Exquisite North-East India: Shillong, Meghalaya.
- Apr 27, 2023
- 4 min read
Nomad's Paradise Blog 01
Last year, I kept longing for a break from the maximum city. Mumbai had engulfed me. All I could think of was “BMC Corporators, Mumbai and her problems, and Interviews”. The journey gave me some interesting perspectives. I will keep those thoughts aside for another day. But yes, a long break to reconnect with Mom and Dad, and most importantly with myself.
The choice of destination for this break was contested. Mom and Dad were obsessed with Kashmir. My previous traveling experiences made me realize that I can not handle colder climates. Although, in retrospect, this thought process feels stupid I was somehow able to persuade my parents to visit the North East. This was the first time for my mother and I to travel to this side of the country.
Our destinations included Shillong, Cherrapunji, Kaziranga, and Guwahati. We were covering two states- Meghalaya and Assam. We took the flight to the city of Guwahati - a three-hour long flight from Mumbai in the early hours of 9th April 2023. It’s always better to get an early start to this part of the city, as the sun sets and rises early. Moreover, most of the highways to popular hill stations are not adequately lit. So it becomes a little risky for anyone to travel at night.
While arriving in Shillong, you must visit the beautiful Umiam Lake. It promises a clean and pristine premise and boating services. You will not find the waters to be polluted or garbage lying around. Interestingly, there were no vendors offering fruits or any other food outlets here. It is a private property managed by Orchid Hotels.
This is the point when we felt a little pukish. So far, the sharp turns on hills were not as tense as you might find in other places in the country. But it is always better to pop a pill before you go for your long drives to avoid “the” vomit. Please, I am not encouraging drug abuse.
It was a relief when we checked into our hotel. If you are traveling on a budget, you can opt for lodges or hostels. There are plenty of those facilities available here in Shillong.
We had our lunch in the hotel. But for dinner, we went outside. Following the strict instructions of Google Baba, I became a tour guide for my parents for nearly 20 minutes. I would storm my way in and out of the busy area of Police Bazaar. My parents would often shout my name to stop me from walking any further as they would get distracted by some developments in the market.
The market arena is pretty decent. It gets heavily crowded. The vendors are usually selling nuts, momos, corn, or clothes. There was a man preaching the words of the bible with a mic.
We had dinner at a Chinese Barbeque restaurant. It was a decent ambiance and a family restaurant, the food we ordered was enough to feed our not-so-empty stomachs. We had some dumplings which were a little expensive but worth it in terms of taste, quality, and quantity. My parents are not at all fans of Desi Chinese. But they happily made some adjustments just for one day.
PRO TIP: In case you plan to travel here: Do carry full sleeves even during the summers! The temperature drops at night, even though it's very hot and partly pleasant during the day. People retire to their homes early. So departmental stores also close by 9-9:30 pm. On Sundays, everyone visits the church!
Cherrapunji, Meghalaya
Do you feel pukish at breakfast? In the mornings I can never digest my food properly because I don’t feel like eating. But when you are traveling, having a heavy breakfast is a really important thing to do. Start your day with fruits, and salads. I prefer having South Indian food. During college, a plate consisting of four Medu-Vadas would be enough to suffice for me through a five-hour lecture.
Traveling in Meghalaya is a comfortable experience. Our itinerary for the day skipped several important locations such as the naturally occurring monoliths and root bridges. However, we visited the place known for receiving the highest amount of rainfall in the world! A geography student would jump from his/her seat to guess this place - Cherrrapunji!
But it was all dried up. Disappointed, but OK! Better Luck next time.
You need to pay a minimum amount to park your vehicles. There are small shops located at all tourist places in Cherrapunji. You can use the restroom, freshen up and do some shopping. My parents eagerly purchased adorable artefacts from the place after a frustrating bargaining conversation with a local.
Do you like trekking? Recently, I became obsessed with watching trekking vlogs on youtube. I plan to do an easy trek with my brother in the near future, let's see where that goes. But we had a small opportunity at Cherrapunji's Mawsmai Cave.
Again, the pristine premises at all tourist locations in Cherrapunji is commendable. We made our way through the narrow passages of the Mawsmai Cave. Mind you, one wrong step could lead to fatal injuries.
A good thing about roads - Unlike our metropolitan cities, the roads undergo constant repair. While I was traveling I noticed that the region is undergoing some repair work. So in small patches, the road was a little unstable. However, driving in the region was comparatively very smooth. Potholes are a major menace to the lives of the common people. But certainly, a boon for journalists as they can fill their newspapers for a day with pothole stories.
Our Shillong trip was a two-day-long venture. It was certainly made even more memorable as we enjoyed delicious meals at Courtyard Marriott’s restaurant- Spectra. The staff was incredibly kind and helped us throughout our stay. Mr. Chandan and his colleagues went out of their way to help us. Moreover, Chef Shashikant made some excellent parathas for our breakfast.
We felt incredibly grateful to them for their services. Go Team Marriott Shillong!
Have you ever been to Meghalaya? Share your experience in the comment section!
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