The trip to the Meghalaya ironically began from Guwahati, Assam. We reached Guwahati by noon. And after having a sumptuous Assamese meal, we headed straight to Shillong (Meghalaya finally). Now, in the north east the sun rises and sets too soon. So, we missed out on the scenic beauty adorning “the road to Shillong”. We decided to put up at a hotel in the middle of the main market of Shillong i.e. Police Bazar. I believe in exploring the place like a local. So once conveniently parked at the hotel, we grabbed our mufflers to combat the slight chill and set out on the roads. Ate at the cafes while mingling with the locals. The locals at Meghalaya are quite passionate about the game of football. So if you can manage to watch a game or two with them, trust me you are in for a treat.
This day began early with us setting out for Dawki and Mawlynnong. Now was the moment when we realised that Meghalaya is really beautiful. The view is surreal, no matter where you stop at the route.
The village of mawlynnong is said to be the cleanest village in Asia. And sure it was, amazingly beautiful and ethereal. There is a live root bridge at Mawlynnong as well, though not as old as the double decker live root bridge, but yeah beautiful.
Satiated with the beauty of Mawlynnong, we headed out towards Dawki. Dawki is a river that we share with Bangladesh, and you will be astonished to know that the border road is absolutely peaceful. No evidences of hostility at all. Well, a catchnote out over there; if you really want to see the clear waters of Dawki river, visit Dawki after the fishing season has ended. As, that’s when the entire river is cleaned up of the plastic trash and left undisturbed till the advent of next fishing season. You can enjoy both boat rides and Kayaks at Dawki.
The day came to an end with us checking in at Cherrapunji.
The day of Nongriat Trek
Yet again the day started early for the Nongriat Trek, as I wanted to visit the place with less tourists around. So my Trek started at 6:00 am in the morning. Since I was travelling alone, I enquired at the hotel about guide requirements and they said it’s not required. At that point of time the manager piped in saying “my son is in college, n is planning to go to Nongriat tomorrow” Well, that was more than perfect for my idealogy of “travelling like a local”. Thus began the descend of 3,500 steps. During the descend we crossed two bridges made of rods and wires, which are potent enough to creep anyone out. However, looking at beautiful water bodies underneath, a part of me didn’t mind falling into them. The moment at which we reached the double decker live root bridge there was no one around. So I took the liberty of plunging into that clear water natural pool. Would like to mention, that the washrooms and changing rooms are unbelievably clean. After this splashing in the pool, bathing in the waterfall adventure, a cup of hot steaming Maggi provides you with what they call as “soul satisfaction “. Now began the ascend , since I was pretty much scared of sun being on top of my head during the climb, I desperately finished off the ascend in a very little time.
And I was peacefully done for the day.
:)
On this day I headed back to Shillong to just relax and enjoy the town. The town is really beautiful with its sprawl of museums and waterfalls and not to forget cafes. One such Cafe was “ML05” nestled amongst the woods. This day was spent enjoying the sunsets. Chilling around. Eating good food and listening to great music.
And before I knew it was time to leave the abode of clouds and head back to my abode. :(:)
