Lisa M
As usual, a trip to Nagaland is always a blast. And it was even more so this time because of the Hornbill Festival. Since I had been here last year too for the festival, I knew it would be an out-of-the-world experience for my friends who joined me on their first trip to Kohima. The concept of having a Heritage village showcasing Naga culture and tradition is really unique and one should be prepared for an unusual experience. Though we were not disappointed, I must add that we almost didn’t make it, since there was no accommodation available until the very last minute. We finally settled for a hotel since paying-guest accommodation, we were told, came for approximately Rs. 2000/-. Since no more details were available, we opted for the kind of place we knew.
Like always, the people were extremely hospitable and we had a fantastic time. The cultural programmes (the tribal songs, dances and games) were out of this world. They were something we would never have seen anywhere. However, we didn’t quite figure out the Taekwondo/Karate session we sat through one afternoon. There were also not many original traditional handicrafts on display/sale a well. It was pretty disappointing to find lots of Bangkok Christmas decorations instead of the authentic handicrafts we were looking for but didn’t find. Since I was at the Hornbill Festival last year, this time round it appeared more commercial. However, the food was something to die for! All the meals were awesome thought I am told we missed the exotic dishes (birds?) and other delicacies we thought we might get an opportunity to taste.
Our favourite hang-out was one of the Morungs; and as it turns out, it was the most popular Morung among the younger generation since it was always packed at all times, the ‘Thutse’ obviously being the star attraction.
On the whole, our experience was great. We enjoyed the food, the company, the hospitality; the roads were good and though the music left a lot to be desired, we shall definitely be back next year, hopefully much more organized, our hotel bookings done well in advance, but with the same people. Thank you very much Atu, Amen, Naro, Marlyn. We owe you a big one!!
