Champhai

Champhai Experience: Champhai was one of the must visits on our itinerary so my husband and me braved 8 hrs of mountain drive (90% of which was composed of blind curves) to reach this place. We’d left Aizawl at 12 noon by a Sumo and reached the Champhai Tourist Lodge at 8pm.The driver was kind enough to find the place and drop us inside its premises instead of dropping us at the sumo stand itself. He even made a couple of unofficial halts at some places to allow us attend to the nature’s call :) By the time we reached the hotel it was very late (yes, 8pm is almost midnight in Mizoram where people follow the sun like a sunflower) and the manager of the Lodge arranged eggitarian dinner for us. And, that was the end of the day. Champahai, which was the coldest place we went to in Mizoram, seems to be the food bowl of the state. Paddy fields can be seen everywhere on this mountain spot. It is a village-cum-town where you can spend all your time walking around leisurely watching nature and exploring the market. We’d gone there in November and it was very cold there then. It was colder than Aizawl, Zokhawtar and Saitual.

Food, sight-seeing and shopping: Sightseeing: There are no tourist spots so to say. But, if your idea of a holiday is to just stroll around silently watching the people and the nature then this is the place. You can spend your entire day amongst the innumerable blanket, utensil and tailor shops. The market also has variety of green veggies, roasted and stranded pork pieces, local spices and herbs besides myriad varieties of fruits. Chanem Building is like the mall of Champhai where you can hang around and have a good time. Zawlaidi (the local grape wine of Mizoram which is sold strictly by the license holders) can be found here in a shop by the same name (timing: Monday to Friday- 10 am-4 pm only). Buy a bottle and enjoy it with your companion in the silence of your cottage balcony overlooking the mountains and the fields. Champhai is also the name of a shop in this building which you can explore and see if you can get something to carry back for the folks at home. However, nothing beats the view that you get from the balcony of your cottage room (Champhai Tourist Lodge). Watch the moon at night while you sit hand-in-hand with your spouse. Or, check out the morning sun in all its glory. Get up early and you’ll see the sky above the mountains blushing bright red and a sea of mist hanging oh so delicately over the paddy fields nestled between the mountains as though the sea was contained in a bowl! The sea of mist is very typical of the Mizo mountains and the USP of Mizoram. You’ll never forget this view and you won’t get it anywhere in the world! Even though most tourists go to Champhai only as a stopover to go to Rih Dil via Zokhawtar; you must spend an entire day here and enjoy the place. Go to Champhai and explore the better side of your relationship with your spouse and yourself and reignite your romance with both. Foodwise: We could not explore the eateries in Champhai as we had ordered food in the lodge. Chicken curry with rice, dal and a mixed veg was served at 7 pm. However, best of all was the salad which was a mixture of crushed cabbage, onion, tomato and loads and loads of red Mizo chilli which you would see very religiously placed in large bamboo plates (we call it 'soop' in Bihar) outside every house. They eat a lot of Chillies-both green and red. As for the food in Champahi you get: fried rice (called Chow) with soup, chowmein, Maggi, omelet and other food stuff. Beverages available- tea (Rs.5 a glass), coffee (only at a few places), lime juice (sold in bottles at every fruit store) (Rs.100 for a bottle), grape juices. Grape juices need a separate description here. They are both branded as well as unbranded ones. Branded Grape Wines 1.Zawlaidi is the top brand and the most favored local brew of the state. This is sold strictly by the license holders only. In Champhai it is sold by a shop of the same name in Chanem Building. You can either walk up to it (ask for directions) or take an auto (Rs. 20-40 as per the official rate chart) from the market. (Official Price- Rs.100 Unofficial- Rs.150) 2.K M Grapes – You’ll get this in most wine shops there. It is homemade. (Rs. 130- 180 a bottle depending on the kind of shop you go to). Unbranded Grape Wine The homemade grape wine in which you also get the distinct taste of rice water is sold in dark bottles for Rs.100-150. The white label on the bottle simply says “Grape wine. A product of Champahi.” It is sweetish and once the bottle is opened should be consumed within a couple of hours. Goes rancid very soon. Local Beer- This also is made of grapes and rice at home and comes in dark bottles for Rs.100 or so. Other Beverages: Mizo Tea- Two types of tea brew are premade and stored in flasks. One is a light brew and the other is strong. Usually what you get is 2 tbsp of milk put in a small glass glass and the brew poured over it. If you ask for strong tea then this mixture is topped with a little strong brew. They offer (by default, but it’s not complimentary) premade, cold bhathure (Rs.2 each) or some sweets made of maida with tea. Shopping: You get ample Chinese and Burmese stuff. Electric blankets from Burma is a must buy. But you gotta haggle really smart. A Mizo friend told us that they get it for Rs. 300/350 but the shopkeepers quoted Rs. 950+ to us. Chinese blankets are in the range of Rs.600-2600. One thing unique to Mizo market is the steel tea kettle. Available from 750 ml to around 1500ml in size they are priced between Rs. 350 to Rs. 750/- (depending upon the size). Even though the steel sheet is really thin and it doesn’t feel like good quality steel but it sure looks very pretty. And , the crockery addict in me could not leave that kettle :) You can also see a lot of aluminum 'okhli'(pestle). And, a lot of steel pressure cookers as well as steel and aluminum tea cups etc. Tailoring and second hand garments shops abound in the market but we did not venture into them.You’ll also find a lot of shoe stores. Small 'choolhas' perfect for winter gatherings were available too. In the shape of small iron buckets (30cms in height) with clay utensil holders pasted on the uppermost edge of it to hold the utensils in place. Also, small 'choolhas' like you see outside the tea stalls in north India are also seen a lot.

