Ambling in the Abode of Clouds

We were very much tempted to finish this travelogue with the following two lines, but we’re forced to begin it with them :

If you haven’t seen Meghalaya, then you haven’t seen the world;

If you haven’t seen Sohra, then you haven’t seen Meghalaya.

We had a couple of firsts in this trip. In the morning, we received a phone call asking us to carry both wind-sheeters and umbrellas. We’re already carrying the former with us, so we had to open the bags again to tuck the latter therein. Then, we received another call during midday that we should carry enough woolen as the temperature would dip once it started raining there. But it was too late as we had already reached the airport!

Then this was the first time that we had to go the international terminal of the airport in our city, albeit for a domestic flight.

As we’re moving over the Bangladesh plains, we could see thick clouds everywhere. We hoped in vain that the blades of the propeller would be able to drive them away. The small aircraft timidly peeped through a window in the clouds, glided over the beautiful Barapani lake, hovered above the mountains that had so many different hues of green, and finally settled into the lap of a valley that houses the Shillong airport.

Tempting indeed... please continue!

Khublei Shibun (Thank you), niknik.

Photo 1 : View of the Barapani lake from the aircraft
Photo 2 : The ATR aircraft that flies between Kolkata and Shillong, waiting at the Shillong airport
Photo 3 : View outside the Shillong airport

good teaser ! waiting......

Khublei, aditiban, for your encouragement.

It had rained just before we reached there. So the wetness added another dimension to the beautiful landscape.

Our first stop was at the Umiam lake that welcomes everybody to Shillong for quite a long time along the highway coming from Guwahati. Next we took a short detour and saw the Bishop and Beadon falls.

The golf course waited for its turn offering all its greenery. It was started in 1898 as a nine hole course, but the present eighteen hole course was inaugurated in 1924. The pleasant carpet of the golf course wiped off all the pollutants from our mind that we might have carried from a metropolis.

Our last stop for the day was at Wards lake, which was picturesque, but perhaps bore a little unnatural look. Surprisingly there was a Magnolia Grandiflora tree which had blossomed all over.

Photos 1,2 : Umiam / Barapani Lake
Photos 3,4 : Bishop and Beadon falls
Photos 5-9 : Golf course

Photos of Wards Lake :

great piece

Khublei, SomPan.

We started the day with a visit to the house where Rabindranath Tagore stayed in October 1919 and penned his famous “Shesher Kabita”.

Here we met an aged Bengali gentleman who has been living there since the 70s. He echoed a voice of concern for the local Bengalis, or non-Khasis, as they are targeted by aboriginals for snatching at night. They enjoy the sympathy of the local government; hence no action is taken against them. There is a discussion in the air that non-Khasis will be barred from voting in the 2013 election. He cautioned us against staying outside after seven at night. Interestingly, he pointed out, while naming their state, they had to take recourse to Bengali as no suitable word was found in Khasi language !

We then visited Jitbhumi, another house where Rabindranath stayed in May to June, 1923 and wrote the drama “Rakta Karobi”. Entry inside the building is restricted. We surreptitiously opened the gate and took a few photos.

Photos 1,2 : Rabindranath stayed here in October 1919
Photos 3,4,5 : Jitbhumi

Wow!!!

Nice pictures mousourik and the really the heading!!!

Photos of the lakes and of where Rabindranath stayed are specially good.

Great going...

Khublei Shibun, Duronto Jajabar.

great !

Then started our real journey. We took the NH 40 towards Dawki at Bangladesh border. We stopped at Umtyngar for taking photos of a small river. Then again, we heard the roar of a waterfall much below the road level. The stream was flowing absent-mindedly, not being bothered that nobody named it.

After Laitlyngkot, there was a stretch where cloud engulfed us completely. Visibility was reduced to a couple of meters only, which was a little scary. We took a nice breakfast of momos and coffee at H.A.S.T.I. Bala restaurant at Pynursla.

The landscape changed gradually after Pynursla as we were moving towards plain land. The temperature soared up. There were lots and lots of jackfruit and betel nut trees on both sides of the road, but nobody was there to collect them ! After Pomshutia, suddenly we saw a Magnolia Grandiflora tree on the right side. It was all smiles and very inviting – so we had to get out of the car. We were pleasantly caressed by the sweet aroma of the beautiful white flowers – an amazing experience.

Photo 1,3 : Views along NH-40
Photo 2 : View at Umtyngar
Photo 4 : Cloud started moving up
Photo 5 : Magnolia beside the road