Meghalaya - Road trip!

First things first - this was an all-in-one trip - backpacking, bullet riding, closest to the nature and with the closest buddies - and this turned out to be the trip of my lifetime so far!

Just adding a picture up front to keep the reader interesting! (this was our last destination)

Places we visited - Shillong, Cheerapunji (called Sohra now), Nongriat, Mawlynnong and Krangshuri

Duration - 5 nights / 6 days

Background - I and my friend Rahul have been trying to explore offbeat places - planned one last year but couldn't make it - so he suggested Meghalaya this time and we couldn't have asked for a better place! His friend, Arjjun, joined us.

Overview:
Day 1 - Reach Guwahati from Chennai by air - bullet ride to Shillong and stay overnight
Day 2 - Start to Cheerapunji via Elephant Falls, Mawkdok Dymep Valley - stay overnight
Day 3 - Trek to Nongriat  - back to Cheerapunji for overnight stay
Day 4 - Start to Mawlynnong - stay overnight
Day 5 - To Krangshuri waterfalls via Shnongpdeng, Dawki, Bangladesh Border
Day 6 - Reach Guwahati and flight to Chennai by air

Day 1 - Guwahati to Shillong

It was polling day in Tamilnadu and I didn't want to miss casting my vote - so we booked the afternoon 3pm flight from Chennai to Guwahati. I booked a flight to Chennai from Coimbatore (2 hours from Karur, my hometown) - so I voted and started to Coimbatore at 8am and reached the Coimbatore airport at 9.45am. Landed at Chennai at 12.15pm. Rahul and Arjjun joined me at the Chennai airport - our trip was about to begin!

Guwahati Airport to Bike pick up point in Guwahati town - 22km by Ola
Guwahati to Shillong - 90km - started around 8.40pm
Checklist - Jacket, Gloves, Helmet, Water bottle, destination location in Google maps

• Entire stretch is National Highway
• Preferred reaching Shillong the same night so that a day can be saved
• Temperature began to drop as soon as we hit the highway and the wind was freezing cold 
• Highway is dotted with petty shops that are open till 11pm and we stopped at 2-3 places
• Checked in to Nalgre Guest House at 12.30 am and hit our beds
• This drive gave us an idea about what the rest of the trip would be!

At a Guwahati fuel station - just after picking up the bikes

At s pit stop on the way to Shillong! (I am on the left, at the middle is Rahul, on the right is Arjjun)

Day 2 - Shillong to Sohra (Cheerapunji is now called Sohra)

Well, after the last day's drive and sleep, three of us got ready by 11am - we freshened up and were served breakfast( bread, butter, omelette and tea) and got the destination keyed in in Google maps (this is very important in bike trips)

With the hotel receptionist cum cook in Shillong

Shillong to Sohra - 55km - there are quite a few places to visit on the way!

Highlights:

• Weather was pleasant
• Roads - as usual - super good

A glimpse of how the roads are! Behind me, is Arjjun in his Enfield.

• First stop - Elephant Falls - there is a sign board on the road - can be easily identified - a diversion to the right from the NH
• A simple sight seeing spot - there are petty shops at the generous parking area

A typical eatery in the waterfalls

• A few steps to be climbed down to see the waterfalls (climbing up & down is an integral part of all the places)

That's the falls!

• After the photo ops, we started back on our bikes - 2 minutes into it - it started raining - rains are common in this state. You never know when it would rain and when would it stop - thankfully we were lucky not to have rains for long duration during our entire trip
• We had bought a rain coat  - a 1 piece that would cover till knee length and with the hood - we stopped at the roadside and wore them only to find the rain stop after 2 minutes into our ride - we decided to wear it anyway till the next pit stop

A value for money rain coat - Rs 499

• Another few kms of driving and we reached the Mawkdok Dympep Valley and the time was around 1.30pm - we were hungry
• There is a big cafeteria with a generous parking space

Scenic cafeteria - the very look of it invites you to stop and eat!

Cheese and egg Maggi - drooling to look at!

• Dympep valley will take your breath away - its a lush green valley several hundred metres down and runs several kms all along the highway - it's a sight to behold! You can sit and keep looking at it for hours together - the nature at its best!

Watch closely - there is a zip line!

• What's more - there are 2 zip lines - yes - one along the valley (shorter one) and another across the valley - pure adrenaline rush! We did both the zip lines - Rs 800 per person - worth it!
• We continued our ride towards Cheerapunji towards our home-stay
• On the way was another attraction - Arwah Cave - this is again very much on the highway as just before the Cheerapunji town - it will be on your left with a ticket counter and a sign board
• There are two caves in and around Cheerapunji - Arwah, Mawsmai - we decided to the better of the two due to lack of time

Well laid out path to the caves - with the valley view! 

