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April 25, 2005
Journeying to Jorhat
On the road to Jorhat
Tea Gardens
On the road again, by bus from Tezpur to Jorhat. I got a seat in the front driver's compartment again, which is very convenient as there is somewhere to keep an eye on my luggage, and the all-round view is always good. Of course, the seats aren't as comfortable as in the back, and I keep getting visions that this is the place that gets crushed first in an accident, but all in all, its the place I like to be.
A furniture market by the roadside
The NH37 Jorhat road passes numerous Tea Gardens along the way - they are so attractive and restful to the eye, with their uniform bushes, all of which get picked by hand every 7 days throughout the season. The larger trees are there to provide shade: tea is actually a shade-loving plant, and prefers the midday sunlight to be cut by 50%.
We passed through the Kaziranga National Park, where we saw a wild elephant feeding near the road. As is always the way, I grabbed my camera too late, but got an excellent picture in my mind, for future viewing. What a shame I can't share it with you, though. At one point we passed an alfresco furniture market, apparently well away from any town or village, selling hand-made beds, tables, coat-racks etc. Quite why it was there, I never did find out, but quite a few vehicles had stopped to inspect the wares, so perhaps it wasn't in such a strange place after all.
People on the move
Other tea-related information: the bushes are grown from cuttings, and take 5 years to grow to a stage where they can be picked. Their productive life carries on for a further 30 years. Tea-processing takes place on the day of picking: the leaves are first dried slightly, a process that takes 12-16 hours, known as 'withering'. The leaves can then be rolled, cut to size, and then 'fermented' - actually this is an oxidisation process, where humid air is blown through the vibrated leaves. They can then be fully dried to 97.3%, and finally sorted through a series of 6 mess-filters to extract the various grades of tea.
Tea Gardens
A broken half-shaft
Not too many accidents seen today, despite the hair-raising driving tactics employed by many. Quite a few truck-breakdowns though, indicated in the standard way by placing stones around the stricken vehicle, and poking odd branches of greenery that warn oncoming traffic that the truck has stopped. Most of these breakdowns are trucks, and the reasons are usually the same: overloading. Here the truck has a broken half shaft: the driver and his two assistants will be expected to fix it themselves. No 'AA' or 'RAC' here !
Jorhat Tourist Lodge - room
Jorhat Tourist Lodge - bathroom
On arrival at Jorhat, I booked into the Assam State Tourist Lodge: a single room with attached bath, private balcony, and colour TV for 168rs a night, or about £2 sterling. Some of you have been asking to see what I actually get for that kind of money, so here are some photos. The first shows the room itself (actually a twin, let for the single rate) with the balcony door open. The second shows the bathroom, with its marble floor, tiled walls, squat-toilet in the Indian style, and wall mounted shower head. Rather than a separate shower cubicle, the shower just empties onto the sloping floor and out through a drain in the corner.
Ferry to Majuli Island
Loading the ferry
I took a ferry to Majuli Island, the largest river-island in the world, though it is eroding at an alarming rate. The small ferry boats squeeze a surprising number of passengers on board, both down below in the seated area, and on the roof. I chose the latter, for its excellent views and fresh breeze, though there was rain on a number of occasions that morning. Luckily, I had my 'Moss Bross' umbrella with me, and shared its shelter with three other friendly travellers.
Under way, a card-game starts
Room for cars and motorcycles too..
The two photos below give a quick glimpse of the rural life on Majuli Island, with its rice paddy-fields and small huts. The first shows someone's outside toilet - I included it for the wonderful view that the users must enjoy. Below, a local woman sets off by boat to market. There's a good view of one of the huts on stilts, and the water-pump in the foreground.
A view from the outhouse
Off to market
Posted by travellingtim at April 25, 2005 02:17 PM