Since June 16th 2016, I have been longing to share with the world my experience, touring Shillong. Jotting down this post made me relive that visit.
Our long planned visit to the beautiful state in North East, finely charted out by Dad, finally became a reality. Our start to the journey, was almost comical with us nearly missing our plane. We managed to melt the Airport attendant's heart, with our wailing toddler and petrified expressions. It felt like a hilarious movie sequence.
Phew! But we managed to board our plane. Landing at the Guwahati Airport, we took a 4 hour taxi-ride through the winding roads, all the way to our nicely set up house in Lapalang, Shillong. Our hands were holding on to the ,anti-nauseating drug, Avomine with our dear life. But somehow the windiest road didn't seem to windy enough, such was the excitement to start our week long touring of Meghalaya.
Day 1: The morning came much earlier than usual. It was 5 AM and the sun lit up our house. Now that's surprising. Rushing out, the chlorophyl and pigments of the flowers in our garden blinded us. Hot tea and that view warmed our hearts. The view was e-spectacular, the hilly peak and nicely stacked up houses added to the beauty.
It was a Sunday. All shops closed, churches musical and overflowing, roads wearing an empty look. Women Men and children all marching their way to the churches in the most smart outfits. A very plesant experience to be a part off.
We visited the Elephant falls and had a very yummy lunch in the Bamboo hut.
Day 2: Pappa's day 2 itenary planned our visit to the Dawki via the Mawlynnong Living root bridges. Hiring a taxi, our trip was so scenic. The steep valleys and clouds that were travelling along with us, gave a heaven-like feel. The vast green meadows and the plumpy cattle almost felt like we were driving across the Ireland movie scenes.
[The scenic drive and abode of clouds]
We finally landed at the Living Root Bridge. Trekking a kilometer downwards, here is something we have never laid sight on in our entire life span. The gushing stream under the man made living root bridge. The Bridges are made of the roots of Rubber wood trees, the tribals and the villagers built over a period of decades, thus yeilding a spectacle. It almost felt like we were in between a market, cause of the huge number tourists there. I am guessing it got its fame over the years, a truly deserved fame.
Munching on some fresh juicy pineapple, we made our way to the Cleanest village in Asia for the year 2006, Mawlynnong . A stroll across the streets, showed us how technology, pollution and modernity has not touched this 'clean' sparkly village. Just to brief you on the weather, there is always a drizzle and a moistness in the atmosphere. And when the sun manages to show up, the humidity touches a peak. It means if you bend to tie your shoe lace or push yourself up a steep slope, you are going to have sweat dripping off your back. Due to the gush of visitors on that Monday, all the resturants in the village were full. We were fortunate to find a table. As warm as the people, so was their rice-daal-chicken combo. Slurrp. All that trekking reminded us of how hungry and well-earned this meal was.
We continued our journey to Dawki, it is the India Bangaldesh border close near the Eask Khasi hills. Strnge how the border just has small tarred road between it. The heavily armed BSF personnel, asked us to take walk till a stone after which...... He left the sentence incomplete. I guess he meant to send some shivers down our spine. We imaginned the worst. But anyways, we tourists don't miss out on clicking pictures everywhere. So cameras out and pictures in front of both the flags.
Our next stop was supposed to be near the Dawki lake. The lake is crystal clear during the dry seasons. But today, not lucky enough to see the beauty of the lake. The muddy disturbed lake is what we saw.
We then made our journey back home for some well-earned rest. It seemed a daily affair to see a breath taking sun-set from our kitchen window.
Day 3:
It was Don Bosco Museum that was planned for us this day. A museum with a heritage of all the North eastern states. A lot of knowledge about how the eight north eastern states evolved. The interesting part is each tribe in each state had a different lifestyle, attire etc. We classify every caucasian looking persoon as "chinky". But it is surprising to know that each state has a differnt facial feature. The museum depict how each religion entered the states. The day ended with an ethnic lunch. Not surprisingly each state has a different cuisine. Pork seems to be highlighting in their meal.
