WANDERLUST

 SPENDING THE LAST FEW DAYS OF 2020 IN THE ABODE OF THE CLOUDS

Shillogre Godhuli...

Shillongre Godhuli...

Nami ahe kuwoli..

Shillongre Godhuli

Nami ahe kuwoli..

Duyu hatote dhori

Korisilu dhemali

Juritire parot bohi

Nijanote..

These are the lyrics from one of the popular Assamese songs. After staying at home for about 10 months due to extended lockdown, getting introduced to new terms like work from home, taking students online classes something that I needed the most was a break from this monotony of daily life. When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by World Health Organisation we were forced to leave Bhubaneswar for Assam. This trip to Meghalaya awaited the opening of interstate borders following COVID-19 protocols. When the situation became a little bit normal with sanitizers and masks we backpacked for this recluse-the hidden beauty of India.

Papa would explain Megh + alaya= Meghalaya. That's how this word got introduced to me. The Abode of the Clouds. As I grew up I got to know many more things about this beautiful state of northeast India. I got to learn about Shillong known as the 'Scotland of the East', Mawlynglong Asia's cleanest village, living root bridges, and more. Since my childhood days, I had this fascination to explore this beautiful place. This opportunity came when I met one of my friends from Meghalaya at Odisha. This Christmas she invited me to her home to participate in the celebration. I always wait eagerly every year for Christmas. Back in school, I remember visiting the school during Christmas to see Jesus Cradle. That is something I love so much about Christmas. The cradle depicts the birth of Christ. Another thing that I love about Christmas is the Christmas tree. When my friend invited me to the celebration I agreed happily to be part of it.

We started our journey from North Lakhimpur at about 6.30 a.m in the morning. A journey of nine hours brought us to our first stoppage at Byrnihat where we stopped for some time to enjoy the Christmas celebration with a family who was readily waiting to welcome us. We feasted ourselves to different delicacies-the ladoos and the pithas. As time passed by evening descended. We regaled in our own talks as we had to stop for dinner. Coming outside I could see people wishing each other Merry Christmas. The houses were decked beautifully in glittering lights. Atop of several houses, I could see the Christmas star shining bright. For me, it was a magical feeling. The shimmering stars above, the wintry days of December, the celebrations around added to the beauty of the evening. The icing on the cake was a little one who spent the evening with us.

At about 8 p.m we left Byrnihat for our friend's home at Nongpoh located in Ri Bhoi district. The whole state of Meghalaya looked so beautiful-the churches, people's homes everything seemed ethereal. For me, I was very excited about my trip and its unfoldings. When we reached Noghpoh I saw her mother and other family members waiting eagerly to welcome us. I was tired. My eyes were drooping. All I needed was a few hours of rest. It was quite cold outside and after a shower, I laid down and fell asleep in no time.

A beautifully decorated house at Byrnihut

TRAVELLING ALL THE WAY FROM NONGPOH TO CHERRAPUNJI

O Taxi gadi loi, jam shillong t 

aaioi dehi toi u jabi logot

oi, selfie mari jam, ukho paharot

haioi deha mitha mitha porot

There are many Assamese songs where this beautiful place referred to as the 'Scotland of the East' finds mention. There are many places to see in and around like the Ward's lake which is ethereally beautiful and more so during the cherry blossoms in the month of November. Full of pine trees nature has glorified itself fully to add to the beauty of the place.

The long route from Nongpoh to Sohra which is the name associated with Cherrapunji let me discover breathtaking valleys, beautiful lakes, and the blooms of the Cherry Blossom. This Himalayan beauty never fails to enthrall me. Amidst the pine trees, I spotted them on my way. I thought I would wait for some time to click some pictures but that remained a wish. All I could do was just throw a glance and pass by. As a child every time I would travel back from school to home at the end of the day I would see the trees pass by peeping outside from my auto. I use to always fight for this window seat whenever I travel whether it be traveling by flight or by bus and I consider myself lucky enough. I had a bunch of friends who always heeded this request of mine. One of the best experiences of this trip was giving my coursework exam while traveling.COVID-19 transformed the ways of delivery of instruction for our students. I had an exam scheduled from 9 a.m on 26/12/2020. While I gave my exams sitting one hour alone in our Scorpio my friends went for a stroll and got some beautiful pictures of the nearby places. And to add to it they had Maggi in a nearby shop and returned with a packet of popcorn for me. Maggi is my personal love. I remember having Maggie prepared in an army canteen during my visit to Tawang. Ah! how tasty that was. At such a height what better than some hot noodles to beat the cold when you are at 12,000 or 14,000 feet above sea level.

