(Photos and text by Abinaya Kalyanasundaram)
I am a creature of the mountains...always have been. Nothing gets me more excited than layer upon layer of massive mountain ranges disappearing into the horizon. My friend and I went on a week-long trip to the ‘abode of the clouds’, but consciously decided not to plan the full seven days, and just go where the curving mountain roads took us. We chased the clouds and hunted for hidden turquoise blue ponds in the lush green wilderness, among other adventures.
Guwahati to Shillong
Landing in Guwahati, we took an airport AC bus right into the heart of the busy, noisy city of Guwahati. If you have time, you can hang around here and visit a few famous temples, but we weren't quite the religious type, so off into the mountains it was, immediately!
Sitting for five hours straight can be a bit of a bummer (pun intended), but the higher you go, the cooler and stronger the wind gets, and soon, the hard seat is not a problem anymore. The clouds would tease us with occasional drizzles, and then the sun would admonish them occasionally with bursts of sunshine.
We reached Shillong around 4 pm, enough time to ride around this cosy hill-town, with a bakery in almost every corner. We threw our backpacks into the third hotel we found at Laitumkhrah, a decent neighbourhood filled with great cafes and restaurants, took a quick hot bath, and set off to a small restaurant to have hot momos and soup for dinner.
The warmth of the air steadily dropped with sun, and as we observed from our perch on the road-side café, Shillong grew busier with the night. Taxis plied, vegetable vendors harped, and the busiest square of Shillong shut shop only around 10.45 pm, by which time were well snuggled in our warm blankets in slumber.
Cherrapunji- Tyrna-Nongriat
The living-root bridges of Meghalaya are well hidden inside its forests. Tyrna is the last point till which vehicles can ply. You can park your cars/bikes here, get a parking ticket (`40) and begin trekking down the concrete steps toward Nongriat, the village where the Khasi tribes live, the legends who built, or rather wove, the living-root bridges. (Tip: The local Khasi boys will offer to be your guide throughout the 3-hour trek for `800, but it's not really necessary unless you have heavy luggage, or are not the wilderness outdoor-y type).
If you're lucky, it won't be raining, so you don't have to worry about tripping while walking down the 3,000 or so steps (I lost count). The deeper you descend, the louder the nosies of insects around you, and larger the butterflies become. You will soon find yourself right in the middle of the wilderness, not a soul in sight, the concrete steps the only markers of any civilisation.
You have to descend for two-thirds of the journey, and if your knees aren't feeling weak already, you have to cross two narrow bridges across deep gorges, along the way. When you first come across the narrow iron-rod bridge, you would probably regret not hiring the guide back up there, but just hold tight to the iron railing, look-straight ahead, and if possible hum loudly to prevent the noise of the thundering water below. The second bridge is far less scary, with a wider base, stronger criss-cross steel and a small shop selling Maggi at the end as a reward.
After that, a short ascent leads you to the old village of Nongriat. There are only three homestays here, and we chose to stay with Santina's homestay, a kind Khasi women whose smile was welcome enough after the unnerving journey down here.
That evening we walked to the double-decker root bridge, and as the monsoon had just ended, the small waterfalls and pond was accessible. Sitting right inside the pool, the evening was spent gazing at the root-bridge, wondering how many years the roots of the Banyan tree would have grown stronger, holding the many feet that crossed over it.
Shillong to Cherrapunji
We wore our rain-gear and followed the traffic out of Shillong. We stopped at Elephant falls, first. A tourist spot it is, yes, but we did enjoy the first of the many falls we would spot soon. From there, the highway juts on the edge of the hills, and if we hadn't stopped for a ‘hot-maggi’ break, we would have missed this red-riding lad zip-lining across two mountain ranges. We rushed to the spot, paid, and waited our chance. It costs `800, non-refundable.
I had to trust a narrow metal rod, and some small metal equipment, with my life. And I loved every bit of that frightening ride across a deep valley, a strong wind teasing me that I’m going to fall to my death any minute. The local guy who helped me laughed when I reached the other end. Tip: Don’t carry valuables. Don’t look down or sideways. Follow instructions.
Back on the highway, we realised why this is ‘the abode of the clouds’, the blackroad had disappeared into a wispy, cold fluff of moving grey clouds! A slight diversion takes you toward Nohkalikai Falls, probably the most-photographed falls in Meghalaya, and the tallest plunge waterfalls in India.
The legend behind the falls is disturbing. In a village upstream from the falls, lived a woman, Ka Likai.
She worked as a porter, leaving her infant daughter at home. Her husband was jealous of the child, and one day he killed her, cooked her meat and threw away her head and bones. When Ka Likai returned home, ate the meal and started searching for her daughter and husband. Ka Likai found a severed finger near the place where she usually cut betel nuts and leaves. She realised what had happened, went mad with anger and grief, and jumped into the waterfall. Nohkalikai Falls is named after her.
Scary story aside, the falls is beautiful. We discovered a set of steps that seemed to lead right to the bottom of the falls, but halfway through, the path got slipperier, scarier and overgrown with plants. We were warned by two men, who had bloodied feet, to not go any further. We later realised the blood was from the leeches there.
