DIGBOI
Tourists arrive in Upper Assam at Mohanbari Airport located between Tea townships of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh. A Scenic drive through the Tea Estates, Coal Fields and Oil Refinery we arrived Digboi Oil city.
Digboi have the oldest operating & second oldest oil field in the world and Digboi refinery became a centenarian in 2001. Oil was struck in Digboi long before it was found in Middle East. Along with the coalmines and Tea Estates it is richest area in entire North-Eastern Region.
Tourists are accommodated in Tea executives Bunglow. The Bunglow built a century ago by British were very spacious with lawns and playgrounds. There are hundreds of independent bunglows meant for the senior executives still retaining its Aristocratic grandeur.
Staying in one of them was a pleasure for us. Life here is aristocracy and the Executives seems to be having a ball of it. At times it becomes adventurous. Irene was told by Mrs Nani, the tigress with one of her cub was right there in Lawn and they had to wait for 4 hrs for the wild ones to make passage for the family.
Tourists spends the evening in the Oil executives club and they organized a local festival of the tribes showcasing the cultural diversity of the region which have been a melting pot of different tribal cultures.
Next day after early morning breakfast one can try the natural greens of Digboi Golf Course. The course is an 18 hole course best maintained of all the golf courses of North-Eastern India. Another well maintained course is the nearby Margherita Golf Course half an hours drive from Digboi. Irene always played better but with a little tip from an Oil Executive I was catching up well with her.
The clubhouse in the course was a century old beautiful house with well stocked bar and refreshments. Over drinks we were enlightened by the executives from Digboi refinery about the history of Digboi Oil city and about the Golf course. They said at times the wild ones like a Tigress with her cubs or herds of wild elephants comes down to give company to the golfers.
After breakfast tourists reaches the Digboi Oil Field, which is not just an Oil Field but also an Oil Museum and a wild life sanctuary dotted with numerous green hills. The worlds oldest operating Oil Machinery of Digboi is still producing in excess of its capacity and hence the name of Digboi is the "Oil City of Assam". In the evening we had our own trip down the meandering roads.
Tourists also takes a drive down the historic Stillwell Road, formerly known as Ledo road, connecting Ledo near Digboi to Kunming in China. This legendry Road built under British general Stillwell that used to be lifeline of Allied soldiers during Second World War lies unused now.
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