How to experience the best of Manipur, Assam,
and Meghalaya in 2 weeks and a bit (Part III)

MEGHALAYA

Cowering behind our car, I found myself at my wits' end. How was I to get back in?

Just two minutes previously, I had asked the driver to pull over so I could step out and take some pictures. It was not an unusual request because at almost every turn during our road trips in alluring Meghalaya, we would stop, and drink in the divine landscape in front of us, our phone-cameras working away like mad.

The omens had not been good, though, when we drove down from Guwahati to Shillong on March 30. It had rained almost throughout the three-hour journey and the resultant fog had rendered invisible the sights along the way. Umiam Lake, for example, which our driver, Deepak Bahu, referred to as "Bara Pani", was completely obscured. We would have to stop during the return journey on April 4 to be able to admire the breathtaking views we had read about, provided the sun was out, of course.

When the sun did come out, as it finally did on the evening of our first day in Shillong, we were charmed. All we did was take a short, exploratory walk from our hotel. We took the road that led us in the direction of Lady Hydari Park, past Pine Mount School and, around the bend, past the cars parked on the side. When we walked up to the ticket booth at the entrance to the park, it was a quarter past four. No tickets, just hurry up, the woman in the booth gesticulated to us. Apparently, we didn't need to pay the entrance fee because the park would close at 5 p.m. We had 45 minutes before the security guard blew his whistle — and we made the most of it, getting in the process a taste of what was in store for us.

ON DAY ONE IN SHILLONG, THE SKIES CLEAR UP IN THE EVENING, ALLOWING US TO VISIT LADY HYDARI PARK, WHICH ALSO HOUSES THE FOREST MUSEUM, THE FOCUS OF SCHOOLCHILDREN AND TEACHERS THAT DAY.

Making the most of the four full days we were going to spend in Meghalaya was uppermost in our minds. So every morning we would set off around 10 in the morning — one day to visit the Living Root Bridge in Nohwet as well as Mawlynnong, the cleanest village in Asia, and Dawki, which lies on the border with Bangladesh; another day to Cherrapunjee, the wettest place on earth, and Mawsmai Cave; then there was Mawphlang, home of the sacred forest, Elephant Falls, and, of course, Shillong Peak.

FROM "THEY DRAW AND TRAVEL", A FUN MAP BY SOUMYA MENON DEPICTING SOME OF THE POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND TO-DOS IN MEGHALAYA. THE MAP IS OBVIOUSLY NOT TO SCALE.

WHEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE: Oh, why, you ask, was I cowering behind our car and wondering how to get back in? Well, when I had stepped out of the car that particular morning to take some pictures, a teeny-tiny drizzle had started so I used a folding umbrella to protect myself as well as the phone I was using to click photographs. But before I could say "Cherrapunjee", that drizzle had turned into a ferocious thunderstorm. Somebody up there, it seemed, had blown her top.

What use was that umbrella now?

I felt as though I was being buffeted from all sides.

There was no shelter anywhere around.

All I could think of was exposing less of my body and providing a smaller target by curling up into a ball behind the car. The wind was so fierce and the rain so heavy that there was no way I could open the car door and get in without inviting the wrath of the heavens upon my wife and the driver inside the vehicle.

After about five minutes of this savagery, the rain eased just enough for me to make a dash and sidle into the passenger seat, thoroughly drenched.

"Here," my wife said, handing me a towel. "And look at this." She picked at something on my windcheater and, holding it between thumb and forefinger, showed me a hailstone.

The wettest place on earth had just laid on a show to prove to us why that moniker is richly deserved.

• TO GET A FEEL FOR WHAT IT IS LIKE TO DRIVE IN AND AROUND CHERRAPUNJEE ON A WET DAY, WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. MIND YOU, AFTER MY THUNDERSTORM EXPERIENCE OF THE MORNING, THE RAIN HERE LOOKS "NORMAL":

BUT TO GET BACK TO THE BEGINNING...

