Meghalaya: My first solo travel in India

In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you. – Leo Tolstoy

This entirely sums up my reason to start travel in the first place. Technically Meghalaya isn’t my first solo travel. I have done quite a few in the United States, but in India it’s different and for all those who know India they would know why.

Freedom is not merely a feeling, it’s a way of life and it happens when you do what your brain imagines and your body actually experiences it. For some it can be painting, for some it can be writing, for some it can be doing community service, for me it comes from traveling.

During this solo travel I learnt few valuable lessons you will know as you go on reading.

It was 10 pm on the night of 18^th Oct 2017 and I was sick, nauseated and scared. I had been getting second thoughts right since I booked the flights, but something kept me going on with my plan. “The excitement and the adrenaline rush of getting into the unknown and venturing into the places I haven’t been before”. Thinking back on it, I feel it’s completely okay to be scared [Lesson 1].

In the midst of second thoughts and all the sickness I eventually ordered a cab for the airport for a 4 am flight. I knew the journey would be a grueling one. This was my route Pune->Guwahati->Paltan Bazar(Guwahati)->ISBT(Guwahati)->Shillong. It would be only by mid-afternoon or probably early evening on 19^th Oct, I would be hitting bed and taking the much needed rest. By the time I got down at Guwahati airport I was already planning in my head how I would be spending my next 5 days in a Shillong hotel and would be returning back empty handed with a failed story to tell.

Sometimes it’s okay to not know everything and not plan a lot ahead of time [Lesson 2]. As soon as I got out of Guwahati Airport, a group of taxi drivers were trying to hustle me towards their taxi, offering shared ride till Shillong. My plans to catch a bus to Paltan bazar had failed since the ASTC buses to Paltan Bazar were not frequent and taxi till there was an expensive option. I agreed to share the taxi (Toyota Etios) till Shillong for Rs.500. The roads from Guwahati to Shillong are hair pinned right from the beginning till the end. The journey from Guwahati airport to Shillong by shared taxi took only 3 hours also because my taxi driver was flying the car instead of merely driving it. The beautiful views of Umiam lake didn’t help me with my sickness.

At this point my miserable state had convinced me, it’s an unsuccessful attempt and I should probably just go back to Pune by next flight but human spirits can make wonders when determination is at its strongest. After finding way to my hotel in the heart of the city and carrying my 15Kg backpack the only thing on my mind was a clean bed. A 5 hour nap cured me, a hot cup of expensive tea got me on my feet and I was all resolved to stroll across the city as much as I could. With shivering hands and legs I dressed up moderately in ethnic garments.

It was Diwali night. Fireworks and giggles with exchanges of desserts was a common sight. The bustle of the city,  masked my sickness to an extent that I gathered the guts to try one of the hottest chili in the world ( Bhut Jolokiya ), the heat lasted for about 2-3 hours on the tip of my tongue even after having a tiny nibble of the chili. People have died due to the shock when they tried eating it so be cautious if you ever want to try it.

Before wandering deep into the streets of Shillong near Police bazar, I enquired about my onwards travel arrangement towards Cherrapunji also locally known as Sohra. The enquiry was disappointing, there is no good public transportation by bus. One has to take shared taxi from Jaiaw taxi stand or Sohra taxi stand in Shillong. I like to travel like a local, although my health didn’t permit me to truly travel like a local, I settled for a 5 day private taxi suggested by the hotel security guard.

Shillong is a busy town it’s not a huge city but big enough to confuse travelers. There are armed forces security personnel everywhere. Shillong headquarters the oldest paramilitary force of India – Assam Rifles. Also the entire North East of India is pretty much safe. That is another reason if you are woman and planning for a solo travel in India I would recommend you to start with North Eastern States.

My day two started with rain welcoming me to the North East. It never stopped until my last day. Typical site-seeing was the plan for the day but I knew what I wanted to skip and what was a must-do on my list [Lesson 3-it’s okay to skip few touristy places and visit where you would want to spend more time.] I would definitely recommend visiting Don Bosco Museum. Its 7 story high and it took about 10 years of efforts to build this impressive museum for culture and history lovers. It took me about hour and half to visit the entire place.