Day 4
We decided to visit the Jakrem Hot Springs. Jakrem is few kilometers before Mawsyram, which is currently the place recieving the highest rainfal in the world. We decide to stay over at the Resort close to it. Great weather and atmosphere for our drive there.
En-route we stopped by at the Sacred Forests. It was a few hundred acres of lush green fores. The guide Babian took us into the lush forest. Each stone, tree had a story to be told. The tribal rituals and beliefs had a very intriguing twist. The light drizzle added magic in the air.
After that magical visit. Then we made our way to the Hot springs which was about 50kms from there. This was my first visit to a Hot spring. It amazed me how there was water, so hot, all through. The hot stream that kept flowing. Everyone queueing up to take a shower in the hot spring.
When night came up, the darkness, the gushing water, singing crickets gave the night an eerie feeling. But yeah some experiences can't be described, just like these.
Here are a few pics.
Day 5:
The Resort being a hop-skip and jump away from Hot Springs. It was a morning bath in the natural hot spring. Nothing can beat this experience. A little sccary experience to bathe close to high gushing current, but yeah, all worth it. The resort served up some nice hot breakfast and we made our way back to our home sweet home in Shillong.
We decided to visit the most famous Police Bazaar. Famous for what not. Here is where you see the pacing city with high spirited energetic youth.
Made our way to Bara Pani which is a few kilometers away from Shillong, en-route to Guwahati. A lake that looks like a picture in a story book. Here is a still.
Day 6:
On our way to Sohra/Cherrapunjee.(Second highest rainfall in the world)
We googled about all the beautiful places to visit in Sohra and there were many. So we decided to stay over at the Holiday resort so that we rest out the day too.
Our first stop was the Mawsmai caves. The stalactites and the stalagmites, in our geography books, were all in the caves. The rain caused a little flood kinda situation. But with shoes in our hands we walked across the dark caves.
Next was the Eco Park. The name is a little misleading. Cause I wasn't expecting to see what I witnessed there. "Sho!!" I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.
But probably that is where I realized our eyes are the best cameras ever. No angle or setting could do justice to what was awaiting us. This is where the 3 of the Seven sisters originate. Interesting right?
[pic: A view from the ECOPARK]
As we travelled in Sohra, a common site are a bunch of milk like streaks among green. Those were our seven sisters waterfalls. It being a rainy season there were more than 7 I must say.
We then reached our Holiday resort. The trip advisor rating didn't let us down. What a lovely place I must say. Even though it was 20kms from the city, the sight and all the surroundings dropped our jaws. The resort was wholly run by the women from the nearby village. Impressive.
We then visited one of the many Root bridges in the area. This was the Umkar Root Bridge.
[pic: view of the Umkar Root Bridge] [pic: Sunset from our Room]
The sun set and we slept through to rest our tired feet.
Day 7:
Morning we set out to head back home. On the way back was the Nokhligai Falls. We were disappointed when we heard that a few large clouds were blocking our view of this magnificent waterfall. An then suddenly a gush of wind shooed those clouds away and lo and behold.
The crystal blue-green colour of the waterfall was sparkling from all the way down.
And there was the last day of our vacation. And adventurous one to say the least.
So apart from all the adjectives used, It was green, colorful, wet with gushing streams and falls.
Absolutely a great place filled with nature's amazingness!!
Well I can't sign off without mentioning about the hardworking women. Probably the most strong willed ones I've encountered. Young mothers carrying their babies on their backing and heading to work. Their floral Khasi attire was such a pleasant wear. Women young and old working the way through the day in shops, banks markets , everywhere.
Also the well-mannered traffic.Yes! a small town like this has an existence of long traffic lines, probably cause of the geography, the narrow lanes and the slowly invading modernisms. The narrow winding roads have streak black and yellow through and through. Taxis. But yeah everyone has tonne of patience and mannerism unlike the ones in Bangalore. We have more than a thing or two to learn.
We as a family had so much fun bonding with nature and tanking in on pure oxygen.
