Summers in Delhi are not an easy time. The heat, dust and grime forms an explosive mixture with the abundantly flowing sweat, creating a constant urge to flee. All that is needed is a spark for one to head for the hills or cooler climes.
In our case, the spark was provided by an innocuous phone call from our friends, Manish and Uma, who are located in Mumbai. One thing led to another, and suddenly we had decided to go to Shillong.
In our case, the spark was provided by an innocuous phone call from our friends, Manish and Uma, who are located in Mumbai. One thing led to another, and suddenly we had decided to go to Shillong.
At this time, I really did not expect the trip to materialise. Getting tickets to a holiday destination like Shillong, during the school summer holidays in India, even three months in advance, is an extremely iffy affair. One week in advance, chances of winning an all expense paid holiday to Shillong, in a five star hotel, without having even participated in a competition, is probably better. So as expected, flights were full. Next we opened up Google Maps and started looking for the closest airports around. That's when we found Guwahati, just 99 km from Shillong. A quick check confirmed that tickets were still available. We could hire a taxi from here and be in Shillong in around 3-4 hours. The chances of this trip actually happening started looking bright then.
And that is about when I started to panic. I am, generally speaking, not a spur of the moment guy. I plan everything, at times to the point that it is too late to actually put the plan into action. But since it had been a long time since we had gone on an extended holiday, and since I was confident that it was a lost cause, I had gone along. But when it looked like we may actually be going, I had to take a quick decision. Finally, I decided not overthink it....let go of the illusion of control :-), and just go with the flow. After all, time spent with family, in the company of good friends, is a vacation in itself.
Day 1
We took the direct flight from Delhi to Guwahati, reaching there around 1400. It was raining when we landed. We also found out that we were lucky that we did not get tickets for the direct flight to Shillong as it had also landed in Guwahati due to bad weather. Manish, Uma and Aryaman had already reached Guwahati from Mumbai by the morning flight and were waiting for us in the lounge.
******************** Touristy Tip *********************************************
Tour Tip - Avoid the direct flight to Shillong. Due to the unpredictability of weather at Shillong, flights may get diverted at any time. Take offs are also subject to weather conditions and we saw two of our friends trying to get a taxi to go to Guwahati and catch a flight at the last moment. Better to go to Guwahati and have better control over your itinerary.
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From Guwahati, we took an Innova to Shillong. It cost us Rs.3000 and took almost 4.5 hours to cover 99 kms and reach our rooms. Of course, it took so much longer as our rooms were in the outskirts, on the other side of town. Like any other hill station in India, Shillong has been overrun with tourists and her own growing population. But unlike other cities, it is very difficult to broaden the narrow, winding roads in the hills. This inevitably leads to frequent traffic jams.
On reaching our rooms, we freshened up, and had a quick dinner, before calling it a day.
The sun rises in the North East by 0430 in the morning, a result of it's easterly distance from Allahabad, on which longitude the Indian Standard Time is calculated. So if your room does not have thick dark curtains, you end up tossing around in bed as the room becomes bright early in the morning. Finally, you give up trying to sleep, and wake up to see that the time is just 0530 or 0600 in the morning.
*********************** Interesting Aside *************************************
Due to the 2933 km seperating the eastern and western extremities of India, the sun rises and sets nearly 2 hours earlier in the NE compared to Gujarat. During Independence, India had seperate time zones - Calcutta Time and Bombay Time. They were abolished in 1948 and 1955 respectively. We also used Daylight Saving Time - in 1962, 1965 and 1971. Even today, in Assam, the tea gardens follow 'Tea Garden Time'or Bagantime which is 1 hour ahead of IST. Many in the NE have asked for a seperate timezone. Many committees have also recommended the same. Staying in the NE brings home the importance of timezone and requirement Daylight Saving Time and the major effect it can have on everyday life since the office timing would remain in accordance with rest of India. Now imagine spending a large part of the sunlit day hidden in bed and in the evening, coming out of office after dark, irrespective of how early you wind up. In the long run, it can be quite depressing.
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Our rooms were located in a pretty wooded area. The green surroundings and the crisp mountain air was invigorating. It felt great just sitting outside and reading a book.
Around 1100, we took a cab and headed to town. On the way, we were fortunate enough to see an Orange-bellied Himalayan Squirrel.
Most of the cabs in Shillong are maruti 800s. They generally ply as share taxis, with passengers being picked up and dropped along the way. So you have to tell the driver that you are reserving the Taxi if you don't want to be joined by others. Of course, it is much cheaper if you don't mind sitting with others.
After a bit of legwork checking out rooms (our present room was available only till 31), we proceeded for sightseeing.
Sightseeing
No.1 (Not in any order of awesomeness) - the Shillong Catholic Cathedral. This is the largest church in the north east. It is a large structure which looks nice. It has been painted blue, which I think undermines the grandeur of the cathedral. A traditional white, with blue verticals to emphasize it's height, would have made it look so much more beautiful. After sitting inside for a few minutes, probably hoping to soak up some spirituality and god's grace, followed by the mandatory photo sessions, we moved on.
No.2 - Ward's Lake. From the Cathedral, we walked to Ward's Lake. The lake, at the center of the city, is 1.5 km from the church. Ward's Lake is one of those mandatory British era Botanical gardens found in every hill station in India, similar to Mall Road, Sunset point and Suicide point. Nothing special, buy not bad either. A place to just go and relax, without any plan or expectations. There are beautiful lotus in the pond. There are a large group of geese which keep the kids entertained, and you can do boating if you are so inclined.
