Meghalaya

Assam to Meghalaya

The path to the train station, where the buses and shared taxis also leave, was only about 2 km away. So, I took the path, with all my belongings, fresh and well rested, on foot. It was really pleasant to watch Guwahati slowly wake up and come to life in the cool fresh morning air. Of course, halfway there, I had the obligatory tea from the Chaiwala. I continued on my way and soon enough, the first taxi drivers were already calling out to me from their open windows, Shillong Shillong?

Oops, that was actually my destination for today and shortly after, I saw a few shared taxis on the side of the road and one of them ran across the street, shouting 200! Shillong 200! Well, why continue walking when I can get my fare here. My luggage was quickly loaded onto the roof, as usual, and then it was time to wait until the car was full. I sat on the side and not even 10 minutes later, my driver came up to me and said Car Changed (different car). I didn't even notice that my luggage was already loaded onto another car. We started driving and the car was naturally full, 4 rows with 4 people each, 3 upfront including the driver. But the trip out of the city was hesitant at first, with constant honking and the driver shouting out the window, Shillong Shillong? I guess he doesn't have enough yet. And let's not forget, my seat neighbor had one leg on my side and the other one over at the driver's side, with the gear stick between their legs. What a funny sight, seeing the driver constantly playing with the stick between their legs. Well, you can imagine what that might look like! And at some point, we stopped and the driver went outside, until another person sat in the driver's seat, okay a new driver... No, the driver also got back in, WTF? Now there were four of us in the back seat, unbelievable, but funny to watch, two on my seat and 2 on the driver's seat, and yes, it somehow worked. About 2 hours later, we arrived in Shillong, where I had an overnight stop.

Nongriat - Meghalaya

The next morning, I took another shared taxi to Cherrepunji and then another 15 minutes by taxi to the small quaint village of Tyrna. From there, I went down a steep staircase for another 5 minutes until I reached the last structures of civilization, which would be my accommodation for the next 4 days. Someone came running towards me from behind and called my name, but also showed me that I had mistakenly booked for next month, shock! And now, they quickly checked and said I could still stay since they didn't have any booking requests at the moment. Wow, what luck, and even more, what a wonderful place. It was surrounded by greenery and all I could hear were the sounds of the jungle. Plus, a fabulous view of the mountains opposite, truly a place to arrive, relax, and linger.

Root Bridges and Rainbow Waterfall

In the afternoon, I set off and walked down the steep staircase for about 15 minutes, covering a distance of about 1.5 km. When I arrived at the bottom, I reached the first root bridge. A masterpiece of human and nature. Over the course of many years, the branches are driven over the riverbed until they eventually grow into a proper and stable bridge in future generations. Very interesting, and it has been a wish of mine to see this live for many years, ever since I read and saw about it. Just 2.5 km further into the calmness of Nongriat, you will even find a double-decker bridge.

On the second day, I took a break at my amazing hut. Then, on the next day, I hiked through Nongriat again to reach the Rainbow Waterfall, which was 90 minutes away. And what can I say, when I arrived there, all sweaty, I was absolutely speechless. Crystal clear water finds its way from high above to land in an incredibly blue pool below. Another marvel of nature.

Of course, the interesting part comes when you are on the way back and you reach the staircase mentioned earlier. You have to climb it again, that's for sure. Everyone is panting, sweating, and gasping for air. Before I left this paradise on the 4th day, I took another day off on the third day. The climate here was very pleasant, with temperatures around 23 degrees during the day and cooling down to 12 degrees at night. I always enjoyed sitting by the campfire in front of my hut in the evening.

Shillong - Meghalaya

I then returned and spent 2 more days exploring Shillong. It was also Republic Day, which had the advantage of making things a bit quieter. In the evening, my host Jason invited some friends over. We had a delicious dinner and a good amount of rum. When the rum quickly ran out, we went to a meeting point where the good liquor was being sold in a black market setting. What an experience! It was a great farewell evening for this part of my journey.

And this concludes my first visit to this interesting region in North India. I am leaving with a positive attitude, as this part is really different from the more well-known parts of India. Truly fantastic and definitely worth a visit, or perhaps even another one.