaland is pure mountain and valley. So as we travel in Nagaland, we have a delectable view of the misty valleyts on one side and mountains on the other. The road moves from one mountain range to another with towns perched on the slopes of the ranges. So everytime the ghadi turns around a bend on the mountain the traveler gets another panoramic vista of hills beyond hills which is the constant backdrop for any where innnn the ghat section of the state. Occasionally, on a distant mountain ridge a church or building would be perceived in a prominent position shining bright under the direct light of the morning sun. And then the road takes a new turn and we reach a new page in the unending picture book of nature and color that is Nagaland.