Meghalaya - Scotland of the the East - May 2022

We fell in love with North East back in 2018, when we visited Sikkim to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Another trip to North East was in the offing, but covid, and to a great extent my studies prevented us from planning one. With just 2 weeks break between my Spring and Summer semester, I decided to take the final test for Regression, couple of days earlier just to allow ourselves few extra vacation days. 

Somewhere around, 2nd week of Apr, Aashi and I were chatting, while I had taken a little break from my study. We were together browsing the net, looking for the most beautiful places in India. Our eyes landed on the beautiful photo of Dawki river. Photo of one beautiful waterfall led to another, which led to another interesting video blog by Shehnaz Treasurywala. And by the time, Ankita was back from her evening stroll, a trip to Meghalaya was planned. We shared the idea with her and not surprisingly, she didn't take us seriously. It was when my leaves were approved at work, did she realize our serious intention. Ankita had recently switched to a new company, and there were some minor hiccups in getting her leaves approved. Once all this was sorted, flights and accommodations were immediately booked. A reference itinerary from a colleagues' previous trip to Meghalaya saved us a lot of planning effort. Ankita had shortlisted a highly rated Oyo room in Shillong. We had never stayed in an Oyo accommodation earlier, but were looking forward to try one this time. The owner of the Shillong property, Derrick Lingdoh was a very polite guy. Upon reservation, he connected us to one of his trusted cab guy, Bappi. Bappi was from Tripura, and was driving cab for 20 + years. In my first phone call with Bappi, I found him to be little over talkative. After discussion the itinerary in detail, I felt he was a genuine guy and we should not look around for anyone else. So, on 30th Apr, after finishing my contribution to the project report for CDA by 11 PM, we took the cab to the airport from Prakrtii at midnight. 

Day-1

Flight hours were odd, but there were 2 advantages. It was a direct flight to Guwahati and it was on the day on which we wanted. Bappi was there on time to receive us. Guwahati to Shillong is about 110 kms. The roads in this part of India are quite good. Bappi told us that things have improved a lot in the last decade, with the BJP government in power. On the way, we stopped by at Jiva restaurant for breakfast. It was a veg restaurant and we had very delicious south Indian breakfast. The restaurant had a very scenic set up with lots of beautiful flowers. 

Dipping our feet in Umiam Lake

Our next stop was Umiam Lake. With our bellies full, Bappi suggested that we spend some time here as the room check-in time was noon, and there was no point in reaching early. When we reached Umian lake, there were hardly 10 people around. Infact the boating booking office had also not opened. We eventually ended up sharing a boat ride with another group. The lake is surrounded by mountains on all sides and it was a very pleasing sight to the eyes. All three of us dipped our feat in water and stayed there for almost an hour. I showed Aashi how one can make a flat pebble bounce on the surface of water. She was very excited to see that. It started to drizzle a bit and then we headed back to our car. 

At Breeze Vale homestay in Motinagar, we were greeted by Derrick. Derrick had studied in Bangalore and was conversant in Hindi. Infact, Hindi is quite widely spoken in Meghalaya. There were about 10 rooms at their property and Derrick and his family stayed there as well. Derrick briefed us about the facilities at the property and also introduced us to "one of his boys", who was our go to guy for the next 7 days. Aashi was very amused by "Derrick's boy". 

Street food at Police Bazaar

Unfortunately, only breakfast was available at the property. For lunch and dinner we either had to eat outside, or order online. We ordered some Indian and Chinese food online and then slept in the afternoon like dead men. In the evening, Bappi took us to Police Bazar. It is a very happening market place in the heart of Shillong, with lots of good street food. We had momos, egg roll and ordered chowmein for dinner. We retired early at around 9:30.

Day - 2

The sun rises very early in eastern part of India. With large windows right in front of us and with transparent curtains, its hard to sleep. So, all of us got early. As always, I have to lead the way in getting ready. The complimentary breakfast (bread with coleslaw) was reasonable. Bappi was on time at 8:00 AM. 

Mawphlang Sacred Forest

The plan for the day was to cover places in the vicinity of Shillong. Our first stop was Mawphlang Sacred forest, which was the farthest of all the points on the day's itinerary. The moment we crossed the checkpost for Mawphlang Sacred forest, it felt as if we are in Scotland. No wonder Meghalaya is called the "Scotland of the East".  

The local people in Meghalaya belong to Khasi tribe. Its a matriarchal society, which means women have more importance than men in day to day activities. Infact, Bappi later told us that in Meghalaya, all properties are in the name of women. Talk about women empowerment! 

Beautiful village!

Interestingly, Khasi script is written in English. Our guide to the sacred forest was a Khasi guy called John. John told us that the place is completely managed by the local community and there is no involvement of the government. 

Right at the entrance of the scared forest, there was a monolith. The horizontal monoliths (dolmens) symbolizes women, the vertical monoliths beneath the female symbolize children and the taller vertical monoliths (menhirs) symbolize men. The scared forest is considered scared, as the Khasis believed it to be the abode of the deity. The forests are like temples and Khasi consider mother nature as their God. The trek in the sacred forest can only be done along with a guide. One is not allowed to touch or pluck anything in the forest. It is believed doing so, brings bad luck. John showed us many interesting things during the trek - medicinal plants, a poisonous plant in the shape of Cobra, a place where Khasi's made sacrifice to please the Gods. John also clicked very creative photos of us during the trek. After coming out of the scared forest, we went to the adjacent Khasi village. The landscape was extremely beautiful, and I wondered what laid in store for the rest of the trip. 

Elephant Falls - Shillong

Our next stop was Elephant falls. It was a 3 step waterfall. I asked Bappi the reason for "Elephant" being there in the name. Apparently, there was a giant rock earlier that resembled an elephant. It is no longer there, but the name continues. He also told us that due to covid, the entry fees to the falls was hiked from 20 rupees to 100 per person. It was around lunch time and we were hungry. We had lunch at one of the small food outlet in Elephant falls. Next we went to Ward's Lake. Its a beautiful lake right in the heart of the city. The lake is really well maintained with huge pine trees in the vicinity. The lake dates back to the 1800s and is named after some British officer. One can find ducks wandering around the park. We tried to capture a snoozing duck from our mobile. 

Ward's Lake - Shillong

After spending some time in the lake, we then proceeded to Don Bosco museum. We normally don't go to museum. But we didn't want to miss the highlight of this museum, which was a sky walk at the top floor, from where one can see the entire Shillong city. Don Bosco museum turned out to be a good museum. Overall there were 7 floors before the sky walk. There were sections covering neighboring countries / states, North East culture, tribes, arts, music, occupations, costumes, religion, minerals etc. There was also a section for space science, which was recently inaugurated.

Skywalk - church in the background

When we reached the skywalk, there was a wedding going on in the church next to the museum. Christian weddings are so simple and lively. The little boys looked very dapper in suits. While coming down from the sky walk, a lady requested us to watch a 5 mins movie about North East. The song, "Mist and Magic" was very melodious and refreshing. 

Our last stop for the day was Cathedral of Mary. The church is entirely blue in color and with the blue sky in the background, it made for a very beautiful picture. We asked Bappi to drop us in Police Bazar. Derrick had suggested us to try Evening club. Kids were not allowed here, so we went to Groove for dinner. Our server was working in some restaurant in Pimpri, before covid struck. After an interesting conversation with her and good food, we took a cab back to Breeze Vale.

Day - 3

It was only the third day and it already felt as if we had seen a lot of Shillong atleast, if not a lot of Meghalaya. The plan for the day was to cover a Laitlum canyon, famous old Durga Temple, Narthiang monoliths, Phe Phe falls and Krangshuri falls. The waterfalls were at around 1.5 hrs drive. Today, we had our favorite for complimentary breakfast - bread and omllette. Bappi took us to a small but good place for a second round breakfast. We had hot rotis from tandoor with cabbage. The food was very palatable with a homely taste.

Nartiang Durga Temple - Shaktipeeth

Bappi suggested that Laitlum canyon can be done at the last and that in worst case it can be skipped. Following his advice, we headed to the Durga temple. Later, we learnt that this Durga temple was a Shaktipeeth. There are a total of 51 Shaktipeeths in India. Legend has it that out of grief, Lord Shiva did tandav dance carrying Goddess Sati's body. To stop the tandav, Lord Vishnu cut Sati's body with his Sudarshan chakra. Goddess Sati's body parts fell at different places. All of these places are considered very sacred and are called Shaktipeeths. It is believed that Goddess Sati's left thigh fell at Jayanti at Narthing village. 

Khasi monoliths - Nartiang

Very close to the Shaktipeeth was the Khasi monoliths. There were probably around 200 monoliths of different sizes at this place. It is the largest collection of monoliths at one place and is a very beautiful sight. The largest monolith was about 18 feet high. 

We were done with the two historical sites fairly quickly. When we reached Phe Phe falls after a long drive, it was as if we have reached a no man's land. There was not a creature around. The falls was no where in sight.

Start of trek to Phe Phe falls 

All that we could see was a small rivulet ahead and lots of greenery all around. Bappi told us that the falls is a walk of about 3 kms from there. We took off our shoes to cross the rivulet and started walking. A group of younger folks joined us little later. After walking for about 30 mins, we saw the first glimpse of water fall. It was still quite far and the route was not clearly visible. Some places were a bit difficult to negotiate. Ankita had a minor injury due to a fall before the trip. 

Just the 3 of us at Phe Phe falls!

So, we were in two minds whether to go ahead or not. Slowly but steadily, we finally reached the ticket counter. It was a small hut, from where one has to descend down to get to the waterfalls. There were railings all along the steps and it was safe to go down. As there were about 200 steps, the question was whether we go down or not. 

We finally decided to go down. After about 20 mins or so, we reached the base of the water falls. And what an amazing sight it was! There was no one around, just the three of us. Later we saw one local come down swiftly. He must have been one of the guys at the ticket counter. Amidst the roar of falls, with crystal clear water, we shouted at the top of our voice to hear back our echo. A slight drizzle and a quick time check told us that we should now head back. 

Climbing back was arduous, but there was no choice. It started to rain heavily and we just somehow managed to reach the small ticket counter, where we took shelter for some time. Sensing that the rains are going to be unpredictable in Meghalaya, we decided to head back with our windcheaters and raincoats on. It was time for the ponchos to be out for test and they worked wonderfully well. Up until now, we were lucky with the rains, but this time we really got wet. 

Krangshuri falls - Crystal clear water!

We then headed to our final destination of the day Krangshuri Falls. All of us were very hungry by the time we reached Krangshuri. We had a simple meal (rice, daal, potato bhujia, bhindi fry with some chutney) at one of the small hotel. Aashi and Ankita were very tired by now, so they stayed back in the car. When I watched the first view of the falls, I was tempted to go all the way down. I hurried down the steps to see the fall up close, and then came back up quickly. The water at both Phe Phe and Krangshuri is crystal clear and emerald green, and that makes for a very beautiful sight. It reminded me of our Yellowstone park trip back in 2009. 

On the way back to Shillong, Aashi vomited twice and yet another eventful day came to an end. When we went to bed that day, I had a terrible back ache. Thankfully, the pain balm that Ankita carried for her ankle injury, came to my rescue.

Day - 4

Scenic drive to Dawki

The next morning, I did little yoga which normally helped with my back ache. Today, the plan was to go to Dawki River and cover a few other points around that - Mawlyngnong village (cleanest village in Asia) and Single Decker root bridge. By now, our body clock had adjusted to an early breakfast and starting the day early.

Dawki river is famous for its transparent water, which even lets you see the fishes and river bed. The ideal season to visit this place is winter, when there is no rainfall and hence no silt deposition in the river bed. Bappi had already set the right expectations with us, that we may not be able to see the river at its best. The 2 hrs drive from Shillong to Dawki was extremely scenic and we reached Dawki by about 11:00 AM. 

India - Bangladesh border

On the way, we drove alongside the India Bangladesh border for quite some time. As expected there were high barbed fences. Back in 2018, we had seen China border in Sikkim at Nathula pass. 

Dawki is actually the name of the village. The river gets its name from the village. The real name of the river is Umngot. They place was extremely noisy when we reached there. We could figure out the source of noise only when we reached the boating area. Apparently, Ramzan had just finished and lot of Bangladeshis had gathered on the other side of the border to celebrate their holidays. CRPF patrols this border area. There is only a rope to demarcate the boundary. It was no surprise to learn that many Bangladeshi products are sold in and around Dawki.  

Transparent water at Dawki river 

Our boatman had a funny name. It sounded like "I know". He told us the spelling as well, which I don't quite recall now. I had forgotten my new mobile in the car and we took the photos from Ankita's mobile. Our boat went under the suspension bridge and the noise from the Bangladeshis had started to die down now. The river was shallow, surrounded by huge rocks at places. Our boatman stopped at a place, where there was some sand. It was like a mini beach. We dipped out feat in the water and spent some time here. There was a person who was taking photographs from his SLR. He clicked some beautiful photos of us.

Mawlyngnong village - Cleanest village in Asia

We were very hungry by this time. Bappi had already planned our lunch at Mawlyngnong village. By now, we were just following whatever he was suggesting. We had Thali for lunch at one of the small dhaba at the entrance of Mawlyngnong village. Food was basic, but very tasty. Post lunch, we strolled around the village. The village is extremely clean and it really feels as if one is not in India, but in Switzerland! There are also some homestays in the village. Vehicles are not allowed inside the village. There were lots of beautiful rhododendrons in the village and Aashi clicked some snaps. There was a also a scenic bridge, which made for a good picture moment. 

Single Decker Root bridge

At almost half a km from Mawlyngnong village, was the single root bridge. We just walked to the single root bridge. The roots naturally are living creatures and are intertwined to give it sufficient strength so that people can walk over it. This place was inaugurated in 2016. I doubt if many people knew about it before that. Water was very crystal clear. I took some slow-mos of splashing water on the face from the new camera and it came out well. Yet again, we asked Bappi for a good place for dinner near police bazar. He suggested us to try City hut, Family Dhaba. The food and service was superb, and we left with the thought of coming here again. 

Day - 5

Today, we were to head to Cherrapunji. The plan was to see a lot of waterfalls in and around Cherrapunji. We had booked a room at Goshen homestay, but there was no confirmation or contact form the property as yet. This made us little nervous, but yet again Bappi assured us that people in this region will not cheat, as this concerned their livelihood.

Drive to Cherrapunji

The drive to Cherrapunji is extremely scenic. Clear blue skies and meandering roads made was a treat to the eyes. Luckily, the weather was good and we could stop at few places for photos on the way. The first point was Mawkdok valley view point. It is from here that we enter into Cherrapunji. Cherrapunji's old name is Sohra and at a lot of places Sohra is mentioned on the sign boards. Mawkdok valley view point is very scenic with lush green vegetation in the valley. There was also a ropeway adjacent to the bridge at Mawkdok. 

Wei Sawdong - 3 step waterfall

The first waterfall that we visited was Wah Kaba. It was actually a view point from where one can see the waterfall. There was a lot of fleeting clouds between us and the waterfall and it was bit difficult to get a clear view. We took a detour from the main road, where there were few restaurants. Bappi told us that we will stop at one of these restaurants (Orange Roots) for lunch. 

The next two waterfalls were Wei Sawdong and Dainthlen. The roads leading to the waterfalls was pretty rough, but the pain was worth it. Wei Sawdong was a three step waterfall. We had to walk down few steps to get to the view point. The beautiful emerald color of the water is something which we had got used to by now. 

Mouth of Dainthlen falls 

It started to drizzle a bit and we decided to not go down to the base of the falls. Dainthlen falls was on our way back from Wei Sandong. Dainthlen falls is special, because one can go to the mouth of the falls, instead of the base. Of course, the area is cordoned for safety reasons. There is a vast expanse of flat land near the mouth of the falls. One can imagine that this area would be full of water during rainy season. Dark heavy clouds gave an indication of impending rainfall and we headed back. When we reached Orange Roots for lunch, it was raining very heavily. The restaurant was packed and we got a place at a remote corner. We went for the safest option - Dosas. 

Majestic Nohkalikai falls

After lunch, we went to NohkaLikai falls. The falls was so high, that I had to google whether it is amongst the highest falls in India. Indeed, its the highest plunge waterfall in India with a height of 340 meters. Dudhsagar and Jog are at number 2 and 3 respectively. The view point is a bit far from the falls, but the view is spectacular nonetheless. There is a gigantic gush of water in the midst of a verdant valley. There is a very heart breaking story around NohkaLikai falls. A widow named Ka Likai had remaried, so that her little daughter can get father's love as she grew up. Out of jealousy, the heartless man killed his daughter in a grewsome manner. Shocked Ka Likai plunged to death from the falls and hence the name. 

We bought some spices from the locals here and then proceeded to the last waterfall in the day - The Seven Sisters. It is basically a cluster of falls 7 waterfalls in close vicinity. It was quite sunny by the time we reached here. There was not much rain in the last few days, so the streams were very thin. 

Stalactites at Mausami caves

The last point for the day was Mausami caves. The caves had very beautiful stalactite formation. Stalactites are icicle-shaped formation that hang form the ceiling of the cave. As soon as we entered the cave, a Bengali lady was freaking out everyone around on how suffocating it was to go ahead. There was one place where it was little difficult to pass through, but otherwise there was not much problem. After coming out, we desperately needed a good tea. Aashi had her favorite Maggie and we got a very bad tea! For dinner, Bappi took us to a very homely restaurant. He knew the owner well and got rotis prepared for us. Looking back, it felt as if we have seen so much in the last few days. The next day was going to the toughest of all. 

Day - 6

The plan for the day was to cover Double Decker Root bridge and if possible Rainbow falls. Bappi had altered out original plan and moved this to the last day. His view was that after this treacherous trek, one gets very exhausted and hence wouldn't be able to do much on the following day. I woke up early and went for a little morning walk around the hotel. We had bread omelette for breakfast. Bappi had suggested us to keep lots of fruits for the trek. 

Aashi at Single decker bridge

Double decker is around 3500 steps downwards. On the way, there is a single decker root bridge, which is at around 2000 steps. Bappi found a good shady place for his car in the parking lot and helped us get sticks for the trek. We started the trek at around 8:30 am, with a little nervous excitement. The steps were mostly uniform and it was easy to climb down. Once in a while, we would look back and the thought of going back up made us nervous. We would have reached the single decker bridge in about an hour or so. It was similar to the single decker that we saw on the earlier day. However, this one was much narrower and swung a lot sideways. There were instructions suggesting that only 2 people should walk on the bridge at any time. This made us believe that the bridge was probably not as strong. 

Double Decker bridge

While descending we interacted with some interesting people - a young IT couple from Bangalore, an old doctor and a girl from Hyderabad. It was nice to see that people from as far as South India were coming to North east on vacations. 

On way to the Double decker, went by many suspension bridges. The bridge would sway at times in an uncomforting way. The view from the suspension bridge was very beautiful. It had become sunny by now and we were little tired. We finally reached the Double Decker by around 11 am. There are two root bridges, one on top of the other. There is a small water fall and a shallow pool around the bridge. 

Tough trek to Rainbow falls

We were told that Rainbow falls was about another 1 hour from double decker. The IT guy from Bangalore and another student from ISM Dhanbad were keen to go to Rainbow falls. Having come this far, I was interested too. So, I decided to go ahead with 2 new friends, while Aashi and Ankita chilled their feet at double decker pond. We decided to go fast, so that we can come back on time by around 1 PM. The route to Rainbow falls was very tough. The steps were higher and narrower. 

Beautiful root formation

The root formation at some places was very beautiful and it rose to a height of few meters. After having walked for an hour, and without the falls in sight, I suggested to the IT guy that we head back. We agreed to walk for another 10 mins and then take a call. Whoever told us that the Rainbow falls is an hour from Double decker, either overestimated us or lied to us The student from ISM had fallen behind by now. He was walking in floaters and it would have been extremely tough for him. 

Rainbow falls

Finally, we started hearing the sound of water and in another 5 mins or so, we reached Rainbow falls. The falls was very beautiful, but sadly there was no rainbow at this time. I didnt have the luxury to wait, as it was already 12:30 PM or so. After clicking some photos and making a small video, we decided to head back. On the way, I ran into Pankaj Ballani, who was walking towards rainbow falls with his two kids. I cautioned him about the tough path, but he still went ahead. There are lots of homestays at Single Decker and one can enjoy this place, but staying overnight at one of these homestays. I finally reached Double Decker by around 1:30 PM. I relaxed a bit and Aashi and Ankita relaxed little more. 

Profusely tired already, the treacherous ascent started at 2 PM, with the sun right above our head. Walking in the shadow of trees was a luxury, but getting exposed to the sun was nightmarish. At every shop, we ended up asking "how many more steps". I asked Aashi to lead the way by doing 50 or 100 steps and then stopping. At one point, we saw 4 locals carrying an injured lady back to the top. After inquiring we learnt that they were carrying her from Single decker and the charge was 5000 rupees. It was difficult for us to move our body and here were 4 men who were carrying a 60-70 kgs on a stretcher. These men are really tough. Finally, we reached the top at around 5 PM. 

Mission accomplished!

Though extremely tired, there was a sense of achievement. On our way back to Shillong, Bappi tailed a police convey and that helped us save about 30 mins. We wanted to go to City Dhabha one more time, but were too tired to go. Thankfully, they did home delivery. So, we enjoyed their good food one more time. 

Day - 7 

Today, the plan was to head back to Guwahati. Bappi requested to pay the final amount on the way back. I tipped in 2000 extra for his excellent services. He was not just a cabbie but more like a trip planner for us. On the way, we wanted to do darshan at Maa Kamakhaya Devi temple. Bappi had assured us that he would arrange VIP passes for us through one of his acquaintances (a pandit). When we reached the temple, the passes were not there with the pandit, but he assured that he would arrange. He asked us to queue up for VIP passes and we comfortably got one. As we had gotten late a little bit, we had to wait from 1 to 2 PM. 

Maa Kamakhaya Devi temple

The pandit and his friend, helped us get a very good darshan. There is a slaughter house at the temple and today a buffalo was slaughtered. The severed head was inside the temple alongside a bowl filled with blood. Finally, after a good darshan, we came out of the temple. We had delicious puri subzi outside the temple. Bappi finally dropped us at Nandan hotel in Guwahati. We thanked him for his services and took a selfie with him for memories. A good cabbie in a trip is really very helpful! After taking some rest, we strolled in the evening and had local street food around Nandan hotel - Gol gappa, samosa and kachori for 5 rupees each. 

Day - 8

It was Sunday and a rest day for us. I woke up to see my result of the last semester. With God's grace, I finished with A's in both the subjects. The visit to the temple on the previous day surely helped. The complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel was sumptuous. We were planning to go on Brahmaputra cruise in the evening, which unfortunately didn't work out. After leaving our luggage at the hotel, we checked at 2 PM. As our flight was late in the evening, we had few hours at our disposal. We bought local tea for everyone from a near by shop. After an extremely bad lunch at a nearby Kerela cafe, we went to a nearby Mall. We loitered around the mall and then took a cab back to the hotel to pick our luggage.