In the Abode of Clouds – Meghalaya
Read further to know my tryst with the Scotland of East, Meghalaya.
The drive was scenic through lush green forest with several glimpses of Barapani Umiam lake.
Interesting part of the journey was that while on your way to Shillong, you would see Assam on one side of the lane and Meghalaya on other side of lane. Interesting isn’t it?
We headed first towards Ward’s lake. This lake is ideal for an evening getaway with boating facilities available. Do try the Khasi traditional dress for rent. If you are on a tight itinerary, you can skip this lake
After strolling the lake clicking pictures, we headed to Police Bazaar on a shopping spree.
Mawsynram – The Wettest place on earth
Next day morning, our car drove into the swirling clouds with zero visibility beyond 100 meters. When you are in the abode of clouds, what else can you expect? It looked like a misty wonder land.
For all those people who think Cherrapunjee is the wettest place on earth.
Naah! Mawsynram is the wettest place on earth currently, which receives rainfall almost everyday. Everywhere you go in Mawsynram is picture perfect.
If you are an adventure junky, you can do caving in Mawjymbuin cave. There is a huge formation of stalgamite in the shape of ‘Shivlinga’ in Mawjymbuin cave. We heard from the local people that they believe that Shivlinga is growing continuously.
On our way back, we pitstopped at two scenic places. The first one was supposed to be a view point. But due to mist, we couldn’t witness the views. Nevertheless the misty place was enough for us to give some romantic time.
The second one was a small hill we trekked which offered some stunning views.
If you are intending to return back to Shillong, you can opt to visit Elephant falls and shillong peak, as it is on the way back to shillong. Shillong peak was nothing more than the view of shillong city from the highest peak of shillong.
The elephant falls has got three stages of waterfalls. Third stage of waterfall really looked majestic. But you can’t take bath in the waterfalls.
Stay : Hotel Poinisuk
Mawphlang
Maphlang is yet another beautiful place which has got lot of trekking opportunities. Do check the Khasi Heritage village in Mawphlang. Look at the authentic architechture of Khasi tribes.
David Scott trail
This 14km heritage trail is named after David Scott, one of the earliest British explorers of the region who tried to find a route from Bangladesh to Assam through the Khasi hills.
Our guide was an enthusiastic person who kept us engaged all through out the trek.You will be surprised to know that the crown in our head was his creativity using the fern leaves. He was informative as well as energetic.
We reached a small village where we had noodles to satiate our hungry tummy.
True to the lines ‘Happiness is the journey not the destination’. David Scott trail trek took us through varied terrains from mountains to valleys crossing rivers and bridges. 
Trek trail was indeed a treat to our eyes.
Our driver was waiting at the trek finishing point. From there, our journey to Cherrapunjee started. The route was so scenic, that we even forgot the tiredness of trekking
If you feel this 14km trek would be hectic, you can try another famous short trekking trail through secret garden.
With the list of falls in our hand, we decided to visit Nokhalikai falls first next day morning. Nokhalikai falls being a popular one, didn’t disappoint us. The breath taking view of the valley with various falls in the backdrop was indeed a great sight.
Hey! Don’t miss to go further from the viewpoints and shops, there is a fabulous location for photoshoot. We idled away our time taking umpteen number of photographs.
We bid adieu to the Nokhalikai falls and went to Mawsmai caves. Caving was fun except for the fact that it was too crowded. Mawsmai cave is a commercial one. The longest caving route was closed due to some reasons. We just went through the shorter one.
If you are serious about caving, head to jainitia hills which harbours hundreds of cave passages making it an ultimate caving destination in Meghalya.
We hopped next to Seven Sister waterfalls for having our late lunch with a view of falls and valley.All these touristy falls you visit are just view-points. Though the viewpoints are great to take a memorable photo or two, that’s not what I have gone for.
Resort was good but food could have been better.
Double decker trek comprises around 3000 steps except for few plain stretches in between. Trek starts with climbing down the vertical steps with a stopover at the longest root bridge.
The trek passes through numerous streams, hanging bridges, remote villages, lush green forests encompassing the scenic beauty of the Khasi Hills.
We crossed lot of bridges both root bridges as well as Iron bridges. I should admit that the iron bridges were scarier than the root bridges.
After trekking for around 4-5 hours, there you go – DOUBLE DECKER ROOT BRIDGE.
There is a pool of water formed by the water gushing from the river. A brilliant place to play with your buddies. Luckily for us, when we went, everyone has left,making the pool all for ourselves. How did I forget to mention! You can enjoy a natural fish pedicure in the pool.
A very basic accommodation near double decker root bridge.
Having trekked all the way to Nongriat, don’t miss the offbeat falls in the village. Try staying in the village for a night to visit some unadultered falls. One such offbeat falls is rainbow falls.
Next day morning, we started trekking to rainbow falls. We were little disappointed when our guide told that we cannot enter the falls as it is dangerous. But the view was so beautiful that we got over our disappointment. We both stood hand in hand looking at the falls and enjoying the sprinkles of gushing water at our face.
The best thing about this hotel is the mouth-watering food.
Hurray! Heading to cleanest village!
On our way to Mawlynnong, we passed through lush green trails of East Khasi hills and made a stop-over at Mawkong View point for some spell bounding views.
Dawki – To the Land’s end
Those who are making it to Mawlynnong, don’t forget to make your way to Dawki, a beautiful village right on the Indo-Bangladesh Border, known for its crystal clear waters of Umngot river.
We had our lunch in a nearby restaurant and went for a boat ride in the pristine waters of Umngot river.
A blissful boat ride will splurge you to experience the beauty of this place. On a clear day, you will feel as if you are riding on an invisible river. Such clear water makes the boat ride exciting.
The boat ride also includes a pit-stop on an island. The island was picturesque. White sands with the backdrop of lush green cliff. There is camping option available too. The view of boat from atop the cliff. I regret not having a telephoto lens. With the focal length of 55MM, I couldn’t do justice to the beauty of the scene. 
Disclaimer : Boat charges in Umngot river are exorbitant. INR 500 per boat.
Mawlynnong
A Magical paradise 80km from Cherrapunjee is home to the tribes of Khasi hills. From cleanliness to greenery, the villagers take extreme care in maintaining their space.
Believe me! Everyday volunteers sweep the streets of their village with pride. When we went for a stroll around 7 am, we were stunned to see group of kids going around picking plastic papers from the streets. Such is their discipline. No wonder it is called “The Cleanest Village in Asia”
I should admit apart from being the cleanest, the village was one of the prettiest. Be it the house or the garden around the house, there is some charm the Khasi people have added, which made the village full of life.
The villagers have their own way to casts spell on every traveler who visit this God’s own garden.
Those who cannot trek to double decker root bridge, can opt to see living root bridges in Mawlynnong. There is also a sky view point from where you can see plains of Bangladesh.
After breakfast, we started our journey to Guwahati from Mawlynnong. Enroute, we had planned to go on a boat ride in Umiam lake. But due to heavy rain, we couldn’t do boat ride in Umiam lake. So we headed straight to Guwahati for next day morning flight.
