This summer vacation, I went to a place in Nagaland, quite close to the Manipur border. It is full of flowers. The name of that place is Dzukou Valley; it can be compared to heaven. Our summer vacation started on July 9, and we started our journey that very day from Chabua to Jorhat with my family. We reached Jorhat that evening; two of my uncles – Ujjal mama and Ankur mama wanted to meet us. So, we met them at a restaurant. When they came to know that we were going to Dzukou Valley, they wanted to join us too. My parents were quite happy to take them along. The very next day, all ten of us – uncles, aunts and cousins – were ready to go to Kohima from Golaghat.
We reached Dimapur by late afternoon and we went to an elder sister’s home for lunch; her name is Ilitoli Kiba. The Naga family treated us to traditional Naga food; pork with bamboo shoot was the staple. Later that day, we reached Kohima where we stayed at the Eastgate Hotel. After taking some rest, we went to see the Kohima Sahitya Sabha Bhawan, which was established in 1895.
The next day, early in the morning, two guides came to our hotel to pick us up. The Sumo vehicle led us on to a silent and scary mountain. From the base point, we started our trek with sticks in our hands. First, we had to climb up continuously for over an hour to the top of the mountains – where the clouds were constant companions. There was a small flat area for rest, so we had some light snacks and fruit juice that we had carried with us. Then we walked through the mountains one by one in a queue. After walking for another five to six hours, we reached the Rest House. It was not in very good condition but there were no other options available.
The next day, we woke up early in the morning and walked to see the flowers of the valley. It took us 45 minutes to reach the flower valley. After walking for 30 minutes, we saw a very beautiful rainbow above us, which brightened the valley with its colours. We captured the rainbow with our cameras and then proceeded ahead. We walked through a carpet of flowers in all colours – white, yellow, red, violet and pink. We also saw the Dzukou River. The water was crystal clear. We crossed the river through a wooden foot bridge, and the whole scene was enchanting. After walking further on, we reached the central rock cave of the valley. The cave was like a small shelter.
Soon, we came back to the rest house and had lunch, for we had to start our return journey. It was raining. We had to put on polythene covers, which we had bought in Kohima, according to the advice of the guides. After we reached our hotel in Kohima, we were all very tired because we had walked nine kilometers in eight hours, over many hills.
The next day was spent in Kohima, and we went to see the Kohima War Cemetery, the Khonoma Village, etc. After that we started our journey back home. I brought back some wild flowers, along with the courage to face the daunting challenge of climbing heights, and a heart filled with contentment and peace.