After the horrid last stretch of 26 km that took 3 hours of bone-rattling SUV shaking roads....we were a little concerned about what was in-store today. We were staying in this beautiful Reyi Homestay in Aalo. The hosts were superb and the rooms phenomenal. The home is in the midst of a huge orange farm with a river running right through. They had lovely views of the farm from the balcony and all of us began the day with many pictures.
We started the trip by visiting a shrine of the Donyi-Polo, a designation given to the indigenous religion of the Tani and other Tibeto-Burmese of Arunachal Pradesh. The name Donyi-Polo means Sun-Moon and was chosen for the religion in the process of its revitalization that began the 1970s in response to the inroads made by Christianity and the possibility of absorption into Hinduism.
My first time visiting one of these temples. Next, we had a brief stop in the homes of the locals who were so inviting. We had a quick swig of the rice wine and off we went.
The roads were ok and the scenes were amazing .. so many waterfalls and so many trees especially banana trees making a beautiful canopy on either side of the road....we stopped for a basic lunch at a roadside restaurant and then stopped next to a beautiful waterfall that reminded us of waterfalls back home (Courtallam) to the ones in Norway or for that matter in Hawaii. Water has that majesticity that draws one to its force.
We reached our homestay by 8 pm after driving 189 km. There was bonfire setup and dinner was going to take time....so discussions veered to our armed forces and border areas. Not only were we in a border state but we also had an ex airforce person in our midst. Our local expert Tajong has spent 4 years in Egmore in Chennai and he was regaling us with stories.
India is beautiful....because of its diversity and inclusion....how else can one explain an Arunachali loving Chennai or how we are accepted in their homes our here in Arunachal