  A WET START

  On the way to Shillong from Guwahati, this is the scene, roughly at the halfway mark, in Nongpoh. Yes, the rain was going to be an underlying theme all through the final leg of our Northeast holiday.

  AT LADY HYDARI PARK...

    ...we didn't need a second invitation to enjoy the evening.

  CATCHING 'EM YOUNG

    Outside Pine Mount School, at 8 in the morning, a spectacle to gladden the heart of a seasoned journalism professor.

  ABODE OF THE CLOUDS

   From a distance we thought we were looking at rivers or lakes. Then we got closer. And we understood the significance of the name "Meghalaya". This was in Pynursla.

  HOW MUCH DOES HE PAY IN PROPERTY TAX?

    Also in Pynursla, a dream home in a dream location.

  A SIGHT TO BEHOLD... AND WALK OVER

   The spectacular Living Root Bridge at Nohwet (above and below), near Mawlynnong, about 80 km south of Shillong, is a magnet for tourists, no matter the weather.

  KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR CUSTOMERS

    Wayside stalls at Nohwet like this one were doing brisk business renting umbrellas at Rs.20 each to tourists wanting to explore the Living Root Bridge (brief video below). 

  ASIA'S CLEANEST VILLAGE

   Mawlynnong, which styles itself as God's Own Garden, is also OCD heaven.

  MEGHALAYA AHEAD AND TO THE LEFT, BANGLADESH ON THE RIGHT

    On the road from Mawlynnong to Dawki, we stop for a view of Sylhet district in Bangladesh. At this point in our journey, our mobile service providers chimed in with "Welcome to Bangladesh" messages.

  WATERFALLS GALORE

    This was just one of the many "jharnas" Deepak was pleased to point out on the way. Watch a brief video below:

     SWEET DELIGHT

        How often do you find pineapples growing by the roadside? There seems to be no end to the wonders we discover in Meghalaya.

  THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE IT.

    On the return journey from Dawki, a happy reminder of "home".

  LOGGING IN

    Every few kilometres on the road taking us back to Shillong, we would come across neatly stacked piles of wood. Deepak told us that for the tribespeople living in these areas this was cooking fuel. Each pile, he told us, belonged to a particular family or group. Nobody, he asserted, would even think of stealing what does not belong them.

  SHILLONG "PIQUE"

    Who could say no to her when she said she still hadn't made a sale today (at Shillong Peak)? So we bought a couple of bananas just to see a smile on her face. Then along came her competitor (inset), urging us to buy a "bhutta". We were not keen. And we said we had already bought something from the girl. That's when he retorted, in Hindi, that she had lied to us about not having sold anything yet. That's human nature for you.

  WAH TAJ!

    A freshly made cuppa served by a kong ("sister" in Khasi) brings cheer to tourists at Shillong Peak.

  PLAYING DRESS-UP AT SHILLONG PEAK

    Putting on the "local Khasi dress" and getting photographed seemed to be the in-thing at all the tourist spots we visited in Meghalaya. 

         SHILLONG BY DAY

  SHILLONG IN THE EVENING

    SHILLONG AT NIGHT

  ELEPHANT FALLS

   We had gone first to Mawphlang, home of the sacred forest, an hour's drive from Shillong. But heavy rain and a bitter wind prevented us from going on a trek through the forest. Never mind. On the way back to Shillong, with the rain having stopped, we got an opportunity to visit the captivating Elephant Falls, above and below.

   PLAY MISTY FOR ME

   On April 2, with the weather being what it was, ghostly apparitions were the order of the day.

  WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

   With my shoes and socks taken off and left in charge of my wife near the ticket booth, I made my way with other visitors to the mouth of Mawsmai Cave in Cherrapunjee. A few people backed away when they realised what lay ahead. I took heart from the sight of the families ahead of me and plunged in. Why had we been ordered to leave our footwear behind? Because the cave was flooded, there was ankle-deep water everywhere, and all the footholds were extremely slippery. So bare feet were best. The exit is only 150 metres away, but the route can make it seem longer — see pictures below.

