"A Trip To Meghalaya"--- the abode of clouds
November 03, 2019"The experience of our 6 days trip to Meghalaya"
Day 1 Kolkata—Guwahati—Shillong
Our day
started early in the morning on a Wednesday at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
International Airport, Kolkata; we had a 9:50 AM flight to Guwahati, but had
reached quite early on my father’s insistence! A bit of roaming around, tea
break and pictures later boarding was announced and the journey started. It was
a short 1 hour flight and with the in-flight complimentary sandwich and juice
provided my excitement kept up.
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We landed
and collected our luggage (the Guwahati Airport was cutely decorated) and took a
local AC taxi to Police Bazar, Shillong; (For some reason the pre-paid taxi
counter was closed that day) also bus and shuttle taxis are an available option
to Shillong.
Exiting the
busy Guwahati roads, scenery and temperature began to change, the long winding
roads were surrounded by trees and green hills, a slight drizzle started soon
surrounding us with mist & chill, it felt like actually entering the abode
of clouds. A brief lunch at restaurant Jeeva (do
visit, the food and scenery is amazing) and passing by Umiam Lake (which we had
previously decided to visit on our way back to Guwahati) we entered Shillong, and
quickly checked into Ladybird Hotel, Police Bazar (previously booked online) the interiors,
rooms were so pretty I immediately took a liking for it. (I would definitely
recommend Ladybird Hotel; it provided us great rooms, services and delicious
foods, do check it out).
After
resting for a bit, the evening was spend leisurely walking around and checking
the shops at Police Bazar (It is the main shopping area in Shillong) followed
by a delicious dinner of steamed ginger fish and fried rice at the hotel.
Day 2 In Shillong
Following a
delicious breakfast, we boarded our car (previous night we had talked with the
hotel staff for providing with a tour car), our first destination being
Shillong Peak. (Shillong Peak is located in Airforce base, so carrying ID is
mandatory).
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Shillong peak has an observatory giving a wonderful
view of the city; a telescope is also present for more detailed view. There is also a place to get dressed in local
Khasi Attire and take picture against the beautiful background.
After
spending a while in the Peak we exited the Air Force Area and entered the road
to Elephant Falls which was just around the corner.
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Elephant Falls was named after a Stone similar to an
Elephant present at the foot of the waterfalls. It is a 3 tier waterfall, and a
must must visit. The first tier is easily accessible, then after walking down a
bit, a bridge is present indicating the 2md tier and the 3rd tier is
a bit more steps down and form the bottom you get a wonderful view of whole
falls. The water was crystal clear and cold and we ended up clicking a lot of
pictures. :-P
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After that
we went to Lady Hydari Park, which is a bit of mix of a pretty garden,
mini zoo and playground, a small museum was also present. It was very relaxing
walking through the park.
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Next
we visited Mary
Help of Christians Cathedral,
one of the biggest and oldest churches in
Shillong, perfect for a bit of calming time and enjoying the view. A wishing
well is present, make a wish when you visit.
Next
we visited Mary
Help of Christians Cathedral,
one of the biggest and oldest churches in
Shillong, perfect for a bit of calming time and enjoying the view. A wishing
well is present, make a wish when you visit.
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Next on the
list was Don
Bosco Museum, acclaimed
as one of the finest museum in Asia. It has such detailed and interactive knowledge
about the culture and heritage of North East India, beautiful explanation about
Khasi Tribe history and legends. It is a must visit, and better if went with a
bit of time on hands.
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Our day trip
ended with a visit to Wards Lake;
almost 100 years old, wonderfully maintained lake, a wooden bridge passing by
the middle of the clean lake water, and boating facilities are also available.
Note: We
had lunch in City Hut, Family Dhaba a very well decorated restaurant with
delicious food.
Day 3—Dawki—Mawlynnong
Today our
plan was covering Dawki, Living Roots Village, Mawlynnong and spending the
night at Cherrapunjee (Hotel Labana). It’s better to start early, when visiting
Dawki (3 hour drive), and on the way a view point is present, which had wonderful scenery, do
stop by and visit it.
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Umngot River becomes a bit visible as the road
nears Dawki,
and driving even further on, all of the beautiful river came into clear view
(The view from the roads above, is really pretty!) but before stopping there we
drove 15-20mins more to Tamabil Border(
the border between India and Bangladesh).
But maybe due to visiting after the rainy season, the roads were covered
in potholes, and trucks were continuously driving in and out. A huge amount of
dust was being generated by the trucks it was quite a messy scenario for us
truthfully.