SERENE UMIAM LAKE

Nestled amidst verdant valleys this beautiful lake is a picnic spot and a major tourist attraction located in the state of Meghalaya. My friend Annie said Mamu, 'Look outside through your window, down below you get to have a spectacular glimpse of the Barapani lake'. She would often send me pictures and videos of her home state. And when I got to see it all by myself I thought this is brilliant and huge. It was early morning. The first rays of the sun-kissed the valleys around. Here and there I could see the Cherry blossoms amidst the pine trees. The road leading all the way to Shillong provides one of the best sights during the time when the pine trees have yellow flowers in them. I felt from the top it would definitely look like a forest on fire. Though I wanted to wait for some time to see the places around the lake my friends mentioned that if we are late we would be stuck up somewhere in a traffic jam.

There are many legends associated with the waterfalls of Meghalaya. We were a group of eight people traveling all the way to Sohra Meghalaya. Our first destination was the Weisawdong waterfall. The winding roads led us to this beautiful spot. On the way, I could see the verdant valleys and the picturesque landscapes. Added to it were the megaliths. I also saw the limestone fields and the coalfields. Meghalaya is famous for coal mining. It is very rich in terms of its mineral resources. When we reached the waterfall I could see so many people at the ticket counter to go to the waterfall. The way leading to the waterfall is very different. A few stairs leading down ends where one has to walk through the forest climbing bamboo makeshift bridges. I could see many of the visitors returning, perspiring. To support me on my trek I took a wooden stick. When I finally reached the waterfall I was left with an Awe! This is too beautiful. I could see people around me busy clicking pictures, some making videos, while others exploring the beauty of the place around. After spending some time we returned trekking to the top.

Here is a link to a short  video of the trek and few pictures taken in Weisawdong

Beautiful WeiSawdong Waterfall

 NOHKALIKAI  WATERFALL

Bidding goodbye to this beauty we started our journey again to another most beautiful attraction of this pristine beauty of the state. Our next destination was the Nohkalikai waterfall. Considered to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls there is a legend associated with it which is heart-breaking. There is this legend about a lady who was a widow and had a daughter. She remarried with the thought that her daughter would get all the love from her father. But as she spent most of the time with her little one her husband despised it badly. One day when Ka Likai was away for some work her husband killed the little one and prepared a dish for Ka Likai. When she returned home she was happy to have the meal ready for her. After having a satisfying meal when Ka Likai went near the betel nut basket she was astonished to find her child's fingers in it. She was filled with deep remorse at the sad demise of her daughter. Ka Likai went to a cliff and jumped down. Thus the waterfall came to be named Nohkalikai which translates in the local Khasi language as the 'leap of Likai'.

Something which I like most about Meghalaya is women's active participation in different activities like working in hotels, preparing local dishes for weary travelers, and others. It was so nice communicating with them and getting introduced to their culture which is integral to the very fabric of Indian society.

Shops near Nohkalikai waterfall

Spice available in the shops (Daal Chini)

Majestic view of Nohkalikai waterfall

Why visit Nohkalikai falls?

You can trek all the way to visit this fall. There are some small shops nearby where you get to explore the beauty of Meghalaya. Some of the things available in these shops are clothes, local products like honey, daal chini as a spice and black pepper. You could get respite from the scorching heat by having fresh pineapple juice. For me the moment I got down from my car I rushed to explore the food from the nearby shop. Puska is my personal favorite and what to say about something available miles away. It was yummy. And then I rushed to explore more about this place. I talked with the women from a shop and saw her daughter preparing jhaal muri(snacks) for visitors, I decided to have some for an amount of 20 rupees. I brought some of the things for my home and went to the spot from where the falls looked magical amidst the greenery around. I was like wow! This is magnanimous. Down below the fall, I could see the clear waters amidst the green around. I returned clicking some pictures as we have some other places to explore as well.

Nohkalikai is the tallest plunge waterfall in India located in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India!

THANGKHARANHG  PARK

When I was exploring the places around on my return journey from Shora I was excited to get a view of Bangladesh. This wish of mine turned into reality when I visited this beautiful park so well maintained with many plants. The view from atop was mystifying. Far away I could see the road winding amidst the lush greeneries around. But I missed the sight of Bangladesh as it was quite hazy.

A click at Thangkharang Park

JIVA RESORT

Our last stoppage was at Jiva Resort. This is a very beautiful resort located in Shora, Meghalaya. It was already evening when we reached there. I tried to explore the place around. People were in masks.COVID -19 protocol seemed to be well followed by the resort authorities. For me, it appeared to be one of the best places for sightseeing and recreation when one visits Meghalaya. There are many places to explore around.

