Has the coronavirus pandemic disrupted your plan to take that long trip? Is the ongoing lockdown making you crave going off-road? Fret not. If you can’t go to the highway, Rocky, Mayur, Prashant, and Abhinandan — the team behind shows like Highway On My Plate, Vital Stats of India, Jai Hind, and Rocky and Mayur's Food Xpress — will bring the highway to you!

So, here goes the newest offering from Newslaundry: Highway On My Podcast. The creators of the much loved TV travel show revisit their travels across India, sharing stories, anecdotes, trivia, and — for when the roads are open and inviting again — recommendations on food, culture, people, and much more.

In this episode, Rocky, Mayur and Abhinandan talk about their journey to one of the Seven Sister states – Arunachal Pradesh. They began their journey from the house of Satyam Jorme, the headman of the ancient village of Thembang, who introduced them to Yaksha Kamtang, a dish prepared with yak meat and glass noodles. Mayur had his share of buckwheat noodles called Putang Thukpa, and Rocky and Abhinandan had a treat of blood sausages called Juma. Rocky talks about the sixth flavour, “metallic taste”.

Rocky recalls visiting Eagle’s Nest, which he describes as one of the remotest and most beautiful places in the world. He recalls seeing different species of birds like coppersmith barbets, grey hornbills, sunbirds, red-whiskered bulbuls, kites, and plum-headed parakeets.

The group then headed to Dirang. They recount stopping at a dhaba surrounded by lavender trees, with a river flowing below thick green forests, where they had hot tea and parathas. Moving on to the town of Tawang, Mayur shares what he came to know about the Tawang Monastery, the second largest monastery in the world, and Mahayana buddhism. Abhinandan says he loved the radiant colours of the monastery while Rocky enjoyed the ambience.

In the monastery, they saw chefs preparing Kiptong, a soft tandoori roti made of maida and cabbage, and presented in a unique way. Heading back, the team stumbled upon a small shack where they stopped for herbal tea. Later, they found it was made from ditchwater.

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