Yesterday I had to get from Kohima to Kisama by myself. I was told that this year (it changes some years), the easiest ./ cheapest way to get from Kohima to Kisama for the Hornbill Festival without a private car is to first get a local taxi to the P.R. Hills Junction traffic point. Coming from the War Cemetery, the Hotel Japfü will be on the hill to the right and the massive Nagaland Police HQ building (see below) on the hill to the left.
Continuing down the road towards Imphal (with the Hotel Japfü to the right and the Police HQ to the left) just a little bit from the traffic point, the road will swing to the right. About 100 metres from where the road turns, there'll be a few yellow Sumos (the big jeep-like vehicles, not the wrestlers) waiting outside a "Network Travels" office to the left. These Sumos should be labelled 'Zonal Taxi'. (When I went there I saw many taxis waiting right at the point where the road swings to the right - I'm not sure if those were also going to the festival grounds.)
The cheapest way is to look for a yellow Sumo that's filling up and say you're going to Kisama. No matter what language you speak, the passengers will understand 'Kisama' (pronounced 'kee-sah-mah', with the stress on the first syllable). Some Sumos will be going straight to the festival ground gate, but many will be heading towards other towns, like Jakhama and Khuzama. These will still pass Kisama, but they'll only drop you off at the base of the hill and you have to walk up (it's only a 10-15 minute walk, but it's uphill).
Yesterday morning, I ended up getting a Sumo that was heading to Jakhama. There were 4 men crammed into the back row, 4 women in the middle row and 2 girls in the front row. Being the only male in the front two rows, the driver thought it most appropriate that I sit next to him.
The reason? When the vehicle's this packed, it's common practice to have a passenger sit with the gear stick between their legs.
The journey wasn't very long and it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be.
Except a few times when the driver went into 4th gear.
Continuing down the road towards Imphal (with the Hotel Japfü to the right and the Police HQ to the left) just a little bit from the traffic point, the road will swing to the right. About 100 metres from where the road turns, there'll be a few yellow Sumos (the big jeep-like vehicles, not the wrestlers) waiting outside a "Network Travels" office to the left. These Sumos should be labelled 'Zonal Taxi'. (When I went there I saw many taxis waiting right at the point where the road swings to the right - I'm not sure if those were also going to the festival grounds.)
The cheapest way is to look for a yellow Sumo that's filling up and say you're going to Kisama. No matter what language you speak, the passengers will understand 'Kisama' (pronounced 'kee-sah-mah', with the stress on the first syllable). Some Sumos will be going straight to the festival ground gate, but many will be heading towards other towns, like Jakhama and Khuzama. These will still pass Kisama, but they'll only drop you off at the base of the hill and you have to walk up (it's only a 10-15 minute walk, but it's uphill).
Yesterday morning, I ended up getting a Sumo that was heading to Jakhama. There were 4 men crammed into the back row, 4 women in the middle row and 2 girls in the front row. Being the only male in the front two rows, the driver thought it most appropriate that I sit next to him.
The reason? When the vehicle's this packed, it's common practice to have a passenger sit with the gear stick between their legs.
The journey wasn't very long and it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be.
Except a few times when the driver went into 4th gear.
mmmmm! fourth gear :D
ReplyDeleteMyself have experience many a times,,hahaha
ReplyDeletethe Hotel Japfü will be on the hill to the right and the massive Nagaland Police HQ building (see below) on the hill to the left.man and van
ReplyDeleteSharing of your experience would guide us.
ReplyDelete