  LEADING THE WAY

   While we adults were making our way gingerly through the slippery alleyways of Mawsmai Cave, little Tarangini, just 7 years old, was literally running along. Her father, Chandan Kumar (pictured here with his daughter), who runs a store in Shillong, told me this was Tarangini's sixth visit to this subterranean wonder. No wonder then that she seemed to prance about like a mountain goat.

  WHAT WERE THE ODDS OF MY FINDING A BETTING SHOP

  IN SHILLONG'S POLICE BAZAAR?

   According to Commits alumna Padmini Nandy Mazumder, who has roots in Meghalaya, "Very high. Teer is a state-wise passion." And what is teer? Read all about it here. Padmini was also helpful at answering a question about the many place names in Meghalaya that begin with "maw": Mawlynnong, Mawsmai, Mawphlang et al. In Khasi, Padmini explained, "maw" means stone.

 EXACTLY!

  A strong message aimed at litterbugs. 

  A FEW DOZEN PHOTO-OPS EVERY DAY

   Even from our hotel room. No wonder we kept getting this message: "Your iCloud storage is full."

  SPOT THE JOHN DENVER FAN

   Hint: Zoom in. (It's April 4, the last day of our holiday. We are leaving Shillong and heading back to Guwahati to catch the evening flight to Bangalore.)

  UMIAM LAKE

   On the way to Shillong the lake had been rendered invisible by fog. Now, with the sun shining brightly as we head to Guwahati, the lake is revealed in all its pristine glory. An opportunity, then, to click one for the holiday album. Thank you, Deepak.

  KAMAKHYA TEMPLE

   We make a brief halt at an important pilgrimage destination in Guwahati before heading for the airport.

  A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF GUWAHATI...

   ...from a viewing point near Kamakhya Temple.

  BANGALORE BECKONS

   After 16 days of living out of a suitcase, it is time to head home. We are going to board Indigo flight 316, non-stop to Bangalore. While waiting at the airport we reflect on how fast the time has whizzed by since we first landed in Imphal on March 20. Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya — without a doubt, this has been a humdinger of a holiday!

POSTSCRIPT 1

MAWLYNNONG MEMORIES: Last year, in May, as part of its "OMG! Yeh Mera India" series, History TV18 had telecast a short film on Asia's cleanest village. Watching it on YouTube again took us back to our visit earlier this month. 

POSTSCRIPT 2

PHONE-CAMS CARRY THE DAY: Forget DSLRs. All the pictures we took on this Northeast holiday were shot using our three mobile phones: a Redmi Note, an iPhone 5S, and an iPhone 5C. My wife made valuable contributions with her iPhone 5S. The videos of the dances at Kaziranga's Orchid Park; all the panoramic shots, including the one taken from our hotel room in Shillong; and the photo of Shillong at night — they are all my wife's work.

POSTSCRIPT 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: If we enjoyed our stay in Manipur, credit goes largely to Commits alumna Monika Khangembam, who made most of the arrangements for us, including suggesting a superb hotel and then accompanying us on the day trip to Moirang and Loktak Lake. It's also thanks to Monika that we got to listen to Akhu Chingangbam and Imphal Talkies live in concert. We are also grateful to Monika's family for the courtesy shown to us; the multi-course traditional Manipuri meal that Monika's mother prepared for us will remain one of the highlights of the trip.

Ashok Sapamcha, who runs a tourism operation based out of Moirang, played a big role on that trip to Loktak Lake. Thanks again, Ashok.

And, of course, a big shout-out to Hemant Soreng, who runs Bangalore-based Rustik Travel, and his Northeast partner, Wangdi Dorjee Khrimey, who lives in Arunachal Pradesh. Between them, they drew up a most interesting itinerary for our Assam-Meghalaya tour, made our hotel bookings, arranged for a car and driver, and were available throughout the trip via phone and WhatsApp to sort out hiccups as well as to make helpful suggestions. Cheers, guys!