Probably one of the best seasons to visit the Rainy and Cloudy State of Meghalaya!
Signing off as a Mabre planning to visit the next North Eastern sister.
Our long planned visit to the beautiful state in North East, finely charted out by Dad, finally became a reality. Our start to the journey, was almost comical with us nearly missing our plane. We managed to melt the Airport attendant's heart, with our wailing toddler and petrified expressions. It felt like a hilarious movie sequence.
Phew! But we managed to board our plane. Landing at the Guwahati Airport, we took a 4 hour taxi-ride through the winding roads, all the way to our nicely set up house in Lapalang, Shillong. Our hands were holding on to the ,anti-nauseating drug, Avomine with our dear life. But somehow the windiest road didn't seem to windy enough, such was the excitement to start our week long touring of Meghalaya.
Day 1: The morning came much earlier than usual. It was 5 AM and the sun lit up our house. Now that's surprising. Rushing out, the chlorophyl and pigments of the flowers in our garden blinded us. Hot tea and that view warmed our hearts. The view was e-spectacular, the hilly peak and nicely stacked up houses added to the beauty.
It was a Sunday. All shops closed, churches musical and overflowing, roads wearing an empty look. Women Men and children all marching their way to the churches in the most smart outfits. A very plesant experience to be a part off.
[The historic church that we attended]
We visited the Elephant falls and had a very yummy lunch in the Bamboo hut.
And the picturesque Wards Lake.
[The scenic drive and abode of clouds]
We finally landed at the Living Root Bridge. Trekking a kilometer downwards, here is something we have never laid sight on in our entire life span. The gushing stream under the man made living root bridge. The Bridges are made of the roots of Rubber wood trees, the tribals and the villagers built over a period of decades, thus yeilding a spectacle. It almost felt like we were in between a market, cause of the huge number tourists there. I am guessing it got its fame over the years, a truly deserved fame.
Munching on some fresh juicy pineapple, we made our way to the Cleanest village in Asia for the year 2006, Mawlynnong . A stroll across the streets, showed us how technology, pollution and modernity has not touched this 'clean' sparkly village. Just to brief you on the weather, there is always a drizzle and a moistness in the atmosphere. And when the sun manages to show up, the humidity touches a peak. It means if you bend to tie your shoe lace or push yourself up a steep slope, you are going to have sweat dripping off your back. Due to the gush of visitors on that Monday, all the resturants in the village were full. We were fortunate to find a table. As warm as the people, so was their rice-daal-chicken combo. Slurrp. All that trekking reminded us of how hungry and well-earned this meal was.
We continued our journey to Dawki, it is the India Bangaldesh border close near the Eask Khasi hills. Strnge how the border just has small tarred road between it. The heavily armed BSF personnel, asked us to take walk till a stone after which...... He left the sentence incomplete. I guess he meant to send some shivers down our spine. We imaginned the worst. But anyways, we tourists don't miss out on clicking pictures everywhere. So cameras out and pictures in front of both the flags.
Our next stop was supposed to be near the Dawki lake. The lake is crystal clear during the dry seasons. But today, not lucky enough to see the beauty of the lake. The muddy disturbed lake is what we saw.
We then made our journey back home for some well-earned rest. It seemed a daily affair to see a breath taking sun-set from our kitchen window.
Day 3:
It was Don Bosco Museum that was planned for us this day. A museum with a heritage of all the North eastern states. A lot of knowledge about how the eight north eastern states evolved. The interesting part is each tribe in each state had a different lifestyle, attire etc. We classify every caucasian looking persoon as "chinky". But it is surprising to know that each state has a differnt facial feature. The museum depict how each religion entered the states. The day ended with an ethnic lunch. Not surprisingly each state has a different cuisine. Pork seems to be highlighting in their meal.
[The 7 storied Museum]
Day 4
We decided to visit the Jakrem Hot Springs. Jakrem is few kilometers before Mawsyram, which is currently the place recieving the highest rainfal in the world. We decide to stay over at the Resort close to it. Great weather and atmosphere for our drive there.
