Day 137. Guwahati - Dimapur

After our customary breakfast and packing the bike the hotel staff had one more surprise for us. We lined up for photographs and they presented us with beautifully decorated ceremonial hats and one for the bike. We have been very well looked after here. Even the young lads who serve us in the restaurant said they will miss us. 

Unfortunately it was still raining so off we went with full wets on 270km today. 

The first 190km went really well, dual carriageway but rain all the way and lots of surface water to contend with. We then turned off onto quite a narrow road that wound its way through the jungle, road was not so good but it was very pleasant especially as the rain had finally stopped. 

The last 50km my goodness I don’t how they have the nerve to even call it a road. As you know I have been fairly descriptive with some of the roads in this trip but this one is in a class all by itself. It has taken us nearly 2 1/2 hours on this one and we have 3 more days just like it. 

Just a potholed muddy mess and having everything so wet has made it all very special. 

These are the good bits, I was holding on so couldn’t photograph the bad bits. 

Even in the town of Dimapur it was mostly rough potholed unsealed and a muddy mess. At one intersection there was a lake the size of a roundabout. You could hire bumper boats on it. I tried to skirt around and a tuktuk almost blindsided me, I swear it came out if the lake like a submarine. 

We are in Nagaland where there has been trouble in the past. We have noticed the police at the checkpoints are all armed with rifles and there is a heavy military presence. These troubles are to do with the ethnic  Naga people and the trouble flares up from time to time, it dates back to British times I understand. 

If I lived here I’d be up in arms about the state of the roads!