Did you ever imagine what a certain kind of bamboo would look like if it were to marinate itself on undulating hills for miles? You didn’t, right? Neither did I. But maybe Mother Nature did and perhaps, that’s exactly why she chose to lather these hills with such frondescence at 2452 m, with a sight even she’d be happy to witness from time to time. As if this weren’t enough, she blessed it with a phenomenon many fail to understand. Many a times, in the months of December and January, you’ll find this valley frozen in the morning & recovering back to its usual hues of green only a few hours later.
Dzüko, an alien valley, at the border of Nagaland & Manipur, is named so because of being dull & soulless. Centuries ago on its discovery, it was observed that even though the valley is incredibly fertile, nothing edible will ever grow. Hence, it was saved from the establishment of a human village which would have been nothing but disastrous for the unadulterated beauty that it held. There aren’t any animals to see but our guide mentioned the existence of wandering black bears. Also, for some reason, I don’t believe that the valley is soulless; there are legends that say there’s a spirit of a female that is heard crying late at night. I didn’t hear anyone but the eerie stillness of Dzüko has certainly claimed a few lives over the years. Twelve villages surrounding the valley in Nagaland have taken the responsibility to manage & take care of Dzüko throughout the year. Every two months, two representatives from one of these same villages are sent to the summit to look after the guests and the valley.
Conclusion: I despise trekking -it’s too much effort for this lazy Taurus lass, but I’d do it all over again.