When the
British established their tea plantations in the mid-nineteenth
century they quickly built comfortable bungalows designed
to make life as pleasant as possible in what, was to them,
a hostile and strange land. One of the main features of these
buildings has given rise to their name – Chang bungalows.
Chang in the local language means “raised on stilts” and the
design served a multiple purpose; to keep the house cool by
allowing breezes to blow underneath and to keep water and
animals out! All of the tea gardens have at least one of these
bungalows, most of which date back over one hundred years.
In
Dibrugarh we are gradually restoring our tea estate
manager’s bungalows to their former glory, but with
the addition of some modern amenities such as air conditioning
and efficient plumbing. These bungalows are now available
for our guests to use. Enjoy a stay in one of these
exquisite buildings and experience the feeling of being
transported back in time to a period long gone.
Because the bungalows
have very limited accommodation you will not get the feeling
of being in a big hotel. Rather, you will be treated more
as an honoured guest would have been treated in days of old
with very personal and friendly attention.
Of
course the accommodation is one thing but it is of no
consequence if the other services are lacking. At the
chang bungalows your every need is catered for. Laundry,
shoe shine, complementary newspaper and, of course,
food.
From the kitchen comes
an endless variety of delicious meals. From Indian to Continental
to oriental, our cooks can produce the best of fare. All served
with efficiency and a smile.
When
our trips take us out overnight we will always try to
have our guests sleep in similar restored properties,
many of which we have arrangements with. In this way
we are helping to preserve a unique piece of history
which would otherwise be at risk of being lost for ever.