Moving outside Shillong my first stop was the highest point of Shillong, Shillong Peak located 10 km from the city. It’s situated amidst tight security and provides amazing view of the city from 6446 ft.

Beautiful smiles like hers (see image below) can make your journey worth-while and that’s another reason why I couldn’t say no for the tea invite. Sipping tasty tea, while carefully juggling with my umbrella and camera, I contemplated tourists for long time. The fog didn’t give me much of a view of the city, but I wasn’t disappointed. [Lesson 4: Enjoy the moment, checklist will be checked and unchecked anytime]

Before finally heading towards Sohra, the rainiest place on earth, Elephant falls was my next stop, it is a multi-tiered waterfall in picturesque surrounding. The fog had thickened and it was making the drive difficult for my driver Ramkumar and I inadvertently glued my eyes to the road too.

All my life I had been claustrophobic, not to a limit that I won’t sit in a plane but enough phobia to keep me out of caves. Mawsmai cave  was my therapy. It was about 3.30 Pm (20^th Oct) in the clock. I was all pumped up, but super anxious to go for the cave tour. Little did I know that I would come out a different person? I was the only person in the cave, narrow passages, the stuffy suffocating and foul smell of the limestone, the hanging stalactites and stalagmites all gave me an experience I will never forget. The dim lighting and the water in the cave adds to the ambiance and truly gives you an out of the world feeling. For some, it might not be a great cave but for me it was a life changing event.

Mawsmai Cave

We called it a day. Pateng homestay in Sohra was my sojourn for next 3 nights. A tall, graceful 65 year old woman with charming features opened the door. Her teeth probably all gone due to beetle leaf, beetle nut and slaked lime addiction. Nonetheless it didn’t make her look unpleasant whatsoever. She greeted me and made a hot cup of tea. Immediately there formed an age-defying bond and we talked for hours.

I had no phone network (Idea) since I left Shillong and I was left at the mercy of Ramkumar’s phone connection (Reliance Jio) and that of Megha aunty now. [Lesson 5: It is okay to be scared but it is important to hear your instincts and trust the unknown and be sensible to not show your fear, at times.].

21^st Oct morning started early, I along with another traveler whom I met at the homestay started towards Double Decker Living Root Bridge trek at Nongriat village. The trek starts at Tryna village about 45 mins rough drive from Sohra. Upon reaching Tryna one needs to trek down approximately 3500 steps to get to the Nongriat village, home to the one and only Double Decker Bridge made up of rubber trees. For as long as I had known, it was a dream come true to visit this place.

On my way to oldest living root bridge

The trek to Double Decker is difficult on your knees, a stick/trekking pole is a must and for people who are not particularly working out or in shape it can be quite challenging. We started around 8.30 Am from Tryna. Rain was a stubborn constant. Again juggling my camera and umbrella and minding my steps as we descended closer and closer towards the Double Decker bridge, the intensity of the beauty only increased adding to our enthusiasm and curiosity. We took a detour and visited a Long root bridge, it was delicate and felt as if it was still an infant. It jiggled as we walked. The pliable branches loosely intertwined were still growing. The perfect harmony between man and nature was growing, and it would take years for it to become strong, well nothing comes easy.

The greenest green mosses, water-droplets everywhere, the mist, the fresh earthen smell, the lush green forests, occasional butterflies was all that I could take in and there was no place for dejection, remorse, anxiety, heartache or any kind of worldly pain. I wasn’t just happy, but for the first time I felt content.

Moving forward we crossed two metal bridges, first one much rustier and fragile than the second one, the streams under the bridges were turbulent and that added yet another adrenaline shot to our trek.

Trek to Double decker living root bridge

Finally reached Nongriat around 11.00 am and there it was intricately woven and the branches guided cautiously over years by the villagers, the Double Decker Living Root Bridge. Apparently the lower level of the bridge got flooded by the swollen streams making impossible for villagers to cross the stream even with the bridge hence the second level was formed. If the trees remain healthy and weather conditions remain nondestructive it is believed that these bridges can live up to hundreds of years.

