We kick started our day with an informative trip to the Assam Rifles museum They had magnificent exhibits for each of the northeastern sister states – covering everything from historical landmarks to the clothes and jewellery native to the region. So many stories of victory from our armed forces over the years, made me realise the true worth of our unsung heroes. They work so hard and achieve so much with the utmost humility. They have all my respect.

Once again we hit the road, making our way towards Kohima. We passed lush green rolling hills that stood tall against the periwinkle sky. I half expected Julie Andrews to appear any minute singing the sound of music title track! The entire landscape had a romantic feel to it.

We drove through remote Assamese villages. Each tiny cottage was surrounded by the cutest cane fences and the front gates adorned with creepers and flowers.

After a while though, the quality of the roads began to rapidly deteriorate. Especially as we entered Nagaland. Terrible roads, surrounded by dense jungle, just after sunset. This combination had many of us a little wary of driving the remaining 3 hours towards Kohima once we reached Dimapur. We took a call not to proceed as there were concerns about safety. We were told that we might be stopped on the way for “tax collection”. Sounds too shady for my liking, if you ask me.

After a quick meal, we called it a day, snuggled into bed and dreamt of better roads.