Beautiful morning amidst nature
The previous night, it had rained cats and dogs but the morning was bright and sunny. Behind our guest house was a forest with a running stream. The sweet music of running water together with the continuous call of cicadas, filled the atmosphere with a tropical vibe. If you are in Meghalaya, one thing that will constantly follow you is the shrill sound that the cicadas give out. We were terrified at some point but later read about it.
Towards our first destination
We finished our breakfast, cleared our dues, vacated our room, and kept our luggage at the reception. We did not want to carry the weight along with us so decided to pick it up on return.
The plan was to reach Mawlynnong, which is around 15 Km from our place of stay and visit a living root bridge on our way.
We took a left turn off the Shillong – Dawki highway and the roads immediately turned narrow. It passed through some dense vegetation, given the amount of rain that the state receives, it did not come as a surprise.
Mawlynnong – Asia’s Cleanest village
After riding for some time, we reached the entry point to the village. We paid an entrance fee of INR 100. Immediately went to the parking area to park our scooter. There are several shops in the parking lot catering to different needs. But everything there is well arranged and kept neat and clean. The village sets an example of what is possible through discipline and some effort.
At the fringe edges of the village, bamboo watch towers have been constructed that offer an unhindered view of Bangladesh Plains. But there is a small fee to climb to the top, which seems reasonable as the structure and surroundings are very well maintained.
Plant lovers will enjoy the place very much as there are numerous trees and rare varieties of flowers and orchids. The villagers have also taken an effort to name these plants to satisfy the curious botanist. A walk through the streets of the village is a delightful experience. Many villagers have started homestays which seemed quite good and reasonably priced.
Another interesting thing that we came across while walking was an old church founded in 1902.
While walking the streets of the village, do notice the huge spider webs at numerous places that would leave you awestruck.
Living Roots Bridge
Root bridges are a big tourist attraction in Meghalaya and are worth a visit. These natural formations are cleverly grown by locals over the expanse of streams with their roots acting as a bridge. These bridges can be found at various locations in Meghalaya and are a lifeline for villagers in remote areas. The one we visited was not double-storied. Yes, you heard it right. There are single and double-storied bridges, the latter attracts much hype over the former.
There is a village couple of kilometres before reaching Mawlynnong named Riwai, which also has a living root bridge, so we headed back on our way.
Everything comes at a price, there was an entry fee while taking a detour towards the bridge and another one to gain access to the bridge.
We spent quite some time doing photography and admiring the natural beauty of the place.
Off to Sohra
By the time we left the place, it was close to 1 PM and the sun was overhead. In the shade it was cool, but the relentless sun sapped our energy and the humidity had increased considerably. So, we recommend hats and sunglasses and full-length clothing to fight the sun.
Back at the guest house, we collected luggage from the front desk and started towards Sohra, which is the local name of the world-famous place called Cherrapunji, the once wettest place on the planet. This accolade is now held by Mawsynram. As we had limited time, hence decided to visit Sohra, which is closer to Pongtung (65km).
Half of this distance was the same way that we came from Shillong. However, this time we saw some amazing visuals of clouds rising from the depths. The roads were empty most of the time, so these views were amazing and eerie at the same time.
En route, we stopped for a late lunch and had some Chinese food.
The scenery completely changed as we neared Sohra. It is a bit hard to explain but the setting sun provided a golden glow to the overall picture.
Hotel hunting again…end of day
Once at Sohra, our hunt for accommodation began from the outskirts of the town. One after the other, met with disappointment as we were refused accommodation as all the hotels were full. Remember, we mentioned earlier that Navaratri is a tourist time in the area so these kinds of troubles are expected. It was getting dark and our anxiety levels started increasing with each passing minute.
However, at the Land’s End at Sohra, we finally found good (out of budget) accommodation at Hotel Hilltop Castle. It is a fantastic hotel in a perfect location. It was dark when we checked in and ordered tea. Sipping tea in the parking lot of the hotel, the lights in the Bangladesh plains glittered. Towards Mawsynram (wettest place on earth), we could see continuous flashes of lightning. Our dinner for the day was veg noodles post which we went to bed.
The next day there we had plans to visit an iconic waterfall in Sohra.
