"Memories Of A Challenging Expedition..."

Gerard ‘Gerry’ Privilege from Perth and myself, met face to face in Bagdogra in West Bengal on the 21st of September after a lengthy correspondence, planning and making our acquaintance. An hour later we were riding north to Darjeeling, a difficult steep, twisting hill-road, too late in the afternoon. Cutting his teeth on a very steep hairpin road, across slippery rail tracks at every bend, Gerry made it to the top, in the dark, unscathed.

From Darjeeling our route took us south east through Assam, across rivers with no bridges, on small wooden boats. We rode deep into Meghalaya’s west, south and east Garo hills; zig-zagging in and out of Bangladesh - a broken bridge some way back; stopping at night at places we’d reached, in small hotels, local guest houses and old, neglected Forest Rest Houses. Sharing our options with men in a tea shop, they warned, “Sir don’t sleep in the jungle, elephants roam wild and tribal militants have guns.” The village police post ominously called the “Police Insurgency Post”.

"Unforgetable Experiences In North East India..."

My experience in the north east with Peter was awesome and I couldn't have had a better guide and friend.

Our journey through the states of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland allowed me to see and experience an entirely different India from what I had known before.

From Bengal to the amazing plains of Assam with its endless rice fields of many different shades of beautiful green, kilometres of shady, cool and quiet tea gardens which appeared to be something out of a fairy tale while tea workers quietly worked away picking the tea from the bushes. Long stretches of very well maintained highway which allowed one to cruise along listening to the steady ‘thump thump’ of the bullet engine while taking in this very colourful state.