Two explorers and a land unexplored

Our trip lay in the middle of our exhaustive journey through India. Noob mistakes done and dusted, we were up to the task of navigating through North-East, especially during the dangerous and risky rainy season. Our first halt was Guwahati and after the weary journey from Chennai, we were ready to experience the adventure that North-East India brings with it.

We left on an early train to Majuli, one of the more interesting places in Assam. We were almost halfway through our journey when local passengers informed us of the inundated status of Majuli and the possibility of getting stuck there. Though not a bad proposition, it caused a major change in our plans as we doubled back and came back to Guwahati.

An unavailability of state-run buses led to us sharing a Tata Sumo with eight other people. It was in this crowded vehicle, on a road betwixt the pine-covered hills dotted with pretty lakes, that the European’s nickname for the area - Scotland of the East - made sense. Even the breaks in our journey jarred us with startling sights.

Like bugs, rains attract throngs of tourists. Fortuitously, we chanced upon a hotel in Police Bazaar. The Meghalaya Tourism office right adjacent to us and easy accessibility to transportation made bookings easy. Those done, we geared up for three eventful days of adventures. Back to State transportation and on to Cherrapunjee.

Cherrapunjee has two splendid attractions, the mesmerising Nohkalikai falls and brooding Mawsmai Caves. To cut the gruesome and fascinating story short, ‘Noh-ka-likai’ falls get their name from a Khasi legend (read the story). Navigating the hairpin turns and squeezing through the narrow openings of the meandering Mawsmai caves was no mean feat and we were relieved to emerge outside unscathed.

On to Meghalaya where lie Mawlynong and Dawki. Mawlynong is considered to be the cleanest village in Asia and it is not a superlative. We experienced authentic Khasi lunch prepared by the villagers of Mawlynong. Enroute to Dawki we stopped at the Bangladesh border, talked with two BSF Jawans, rented a boat and went for a quick boat ride in river Dawki. We also climbed the living root bridges that region is famous for.

The highlight of Shillong city was its amazing food culture. Our local guide Bahun befriended us and helped plan our Shillong trip. After three days in Shillong, returned to Guwahati via state bus which took six to seven hours. Our stay at Shillong was really commendable and the experience unforgettable.

We came back at Guwahati to discover that the city was flooded. We met our fellow explorers and spent a day sightseeing - we visited the Birla Planetarium, saw the overflowing and mighty Brahmaputra river, and tried ‘Puttu’, an authentic Malayalam dish.

A small town called Gualpara near Guwahati has the ruins of Buddha Temple. The journey to Gualpara was very exciting - we had to take a train to Jorhat and ride for an hour to Gualpara. Some places’ serenity makes it a space where time passes slowly. Gaulpura, a place blanket with greenery, was such a place.

We made our exit on a train to New Jalpaiguri from where we proceeded to Delhi, our next stop.