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We then
again drove back to Umngot River, and this time we started going
down the steps, to reach the river. It was picturesque as we kept on nearing
the river, surrounded by greenery on all sides; the river water was sparkling
under the sun. For we visited just after rainy season, the water was green in
most part and clear in some, but as beautiful as I had previously seen in the
pictures.
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We opted for
a 45 mins boating, which took us on a calming ride along the river, the clear
water and the stones underneath became more and more visible as we kept on
going, and it was a wonderful experience absolutely.
After
spending quite a bit of time in Dawki we started moving to our next destination
i.e. The Living Roots Bridge.
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The walk
down to the Living
Roots Bridge
was a bit long, but it totally makes up for
it, when we saw the wonder nature has created in front of our eyes. The green roots have twisted and turned to
create a natural bridge over a small waterfall and it was a sight to see. A
beautiful wonder of nature, and should be on everybody’s list when travelling
to Shillong.
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Last stop on
the list was Mawlynnong
Village, regarded as Asia’s Cleanest
Village, it’s a pretty village to walk through and take in the natural beauty
around it, small shops are present from where you can get souvenirs, also lots
of guest house are present for anyone who wants to spend the night surrounded
by the culture. (Visit the Balancing Rock
on the way to the village too)
Day 4--- Cherrapunjee Local Tour
A well night
of rest later we started our tour at around 9:30 Am, our 1st
destination, Nohkalikai Falls.
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A short
drive from our hotel, Nohkalikai falls, takes a straight plunge from the top of the
mountain and forming a green pool at the bottom, along with beautiful scenery
all around a delightful sight to see.
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Next we
visited Ram
Krishna Mission Ashram, after
spending some time there we drove towards Seven Sisters Falls. Seven Sisters
Falls unlike Nohkalikai Falls didn’t have much water during the time we
visited, but still pretty to visit.
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After that
we visited Eco
Park, which as name suggest is
basically a park also it has a playground for children. It is a good place to
walk around and a good photography spot also.
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Next we went
to Mawsmai Cave, a small natural cave, it had a wide
entrance but gets really narrow in between and is quite slippery, explore with
caution.
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The way to Arwah
Lumshynna Cave
is a bit of trek through nature (both paved
and rough trekking routes are present according to prferences) it is also quite
similar to Mawsmai cave but is much bigger and well-lit in places. I had much
more fun exploring this one.
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The last
points covered Wahkaba Falls
and Mawkdok
Valley (Zip lining facilities are
present)
As the Cherrapunjee
local trip ended we went back to Shillong (Checking in Hotel Ladybird), and
spent our evening with a bit of shopping at the Police Bazar Market.
Day 5---Shillong---Umiam Lake--Guwahati
It was time
to say goodbye to Shillong which we had loved dearly and move towards Guwahati.
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On the way
our only stop was Umiam Lake,
a huge, scenic and clear water lake. It’s a great place to walk around and take
the view of the lake; also small boats are present which makes short trips
across the lake. Would definitely recommend the boat ride, it was quite fun for
us! (5 persons/boat and Rs 100/person).
We then
drove on towards Guwahati soon entered the city and checked in at Hotel
Brahmaputra Inn
(This hotel has only veg food options, but
lots of good restaurants are located within a 15mins walk)
Day 6--- Kamakhya Mandir &
Cruise
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We started
our day early to visit Kamakhya Mandir, one of the 51 Shakti Peeth. We had a great
experience and visit. (Due to long queues it’s better to go early and with a
bit of time on hands)
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For the
evening, we had booked for a cruise ride on Alfresco Grand, a 1 hour cruise ride on the Brahmaputra
River (booking was done from the hotel, also bookings can be made online
previously). It was a sunset cruise, and
great to relax and enjoy the view of the Brahmaputra River also live
performance and DJ are arranged on the cruise. (Rs 400/person, food/drinks
option are provided which are separately payable).
Our
wonderful tour to the ‘Abode of Clouds’ slowly came to an end as we spent a
lovely evening on the cruise munching and chatting.
And lastly
we boarded our return flight to Kolkata, our home sweet home.
Tips:
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In Shillong
if you want to enjoy the city culture book a hotel near Police Bazar, also
bamboo products are available everywhere which make good souvenirs & gifts.
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You can book
a car for the whole trip online or can book from local travel agencies (we
booked our car for the whole trip from Ladybird Hotel) also local transport is
an available option.
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