Caves are lit with lights and there is a stream that runs in it!

At some stretch, you would have to bend down and walk!

• These rocks are made of limestone and other fossil deposits - there is a detailed writing on this at the cave entrance
• It is a tad cooler inside the cave and you should be careful with your steps
• It was 4.30pm by then. Like all the other tourist attractions, there are a few eateries outside and we had tea and aloo mury (a local snack made with puffed rice, aloo, onions, salt and chilly powder) and headed towards our stay

This is where we stayed - away from the town and scenic (needless to say)

• Nalgre Homestay suited perfectly for us - away from the town and a typical home-stay like ambience
• We were asked what we wanted for dinner and food was absolutely delicious! There is an ample space outside the property where you can sit back and relax with a mountain view!

Day 3 - Cheerapunji to Nongriat - 13km - 30 minutes

• One of the most anticipated day - Nongriat is where there is a double decker living root bridge!
• Its just 13km away - the drive was simply beautiful - vast meadows on both sides of the roads, tiny, clean villages along the way and absolutely no traffic - we fell in love with riding again!
• After around 10km, you would have to take a sharp right to reach Tyrna - the last stretch of 2km is pot hole filled road and the dead end of the road takes you to the gateway to Nongriat trek - 
• We were told that the trek would take 6 hours in total - its a 3000 step climb - and so we started at 8.30am and reached Tyrna at 9am
• There was a small eatery at the entrance of the trek and we had black chenna and - you guessed it right - Maggi noodles and finished with a glass of tea

Healthy breakfast to charge up for the trek

Entrance of the trek

• There are guides waiting for guests at the entrance - Rs 600 for the Nongriat trek and Rs 1000 if it is clubbed with Rainbow falls
• Tough a guide may not be needed - we hired one - he kept telling us about the culture, lifestyle, habits of the people living there
• You could do two ways here - go to Nongriat and stay overnight (Serene homestay is the most popular one), trek to Rainbow falls from there and leave the next day - most families stay overnight just to avoid the return trek the same day so that their bodies will cooperate. Else, do what we did - start early morning - trek to Nongriat, spend time bathing and return the same afternoon without going to Rainbow falls
• Rainbow falls is an hour of trek away from Nongriat and it has clear blue water. We skipped this because we would be visiting Krangshuri waterfalls that has a huge pool of clear blue waters
• Our trek began at 9.40am and its a climb down of the steps initially - we covered this downhill as soon as we could with a couple of breaks in between
• There are a few villages on the way and many shops selling water, fresh lemon juice (don't miss this - tastes best with salt instead of sugar) and other snacks
• The stairs are well laid out and the path picturesque!

Shops rent out sticks for the trek - not needed but still we rented one!

The initial part of the trek is downhill

Our guide (with his lunch packed from his home) explaining about the place and its people

• The eagerness to reach the destination clubbed with the downhill path make the onward trek easy and interesting
• Its actually passing from one side of the valley to the other side - a suspension iron bridge and another iron bridge need to be crossed after which the final part of the trek is uphill climb

Suspension bridge - wobbly but secure!

One more bridge before the uphill begins

Thats blue waters - natural and clean!

• After 1 hour and 15 minutes, we reached the heaven - if Nongriat can be called that way - its a sight you won't forget for the rest of your life!
• I will let the pictures speak for themselves

Photo ops! Guide clicked some 10 pictures at different zoom levels from various angles

You would be stunned by the nature!

A dip in the clearest and the coldest waters - thoroughly refreshing!

• We knew we could take a dip in the natural pool and so we carried change of clothes. We were in the waters for about an hour - we didn't want to leave but we had to!
• Started our trek back and we knew its going to be one of the toughest exercise we ever did in our lives - because its going to be a climb -up of 3000 steps!

How is that for a trek?

Our faces say it all!

A cluster of tiny houses just behind my head - that is Nongriat!

• 1 hour and 45 minutes was the return trek time - above average, the guide told us!
• Reached our home-stay in 30 minutes, had lunch and it started raining like crazy - for about 3 hours - hailstones and chill, strong winds!

When the rain started at 2.30pm - it became pitch dark!

Hailstones!

• Rest of the day was at leisure - a good time to catch up with one another - has been 9 years since we parted our ways!
• Another round of delicious home cooked dinner and hit our beds

Day 4 - Cheerapunji to Mawlynnong - 80km - 3 hours

• Had breakfast at the homestay and started to Mawlynnong at 9am
• This was the best drive of all the 5 days - route was a classical road trip one - country side, valley view, mountains both the sides - all topped up with chilling wind and cloudy weather
• Took a couple of breaks enroute

It was so cold that we couldn't drive the bike without donning a jacket!

