Women on Wanderlust: A Motorcycle Trip With My BFF Across Meghalaya Gave Us Memories For Life!

A slight mist kissed the verdant green mountains and we glided along butter smooth roads. It was exciting to spot plunging waterfalls at almost every turn. The beauty of Meghalaya was starkly different from the hill-stations that we had visited in college. But the friendly, smiling faces we saw had the same warmth even thousands of kilometres away from the north.

Aparna and I love living with locals and getting an insight into their lives. This is why we decided to book an Airbnb! We scrolled through numerous listings in Shillong and finally decided upon the beautiful Russet, which is located right in the middle of the city. We sent in a request to the host, and were soon tugging towards our lovely abode.

We arrived in front of a glorious Victorian property with an entrance blanketed in a bubble of purple cherry blossoms. We were greeted by Anne, our host, who was accompanied by two adorable dogs, Caesar and Stella. This was Aparna's first time in an Airbnb, and she was overjoyed with the welcome that she received. With Stella tugging at the hem of my pants and Caeser jumping up and down in excitement, this warm welcome had surpassed the hospitality of the hotels she was used to staying in.

Tired from our long journey, we decided to treat ourselves to delicious Khasi food that Anne herself had prepared. We washed our meal down with a glass of wine as Aparna played the piano in the living area. It was as if we'd entered a 19th century British novel – the cosy house was highly ornate, with gabled roofs and large decorative windows. The slight chill in the air only added to the feeling of being in a different period.

Mawlynnong is famed as the cleanest village in Asia, so we wanted to have a first-hand experience of living in the village itself. We were delighted when we stumbled upon a traditional, Khasi Airbnb, Ibansara's Hut.

Tucked amidst nature, Ibansara's Hut was made of bamboo, tin and hay. It was an ideal place to stay and experience village life. What we liked best about this Airbnb was the fact that it was in close proximity to a few hidden getaways, pristine waterfalls, a tiny stream and the famous living root bridge. It allowed us to stay as close to nature as possible!

After a two hour trek through the forest, we reached the living root bridge. We unpacked the small picnic that we had packed at our Airbnb, and devoured it as we sat on big boulders in the middle of a stream. We spent a few hours lounging there.

In the evening, we returned to Mawlynnong and had dinner at a small hotel. Later in the evening, we spent some time stargazing from the patio of our Airbnb before we went to sleep.

This was the destination that I was most excited about. The snake-like Dawki river meandered playfully as we approached it from above. The water was so clear that it almost seemed like the boats were floating in air!

For our final few days, we booked an Airbnb as special as the destination – a tent pitched right by the river! The lake-side camp served as an idyllic setting to ring in Aparna's birthday. We walked over cotton-soft sand and took a boat ride to soak in Dawki's endless beauty. The minty blue water looked so unreal that it almost felt like someone had dropped dollops of paint in the river!

As night dawned, the shimmering river looked like a sliver of the moon itself! Our host lit up a bonfire, and the two of us, along with a couple of strangers celebrated by sharing our travel stories.

The next morning, we were taken for snorkelling and cliff jumping! We were absolutely terrified to jump, however, we bravely concluded that it would be a great way to mark our reunion trip. And so, we tightly held each others' hand, counted to three, took a deep breath and finally made the big plunge! It was one of those defining moments that one reads about in books or watches in films.

The majestic mountains of Meghalaya had helped rekindle our precious friendship.