I was seven when our family moved to Munnar. People used to ask me, “Are you from the North East?” "No, I'm from Kerala", I replied. I was too young to know anything about North East India, but I certainly enjoyed it when someone tagged me with a North East identity. It took me almost two decades to finally visit the North East. I invested my love and yearning for the mountains to squeeze out time to venture on my first solo trip to Mechuka. The mountains always gave me a homecoming feeling.The changing landscapes made me forget the distance. I took a break at the Siko Dido waterfall enroute Mechuka where I met this sweet lady Yanying Mosing who had a tiny tea stall adjacent to the waterfall. The black tea, the waterfall and such an innocent soul to talk to; I couldn’t ask for more. As I was leaving she made me promise that I would visit her on my way back. Mechuka welcomed me with a huge blow. The sudden change in terrain left me awestruck. Throughout the day I’ve been driving through isolated roads with flashes of settlements at intervals of four to five hours. All of sudden, I’m hit with the view of these colourful wooden houses cutely placed in this beautiful valley. My host, Mr. Khandu was waiting for me. He hails from the Memba tribe, the Budhist tribe that resides in Mechuka. He carries the true spirit of Arunachal Pradesh viz hard work and hospitality. His wife is one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever met. I sat in the kitchen looking at this couple hopping around, fixing my dinner. In Arunachal Pradesh, kitchen is the area where everyone sits together and socialises. The stove is in the centre with the fire on throughout the day. I spent the entire evening sipping chaang, the local millet beer and listening to their endless tales. The next day we went to a small village called Dorjeeling. From there we hiked towards Rinzingling. I travelled to my childhood days in Munnar; nature in all its glory, untouched. While climbing down I had my fingers crossed praying for Mechuka to remain the same. That evening, the Khandus had more guests. Despite the long day, the couple still remained as fresh as ever to entertain everyone. Hospitality runs in their blood. Mrs Khandu had called up her nephew Lhakpa for a helping hand. I couldn’t resist myself from getting up and joining her. Seeing her, I was reminded of mom running around the house when we had too many guests. I had to literally plead to let her accept my hand in finishing up the chores. That night I realised that in Mechuka, if you behave as a guest, then you’re treated as a guest; and if you behave as one amongst them, then you are wholeheartedly accepted as family. Thus Mr & Mrs Khandu transformed to Khandu bhaiyya and Rinchin didi for me. Next morning we set course for the Mechuka La trek, a longer trek of almost 12km. A brilliant trail with wild horses grazing around, and two distinctly different views on either sides. From above, I could see the entire village, flaunting its colours, and the Advance Landing Ground (ALG) to my left, and to my right was endless grasslands. What completed this moment was that, we got to see an AN-32 transport aircraft coming in for landing at the Mechuka ALG. The following day the couple took me to the Gurudwara and Tapostan near Yorlung. Tapostan is the place where Guru Nanak took a break to meditate enroute his journey to Tibet. The gurudwara was built later on in 1987. This place treasures very interesting historical facts about Guru Nanak's journey. The place holds a different sense of peace and divinity which is so easy and soothing to experience and way too difficult to be expressed in words. Next morning I had to leave. As I walked into the kitchen Lhakpa looked at me and said “didi please don’t cry when you leave” and before he could finish I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Lhakpa said he’s making me butter tea. According to Memba tradition, one is supposed to have two cups of butter tea. As Lhakpa was mashing up tea leaves with butter and salt, he told me that I have to drink three cups. I asked him what the third cup was for. He said the third cup will carry our love and affection for you. The last time I remember crying so much was when I had to move to a hostel for the first time. Didi hugged me and neither could she hold back her tears. I whispered, “didi, I’m definitely coming back.” Lhakpa and Khandu bhaiyya came to see me off. I cried all through the way until I reached the Siko Dido waterfall. I had a promise to keep. Yaying didi was waiting for me. She asked me to stay back for lunch. It was a simple meal, but the sense of content was amazing. I reached for my wallet and she held my hand. She said “ Please don’t; you came back to meet me, you are family”.