Vast valley - so vast that you can't actually see where it ends!

• There is a deviation to the right from the highway, some 20km before Mawlynnong and there are signboards
• This last stretch is a bit narrow and leads us to the 'cleanest village of Asia' - Mawlynnong
• There is an entry ticket for every vehicle that enters Mawlynnong 
• We found our way to the bamboo cottage where our stay was booked

Thats our cottage - its listed in Airbnb as well!

Located right next to the village centre

A cozy little room that goes well with the surroundings!

• t was lunch time when we reached and it happened to be Easter Sunday - there was only one restaurant that was open and we had only one vegetarian option - rice with  dal and vegetables!

A functional restaurant in an unfinished building!

A simple but healthy meals - we didn't fall sick because of food in our entire trip!

• There are a few places to see around in addition to a stroll in the village itself - single root bridge, panoramic view of Bangladesh (after climbing up bamboo poles set-up), balancing rock (naturally formed)
• This place is so close to Bangladesh that Rahul got an SMS from Airtel - Welcome to Airtel Bangladesh"! And his mobile picked up signal from a Bangladesh network Robi Axiata!
• There are other spots such as river and waterfalls view - some 5km away from Mawlynnong - you can visit these just after monsoons - it was dry when we went (April)

Thats the bamboo set up you would have to climb to view Bangladesh

Behind us and far away is what is supposed to be Bangladesh!

Single root bridge - nowhere comes close to double decker bridge in Nongriat!

Rahul inspecting the balancing rock:)

• All the above spots would take an hour in total - 1.5 hour maximum and we were done with all this by 3pm and we took a stroll in the village and it was like walking in a luxury resort - given the kind of landscaping and paving!

Well laid roads for the cars to get in!

A typical kind of house

Paved paths for the tourists to walk - though it feels like intruding into their privacy

• We were told to order dinner in advance - and so we did - again the only and healthy option of rice, dal and vegetables
• The village-centre is typically a large open space - it serves as a meeting point for tourists who travel in groups and it turns into a play area for the village children from around 4.30pm

Children and young adults start to gather at village centre at dusk

Street lights are powered by solar energy - during power cuts - children again come to the village centre to play

With Mr Lafrangha - the owner of the bamboo cottage - a very humble and learned man!

• We just sat at the village centre and saw children play for close to 1.5 hours. Mr Lafrangha told us that people here are very content and Sunday is mandatory off for all the shops even though people can make more money on Sundays because of the tourists - but they don't because Sundays are for themselves - we could see this in the entire state and not just in Mawlynnong - our rides gave us a sneak peek into their lives, culture and lifestyle!
• That evening was our time to introspect  and realized that there is a life beyond social network, beyond the office / home routine, beyond the mall / movie / restaurant weekends!
• We had our humble dinner at the same restaurant and wound the day up
• The bamboo cottage let us sleep peacefully only to be waken up by loud to louder thunderstorms at the wee hours accompanied by very heavy rains - we continued to hear thunderstorms for hours together and it brought a lot of rains as well!

 Day 5 - Mawlynnong to Krangsuri Waterfalls via Shnongpdeng and Dawki

Souvenir shops in Mawlynnong open as early as 8am for the tourists

• Another exciting day on the cards - we were to reach Krangsuri waterfalls after driving through Dawki, visiting Bangladesh border and Shnonpdeng
• We bid bye to the cleanest (and happiest as well) village after a Maggi & tea breakfast at the same (and only opened) restaurant
• Dawki is 35km away and it took 1.5 hours with a couple of breaks - the drive, needless to say, was a breeze (literally!)

Rahul checking out a store on the highway

As you near Dawki, the BSF posts can be seen frequently

• We chose not to stop at Dawki - where all the tourists stop and take a boat ride - there are boatmen standing along the roads who will try to stop you - we didn't budge and proceeded to Shnongpdeng - it is a 8km uphill ride from Dawki - and it is worth it - no crowd like Dawki - you can enjoy a peaceful boat ride at an official price of Rs500/- for 45 minutes - yes, you read that right - its a 45 minute boat ride!
• Shnongpdeng water, usually, is crystal clear and the boats will look like as if it is floating in the air (Google it out) - unfortunately, since it rained for the last two days, water was muddy - that didn't take the charm out of the boat ride though!

Boats docked - but for the rains,it would have been clear waters!

The end point of boat ride where U-turn is made

Boatman refused to accept a tip - not one accepted in our entire trip!

Stunning view

Clear water would have been just stunning but this is nothing short of an amazing boat ride!

