6: The Trek to Tezu

Igashu led his gang, treading carefully, avoiding the littered dry leaves of the wooded forest and instead choosing to walk on the grass and dirt track.

Kiana following close behind, found it strange that Igashu seemed to be zig-zagging instead of walking straight ahead. “Igashu, are you scared of something? Why are you taking such a twisting, winding path”?

“Surely, you don’t want to step on a snake, especially the Arunachal pit viper”.

“Be serious, Igashu. There’s no such snake”.

“I am dead serious. This is a venomous snake that sits perfectly camouflaged amongst the dried leaves. It was discovered only a few years back”.

Mayuka was alarmed. “Can we die of the pit viper’s bite”?

Igashu stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he said in hushed tones, “the pit viper’s bite is not fatal. But the venom will cause intense pain and nausea. You will live”.

“Hahaha. Thank you, Igashu. Some relief to know that, but I don’t want to be limping all the way to Tezu”.

“Yes, I agree with you, Mayuka. Though my momma has given me medicines for a snake bite, I would be happier if we don’t need to use it”.

Looking at his GPS and map, Igashu said, “a little ahead, we will exit the forest and take the dirt road to Tezu”.

Cross-checking her map, Mayuka exclaimed, “Oh, yes. We need to get out fast as we are heading straight into tiger territory”.

“Hey”! Shouted Kiana. “What’s that red-coloured animal sleeping on that high branch? See its bushy, ringed tail”.

“Yes, it looks so cuddly”, added Mayuka. “And see that cute, small face. It looks so adorable”.

“It’s a red panda. We are indeed lucky to see it in the wild. I believe the red panda population is dwindling fast. It has been declared an endangered species”, explained Igashu.

“Let’s turn to the mud road. It will take us to the main road that runs to Tezu”.

As they stepped onto the road, they saw an unusual sight. There was a massive swarm of insects crawling all over the road.

“Eek”! shouted Mayuka. “Igashu, stop. Don’t go any closer. We don’t want to be bitten by insects”.

“Don’t be afraid, Mayuka. These insects are crickets. They are harmless. The Wancho tribe living on the Patkai Hills call this cricket the Okul. They roast the Okuls over a fire and have it with their heavily fermented drink. Do you want to try some”?

Wrinkling her nose and closing her eyes, Mayuka said, “Yuck! Of course not. I will do no such thing”.

“Come Mayuka, be a sport. I am going to try one. Igashu, I will start the fire”.

Kiana quickly started a small fire using dried leaves and twigs whilst Igashu picked up a handful of Okuls.

“Ugh! These Okuls look so creepy. Kiana, don’t tell me you are really going to have it”?

“It sure does look creepy, but I want to try it. The taste may be better than the looks,” saying that Kiana popped one roasted Okul in her mouth.

Making a disgusted face, Kiana immediately spat out the Okul.

Seeing the expression on Kiana’s face, Igashu laughed loudly. He popped a few more roasted Okuls into his mouth and said, “Okul is a nutritional snack. You need to develop a taste for it”.

Watching Igashu enjoying the Okuls, Zino gingerly sniffed them.

“Hey Zino, come, open your mouth. Have some”.

Zino seemed to enjoy the roasted Okuls. Mayuka and Kiana looked surprised at Zino’s sudden acquired taste.

“Let’s get going. We need to reach Tezu before dark”, said Igashu.

The town lights soon came into view. They reached the Traveller’s Guest House, located in the town centre. Here they managed to find a room for the night.

After a quick dip in the famous hot springs, they had a wholesome meal and went to bed for the night. Zino found company in the stable, along with a few sheep and cattle.

After a refreshing sleep and a traditional breakfast of Khura – the local pancake and butter tea made with yak milk, they left for the Parasuram Kund bridge that connects Tezu and Wakro. There was a shuttle bus service connecting the two towns. They were lucky to get seats on the first bus itself.

The Lohit river, in all its splendour, flowed beneath. The reddish fast flowing waters turned bluish-green as it flowed into the Brahmaputra.

The colour change puzzled Kiana and Mayuka.

“Wow! I have never seen a river changing colour”, said Mayuka.

“Maybe the crocodiles have been feasting”, said Kiana.

“I don’t think there are crocodiles. The river is too fast-flowing for that. Do you know that the Lohit is also called ‘the river of blood’ because of the red waters? The red colour is due to the red soil in the Lohit Basin”, explained Igashu.

“Oh boy! That’s interesting. Didn’t know we had a blood river in our state”, said Kiana.

The Lohit Valley was scenic with its thick green forest cover. The Himalayas in the background added to the natural beauty. Shortly, the bus reached Wakro. They noticed Sherpa Tenzing standing at the street corner as they got off the bus.