| |||
 [View with PicLens] I had planed to stay a night in Lawngtlai (pronounced long-cly) and proceed to the town of Chongte the following morning; however I had to change my route after I found out the only place I knew of to stay in Lawngtlai, the tourist lodge, was full. I decided to [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► Phawngpui, literally “blue mountain” in Mizo, at rather lowly 2158 m (7078 ft) is the highest point in the state of Mizoram. The mountains or hills of Mizoaram make up for what they lack in height with shear quantity making it the state with the fewest acres of flat [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► After spending Easter in Aizawl I headed south to explore the southern reaches of this hill covered state. Prior to removal of the restricted area permit for foreigners visiting Mizoram on the first of the year, tourists who did obtain a permit were only allowed to visit the region [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► My first excursion from Aizawl was to the village of Reiek. This prosperous village is perched on a slope beneath a peak of the same name, opposite a deep valley which separates this rural village from the congested ridge of shops and houses that is Aizawl. The “trek,” or [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► Mizoram is not an easy place to get to, even from the relatively nearby state of Nagaland. I spent the better part of the first day, of my three day journey, packed in like a proverbial sardine in an Indian Railways general class compartment, there-always-room-for-one-more class, aboard the painfully [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► I always seem to linger a little longer than I plan in Shiyong, and this trip was no exception. It was nearly a week after Aoling before I finally tore myself away from this pretty hill top village in northeastern Nagaland and the hospitality of Phejin and her family. [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234► We left the quite village of Shiyong making a day trip into Mon town to view the official Aoling celebration, a program of traditional dance organized by the district government. While not as intimate as the village celebrations, the mass of dancers made for good photography, and we as [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► Fresh off the Meitei festival of Yaoshang, in Imphal, I headed further northeast to my friend Phejin’s village of Shiyong in Nagaland, to partake in another festival, the Konyak festival of Aoling. Being so close, a relative term in India given that it took a day and a half [...]  I haven’t really put much practical information in my journal posts but since I do get a number of people asking about more practical details, I’ll start a new “Do it Yourself” segment for destinations where there isn’t a lot of info out there. Of course much of this information may eventually go out [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► Halangkar concludes with a dance by the young women from the locality around the Bejoy Govinda Temple. Dressed in hooded white dresses speckled with pink dye, hiding their faces, they traditionally perform the last dance of the festival. After which the idols of the Bejoy Govinda and Sri Govindjee [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234► The festival of Yaoshang (Holi) in Imphal ends spectacularly with Halangkar. While the opening day festivities are held at the Sri Govindjee temple, the final days events take place at an open field adjacent to the Bejoy Govinda Temple. The idols from both the Sri Govindjee and the Bejoy [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► The days of Yaoshang are a festive time in Imphal. The entire city is caught up in the celebration. Young girls man ropes across the streets demanding a small “tax” to pass, while marauding groups of young boys and teenagers roam the streets armed with water balloons, buckets, and [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► From all across the Imphal valley buses, cars, minivans, and trucks carry men and women to the Sri Govindaji Temple on the first full day of Yaoshang (Holi as celebrated by the Meiteis). Clad in their traditional attire carrying drums and banners they dance in the hall opposite the [...]  [View with PicLens] During the fist day of Yaoshang the streets of Imphal fill with runners (and walkers) of all ages. Each locality of the city begins there Yaoshang sports festival with a torch lighting ceremony. The fire is brought in a running procession through the streets from either the Kangla (the city’s [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► The Indian spring holiday of Holi is kind of a big deal in Imphal. Unlike elsewhere in the hills of the Northeast India where the tribal communities are mostly Christian, the Meiteis of the Imphal valley are Hindu and celebrate the spring holiday of Holi, know locally as Yaoshang, [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234► When I headed to the border town of Moreh, with Deepak, Robin, and Sarah I didn’t expect that I find myself facing down rifle brandishing member of the Burmese Junta. But I guess that is one of the great things about travel you never know what new experiences a [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► We were all excited to finally get out of Imphal into the surrounding hills. We had chosen the destination of Ukhrul a town in the northeastern hill region of Manipur inhabited primarily by friendly Tangkhul Nagas. Few foreigners make it to Imphal and even fewer to Ukhrul. Three foreigners [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► Our friend Deepak was responsible for organizing the Manipur auditions for a talent competition reality TV show, to be aired on Indian TV. We went along to watch as it was an opportunity to see cultural groups perform traditional Manipur dance, and martial arts. Unfortunately interspersed among theses more [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► Imphal’s substantial polo ground stands near the western gate of the Kangla at the heart of central Imphal. The ground is a testament to the games importance to a state that prides its self as the origin of modern polo. While originating in ancient Persia, the modern game polo [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► The principle attraction of Manipur from a tourist perspective is Loktak Lake. It is one of the most impressive geographical sights in the Northeast. Unfortunately the security situation makes it difficult to adequately explore the vast lake. The picturesque floating islands of reeds and grasses are also used as [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► Deepak took us to a meal at one of the local Temples. Meiteis are Vishnavite Hindus, and several of the Hindu temples in Imphal put on a daily meal for there devotees in the late morning. Deepak assured us that this particular temple, the Shri Shri Narsinga Mandir, was [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► I retraced the route along the 405 Freeway to LAX International Airport I had taken nearly 4 months prior, this time with a bit more weight (a result of home cooked food, good wine, and good beer), and a bit less hair. After about three years of letting it [...] 11/6/2010 to 2/28/2011 | USA  Me and my family Christmas Eve 2011 Everyone seemed to expect it would be hard for me to be back in California, readjusting to American life. But I had to disappoint their preconceived notions by saying it really wasn’t that hard, things were roughly as I remembered them. I often explained it like [...] | |||
PURCHASE IMAGES:  Copyright © 2012 Micah Hanson, Across Asia Journal - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa | |||