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Published: February 10th 2019
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The visit to Meghalaya was indeed superb. Our trip started on 6 th April 2017 and we took the direct flight to Guwahati from Chennai. After reaching Guwahati it’s a drive of 3.50 hours to Shillong the capital of Meghalaya. The drive was fantastic all through, mind blowing scenic spots. Wide roads and smooth traffic made the travel very much easier.We checked into a hotel I had booked on line.
Shillong is a hill station in northeast India and capital of the state of Meghalaya. It’s known for the manicured gardens surrounded by walking trails.After some rest we started off for the local sightseeing. The Wards Lake was the first spot. A pleasant garden with a lake in the middle and lots of swan’s around. A beautiful man made lake named after Sir William Ward, the then, Chief Commissioner of Assam. A beautiful little lake with short garden walks and boating facilities, a popular spot for both local and visiting tourists.Its in the heart of the city. A majestic cathedral of Roman Catholics dedicated to Mary Help of Christian is in the heart of town.
Local shopping and the coffee house visit was indeed good. Had a nice time
enjoying the pastries and hot chocolate drink. It is the Shillong Cafe and as usual settled for a hot cup of chocolate drink. Then a long drive to the Shillong peak.The line of vehicles were so long and we had to turn back. We did spend some time as the place was really good just reminded me of Sound of music song " Doe a deer, a female deer " as the children ran along the green lawns along the mountain side with Julia Andrews. It was a lovely sight. Bought some blackberries from the village girl selling in a basket.
As the name goes Meghalaya- the abode of clouds we were actually hidden in the clouds as we traveled though the winding paths of the hills. Some spots from the top of the mountain were breath-taking and I could not resist stopping the cab and going on a clicking spree. The driver was a bit confused on the route and we went around the village for some time and finally came to the seven sisters’ falls. It was not visible at all due to the clouds and we only imagined a water fall behind the dense clouds! 😊
Some info on the waterfalls..
Nohsngithiang Falls or the seven sister’s falls is a seven-segmented waterfall located 1 kilometer south of Mawsmai village in East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. The water falls from a height of 315 meters and has an average width of 70 meters making it one of the tallest waterfalls in India
Nohkalikai Falls This is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. The height is 1115 feet. The waterfall is located near Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on the Earth.
UmiamLake is a reservoir in the hills 15 km north of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya, India. It was created by building a across the Umiam river in the early 1960s. The main catchment area of the lake and dam is spread over 220 square km’s.
The greenery and the scenes were superb and we did spend some time on the way to enjoy these picturesque location.
It was now to the
Mawsmai Cave famous for the stalagmites. This reminded me of the lime stone saves of Andamans.
Mawsmai Cave is not very far away from Sohra (Cherrapunjee) and 57 km from Shillong
in the little village of Mawsmai. This is a network of underground caves which is full of beautiful and sometimes a bit scary as well full of stalactites and stalagmites. Contrary to usual tourist spots. The tourist crowd was more as it was the peak holiday season. There is a short ride through the forest to reach the main entrance of the cave. This drive takes you through some stunning views of the valley that is full of waterfalls during monsoons, and an occasional road side hotel playing local Khasi music. As usual photos at all angles. The cave was illuminated and bit tough crossing over as the rocks were of different shapes.
The next point was the
living root bridge. The name by itself when we heard for the first time was really exciting and we were desperate to see this place. The world famous living root bridge is Cherrapunjee and we had to trek a while to reach the spot.
About 180 years ago the Khasi elders devised a creative solution to shorten their long walks in the hills. They Rubber tree and Areca nut tree roots were weaved patiently and nurtured over the years which
evolved as a bridge serving to many locals. The weaved roots meet halfway across the stream and form a sturdy bridge. Imagine a bridge made of roots carrying humans, isn't this marvelous?
Mawlynnong– The cleanest village
Mawlynnong village located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, also referred as ‘God’s own garden’ has won the acclaim of being the cleanest village in Asia in 2003. We went around the place and indeed it deserves the title and cleanliness. The village known for its cleanliness is a community based eco-tourism initiative. The community has made collective effort to maintain the ambiance of a clean village and maintaining it for over 14 years now.It is free from litter, burning garbage and dumping of waste all over.
We did climb a bamboo tree top and could enjoy the scenic evergreen-studded mountain roads, peer into emerald valleys, lush vegetation that overlooks the border with Bangladesh to the south. The winding road is a lovely sigh from the top which leads to the village. This village with a population 600, is picture-perfect clean.
The inhabitants from the dominant Khasi tribe in the state grow betel nut and other root vegetables. Each
morning by 7 am women go around for cleaning the roads and pathways to keep it absolutely spot less earning the name the cleanest village.
The water is the stream used for washing is crystal clear. The garden is filled with colorful butterflies and lovely flowers making it a fairly land. The next day was dedicated for the trip to Dawki river and of course the Khasi hills on the way and water fall spots on the way
Dawki Integrated Check Post or Dawki border crossing is on Dawki-Tamabil is one of the few road border crossings between India and Bangladesh in West Jaintia Hills district in the state of Meghalaya. The small border town of Dawki in the West Jaintia Hills has the famous river Umngot which is a major tourist destination in Meghalaya. Dawki lies between India and Bangladesh and is the trade hub between the two countries. This small city is also famous for its famous Umngot river and a beautiful bridge.
It was already late for the Dawki River and a bee line of vehicles made me think we may not be able to make it to the banks and do boating in
the river. But we did manage to reach the spot. It was indeed a bad luck that it started drizzling and still we got into a boat and were off into the river. We went around boating for a while and as it started pouring heavily could not manage and had to instruct the boatman to return. The sight of transparent water with the pebbles at the river bed which is a highlight here could not be seen as the rain had disturbed the same.
There is a big rock dividing the both countries of India and Bangladesh. Bangladesh army men ensured no one crosses over to Indian border.We met a family at the border who were very keen to have a snap with us and we agreed being equally excited. Tourist flock to this spot to enjoy a boat ride in the Umngot river, and view of the nearby sights.
Our next plan was to cover some places at Guwahati as we just landed and moved to Shillong. The Umananda temple on the river Brahmaputra and the Kamakhya temple - A shakthi Sthal.
We then had to say to bye to this wonderful river bank engulfed
by green hills and awe inspiring location.
Got to add the captions to the snaps, cant wait to publish. More to come after my next trip. Bye till then..
Love,
Ramz
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