Having lived in Kolkata for nearly 3 years now I had a lingering need to see the North East mountains. The landscape which calls for an all new experience of that part of the country which is often overlooked. The landing at Guwahati airport in a quick 1.5 hour flight brought us to our driver who belonged to Assam. A youthful lad of 20 claiming to have seen it all was driving along the winds to drop as at our BnB in Shillong. We were thrilled to see the fashionistas of Shillong, the locals all so immaculately dressed as though on a ramp walk assignment, going to a college, work or just a business errand. Also, this is an unavoidable sighting because the traffic to reach the city of Shillong can take you anything between 15 minutes to an hour or two, just enough to become a spectator of the fashion walk on the street. (I try to see the good in everything 😉
It was only when we checked-in that we realised we had been travelling for nearly 12 hours from East to a little further in East itself. The wooden room & a heater was our most cherished comfort along with some extra spicy (Meghalaya loves its chillies) vegetarian food that we ordered from the restaurant. We ate & dived off to sleep for the next morning to arrive soon. We had plans of check listing close by places like the Elephant Falls & the East Khasi hills for the day.
The day began with a drive to the bridge across which was a stunning viewpoint where as per our driver some Salman Khan film was shot, but he forgot which one (which was not unusual)! We perched ourselves next to the Khasi ladies selling some corns & pineapples & simply soaked up the views. Meghalaya in winters is patchy, with marks of dry & green mountains. The clouds however, ensure you are entertained throughout. Soon we drove along the Khasi hills to Elephant Falls, which gets its name from the British after they observed an elephant shaped rock there. The falls are a typical touristy spot with some breather for the ducks who are deep diving their nose under water. The walk downhill is like la-la land hopping along the sound of trickling streams of water which culminate from 3 zones into one fall at the bottom of some 70-80 steps.
The Khasi tribe have, however, named it more appropriately as “Ka Kshaid Lai” meaning a waterfall with three levels, which to me was a better observation! We caught ourselves climbing back those stairs in heavy breaths only to gulp down a reward in a cafeteria serving steaming momos & a full fledged meal. After an age those are the rewards for even a little workout. The sunlight was perfect & we had just begun cherishing our first day in the North East. Spending some time amidst the fresh air of mountains of the East, we drove back to Police Bazar in Shillong in a drive of 1.5 hours, only to return to relish a Chinese meal at the Lamee Restaurant. Now retiring to bed early was our only priority as we were to hit the road at 6.00 am the next day.
Morning drives on an empty stomach is a big no once you start adulting, the mountains too can make you sick. Lesson no 1 carry your own snacks & meals in the East. The wee hours of the morning & driving on foggy roads cracked us open for food. After nearly an hour & a half of negotiating the fog we landed up on a highway with sun,tea & cupcakes. Only now there was some hope left in my body to witness the other landmarks of Meghalaya. We were first headed to Dawki, the India – Bangladesh border on the river Umngot. We took a quick breakfast available at the plethora of shacks at Dawki, where we had paratha & a mixed vegetable alongside a dry fish chutney. Next we walked to the river bank & took tickets for boating on Umngot. We hopped on a rented boat with a majhi assisting us forward. The emerald green river is a spectacle amidst the canyon shaped mountains on either side & as you paddle forward the views get majestic with shacks to cater to your quiet retreat by the river. Our boatman took a pit stop with us on the island where we yet again relished the finest pineapples under a scorching sun. This stop is also used by those looking for a camping experience on the banks of river Umngot.
We headed back to the border & soon drove with stomachs full of a pristine divide between two countries which shared humans of the same descent. It is indeed a Shadow line! It was nearly noon when we hopped on the vehicle to take us back to Shillong & today our hearts had nothing but the etched joy of riding a boat along a river. Shillong had just seeped into us & there was no way back. We were now on our way to Laitlum canyon to enjoy a sunset view with some maggi. The canyon is a vast gorge, which offers a panoramic view of the Shillong plateaus. The views have an earthy hue of browns & greens in the winter months. I thought to myself “ it must feel like a paradise in monsoons.” We gathered by the canyon & sipped a laal cha (red tea) along the sunset chatter. It was already late afternoon & we had to hit the road before it was completely dark. We retired to bed having accomplished the essence of North east in just two days, the following day we chose slow travel.
