Trip to North East India (Day 7)

Day 7
This was practically the last day of our north-east India tour. We wanted to visit some nearby places from Shillong and were recommended to go to Cherrapunji, the place with the heaviest rainfall in the world.

8:30 AM
There is a water sports complex right next to the Orchid resort. Here various activities are organized such as speed boat ride, house boat and cruise. We decided to check it out early in the morning. It was a 15 minute walk down to the Umiam lake where the boats anchor. The boathouse was locked and the boatman had not yet come. So we sat by the lake for some time admiring its beauty. Here is a view of the lake.

The boatman arrived at 9:30 and we enquired about the rates. There were a couple of options available such as the speed boat that could accommodate four people, a slightly larger boat that could take around ten people and a bus that could house 30-35 people. There were only a few people and so hiring the bus was not feasible. We decided to go for the speed boat; it cost us Rs. 75 per head for a 5 minute ride. This would cover half the lake. It was also possible to hire the boat for 10 minutes which would cover the entire lake and for which Rs. 150 would be charged.

We had to put on life jackets before boarding the boat. The boatman struggled for some time to start the boat by yanking a lever several times. This reminded us of Bangalore autorickshaw drivers starting their autos. We enjoyed the boat ride which took us round the lake and gave many photo opportunities.

This is the speedboat in which we travelled and standing in front of it is our boatman:

10:00 AM
Returned to the hotel. We came back a little early since we expected to be out all day. We contacted the receptionist who called for the same taxi that had taken us to Shillong on the day before. Meanwhile we had breakfast in the dining hall awaiting the driver.

11:00 AM
The driver arrived at 11:00 AM and we had a brief talk about the places to be covered and the amount to be paid. We had to pay Rs. 1500 for the Cherrapunji trip, which was slightly higher than the Shillong tour since it involved an extra two and a half hour's drive.

12:15 PM
Our first stop was a view point at Mawkdok Valley on the way to Cherrapunji. It is a very deep valley with sloping sides dotted with waterfalls. The place is filled with such lush greenery that a pair of eyes is insufficient to take in all its splendour. It was simply breathtakingly awesome.

1:15 PM
Visit Nohkalikai Falls at Cherrapunji. The original name of Cherrapunji was Sohra and so most of the boards there mention Sohra instead of Cherrapunji. It was about an hour's drive through barren landscape before we reached the Nohkalikai Falls. This is reputed to be the fourth highest waterfall in the world. There was an entry fee of Rs. 5 per head and an additional Rs. 20 for a digital camera. The waterfall is visible at some distance from the viewpoint. Somebody told us that a newer viewpoint was under construction some distance away. We decided to explore it and found that we had to climb down around a hundred stone steps before reaching the new view point which was apparently still not completed. It was constantly drizzling and we had to watch our step while climbing down. There were no other tourists here probably because nobody knew of it or were not enthusiastic enough to climb so many steps. This is how the waterfall looks from the viewpoint.

Climbing the steps back up was more exhausting than going down!

2:15 PM
Visit Mawsmai Cave. This is a cave that is around 150 meters long. We had to pay an entrance fee of Rs. 10 per head plus Rs. 10 for the camera. The cave is filled with shallow water for most of the way and we had to remove our shoes and roll up our trousers to avoid getting wet. The wet surface makes the ground very slippery. There are several rocks along the path providing the stepping stones for making progress. The roof is very low at several spots and we had to walk with our head bent low. Stalactites and stalagmites hang from the roof lending it an authentic look. The rock formations are also very beautiful. The place is damp with water dripping down from the roof at several spots. The inside of the cave looks like this:

It took us around 10-15 minutes to cross the cave and come out at the other end. It resembled a subterranean obstacle race. Several excited teenagers went back into the cave for another round of exploration!

3:30 PM
We were famished by the time we finished our cave adventure and came out of the exit. There was a newly inaugurated small dhaba just outside the cave and we had a simple meal of chapattis there.

4:30 PM
Visit the Seven Sister Falls. There are seven different waterfalls here that can be seen from a distance. The seven north-eastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya) are also referred to as the seven sisters. The waterfalls are probably named after this analogy. It was quite cloudy and it was difficult to spot all the seven falls from the distance.

We were now very close to the Bangladesh border and our driver pointed out the Sylhet district of Bangladesh in the horizon.

5:00 PM
Visit the Eco Park. There was not much to see here. At the entrance was a small green-house with several plant species. There was a small stream flowing over which was a stone bridge.

6:00 PM
On the way back, one of the tyres of our taxi got punctured and we had to get it repaired in a mechanic shop. Finally we departed to Shillong. On the ride back, we got to witness the majestic sunset of Meghalaya, which literally means the Abode of Clouds. The sunset was visible for more than half an hour. Never before had we witnessed such a wonderful celestial spectacle. We thought that our journey all the way to the north-east was worth it and more after seeing that brilliant event. Words are insufficient to describe its magnificence. Here are some photographs of the Meghalaya sunset.

This later inspired me to pen a few lines of poetry:

Abode of Clouds, swathed in shrouds
Your beauty is but Nature's bounty!

On the azure plate
Who doth paint
A million hues
Is it Nature's ruse?

Words cannot express
All it does is impress!

8:30 PM
Arrive at the Orchid Resort. We had dinner soon after and retired for the night.

We were to later leave for Guwahati by taxi and thence take a flight back to Bangalore.

With this post, I will conclude the series of blogs on North-East India. It is my sincere hope that this will be useful to some enthusiastic traveler some day.

