Borders, Bridges and more - Meghalaya and beyond!

We started the day after an amazing breakfast at Sa - i – Mika. We drove through some very scenic roads dotted with tiny villages. Kids playing football would stop and wave at the car. And when you wave back, they give you the sweetest of smiles. The sheer happiness on their faces is enough to lift anyone’s mood. :)

We drove through Pyursula towards Dawki and the road was decent with not much traffic. Though I am told, the Jowai – Dawki Road is much more scenic, we didn’t have the time to take a detour to Jowai.

The road is such that, for the most part, there is a valley on one side and a hill on the other. The valley was masked with clouds and fog. At some places there was almost no visibility. It honestly felt like we were driving through clouds. Now who could pass up an opportunity to stop here and take pictures!?

The first stop on this scenic route was the much anticipated Living Root Bridge. It is exactly what the name says, a bridge made of aerial roots of Banyan Fig trees which grows stronger with each passing day. In one of the wettest regions of our country, the locals have shaped the roots of many such trees to form natural bridges to cross rivers and connect villages.

This beauty blew me away. So majestic and yet so simple. An extension of two trees twirling into each other. They just stood there tall and strong watching as the world passes by. If we sit quiet awhile, I’m sure they’ll share a few stories with us.

Few Pointers: This Bridge is the most easily accessible for tourists and will take a 10 min walk from the parking lot. It can get a little tricky when it rains to tread your way down. So be careful. Also carry a bottle of water. If you have more time, then do visit the other Root Bridges spread out over Meghalaya. There are even Root Ladders. :o

Mawlynnong:

This is a tiny village about 2 kms further from the Living Root Bridge. It has become a very famous tourist spot because it was named as the Cleanest Village in Asia in 2003. Yes, that was 13 years ago. The people of this village have turned this title into a very flourishing business. You can see a hoard of taxis when you enter and there is a parking fee, which is basically entrance fee, of Rs.50/Car. This fee is collected even if there is no place to park. :|

The village is clean for sure, but so are many other villages on the way here. So nothing surprising about it. The roads are dotted with plants and colorful flowers. Aesthetically very pleasing. There is 100% literacy in this village and it is a matrilineal society. Almost all of the shops and restaurants were run by women. What a refreshing change!

Ahhh Finaally.! This place has been keeping me awake ever since I booked my tickets to Guwahati. :P It is an hour’s journey from Mawlynnong through thick forest cover. You can see Bangladesh on one side for most part of the route. When I first caught glimpse of the river, I was so disappointed. It was nothing like I had imagined it to be. The water was muddy and in all likelihood, there was sand mining of some sort taking place. Also there were about a 1000 people in the water. :|

Turns out, this sight I was seeing was in Bangladesh. As we moved further, the scenes changed drastically. The river became clear and we could see the bridge which lies across Dawki. I couldn’t wait to get out of the car.

It was everything I had imagined. Infact, it was more. We hired a boat and went for a long ride. You can see many locals sitting on their boats here and fishing. Great spot to fish by the way, since the water is so clear. The boats almost seem like they are floating mid air.

I could sit here for hours soaking in her beauty, admiring how calm she is and how seamlessly she flows not worrying about borders. I had found my Happy Place. <3

We bid adieu to Shillong with a heavy heart and left to Guwahati. On the way you find this beautiful lake called Umiam Lake or Bara Pani. It is huge and the highway skirts its perimeter for quite some time and hence very hard to miss. It is beautiful beyond words. The breeze making your hair fly, the smell of corn roasting in the corner and the view of crystal blue water stretching as far as you can see. Ideal! We just stood there staring at this beauty and reminiscing on what a wonderful trip we have had. I felt truly blessed.!