We got back on the road, and after a few kilometres found a decent homestay in a small town along the highway. A late evening walk up to a small hillock, we caught the sun shining its last rays through the mountains, seated amidst high grass plains. We soon realised we were sitting amid grass filled with the itchy-spiky black worms and shouting, ran down the hillock much to the amusement of the local kids playing football on the street below.
Nongriat
A short, but rough, trek from Nongriat will lead you toward the Rainbow Falls. We were told by a fellow traveller the previous day, that off the beaten track, if we dared to explore, we could find secret hidden pools of water to take a lonely dip. We started our trek around 10 am, Santina's packed lunch in our small bags, with a quest to reach rainbow falls, and also find that hidden pool of turquoise beauty.
One more root-bridge and one frail wire-bridge later, we felt suddenly a bit lost and unsure. How do we know where to step off the track? There are no sign-boards in this wilderness, and we spent a good few minutes just walking along the path, hoping Mother Nature would guide us. And guide she did!
A short jump from a rock, hidden beneath tree branches, we heard a faint sound of a waterfall, and something told us this was it. Exhilarated, we trekked further down, and alas, found one of the many such hidden pools in the forest. There was not a soul in sight. Taking some time to protect our belongings and clothes from the wind, we waded as far as we dared into the bone-chilling waters. Imagine this: water gushing pleasantly all around you, a small falls in the distance, leaves raining down occasionally from the trees and gentle sunlight offering warmth.
We never made it to Rainbow Falls. We spent the whole day in the pool, chasing bubbles and butterflies. And by afternoon, it began to rain, and we had to rush underneath a rock, where we stayed till the rain stopped and headed back. As we neared Nongriat, a few boys were returning home from a game of football. We made our way back the root-bridges, amid pleasant company and conversation.
Dinner that night was comforting, with rice and dal, fresh spinach soup and a spicy omelette. Santina's husband returned from fishing with a basket full of toads for dinner, which we politely refused.
Dawki-Krang-shui falls-Shillong
Ray had promised to take us fishing in the turquoise blue river early morning, but because of rains that had lasted all night, the water was a deep muddy-brown! Nevertheless, we helped Ray remove water from his boat, and tried our hand at fishing for a good-hour, before giving up and heading to the river-side dhaba that served hot pooris and channa, while Ray told us about how this part of the India-Bangladesh border was very friendly.
From Dawki, we decided to head back to Shillong, with just one stop on the way at a cave waterfalls, Krang-shui. You can stand right behind the falls, within the caverns and watch the water fall in front of you. We had lunch at the entrance to the falls, with a view of rolling green hills in the distance, wishing we never had to say farewell.
After seven days of raw wilderness, we had grown accustomed to the silence, the chill, the sharp sun, and the solitude. Returning to the city wasn't easy, but it was worthwhile; And now, it was time to say goodbye.
Nongriat- Tyrna-Dawki
We hated to say goodbye to Santina, her home, her children and a cute kitten that was their pet. But we promised to send her a photograph once we reach home. The trek back up to Tyrna took much less time than the descent, and soon we were on the way toward Dawki after retrieving our bike.
For some geographical context, so far, we had explored the Khasi hill ranges of Meghalaya, and now were heading toward the Jaintia hill region. The landscape and climate is slightly different between both, with the Jaintia hills proving to be testimony as to why Meghalaya is called the Scotland of the East. I'll let the photographs show you why.
Dawki is a small town located right at the border between India and Bangladesh. Little did we know that there are no hotels or homestays in this town, and as it was already late evening when we reached, a few friendly BSF officials helped us find a local man, Ray, who rented out a tent right on the banks of the Umngot river!
Though we were apprehensive about safety, we were assured by the presence of the BSF watch tower nearby. Once all the tourists had left, and the sun had set well, we took a dip in the river, in the moonlight, staring into the distance where we could see the line of lights that marked the border of Bangladesh.
How To Reach And Go Around
Daily flights ply from Chennai to Guwahati
From Guwahati, you can rent a bike/car to be self-sufficient throughout your trip. Highly recommended for the many pits tops you'll be taking once on the road. Word of caution, though — the roads are great but unless you have previous experience riding in mountainous roads, be careful on those U-bends. Helmets are mandatory, by law, both government and human.
Best Time To Visit
Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, is quoted to be the rainiest place on Earth, but September is the time when the monsoon JUST stops, except the occasional drizzles. The rivers are full and leaves fresh, just the right time to visit, in my opinion.
General Tips:
The Khasi hill tribes follow matriarchy, which means the women handle the principal earning for the family. It is overall a safe environment for women solo-travellers, though it is always advisable to carry pepper-spray and other safety equipment.
While going on unplanned trips is more adventurous, I advise advance-booking the homestay at Nongriat during tourist season. Accommodation and food is very basic, but neat, and remember these are villagers opening their homes to you. So be kind and respectful of their food and lifestyle. You will be rewarded with their warmth.