We were given two options, one for those who seek some adventure to visit Double decker root bridge for a trek & dive into a waterfall at the end, the other being a visit to Jaintia hills, part of the trio, Garo, Khasi, Jaintia hills of Meghalaya. We chose to drive along the Kingdom of Jaintia rulers offering a new insight to the state of Meghalaya. Celebrated for the Pnar tribes, who are matrilineal in cultural practice. Here the youngest daughter inherits the property of her mother who is the matriarch of a family unit. The hillocks of Jaintia hills brought us to a stunning landscape nearly similar to that of Ladakh in winters, however without the towering mountains it was a spectacle of the Shillong plateau, which is supposed to be of the same age as the Malwa plateau. We were now destined to the Krang shuri waterfalls.
Infused with a dose of history, Krang Shuri literally translated to Krem or Cave & Shuri is a sickle shaped weapon, thereby the place was a ‘Cave of Swords’, where the Jaintia kingdom hid their weaponry behind the falls. One has to take a flight of about a 20 minute long well paved staircase to enter the waterfalls here. The downhill walk is a cakewalk, along the gushing sound of the waterfall. Above the falls is a flat river surface along the most pristine mountains and an option to take a boat ride is also offered. As far as the Himalayas are concerned, such a perfect mix of rivers & mountains are barely available up North. After immersing ourselves in the mountain views of the waterfall we straight down the rocky staircase to witness this hidden spot of the Jaintias.The waterfall is a serene watch soothing oneself to a lullaby in its soft gush from a height of 40 feet crashing into a crystal clear blue pool. It was a spectacle to witness so many young folks swimming across the falls in peak winters. The beauty truly lies in its crystal clear water & absolutely no room for pollution. Along the waterfall is a staircase which leads to the open cave which forms the inside of the waterfall. One can enjoy the view of the waterfall from its within, which was a pure joy to realise it probably was the place where the weapons used to be hidden.
We spent some quality time revelling in the beauty of this place. From here to Shillong we had a long way back, so we grabbed some hot afternoon meals at the shanty close to the parking lot. A Perfect vegetarian thali & some Pasta, maggie & tea was offered to be cooked in a local way by a khasi girl who are referred to as “kong” in the local tongue. Couldn’t have asked for more at that desolate place, where people have made a home in the lap of nature’s bounty. All we could give back was in the local tongue “khublei” which means thank you. We drove back in silence all along until the rain gods drizzled some last of Meghalaya’s true colours on us. We were truly drenched in its beauty.
It was only on the last day we decided to ditch the distant exploration & made way for local spots on our itinerary. As you enter Shillong, the Umiam lake greets you right at the onset with a 15 Km long reservoir created by the Umiam river dam. On the lake there are islands at a distance which can be witnessed up close on a speed boat. .The lake is usually enveloped in fog so an afternoon visit is definitely recommended. We cruised along the lake on a speed boat for 3 & made our way back to the parking in 30 minutes. Our next stop was Don Bosco museum to gather some more local knowledge about the Christian population here. One among the many beautiful things here is that the museum is very well managed by volunteers on each floor initiating you to the exploration. The best part however was that at the museum visitors begin their journey with an exhibit room called “Our Neighbours”. Here all the bordering states of Meghalaya & their local population are put on picture frames, perfectly capturing their essence. The museum throughout goes one step deeper into discovering North East India in its rawest, honest version. I believe one could start the journey into the Heart of North East right from here.
We returned home with the sounds of Bryan Adam in the air & one couldn’t help but think of a Summer of 69! Winters, wooden cottages, wine & dine is how we ended the night & planned our journey ahead to Guwahati. Early morning the following day we checked- out only to hail the North East as the little Heart of Darkness, which only Conrad could live through. It truly has a compass which none but the true at heart can explore & for folks like us, we could only conclude on the note, “So happy, that it hurts”!
Additionally we took some time to witness the rooftop view at the Skywalk made at the top of the museum roof, giving a 360 degree view of Shillong township. Next we bought some souvenirs like locally grown tea, haldi & some bamboo table mats for home. Our next stop was directly at Shillong Police bazaar, via the Polo grounds (where the very day Bryan Adams was to perform) Ps- Don’t ask why we weren’t attending the concert🙃 Moving on from our ”So happy it hurts” moment, we tread on the Police bazaar roads discovering local spices, naga shawls, and a perfect cafe to put a halt to our days exploration. We had our last meal at Shillong’s Cherry Bean Cafe, which we highly recommend for a good crowd, good food & the best playlist.