Trip to North East India (Day 6)

Day 6
This day was Shillong. We had two days to spend there, the first day of which we decided to explore Shillong city and the second day to visit some nearby places.

But first a word about the resort where we stayed. The Umiam Orchid Lake Resort is owned and operated by the Meghalaya Tourism Department. It is situated around 15 km before Shillong in a place called Barapani. The hotel rent for a double room is of the order of Rs. 1500 per night. The double rooms are really huge and spacious with large French windows opening out into balconies. Our room had a wonderful view of Lake Umiam barely 50 meters outside. The lake is surrounded by beautiful and well maintained gardens which is a treat to watch. One can sit in the terrace and enjoy the view for hours. The whole place is very calm, placid and serene and is a perfect getaway for honeymooners and newly married couples. Here is a view from the balcony outside our room.

And here are a couple of views of the dining hall which boasts of a fireplace that is probably lit in the cold winters.

11:00 AM
Breakfast at Hotel Orchid. The food is nothing great but decent vegetarian food is available. We enquired at the reception about the local sight-seeing options available. Luckily the receptionist's cousin was a taxi driver who could also take us around the city. After talking for a few minutes over the phone, we agreed to pay some Rs. 1200 for a day's sight-seeing trip.

11:40 AM
The driver arrived at the hotel in his taxi, a black Maruti 800 and we started off on the tour. We would realize later that we would be with this same driver for three days on. Shillong is around half an hour from the resort on the highway where a constant stream of army and other trucks keep moving. On the way we stopped to have a glimpse of the Umiam lake. As we entered the city, we observed that the roads were narrow and the traffic was slow-moving at several junctions. Our driver informed us that traffic jams are common during the peak hours of the day.

12:00 PM
Visit Bishop Biden Falls. One can see two waterfalls at a distance from a small viewpoint. The falls are surrounded by lush greenery.

1:00 PM
Visit Shillong View Point. The view point is situated in the Indian Air Force Station premises and it is required to get a visitor's pass before entering. It took several minutes to fulfil this procedure as there were several tourist vehicles waiting to get in. Once inside the gate, a few minutes drive takes us to the view point. One can get a panoramic view of Shillong from this point.

Just behind the view point, some tribal women were making brisk business by dressing up ladies, gents and children alike in the Khasi traditional costume. It was a colourful picture to see the rich dresses, beads and crowns adorning the enthusiastic tourists. They would charge Rs. 50 for a few minutes of dressing and allowing snaps to be taken! Very nice business model indeed... There were also a few hawkers around selling clothes and other bric-a-brac.

2:00 PM
Arrive Elephant Falls. This is around half an hour's drive from the Shillong view point. Here the water falls in three steps forming three small waterfalls. The notice outside the falls explains the origin of the name Elephant Falls.

Here's how the three parts of the waterfall look like, one below another as the water gushes down its path.

We had run out of batteries for our camera and had to buy them in a stall just outside Elephant Falls by paying a premium of Rs. 20! The vendors outrightly exploit the hapless tourists.

3:00 PM
From the Elephant Falls, we drove to the Shillong city center and had lunch at the City Dhaba, one of the fine eating places there.

4:15 PM
Arrive Ward Lake. This is a small lake in the city center with a nice garden around it and forms a good lung space for the people. A nominal entrance fee of Rs. 5 per head is charged. The day we went there a number of school children had come with their teachers probably on a picnic and so it was quite crowded. There is a small white bridge over the lake where one can stand and enjoy the view and feed the numerous fish abounding in the waters below. Several boats are anchored at one end of the bridge which can be taken on hire. We hired a pedal boat and took it for a spin around the lake.

The pedal boat is operated by pushing the pedals with the legs just like a bicycle; the harder one pedals the faster the boat goes. Pedalling in the opposite direction causes the boat to reverse direction. A steering rod is provided at the back - if the rod is pulled left, the boat turns right and vice versa. We spent a pleasant half an hour going around and spotted a duck-house on one of the banks of the lake. There are several stone seats scattered throughout the garden and we relaxed on them for a few minutes before moving on.

5:00 PM
Visit Golf Course. This is around ten minutes drive from the Ward Lake. Our driver informed us that this is a natural golf course.

5:15 PM
Visit Catholic Cathedral. It is a big blue Catholic church (Grotto Chapel) housing statues of Jesus and Mother Mary. We took a few photographs before departing.

5:45 PM
Visit Police Bazaar for shopping. This is the main shopping center of Shillong. Several roads lead away in different directions from the square. The city bus stand is located here from where buses ply to various north-eastern towns. The private taxi stand is also a stone's throw away from the bazaar. The bazaar is filled with numerous shops and shopping complexes mostly selling clothes, purses, bags and footwear. Shillong ladies have a very good dressing sense, the evidence of which is clearly seen there!

7:00 PM
Since it was getting dark, we did not get much time for shopping. Besides it would take around forty five minutes to get back to our resort. Hence we left a few minutes past six and reached the resort by 7 PM.

9:00 PM
After relaxing for some time in the hotel room, we went to the dining hall to have dinner. The hotel staff comes to each room to take the dinner order about an hour earlier. One can go to the dining hall at the appointed time and find the dinner waiting on a reserved table. Again the food was not that great but not too bad either. We took a short walk on the resort lawns post dinner before retiring for the night.

My next post will be the final one in this series where I'll describe our visit to Cherrapunji, the place with the reputation of the heaviest rainfall in the world.