THE BEGINNING: Every year, during the Durga Puja school holiday, we go on a long trip. This year, I traveled to Haflong town and nearby places in Dima Hasao district with my colleagues. We stayed for two nights in Haflong town and visited a few places.
We had planned to go to the railway station in New Bongaigaon by motorcycle from Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Academy, Amteka but in the evening it rained heavily. So we quickly arranged a motor ride and reached the railway station that way.
Our journey started at eleven o’clock at night on the 17th October 2026 from New Bongaigaon Railway Station. The next day, the 18th, we arrived at Haflong railway station at ten in the morning. From there, we took an auto rickshaw to Haflong town.
In the afternoon, we had lunch at a hotel in the town of Halflong. So after arriving at our lodging, taking a bath, and finishing all the makeup and getting ready, we decided to visit local places.
FIRST DAY: On the first day, we visited nearby spots in Haflong like Mini Pahalgam at Jatinga, Birth Watching Point, and Dima Hasao View Point.
Jatinga is a really beautiful village in the Dima Hasao District. It’s very peaceful and lovely. We visited a place called Mini Pahalgam, the nickname of Jatinga Festival Ground area there. The local people told us that there’s a Jatinga Festival here during a special season. It’s at least ten kilometers from the town of Halflong.
It got its name because of its beauty, mountain scenery, lush forests, and sloping land, kind of like a place called Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. We had to pay fifty rupees per person to visit here.
We rested for a while, visit beautiful ground area and took some photos.
Coming from here, we arrived at a beautiful hill in a place called Boro Haflong, with a view of the surrounding village and town. There was a sign that said, “I Love Dima Hasao.”
We had to pay fifty rupees per person to get in. It’s a very popular scenic spot in the Dima Hasao district, which is really high up. The place is called I Love Dima Hasao, and it’s also known as Dima Hasao View Point.
In the evening, we take a short walk around the town of Halflong. Our friends buy some clothes based on what they need. This is how we have our meals and drinks in a shop.
SECOND DAY: On the second day, the 19th October, we decided to climb Tumjang Peak. The peak is also known as Sielkal Peak. We had already booked an auto rickshaw, the fare was Rs. 2100, and the distance was about 48 km from Haflong town.
We left at seven in the morning and reached the side of the hill at 8:30. After taking a few quick group photos, we started the climb, beginning at 8:40.
Climbing the hill isn’t easy—it takes courage and sometimes a little help from others. At the start of the climb, each of us picked up a stick for ten rupees. Then, we kept making our way uphill.
The weather was cold, and the hill was full of clouds, yet we felt tired and hot from the effort of climbing. Along the way, our teammates were photographed and filmed. The mountain hike was really enjoyable.
On the way, we met people who had already climbed the mountain. They had gone up the day before and were heading back home.
Around ten in the morning, we reached a spot before the final climb to the top. Here, we each had to pay a hundred rupees. After taking another picture, we started the final ascent to the summit.
The higher we went, the more fatigue, body aches, and tough struggles we faced. We kept moving upwards, stopping occasionally along the way. We took pictures excitedly during the journey.
Some of our friends thought about turning back. They felt they wouldn’t be able to reach the top again because of how exhausted they were. They needed more rest along the way.
I had no intention of giving up. I knew I would climb this hill no matter what. So I kept moving forward without waiting for anyone.
Sir Bigrai Brahma and I continued to move up together. The higher we went, the harder it got, the slope got steeper, and we met clouds. Looking down, nobody was in sight. Looking back, it was terrifying.
Waiting for my teammates for a while, I yelled down the hill. My screams echoed all over it. Hearing me from a distance, people started shouting too.
Sir Bigrai Brahma and I reached the mountain summit together before eleven in the morning. Climbing up, I screamed down. By the time I got to the top, I felt really hot. Heat was radiating from my body, but soon it passed. Cold air and clouds came rolling up from below. The clouds lingered for a bit, then the sun came out again.
About thirty minutes later, our teammates arrived at the peak. I thought they might not make it up all the peaks, but eventually everyone reached the top.
We took photos having a good time at the summit. We sat down for a bit and spent around an hour enjoying ourselves at the top.
On the way back, we passed through the village of Tumjang. This route also makes it easier to climb to the top of the mountain. When we reached the village, we began to see how the locals live. So we walked around the village and slowly made our way back out.
At a shop on the hill, we drank water and ate eggs. I had a bottle of water and three eggs. By that time, I was really hungry.
The local people have to transport the goods they need with great difficulty. They have to sell these goods to tourists at very high prices.
An egg costs twenty rupees, and a half-litre bottle of water costs thirty rupees, which is twenty rupees more.
At two in the afternoon, we reached the base from where we had started our climb up the hill.
We started at eight forty in the morning and finished at two twenty in the afternoon. We spent about five hours on the mountain itself. After that, we returned to the town of Halflong.
After getting back to Halflong, we take a quick break and grab lunch at the Dimasa Hotel. In the evening, we decide to go for a short walk around the city. After walking a bit, we wander into a shopping mall and buy some clothes.
THIRD DAY: The next day, on 20th October, with a rented ott worth fifteen hundred rupees, we set out on our journey around eight o’clock. By about nine thirty in the morning, we arrived at a place called Bamin Hading.
The road in the middle is rough, hills all around—it’s a place somewhat high up on a hill. From here, you can get a clear view of the city of Halflong. There’s a new building here, so to speak, not fully completed yet. We climbed to the top of it and looked around. We even took some pictures.
The orchard right next to the building is a cool, peaceful, quiet spot. That’s where we took a break and rested. Then we checked out the orchid garden. The orchid plants were dry this season. The flowering season is only in March and April.
There was a lot of amla fruit on its tree. We ate some and felt really happy at that moment. After that, we turned around and got photographed on the road.
Feeling really tired and hungry, we went back to the town of Haflong and had lunch at a hotel called the Alisa Dimasa Hotel.
In the evening, we walked around the town of Haflong. We took photos with the city’s Sombodhon Phonglo (known as Swmdwn Jwhwlao by the Bodo people), the Veer Demalik Kemprai (known as Jwhwlao Dwimalu), and the Dishru Princess (Dishru Sikhla). We also had a short walk at Haflong Lake.
Our teammates went to the office of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council for their memory and watched. On the way back in the evening, we grabbed some food at a shop and also ate on the train.
Around six in the evening, we got back to the Haflong railway station with our bags. We waited there for the train until eleven at night. The train was supposed to arrive at ten twenty-five, but it came at ten forty-five very lately. Before that, we had eaten the rice and food we had brought from the town of Haflong.
FOURTH DAY: I couldn’t sleep well on the train overnight. We woke up around six in the morning and talked a lot on the way to the New Bongaigaon railway station.
The transgenders on the train often took money from us. They acted badly when the people didn’t want to give it. Everyone knows they have some bad behavior. They didn’t even want to admit that they only need it. They took all thirty rupees from me and from every one of my male friends.
I also gave money to the women who collected garbage on the train, and to the kids who were showing off their skills. So we were able to pass the time just by talking to them.
At ten in the morning, we arrived at the New Bongaigaon railway station. From there we took reserved an auto rickshaw, and after lunch at the Baila Hotel located at Chapaguri, we headed home.