I had originally decided to stay in Mon village for three days, but now I have extended my stay by four more days. The reason is simple—the climate and the fresh hill air are doing wonders for me. Although the roads are uneven and dusty, and it’s a pain in the ass to go for long walks, it is the hospitality and warmth of Ani, along with the quality of food being served to me, that has pulled me to stay back and explore this village a bit longer.

In the morning, I was a bit groggy and slipped from a flight of stairs as I was walking down to see Ani and chat with her tribal husband. I twisted my ankle, and it is still hurting.

“So you’re staying back longer?” Ani asked me as she introduced me to her husband and her father-in-law. Both grinned at me and offered me a small stool to sit on. I finally decided to park myself on a plastic chair and enjoy the sun and the view.

Mon village is slow and leisurely; there were chickens and goats roaming around Ani’s backyard.

“Maybe you need to get a massage. There is a town two hours from here where you can get a massage that will soothe your ankle sprain as well,” Ani said, trying to be friendly.

“So, did you read the thriller novel I gave you last night?” I asked Ani, trying to continue the conversation.

“No, not yet. Are you going to write about my guest house on your website?” Ani asked.

“Yes! It will be published on Monday,” I replied immediately.

Ani’s husband is a local Naga with huge tattoos on his arms, a well-built man in his late thirties. He looked like a hunter. In the afternoon, he sat with a huge Naga rifle, and the two men were trying to clean the nozzle.

“Do you guys use this for hunting? What do you hunt?” I asked them.

Mon Village

“Yes! We shoot on the hill and in the forest nearby. We hunt deer and even birds—ducks and eagles at times,” Ani’s husband told me.

“I also want to hunt! Maybe we can go for a hunting trip together. We can hunt deer and even cook it like Salman Khan,” I said jokingly.

“Yes, maybe on Monday. This is the hunting season,” one of the men replied.

“But is it legal to hunt here in Nagaland? It’s not legal everywhere in India—Salman got into trouble for shooting a blackbuck,” I reminded the Naga hunters.

“No, it is legal here. We can hunt, no problem. Only alcohol and brown sugar are illegal in our land. Hunting is allowed,” Ani’s husband reassured me.

So now it is settled—I will be spending the next few days hunting squirrels, ducks, and deer, along with a fishing expedition with my Naga friends. I needed an activity, and I found it.

So stay tuned for my Naga adventures.