Activities & things to do: Hold your spouse’s hand and go for walks in the village and in the market. Ladies please give your sarees and your sandals a day off. It is a mountainous terrain and walking around with uncomfortable footwear can ruin your entire trip.So, time to take out those sneakers and sports shoes. (You can also hire an auto/cab from outside the lodge to go to the market. Auto will cost Rs. 40 and, taxi will charge anywhere between Rs. 80-150 depending on the cabbie.) Hang out at Chanem building. Get a bottle of Zawlaidi and enjoy the company of your wife/husband or yourself. Buy an electric blanket and enjoy the warmth of it. Get up early and watch the sea of mist and the sunrise from the balcony. Sit in the balcony at night and watch the moon play amongst the clouds. Take a trip to Zokhawtar (30 kms from there) and go to (without passport/visa; only a valid id proof is needed) Rih Dil in Burma.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc: The entire state runs on time-bound sumo service for which you have to buy tickets beforehand (they get sold very soon). Ticket rates: Aizawl to Champhai- Rs. 350 per person Champhai to Zokhawtar- Rs. 50 per person. If traveling in morning then opt for seat numbers 3 and 4 Between mornings and late noon go for seats 5 and 6 If traveling in evening then you can go for any seats from 1 to 6. 7,8,9,10 are the seats at the back and they are very bumpy and stuffy so avoid them if you can. Seats 3 and 4 have the outlet for the passengers at the back seat so be prepared to get out when their stops come. Also, be seated well in advance because they are very punctual (may delay only for 15-20 minutes) and also to avoid confrontation with people who might sit on your seat and refuse to understand your language and budge. The only official stops between Aizawl and Champhai is at Saitual (80 kms from Aizawl) where you can attend to the nature’s call or have some tea and snacks. People hardly know any lingo other than Mizo so be prepared with a few words for your own help. The problem is not so much of language as of attitude because people are not very helpful and friendly. They will seldom smile at you though they will laugh at you lot. Other General Tips: Most autos have official rate charts so do see it as part of the fare negotiation. Taxis are very costly in the entire state since it’s a mountain state. People sleep early so order your food well in advance at the lodge. Also, plan your trip such that you reach the lodge by 6 or 7pm max. It gets very dark by then. Shops close by 5 pm and even the eateries shut down by 7pm max.