Tourism Champhai

There’s no one selling cabbages on the roadsides, was my mother’s baffled comment after travelling the length of Thekte to Vaikhawtlang. Check the map of Champhai district and you’ll realize these are the southern and northern tips of the district. No roadside stalls anywhere on the roads in between villages, selling cabbages or not. Indicative that not many random travelers ply these roads, perhaps.

We found some cabbages loaded on a pick-up truck and bought a bunch of them. She’s been feeding it to my dad and I relentlessly whenever we eat at home – salads, boiled, bai, fried. She says she likes cabbages. We get it.

Spending time with my parents is sometimes a bit like being on a quiz show at the Rapid Fire round. Travelling with them in a closed metal container for hours on end, it was either discuss politics (because, election year, duh!), make a lot of jokes or answer a lot of questions. One topic of conversation (rapid fire) was regarding tourism.

Which is not a surprise because Champhai is loaded with tourism potential. You don’t have to be a genius to figure that out.

I’ve always thought the key to successful tourism in Champhai lies purely with private entrepreneurship. I doubt if tourism in Champhai needs government intervention. Strongly doubt. At least on the small-scale level.

All you really need is a driver and a vehicle and you’re good to go.

Champhai is home to many Mizo folklores. Count them – Lianchhiari Lunglen Tlang, Thasiama Se No Neihna, Lamsial Puk, Tan and Lurh Tlang (abode of Lasi, beautiful nymphs of legend), Kawtchhuah Ropui (actually many villages have impressive menhirs), Laituma Puk, Chawngchilhi Rul Ngaih, Lalruanga Lungkak, and so many others just off the top of my head. Feckin’ hell, we even have not one but two Fiara Tui(s). You can even stretch it further to the gateway to the Land of the Dead aka Rih Dil near neighbouring Rihkhawdar, Myanmar. There’s Vanapa Thlan, Mura Puk, the only two wineries in Mizoram, fascinating Indo-Myanmar border villages and a village with only three occupants. So many places to randomly visit.

If you make a tour package deal and ferry people around, making deals with hotels and/or lodges, I believe it will be decent business. If you can rattle off some tales to go with the places, that would make it special. As an additional bonus, tourists always bring in business for locals – even if they don’t buy trinkets, they still need to eat food and relieve themselves, or somewhere to spend the night. If you have trinkets to sell cheaply, that is decent money.

It is a shame, really. All these wasted potential. The road is good. The scenery is divine. The places to visit are Instagram worthy. Pity I’m not a local entrepreneur.