The most striking fact about Kohima is the sense of freedom which you get to witness on the streets. The most fashionably dressed girls and guys. Wear what you love and nobody bothers. You won’t get strange stares from people around you. No, I am not talking about Las Vegas or a place far off. I am talking about our very own Kohima. Talk about style and each one of them has the potential to beat the present day models in B-town (Bollywood). Talk about love at first sight and you will have a hard time controlling your heart. Yellow fever will soon start taking its toll on you. And even before you realize this fact, another one would have already bitten the dust.
Can happiness be a place?
The above has been the talk of the season when it comes to travel bloggers. What is happiness?
- Is it a feeling ?
- Is it an emotion ?
- Is it a sense of achievement ?
- Can it be a place ?
It definitely can!
The reason I am telling you this is because it can make you feel high. Quite literally, as the land of Kohima has an average elevation of 1261 metres. It also produces the tastiest rice beers or Zutho, another reason to feel high. Home to the most famous festival of the entire North East India i.e. The Hornbill Festival, Kohima has a lot to offer!
Kohima City
Befriending Kohima :
My friend Sankalp and I were walking on the streets of night bazaar which is held every night in the land of Kohima from Dec 1st to 10th during the Hornbill Festival. An entire lane was dedicated to shopkeepers selling eateries which ranged from spicy gupchups and sweet delicious Jalebis to mouth watering Naga style dishes. We sat on one of the shops and ordered a plate of Bamboo cooked chicken. Regarding its taste, we had a hard time figuring out how it tasted. To be frank, both of us couldn’t get acquired to its taste in the first time.
In Pursuit of rice beer :
We walked through the entire night bazaar area in search of the famous locally made rice beer. Wherever we felt like something delicious to eat, we stopped. But we weren’t able to find the rice beer so far. Walking through some narrow and shady looking lanes, a guy came across us. We told him that we were looking for the rice beer. The guy who already looked half-high tells us that he can arrange it for us, at only one condition. The condition being he should be given his share. i.e. a glass of rice beer.
“It just costs Rs. 20. Not a big deal for you guys”, he added.
Sankalp and I looked at each other’s faces clueless about what to do next. But all of a sudden, we decided to follow the guy to wherever he was taking us.
House-bar hopping at Kohima :
We took slight left from the main road and started descending towards small wooden houses. The first two houses were full. Hard luck!
“Don’t worry guys. I know this place like the back of my hand. We are not going back without Rice Beer.”, assured the guy with whom we were walking.
Scene 2: House Bar
Let me tell you about the place first.
The house was nothing but a small hut. At one end Rice beer was being freshly prepared using natural fuel. i.e. Firewood. While at the other end there were wooden desks placed one after the other. The place was used as a hangout spot by friends. Guys and girls will walk in, have some rice beer and enjoy the conversation/music. There was a small window on the corner through which the entire Kohima was visible.
