Meghalaya
The dream destination of north eastern India…
"The property is very beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and look forward to visiting again!" We showered the manager of our homestay with compliments. She was a young lady with a distinct North East Indian look—small slanting eyes and glowing skin. She smiled, bowed humbly, and replied, "We would love to welcome you again soon." I couldn't resist offering some constructive feedback. "However, you could improve your coffee," I suggested. In a cozy place like Shillong, especially after days of rain, strong, frothy coffee would be an excellent addition. She smiled, promised to improve the coffee, and we bid each other goodbye. Thus, our journey through the beautiful terrains of Meghalaya concluded after a week.
Exactly a week back, we had somehow managed to reach Mumbai airport in time after an anxious train delay where finally, we met our tripmates. Among us were friends for life as well as strangers. I knew it would take some time for the group to gel together. It’s best to let some things evolve slowly rather than forcefully rushing them. We took a long flight to Guwahati and drove directly towards Cherrapunji after landing.
As we were about to reach Shillong, we had our first encounter with the uncertainties of this terrain. There was a big traffic jam and we got stuck badly. We soon realised though, that Umiam Lake was just opposite the road, so we left our stationary car and took a lakeside stroll. The evening sun had all the possible shades of red and orange on display and the trees were washed clean after the recent cyclone and accompanying heavy rain. The refreshing, cool breeze over the lake freshened us up and the magnificent sunset set the stage for our Meghalaya adventure. It took more time than expected to reach Cherrapunji and when we got there, it was already dark. The place had been out of electricity for 4 days since the cyclone and it was being managed on a generator. We were getting the first taste of life in the remote hilly area.
Cherrapunji is one of the rainiest places on earth and it was quite evident. Everything in our well-furnished and well-decorated room felt damp. Incessant rain did not give time for things to dry up. We quickly settled and finished dinner. It had started drizzling by then and as we were about to get into our beds the drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour. It’s not just enough to call the Cherrapunji rain ‘heavy’, the rain here is 'mighty'. As if the rain gods are trying to assert dominance over this place by their hefty presence and it makes us feel like being encroachers. Sleep was hard to come with the harsh sound of raindrops falling on the roof. I had never thought that even mightily falling rain could be an unique experience! And it’s the first thing Cherrapunji offers to you!
We woke up to a morning covered in fog. The hill view from our balcony was completely obscured by the dense cover of fog. As the day went by, the fog cleared and we were amazed to see the lush green hill right across our place, flaunting the beautiful Dainthlen waterfall right in the middle, just like a crown studded with a precious stone right at the center! We packed our rain gear and were all set to explore Cherrapunji.
If you ask me for a one-line answer to ‘What we saw in Cherrapunji?’ Then it would be simple and straight, few waterfalls and a few caves. And it might sound boringly minimal. This part of the world is ‘flooded’ with waterfalls. Some are named by legends passed on from generations in this area, some are named just for tourism's sake and many are unnamed and unexplored. But every waterfall has its unique landscape, beauty, and identity. We were astonished by the heavenly serenity of Nohkalikai waterfall, the tender beauty of Seven Sisters waterfall, the roadside might of Kynrem waterfall, the dazzling landscape around Prut waterfall, the rugged beauty of Phe Phe waterfall, and eventually Krangshuri waterfall mesmerized us with its princely saroundings. Every waterfall that we visited made us curious about the next one and after two days it was hard to decide which one was the best!
There are two caves in Cherrapunji. Arwah cave and Mawsmai cave. The road to Arwah is a small beautiful trek. A fog-covered valley accompanied us on one side as we walked to the cave. This cave has fossils approximately 30 million years old. Mawsmai Cave is formed by limestone formation. This cave is quite narrow and at times hard to negotiate. We had more fun outside Mawsmai Cave rather than inside. The yard outside this cave is quite wide and is lined by small eateries. And two friends were singing old Hindi songs remixed to dancing rhythms. Their singing triggered spontaneous dance steps among all the tourists gathered there and soon the yard outside Mawsmai cave became one giant buzzing dance floor!
We then moved to our next destination, Mawlynnong Village, the cleanest village in Asia. As I walked through the village I felt like adding an adjective to this village, it was not just the cleanest but it was the most beautiful too. Small roads and yards outside houses were decorated with innumerable flowering plants. There was beauty, elegance, and peace in the air. It felt like an ideal place to spend some peaceful time in life. While walking through the village I came across a Pani puri vendor. It was so unexpected in this part of the country. And Pani puri felt like a misfit at such a clean and hygienic place. But soon I realized why it wasn’t a misfit. The lady operating the outlet made that Pani Puri with utmost cleanliness and at Asia’s cleanest village I had my life’s most hygienic Pani Puri.
Living root bridge near Mawlynnong was a natural wonder. The bridge formed by entangled roots of trees felt as solid as a constructed bridge and was a treat to watch. Meghalaya also has a bigger double-decker root bridge which we could not visit because of want of time. The Instagram-famous, mirror-like transparent, and calm Dowki River was muddy and aggressive after the recent rain.
We said Goodbye to the manager of our homestay in Shillong and within the next few hours reached home. As I sat on my bed it felt like a part of me had stayed back in Meghalaya. After being at many other places, why was I feeling like this after this particular trip? Was it because of the engrossing nature which we had been indulging in for a week? Was it because of the warmth and politeness exhibited by the people wherever we went? Was it because of the company of old friends and the seamless bond created with newly met people in our group? Or was it the different experiences, good and bad ones that we faced as a unit, that mattered? It’s hard to pinpoint a reason. But Meghalaya was beautiful, there were imperfections in the plan, and at times things went southwards but we were a team that sailed through everything with fun. Such is the beauty of travel, it teaches you how to live better!
~ Cheese Cake.