As I live in Siliguri, North East India is quiet a gully bee for me, but got a chance to explore it late. I started on Monday, 7th Jan 2019 with a friend towards Guwahati from NJP by Kamrup Express. We got off there, by 3:30 pm and headed towards Noonmati to another friend's home. Although we had various options to opt for, we found our friend's house safer and cheaper. Since we had already planned to move to Shillong the next day, we went to sleep early.😴
I and my friend were ready to start but the news came in that it's a strike being called by local political parties for some reason and we have to be in Guwahati for more two days.😩
We were getting restless being at my friend's house. We asked them to take us to any nearby place where we could spend our evening. My friend took us to his in-laws' house from where Brahmaputra river bed was just 50-100m distance. As it was the winter season the river had moved likely 300m from the mainland. We went on to explore the riverside. As we advanced towards the river we came across the sand left by the sea. I was barefoot and enjoyed the sand to the most. It was cool, soft, and too much pleasant for my feet.😄 We reached the riverbed and clicked some pictures. It was also surprising to notice that Rover wasn't shallow. It was quite deep from the very second step. It was quite marshy and needed expertise if felt you are getting drowned.
The next day we risked to start for Shillong, and luckily we got a Tata Sumo to take us to Shillong. It took ₹200 per head. We reached there late as North East India was experiencing a day just after a massive strike. We had already booked our room in Anant Homestay which was very nice as per our budget. We paid ₹1600 for a room for two with every type of furnishings. It got dark soon and we couldn't proceed much, other than exploring the Police Bazaar, the heart of Shillong. We ordered our meals to the hotel authorities which were served hot at 9:30 pm. We took our meal and enhanced our interest in dreams.😴
Next, we took a hot bath early morning and started quickly for Dawki. As per the hotel staff, we went to the Depot of Meghalaya State Tourism. But we were unlucky as the State Tourism Bus was destined to visit Cherapunjee that day. (You need to know their schedule before booking your tickets. It costs ₹400 per head with all the sight scenes included)
We wanted to visit Dawki first as we'd already read a lot of things about it online. So we started searching for local taxis. They charged from ₹2500-4000. You must be lucky to get them at a lower price during the tourism season, and so were we. We got a bhaiya who promised to take us to Dawki, Mawlynnong, Living Root Bridge, and Elephant Falls for ₹2000 (we found ourselves quite blessed 😝).
Elephant Falls:
Our first halt was at Elephant Falls. Since it was winter, the falls didn't have much water. There are three falls and one can go down the stairs to have look and snap pictures. Although, if it's raining, better not to proceed far.
We started again...
(You'll find Elephant Falls on the way to both, Cherapunjee and Dawki)
The roads were really soothing with the scenic beauty of blue Khasi Hills and the long lost songs of Kishore Kumar.
You'll find various view points in the way, where you can enjoy the hills more, just ask your driver.
Dawki, Umngot river:
It's a heavenly feeling when you see the river from a height. Our eyes were shining in grace while looking through the river. One has to park his/her vehicle on the way to Dawki bridge, which leads to Bangladesh. The Dawki Bridge is a way to connect India and Bangladesh bordered by the Umngot river. The water of the river is so clear, one can see underneath it. From height and even from on the boat one can experience this.
I and my friend hired a boat for ₹1200💰! (Yes, you read it right) The only bad thing I observed there, you can't hire a boat with other people. Even if you are on a solo trip, you have to hire a whole of a boat which costs ₹1200! Nevertheless, we started and couldn't believe our eyes, the water was so chilly and crystal clear. My friend likely lost his mind being there😂
Mawlynnong Living Root Bridge:
Our next destination was Mawlynnnong Living Root Bridge. You need to be fortunate to see nature's beauty at its best.
As I had already told it was winter, the water here was scarce. But the worst part is, you need to climb down and up again likely 3000 steps! (I didn't count though, it's as per the locals😝)
But when you reach the bridge, the steps are worth it. You can get sticks on rent too for ₹10.
Mawlynnong Village, the cleanest village in Asia:
Our last stop was at Mawlynnong village, which is declared as the cleanest village in Asia👌🏻. The people there were very friendly, guiding you to show the beauty of cleanliness. The environment was pleasant.
I and my friend signed off there.
We started for Shillong, Police Bazar, but on the way, our driver advised us to leave Meghalaya at the earliest as there might be chaos the next day and we might get stuck there for more two days.😣
Hard luck!😟
We started for Guwahati at 7 pm and reached there by 9:30 pm. We reached our friend's home, had our dinner, and bid 'goodbye'👋🏻. We got our train from Kamakhya Station to New Alipurduar Jn. to meet another friend.