En-route we stopped by at the Sacred Forests. It was a few hundred acres of lush green fores. The guide Babian took us into the lush forest. Each stone, tree had a story to be told. The tribal rituals and beliefs had a very intriguing twist. The light drizzle added magic in the air.
After that magical visit. Then we made our way to the Hot springs which was about 50kms from there. This was my first visit to a Hot spring. It amazed me how there was water, so hot, all through. The hot stream that kept flowing. Everyone queueing up to take a shower in the hot spring.
When night came up, the darkness, the gushing water, singing crickets gave the night an eerie feeling. But yeah some experiences can't be described, just like these.
Here are a few pics.
Day 5:
The Resort being a hop-skip and jump away from Hot Springs. It was a morning bath in the natural hot spring. Nothing can beat this experience. A little sccary experience to bathe close to high gushing current, but yeah, all worth it. The resort served up some nice hot breakfast and we made our way back to our home sweet home in Shillong.
We decided to visit the most famous Police Bazaar. Famous for what not. Here is where you see the pacing city with high spirited energetic youth.
Made our way to Bara Pani which is a few kilometers away from Shillong, en-route to Guwahati. A lake that looks like a picture in a story book. Here is a still.
Day 6:
On our way to Sohra/Cherrapunjee.(Second highest rainfall in the world)
We googled about all the beautiful places to visit in Sohra and there were many. So we decided to stay over at the Holiday resort so that we rest out the day too.
Our first stop was the Mawsmai caves. The stalactites and the stalagmites, in our geography books, were all in the caves. The rain caused a little flood kinda situation. But with shoes in our hands we walked across the dark caves.
Next was the Eco Park. The name is a little misleading. Cause I wasn't expecting to see what I witnessed there. "Sho!!" I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.
But probably that is where I realized our eyes are the best cameras ever. No angle or setting could do justice to what was awaiting us. This is where the 3 of the Seven sisters originate. Interesting right?
[pic: A view from the ECOPARK]
As we travelled in Sohra, a common site are a bunch of milk like streaks among green. Those were our seven sisters waterfalls. It being a rainy season there were more than 7 I must say.
[pic: View of the Seven Sisters]
We then reached our Holiday resort. The trip advisor rating didn't let us down. What a lovely place I must say. Even though it was 20kms from the city, the sight and all the surroundings dropped our jaws. The resort was wholly run by the women from the nearby village. Impressive.
We then visited one of the many Root bridges in the area. This was the Umkar Root Bridge.
[pic: view of the Umkar Root Bridge] [pic: Sunset from our Room]
The sun set and we slept through to rest our tired feet.
Day 7:
Morning we set out to head back home. On the way back was the Nokhligai Falls. We were disappointed when we heard that a few large clouds were blocking our view of this magnificent waterfall. An then suddenly a gush of wind shooed those clouds away and lo and behold.
The crystal blue-green colour of the waterfall was sparkling from all the way down.
[pic : view of the Nokhligai falls]
[pic: the drive back to Shillong]
And there was the last day of our vacation. And adventurous one to say the least.
So apart from all the adjectives used, It was green, colorful, wet with gushing streams and falls.
Absolutely a great place filled with nature's amazingness!!
Well I can't sign off without mentioning about the hardworking women. Probably the most strong willed ones I've encountered. Young mothers carrying their babies on their backing and heading to work. Their floral Khasi attire was such a pleasant wear. Women young and old working the way through the day in shops, banks markets , everywhere.
Also the well-mannered traffic.Yes! a small town like this has an existence of long traffic lines, probably cause of the geography, the narrow lanes and the slowly invading modernisms. The narrow winding roads have streak black and yellow through and through. Taxis. But yeah everyone has tonne of patience and mannerism unlike the ones in Bangalore. We have more than a thing or two to learn.
We as a family had so much fun bonding with nature and tanking in on pure oxygen.
Probably one of the best seasons to visit the Rainy and Cloudy State of Meghalaya!
Signing off as a Mabre planning to visit the next North Eastern sister.
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