Meghalaya: Sunshine in the abode of the clouds!

Meghalaya was an unlikely choice for a family vacation in the middle of winter, around the corner of the new year. Yet, with all the usual clouds, rain, and mist swept away, we got to enjoy the sunniest side of the wettest places on Earth! 

Well known for their natural beauty, the twin hills of Khasi and Jaintya, folded like a thick skirt of mother nature, soaked in embellishments of lakes, creeks, streams, gorges, valleys, plateaus, and cliffs. The most amazing were the refreshing waterfalls, the ancient caves with fossils, the knotted living root bridges, and the crystal clear Umngot river in Dawki as it meandered from between the twin hills into the plains of Bangladesh.

Here's my list of top picks from the wonderful short trip to Meghalaya. 

The amazing sun-rise and sun-set views, a heady cocktail of sun's warmth with the nip of the crisp winter breeze. 

The views from the tops of trees which could be climbed through a maze of narrow bamboo walks. 

A humming tree in Asia's cleanest village Mawlynnong, with hundreds of bees feasting on the nectars of winter blossoms. 

The succulent super sweet pineapples and the electrifying little King chilies, that would add to the zing of a Khashi meal.

And here are some pictures to re-kindle my memories of Meghalaya!










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Roots and wings

Image
My daughter is growing up fast. I am counting the years before she is ready to leave us. I want somehow to stop the clock; there are just so many things that I want to do with her. Since I cannot stop time, I would like to give the best of myself to my daughter in the remaining time I have. Each moment seems precious. I long to spend her after school hours with her. Help her with her projects and homework. Watch some good movies with her. Go and help her explore the beautiful and wonderful world around.Help her with her poems, listen to her songs, compliment her drawings. Tell her about Aung san Su Ki, Margaret Thatcher  Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie and the constellation of great women who have impacted the world. I want her to be ready when she steps out into the world on her own. Ready to have her roots deep down and wings ready for soaring the heavens. Here's a song from Abba, which conveys my feelings, as I watch my daughter grow.
Read more

Hum-durd : He who shares my pain.

Image
 A heart-wrenching week just went by. Two young lives were lost to epic battles with deadly diseases.  The first, an eighteen-year-young boy. I dare call him a man. He had fought valiantly with years of drug addiction in a hideous locality known for petty crime. When he was finally admitted to the rehab center, he caught the ominous tuberculosis. When I met him, the disease had spread across his lungs and into his brain. My last-moment diagnosis and advice to rush him to the hospital was help too little and too late! The second, a young man, just in his late twenties. A software engineer, with a plump job. A very eligible bachelor. Handsome, tall, fair, and full of life. Till colon cancer got him and drained every bit of life slowly and wickedly from him. The last unit of my blood did little to save him, as I witnessed his final breaths and last heartbeats on the monitor. The families were heartbroken. The mothers were incessant in their cries, unable and unwilling to comprehend their
Read more

Juju and Jamuni

Image
When we had sunshine in Darjeeling during the monsoon, the school would declare a sunny day holiday! That was many moons ago. Perchance, I happened to be in Darjeeling in the thick of this monsoon. And while my last two evenings were spent indoors with the storms displaying their might of lightning and thunder showers, this morning was different. Clear blue skies, sunny, and bright. As I gazed at the well washed valleys below, the brilliant green tea-estates, I could not just keep myself from wanting to go outdoors. I also wanted to try the bike-taxi service which I had heard of called "Ju-Ju" or "lets go-lets go" in the local language. The biker came within 10 minutes of my call and I asked him to suggest the perfect nice, sunny and warm place to visit that was offbeat Darjeeling and un-touristy. Jamuni! he said, and off we went. After forty minutes or so of winding ride, across a series of tea gardens, we reached the valley below! Jamuni was quiet, serene and ever
Read more