After spending a good hour and re-fueling myself with yummy hot Maggie and milk tea I headed back up while my company decided to venture deeper into the woods. I ascended back the ~3500 stairs along with many fellow travelers whom I met on the way.That evening was the coldest I had felt in many months.

Rain had flooded lot of streams and created sort of tricky situation for travelling, apparently Bay of Bengal had a storm which in turn made the rainiest place on earth Cherrapunji, a nightmare for tourists.

Around 12 Pm I decided that wasting a day by sleeping would only make me regret, hence Arwah cave was picked as my next visiting point which is only 3km from Sohra. I took the rugged trail to the cave and was astounded by the fairy tale like walk I had chosen in the forest. The fresh air was just too much to handle, I was elated and high on nature. At the cave entrance, one can hire cave guides for free [but I paid a handsome tip]. Arwah cave locally known as Krem Lawshynna is a 3Km long deep cave amongst one of the cave systems in Meghalaya. One can go up to 300mts with torch. Out of this 200mt is lit and rest is dark. It is a fossil cave and it was my first time witnessing fossils in a cave. All together a mesmerizing and jaw dropping experience.

Try switching off lights when you are in the dark tunnels of the cave, the demons of fear deep down in your heart, will start pounding it and before you know you would be switching on that light source.

Pearl-like water droplets near Nohkalikai falls

Umngot River had me hooked the moment I saw its images on the internet. It was finally the day I would be visiting Dawki and Shnongpdeng the towns near Umngot River where you can get a closer view of the river and take a boat ride. Umngot is best crystal clear during the winter months. Road to Dawki is a bone cracking one and it took about 3 hours with a quick stop at Wah Kaba falls.

At Dawki, a stone in the river divides two nations India and Bangladesh and it is almost unbelievable how harmoniously they come together in lap of nature. You can buy from Bangladeshi hawkers and speak to the Bangladeshi soldiers. About a km away there is a border crossing gate and the Jaflong Zero Point a must visit.

Shnongpdeng is the about 10 km from Dawki and has better views and access to Umngot River. The water here is much peaceful and glass-like compared to Dawki. The Shnongpdeng suspension bridge is a perfect spot for photographer to get those wallpaper shots of the river with the floating boats. I took another 40 mins boat ride here.  Rain had been merciful all day and it didn’t rain until my boat ride was about to end. I sat there on one of the rocks just lost in the drama of the droplets falling in the river and bouncing back to life only to vanish forever.

Drive to Mawlynnong was tiring and felt like never ending one. Mawlynnong was awarded as cleanest village in Asia in 2003, it still is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen, I stayed there for the night in another  homestay.

The last day of my travel I was heading back to Guwahati around 6 am, but had decided to stop at another Living Root Bridge. This one is at Riwai and is about 8Km from Mawlynnong.  It is said that this bridge is about 300 years old and only getting stronger day by day. The trail to the bridge is a quick 450mt descend via the Riwai village.

Walking on the trail, I saw a young girl about 7-8 years old, carrying probably her brother wrapped around her back. The morning light the peacefulness of the village and her walking around was a beautiful sight that I couldn’t help but click a portrait of. To my dismay she turned around signaling her disapproval for the photograph. [Lesson 6: Always respect the feelings of locals and seek permission in case of doubt while photographing them.] I realized she doesn’t want to be photographed and waved her goodbye smiling and gesturing her that I am moving on and she can relax.

As if it was my destiny that the best thing was saved for last, I had the entire trail and the bridge for myself, without a single soul in sight. The mesmerizing morning natural soundscapes coming from all sides of the forest and the glorious Living Root Bridge all were trying to bid me adieu. I didn’t feel like leaving I just wanted a minute more and another one, it felt like I had to say goodbye to a loved one and I could feel my heart aching. Reality hit me when I looked at my watch and I knew it was time to whisper to the bridge and to that beauty, “I will never forget my time here”.

Total duration and time of travel: 19^th Oct 2017 to 24^th Oct 2017

Taxi driver : Ramkumar ( + 91 96154 50014)

Pateng Homestay ( Cherrapunji ):  (+91 97744 85910)

Total trip expense: ~Rs.38000 ( Travel, food, accommodation, Misc)