The travel bug in me is always on the lookout for new places to visit. So, when my friends asked me if I'd like like to accompany them to Aizawl, I was really thrilled. I knew Aizawl wouldn't disappoint me.
There are many ways one can reach Aizawl, its connected to many different cities via airways. The nearest railway station is in Silchar, which is about 6 hrs drive from Aizawl. I took a flight from Guwahati and I was really happy with my decision because I'd never seen a more beautiful view from the airplane. There were just parallel ranges of hills all over with mist and fog in between the ranges, all assimilating with each other in a kind of way which was very soothing to the eyes.
After I landed at the Lengpui airport on the 14th January, we directly went to the cute guest house that we booked called the David's Clover. The very friendly owner Dolly was waiting there and she made us all feel at home instantly and helped us plan our trip much better. Sundays in Aizawl are a holiday so make sure not to plan any city tour that day.
The next day was a Sunday so Dolly took us to the church with her. It was a real treat to our eyes to see all the people dressed up in their colourful traditional attires.
After that, we headed out to Reiek. Reiek is a small heritage village in Aizawl. Its got a wonderful view point from the top for which you have to trek for 2-3 kms. The road to Reiek was quite a roller coaster ride with hairpin bends and steep roads all over making us literally scream once or twice seeing the inclination of the road that we had to pass through.
We started our trek at around 3pm with the hope to see the sunset from the top. The path to the top was a dense evergreen forest with a cave in the middle of the trek. While we kept walking deep into the woods, suddenly we realized that there was no road anymore. We looked around and on the right side we found a small opening through the jungle. As we took that path, Dammmnnnn, there it was, the forest opened into this beautiful view of mountains and deep gorges. We had to walk up a little more to reach the summit. Well, the view from up there is something I can't describe in words nor can the photographs do justice to it. We just sat there and saw the changing hues of the sunset till the point the sun actually went down into the horizon, quite literally. Coming down was a little difficult as it was really dark but we had our flashlights to the rescue.
On our way back in the car the most amazing thing happened that left me quite spell bound. As I told the driver to stop the car in the middle of the road, I jumped out of the car and saw the most incredible sky ever. Every inch of the sky was star studded. There were so many stars that I couldn't even identify my favorite constellations. That was the first time ever that I had tears of joy in my eyes. The sky gazer in me was full of content.
The next day we thought of exploring the city and took a local tour of Aizawl. That's when I realized that every spot in Aizawl you stop your car looks like a view point. I've been to many hilly destinations in the north but Aizawl was something different.
First we headed out to a place called the Solomon's Temple. The construction of this church has been going on since more than 10 years and was still under construction during our visit. It was officially inaugurated on 25/12/17. The beautiful marble facade was really a wonderful site, with the bluest sky that I've ever seen as the backdrop of it.
Next destination on our list was KV Paradise. Also called Mapui Mahal. Its a built by Khawlhring in the memory of his wife Rosampui Varte who died in a car accident. The three storied mausoleum was indeed beautiful but I also felt an eerie vibe about it. Just outside the building was again a very breathtaking view of the hills.
Later that evening, we went to shop in the local markets. Aizawl can be a shopper's paradise. Its got a lot of imported goods from the other countries and that's how people in Aizawl manage to look so chic and classy all the time. (TIP- shops there close down very early so if you want to shop, be there on time)
At night we hogged on momos which were so tasty that I still salivate while thinking about it. Also, we had a friend who played the guitar. Needless to say, we had an amazing music filled night.
The next day, it was time to leave the city. We packed our luggage and breathed our last bit of the clear, unpolluted air before we went back to the hustle bustle of the city.
