Salopek has passed another milestone in Assam, India. Milestone 69 brought up 6,800 miles and led him to the banks of the Brahmaputra River. He described the river as “quietly massive… how silent is it? As silent as a kept secret. The villages along its banks are the quietest in India.”

Shortly after this milestone, Salopek crossed from the Indian state of Assam into his next state, Manipur. He crossed over through a “wild and lonely canyon border,” climbing through valleys and descending to the Jiri River.

Manipur will mark his last state in the country. He has found the trails to be busy with slash and burn farmers trekking up to their hillside farms, accompanied by Christian pop played through their phones.