Travel: Meghalaya puts visitors on cloud nine

Life at times overwhelms us with the beautiful unknown; an experience that we all love to recall again and again until there is no tomorrow.

Returning to Chennai after a refreshing week-long solo visit of the abode of clouds, Meghalaya, I know the story I would be telling.

However, oral narration can wait, for I am now compelled to write about the trip especially the night spent by the side of a crystal-clear river.

My holiday in the Northeastern state was largely unplanned. Until about a week before I landed in Guwahati, a major transit hub in the region, on November 26, I was heading to Tawang and the China border. 

But, as it turned out, I found myself taking the well-paved highway to Shillong, commuting on a shared cab, a popular mode of transport.

With more than 60 per cent of its total area under forest cover, Meghalaya is a welcome respite for a person who yearns for greenery after a lifetime spent in the concrete jungle.

The state has rich deposits of various minerals including coal and limestone, thereby adding a substantial income to its coffers through means other than agriculture and tourism. 

I noticed, while heading to the southern tip of the state, the innumerable quarries with workers putting in a shift through the night at some places and trucks constantly making their way in and out of them.

Moving on, after about a 4 hour-long drive from the capital city, I passed by the border town of Dawki.

The town is on the itinerary of almost every visiting tourist. Its main selling point is the Umngot, the cleanest river I have ever seen. 

The best time to see the Umngot, which gets muddy during the monsoon months, is between November and April.

Driving through the small town, I saw boatmen offering a ride for an amount that ranges around Rs 300. I did not stop, however, as my destination was Shnongpdeng, a further 10 kilometres away. It offers a more serene view of the emerald river.

I entered the village after paying Rs 10, a sum which goes to its society fund. Entry fee to quite a few tourist attractions in Meghalaya goes to the village trust which maintains them.

Shnongpdeng offers camping facility for tourists, who can also indulge in various activities such as kayaking, cliff jumping and zip lining. 

I was told by Kiman, a local resident, that Shnongpdeng in the local language roughly means a village in the middle. 

It is an appropriate name considering the place lies sandwiched between the West Jaintia and East Khasi Hills. It may be noted the Jaintia, Khasi and Garo form the three major ethnic groups in Meghalaya.

Apart from Pioneer Adventure Tours, whose services I availed, there are camps run by the village society. Crossing over to the camp site by a boat, I gazed at the rocks so clearly visible beneath the water surface. I knew then why the river is considered a photographer’s delight.

I had a delightful company at the camp in the form of 18 cycling enthusiasts, all aged above 40 and based in Pune. For them, such an annual expedition is non-negotiable.

Kayaking on the Umngot was a real pleasure as there were not many boats plying around. With helpful guides around, even a first-timer can come to grips with kayaking. The zip line runs for a considerably lesser length (around 150 metres).

After a campfire and dinner, my fellow campers bid goodbye for the night. But, I decided to sit on a rock beneath the canopy of stars. The various sounds around me – howling winds, the ebb of the river, the chirping of birds – made me feel alive to the nature.

After a good sleep under a tent which withstood the winds, it was time to leave the next morning. Before departing, however, I walked across the single span suspension bridge, which wobbled all the time. The bridge can’t take the weight of more than a dozen people but offers a stunning view of the river.

For those interested in knowing more about Meghalaya and her six fellow NE states, a visit to the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures in Shillong is an absolute must. Privately maintained, the museum is spread over 7 floors and provides exhaustive information on the cultural history of the various tribes found in the region. There are models on everything ranging from the facial features of the people to their settlements. Arranged thematically, the museum also has a facility to showcase documentaries to visitors at every exhibit hall. Culture enthusiasts could be forgiven for spending almost an entire day at the museum, for it requires that much time to take in all the available information.

There are a couple of tourist places near Shnongpdeng. Almost every local person recommends the magical Krang Suri falls, located on the way to Jowai. Visitors can stay there overnight in tents. One can also head to Mawlynnong, around 40 kilometres away. It has neatly lined streets, shops selling artifacts and several home stay options. Apart from an odd chocolate wrapper and price tag of an item discarded by visitors that I found lying around, the village seemingly deserves its billing as the cleanest one in Asia (Discover India, a travel magazine rated it so back in 2003). For those who are unable to do the rigorous-yet-fulfilling trek to the double-decker Living Root Bridge in Nongriat near Cherrapunjee, there is an accessible option at Riwai. The bridge, which is approximately 30 metre long, has its origins in the year 1840, when members of the Khasi tribe planted rubber trees on both sides of Thyllong River. They later trained the roots in order to form a connecting pathway.