• We headed to Bangladesh border - this is where we made a mistake - we should have visited border and then should have headed to Shnongpdeng - now we had to ride down to Dawki to visit the border and then again have to ride uphill in the same route to proceed to Krangsuri - so  if you are ultimate destination is Krangsuri,  I would suggest you to visit Dawki, Bangladesh border and then go to Shnongpdeng after which you can proceed to Krangsuri

A few pics on the border!

This milestone marks the exact point of boundary

• Krangsuri is 35km from here and we couldn't wait to go there! (The first pic of this blog is good enough to convey how good a spot that is!)
• Another leisure and relaxing drive - and we were there in just more than an hour
• We parked our bike and called up the person in-charge - we were told to go to the ticket counter  - its a climb down again - its easy if you are light with the luggage - since we were camping, we had to carry our backpacks and we knew its going to be an arduous task when coming back - but we didn't mind - by this time, we were used to these kind of rigor ;)

Gorgeous view of the falls on the way down

• Upon reaching the ticket counter, we were directed to the restaurant (yes, there's one in the falls) and the teenage boy who was in-charge of it was very friendly and showed us our tents

Tents :)

A 2 bed tent - it was neatly arranged with bed spreads, blankets and pillows

• As we checked in to our tents, we couldn't wait to take a plunge in the falls - our care taker was very helpful and explained us the package we had chosen - camping, boating, waterfalls, dinner bonfire and breakfast - all this for 1500/- per head - to me, this is a throw away price when you compared to what you get in return - absolutely stunning view and stay close to nature, waterfalls - and we had all this for ourselves for the whole night - no one else camped that night! (https://krang-shuri-waterfall.business.site/)

This looks straight out of a picture post card! 

Again, it was just us in the waterfalls before some people came by

Boating on the upper part of the falls - the boatman refused our tip - again!

Clear waters - its clear everywhere in Mehgalaya!

• After our dip in the falls and boating, we had nothing to do - so another chance to sit back, introspect and relax before we headed to the restaurant for dinner and yes, you guessed it right - rice, dal, veggies!

Thanks to Pixel Night Sight for the pic!

We spent a good one hour basking in the warmth of bonfire

The restaurant - a neat little place that serves healthy, hygienic (needless to say) food

Day 6  - Krangsuri to Guwahati and to Chennai by air

• The longest ride of our trip was slated today  - Guwahati is a good 190km away and its a 4.5 hours drive
• We had our breakfast and climbed up to the parking area sweating profusely in the process
• Began our return journey - yes, its always a hard feeling when you know this is going to be the last day - but this trip, to us, was out of the world experience!

Our backpacks from home grown brands - Roshan and Rubeen - as durable & tough as Decathalon or Wildcraft at 2/3rds of the price! 

Famous Jiva restaurant on Shillong Guwahati highway - lip-smacking food (a tad expensive though)

• Done and dusted - we left the bikes in the bike drop point and bid bye to Guwahati!

A few points I want to emphasize here:

• Meghalaya is an absolutely safe place - people are friendly and courteous - you can manage with Hindi 
• Its so close to nature - its gifted that way - the perfect place to enjoy nature
• People are so content and peaceful - they don't work on Sundays, almost all the houses you see are of the same size and pattern - you just can't differentiate rich and poor - everybody wears a smile on their face
• There is no one big industry / factory we came across - we almost rode around the entire state - another reason why nature is untouched
• There is absolutely no commercialization of any sight seeing spots - unlike Ooty and Kodaikanal in my state of Tamilnadu where the places are crowded with tourists, street vendors and others
• I got to know Meghalaya follows matrilineal system - women take the family name and most of the shops are managed by women - a significant difference you will observe when in Meghalaya
• When it comes to business market - it is surprising to see that only Altos and 800s run as taxis - cars that we don't give a damn about in our state - but these cars have a huge market here - we rarely saw cars of brands other than Maruti and Hyundai - goes to show how important the sales and service networks are for a brand - we didn't happen to see any other showroom as well - only Maruti and Hyundai
• Maggi - something that came close to ban and that lost a chunk of market share in Southern states - is the monopoly in Meghalaya - I mean, from the business point of view, the market is on the extreme sides from whatever I have known / learnt / experienced - this was an eye-opener
• All the villages are clean and organised and look alike - while there are buses as a part of public transportation and no trains, we didn't even see one!
• Roads are a rider's paradise - well laid, wide, no traffic!
• Our entire itinerary and arrangements was done by one Vikramjeet, whom I found on TripAdvisor (https://tripnortheast.co.in/) - evrything was well coordinated, all the check ins were without any hassle and reasonably priced!

Thats it then! I hope you enjoyed reading my blog (my first one). We were literally smitten by Meghalaya and we are determined to this kind of trip once a year to an unexplored / offbeat destination!