Day 2
The next day, we hired a cab to go and see Mawlynnong, reputedly the cleanest village in Asia and the Living Root Bridge. The village is around 90 km from Shillong. All of us, 4 adults, a teenager and a child, squeezed ourselves into a Maruti 800. Poor Aryaman sat for the entire drive with one leg on either side of the gear shift, no back support and his knees jammed against the dashboard. He had to endure this mode of transport many more times before the trip was to end. It was raining throughout our onward journey and the drive was beautiful.
No.3 - Living Roots Bridge. We first stopped at the village of Riwai to see the famous living roots bridge. The bridge is a short 10 minute walk from the car park. On the way down, we bought some cut pineapples, a famous export of this region. They were delicious. They also add gunpowder (Chilly powder, silly :-)) to it on request. The sweet and tangy flavour of the pineapple and the sharp heat of the chillies makes a wonderful combination. Of course, while me and Manish were busy eating, the ladies and kids found enough chicks, puppies and piglets to coo and fuss over.
(A homemade bamboo slide for the kids)
******************************* Touristy Info *************************************
Living roots bridge are found in many places in Meghalaya. The locals manipulate the roots of the ficus tree to create bridges across rivers. The tree is like a banyan with many secondary roots. Hollow tubes and other contrivance are used to guide the roots in the intended direction and they are woven and entwined together in various creative and beautiful ways to create a strong and sturdy bridge across the river.
What I find especially fascinating about them is that they are the result of many generations of work - the villagers who start the manipulation are not the one who see or benefit from the results of their hard work. It is a long term project for the betterment of the future of their community.
Here is a link to a separate post on these marvels of human engineering for those interested in knowing more about them.
My post on The Incredible Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya (Edit : Back Online :-))
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The bridge was as good, if not better, than what I had imagined it to be. The intricate weaves and patterns of the roots along the sides of the bridge was clearly visible. It was difficult to make out where the tree, roots and bridge began our ended. The base formed by the roots was so dense as to allow placement of rocks and give to the feel of a normal man made bridge. From downriver, the bridge looked like a lovely cradle, made by creatures like Tree-beard from Lord of the Rings or a creation of the magical trees from the woods of Mythago.
After photographs from various angles and combinations, we headed back to our car and proceeded to Mawlynnong.
No.4 (Sorry, had to add it to get to 10) - Natural Balancing Rock. On the way, the driver stopped at a small tourist spot called the natural balancing rock. We could have easily missed it if not for the driver. We had not even heard about it, and probably for good reason. Nothing great, just a rock with a very narrow pile holding it up from the center. Fascinating in that sense, but nothing spectacular. In any case, it seemed to be a nice and peaceful spot for having our lunch. After lunch, and the mandatory photographic evidence of our passage, we moved on.
No.5 - Mawlynnong Village : The Cleanest Village in Asia. We didn't have great expectations from the village. We expected a not too clean village, overrun with tourists. From the car park, we walked into the village along the cemented / cobbled path. We were pleasantly surprised to find that it really was a reasonably clean village. They had cemented the paths and cleverly hidden the rest with flowering and ornamental plants. They placed bamboo baskets all along the path for collecting the waste, which I was told was used for making compost and manure. All residents take turns in sweeping and keeping their village clean. The houses, like most in NE, were quaint wooden structures on stilts with lovely kitchen gardens, flowers and potted plants. Another feather in their cap is that all houses have sanitation facilities, which is no mean achievement in India. They are also 100% literate. The kids were cute and friendly. Again, lots of chicks and kittens to coo over. Overall, we loved the feel of the place.
*********************** Interesting Aside *************************************
I was very curious to find out how they had come to the conclusion that they were 'The Cleanest Village on Asia'. And in any case, why Asia, why not the world? It seems that Mawlynnong had been given that sobriquet in 2003 in an article featured in Conde Nast Traveler, and was later mentioned in BBC World. This and the efforts taken by the villagers to maintain the cleanliness in an eco-friendly manner have made the village famous. In my opinion, having the foresight to grab small opportunities, at times, can lead to great change. In this case, a reporter found this to be a neat and clean village and he called it 'The Cleanest Village on Asia' to draw attention to his article. This would have increased the tourists coming to the village. The village elders probably realised the potential benefits and ensured that measures were taken to further clean up the village. The snowballing effect has led to it now being featured in Lonely Planet, which means every tourist visiting Shillong will visit this village without fail. They charge a fee from every visitor, in addition to the charges for vehicle parking, generating substantial income, leading to further improvements in the village. They have also started home-stays and restaurants, further enhancing the income of the residents. Of course, we were already seeing many concrete houses under construction. The additional money allows many residents to build better (in terms of durability) homes. But as their number would increase, the charm of this village would reduce, again leading to loss of income from tourists. Following the right strategy in developing the village, without losing it's quaint charm, is the challenge facing the village elders. It would be interesting to see which trajectory this village will follow over the next few years.
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No.5A (I am now confident of reaching 10) - The Sky View at Mawlynnong. They have also constructed a 'Sky View'. This is a tower made of bamboo. You climb along a bamboo ramp to a platform on the top, which is well above the tree tops and canopy. It was a breathtaking sight from top. We could see the plains of Bangladesh. Though it was overcast, the plains were sunlit, giving a literal view of 'Sonar Bangla' or Golden Bengal. My phone also picked up their mobile signal, and I was welcomed to Bangladesh by Airtel.
The village itself was shrouded in vegetation and was hidden from view, except for a few large buildings such as the Church, etc. We spent some time on top, savoring the view, cool breeze and atmosphere. We then headed back to the car park and back to Shillong.
We got back to our rooms by 1830, just in time for a quick change and to hit the bar, again.
In the next part, we will visit Cherrapunjee, once known to be the wettest place on earth, and the trek to the Double Decker Living Roots Bridge.
Enjoyed reading this informative post in your trademark style, Nitin. didn't know much about Shillong so it did help tremendously!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sudhir anna :-)
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