Big Tortoises

An update after a few days without internet. Two incredibly exciting long road journeys, first to the village of Khonoma in Nagaland where we stayed in a home stay run by incredibly friendly people. Hardly a man visible in this narrow village perched on high ground with vertical drops on both sides. Firewood stacks everywhere and the forested hills largely managed for this commodity, ancient planted alders coppiced for this purpose. Women working in the terraced fields, clearing ditches with machetes and carrying heavy loads of wood and foraged green stuffs for human consumption.
The second drive, having spent two days there, was to the Kasiranga national park where we are a guest house for the night, with wonderful food and a warm water shower - something not present at the home stay. There it was buckets and cold water. And hard beds - but lovely food.
Much of both journeys was spent on the wrong side of the road, passing slower vehicles (often military) and weaving amongst goats and cows. Seems incredibly risky but no mishaps experienced or observed.
Much produce for sale at the roadside, including pigs and chickens being butchered for buyers on site. Most of the Assam roads were tarmaced but long stretches of the Nagaland highways were incredibly rough. Rockfalls closed the opposite carriageway for quite a stretch today but no problem; everything on that side just swapped to our side and drove against the flow. No signs or warnings and no head on collisions.
As for birds, we have seen almost everything hoped for but with very hard work and very early mornings. Highlights for me have included Assam Laughingthrush, a real beauty and very local but to be honest, I’ve seen so many new species compared to the rest of the group that I don’t mind missing out on specialities that they “need” or getting poor views of some birds.
This morning, still in Khonoma area, while failing in our last attempt to see Spot-breasted Laughingthrush, we found a legless lizard like our Slow-worm which was the high point of of our guide’s day.
An afternoon drive in the national park produced the ultra-rare Finn’s Weaver but I enjoyed the many Indian Rhinoceroses and wild elephants just as much.
So much more to say, but this is enough!Read more