The sharing Sumo left Bomdila at 12:00 noon for Dirang. Only four women were there, including us. So, we sat in the middle, with each of us at window side. The journey lasted an hour. We were dropped at Market place. Dirang is smaller than Bomdila and way better in comparison. Bomdila is preferred for its altitude and for acclimatization to travel ahead for Tawang.

 

We were informed at Bomdila by the driver who drove us to Rupa, that Dirang Monastery is one of the best monastery in the region. Well, the driver of the Sumo introduced us to one of the local guy, who owned the Hotel Sangeyla. It looked smaller from outside, but the room was very clean (Rs. 800). Since, we reached there by 1:00 PM, we rested till 4:00 PM.

We walked around; first, we went to Kalachakra Gompa, which was closer to the Dirang River on the lower side of the Town. It was a downhill hike. The monastery was closed but we could peep in through the door. It is the oldest monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, over 500 years old. After sometime, we started our upward climb.

 

The Dirang Gompa was at the top of the town. The steep roads led us directly to the Gompa after a good 30 minutes hike. There were some people around and the first impression of the Gompa was awesome.

Dirang Monastery is also called as Thupsung Dhargye Gompa. We actually spent more time watching the architectural marvel and sunset hues in awe. The National Yak Research Centre was on the way, unfortunately it was closed, because of Sunday.

We hiked down and reached hotel by 7:00 PM. There were lots of tourists compared to Bomdila. Also, we saw a Pani Puri seller surrounded by women, we thought to give it a try later. There was a Hotel Sanjay, north Indian cuisine. We again had the Rice Thali. Didn’t feel like experimenting there.

We went back to the hotel, ignored the Pani Puri stall and decided to call it a day. To arrange for a sumo, for our next day travel to Tawang, I was talking to the Hotel owner for some information on same. A guy overheard us. He was actually driver of the Sumo, which was hired by 4 Delhi guys (Nihal, Suraj, Harshit & Saurabh) from Guwahati, and next day they were supposed to travel to Tawang.

He asked us, if we can join them, because there was enough space for two in the Sumo. We negotiated the price and rounded it off for Rs. 3000, which included all sightseeing from Dirang till Tawang and next day sightseeing of Tawang. We confirmed the deal and set the alarm again for 5:00 AM.