Thus we returned back to Noghpoh. It was quite late when we reached. On our way, we rested for some time at several places where some of our mates stopped to pack smoked pork and as for me, all I needed was few momos. I like it very much but I couldn't have it as it was already late and most of the shops were closed. All I got was some coffee to sip and a platter of chicken chow mien which I shared with my friend. For me, I had enough for the day. As I laid down the moments of the day spent with my friends seemed to flashback in my mind.

AN EVENING WELL SPENT AT  MARNGAR LAKE

A wooden bridge and few thatched houses along the stony path around the lake provided some of the best locations for clicking some beautiful pictures. This lake is quite popular among tourists for the different facilities that it provides like recreation, boating facilities and also a picnic site as also for sightseeing. The nearest town to the lake is Nongpoh. Nestled amidst beautiful landscape this place is a beautiful recluse for all those who want to escape for some time away from the hurly-burly of everyday life. The Marngar lake is located in Marngar village in the Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya. When my friend's elder sister suggested a visit to this place I was thrilled. I responded with a yes. Taking an auto we started our journey at about 4 p.m to Marngar. Our auto took us through winding roads crossing pineapple fields to this beautiful place. From a certain height, my friend showed me the houses of this densely populated area. Seeing the roadside shops full of pineapples I thought I would definitely carry some of them on my return journey. When we reached Marngar it was already evening. Getting down from my auto I could see some of the local village women sitting with vegetables and pineapples. I hurried quickly to have a view of the lake. Visitors to the lake need to book the tickets at the ticket counter to enter the lake. My journey to explore the lake began quickly as I saw my friends clicking photos with each other. The lake is very big. One can also go boating if they wish to explore the lake. Moving around I could see some women busy in the pineapple fields. There are some beautiful huts made for visitors. Moving along I could see many people sitting around, eating in the small huts around the lake. The clamorous choir of bird songs with the beautiful Assamese song played in the backdrop created a romantic ambiance around. We returned after spending some time here as I purchased two pineapples to carry back home. It was spine chilling cold outside. We traveled all the way to Nongpoh to have tea in a hotel located on the highway. The hot tea was a savior to us. Then we proceed to our friend's home as they showed me the beautifully lit churches and Jesus cradle on the way. When we reached her home we rested for some time and then with a heavy heart got ready to pack our bags to give goodbye to each other.

The next day at around 11 a.m our friend's father came to drop us at Byrnihut. With tearful eyes, we bade goodbye to each other as our jeep proceeded on the way to our destination. As we returned my friend's parents gifted us some more items like bamboo shoot pickles and pineapples from the roadside shops along with banana fruit. There are many of these shops on the way to Meghalaya starting from Jorabaat. Visitors can buy local products from these small shops.

I wanted to stay few more days at Meghalaya and explore more of the places like the double-decker bridge, sacred grooves, and more but we had to return as we had some important works to be done at Guwahati. My friend's elder sister gifted me a  beautiful traditional Khasi attire which I flaunted for something clicking pictures  with the family who hosted us so well. For every traveler, nature lover, a vagabond who loves traveling and exploring new places this beautiful state of northeast India is the one I highly recommend as a travel blogger and that should be on your bucket list when you plan a trip to northeast India. Believe me friends it will never fail to enthrall you and mesmerize you. You will get to experience it yourself.

Note

If you are someone who likes trekking in the woods then certain things that are to be kept in mind beforehand-

• Keep some bandages with you. Why so that can be a question that arises in your mind? It is because you might be someone like me who can get a cut on your trek. And then deep inside the woods when you are far away from the capital city Shillong you find no medical shops nearby.
• Water bottles and lots and lots of warm clothes to beat the cold.

How to reach Meghalaya?

From the capital city of Assam, Guwahati -the gateway to northeast India, you can travel all the way to Shillong by hiring a taxi from Jorabat. For people traveling from other parts of the country and outside you can take a flight to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati. You can stay at Guwahati if you wish to explore the places around and then pack your bags for Shillong. The state is well connected to other places in the northeast. The best attraction is during the India International Cherry Blossom Festival when this Himalayan beauty blooms in the state in and around Ward's lake.

Not all journeys are beautiful, the experiences that we gain, the moments that we spend varies. Yet it is the paraphernalia of all of this that makes our life herald in the grace of the divine. The lonely routes that I travel make me fall in love with life again and again. As Ruskin Bond quotes

"The adventure is not in getting somewhere, it's the on- the -way experience. It is not the expected: It's the surprise."

A WORD OF GRATITUDE

I feel really grateful to my friend Annie and her family who invited me to her home to explore the beauty of her home state. My regards also to all the other people who were with us during this trip to make us feel at home. I am really enthralled by its beauty something which I would call resplendently beautiful.

Khublei shibun!