A trip of memories - old and new

As I sat in the car, early in the morning, I was looking forward to catching some sleep on the five hour drive. But just as we started on our way I realised that the driver needed directions at least till we reached the outskirts of Mumbai. There went my plans of shut eye and while navigating I took the opportunity to observe the recently resumed early morning activity in the city. 

We passed by markets getting ready to open up to the early morning customers looking for fruits, vegetables and flowers. Took me back to the pre-Covid times when every morning I would wait for the fresh flowers to be delivered for the morning Pooja. The fragrance and blooming petals always brought a smile to the face. In the initial months of CoVid there were no flowers to be offered and then slowly one started to get some from the trees below. These were literally "fresh flowers" albeit not the most fragrant. 

Moving on, we chanced upon schools that displayed merry signs of having reopened with all protocols to protect in place; as in person education once again gets its due credit. Of course the students and teachers were not on campus but the security staff had started to trickle in. I have heard how resuming the daily morning routine has become a novelty for all associated with the education system. But it's good to know that children can start mingling again. 

A few kilometres and a couple of tens of minutes passed by when I saw the scene that I wish I could click on my phone. A father and a daughter on a motorcycle were driving, seemingly to the daughter's college (there was no uniform and she looked older than sixteen) and on the way, on the motorcycle, the daughter was studying! Imagine her dedication! The father, bearing this in mind was driving on the left side, slow and steady. This was totally adorable and reminded me of the days when I used to get late to get to college and Papa had to drive me to the station. As he ensured that I caught the train timely, he did not have the luxury of a slow drive but he always avoided the potholes. In fact that is where I learnt the skill of driving smoothly. The love of parents is not just unconditional and enduring but also uplifting and soothing. That is why Papa insisted that I wake him up before I leave and I know he will be awake tomorrow night till I reach home. Under his watch I know I am always loved, protected and guided.

It was at this point that I decided to start writing and took out my phone. But before I could start, another scene filled my heart with gratitude for my parents. A father was dropping his daughter to school (she was in a red and white uniform with braided hair and was about eight years old) and riding pillion she hugged him tight. Her head was resting on his back and her eyes were shut. This cute little angel was trying to catch some sleep enroute. Well someone thinks of optimising sleep like I do! This one was a sight worth a million rupees and I think will be etched in my memory for a long time. 

Talking about parents I am taken back many years. Mother was visiting me in London and we had gone shopping; an activity that tires the both of us but had to be undertaken that day. On the way home, in the tube, I sat next to Mummy with my head resting on her shoulders and her hand caressing my head. I thought this was absolutely normal for a mother and daughter till I saw the mother of a young about ten year old girl sitting in front of us, literally throw the jacket back to her daughter. The tired child had put the jacket on the mother's lap hoping for some affection but not only did she get the garment back but also a quip that the mother was not her coolie or her dumping ground. I still remember looking at Mummy and thanking my stars. Well it's not that we both don't have disagreements or even the occasional fight. But the selfless affection and care that I am blessed with makes me realise over and over again how I won the parent lottery. 

Happy thoughts probably comatosed me because soon after I wrote the above, I was asleep and woke up closer to the destination as we passed by the Gandharpale Buddhist caves. It amazes me how much of history is strewn across the length and breadth of Maharashtra! While the caves are beautiful even from a distance, I was pleasantly surprised from there on to see green fields playing with the mountains in the background. Further ahead the fields soon were making way for the rivers and streams that were gently flowing by. Even in the scorching forty degrees celcius the water was a thick carpet over the river bed. That is what makes road travel special, it makes one appreciate nature, history and culture at close quarters.

Gives you an idea of what the eyes were capturing

Before I started my return journey, back to Mumbai, I had decided to ensure that I would capture the visual of the bouncing river and the steady mountains. So as a call came in, I wore my handsfree and rolled down the window. The wind blowing was warm but in between the call I did not want to miss the opportunity to capturing the visuals I had encountered the day before. This was a difficult call and one that in normal times would have extracted every ounce of my patience. But nature's bounty had me distracted and so I appeared naturally patient on the call. I am glad for nature's sway, always, but today it was an absolute welcome interference. 

Every kilometer was a combination of the hills cradling the fields, the river and the countryside huts. Occassionally a white spire of the temple would pop out from behind a cluster of trees and that peek-a-boo made me smile. The Marathi billboards in Devnagari script were a welcome change from the Mumbai version of Hindi billboards in the modern Latin Alphabet. I was enjoying the ride when I noticed the large ball of an orange in the sky. The setting sun seemed soothing and divine. The phone went clicking again and as a result I got two shots that captures the very essence of the beauty that my eyes witnessed. 

This first shot was where the orange ball caught my attention

Can you feel the lullabuy being sung......

As nightfall landed I had no more sights to see or views to shoot, so I decided to complete some work. Nearing Mumbai, with work out of the way, I chose to complete this post hoping to be able to get it online at night. If not tonight the weekend it will have to be. Till the next post and the next time take care and stay safe.  

Vegetarian Food Paradise - Shree Thakar Bhojanalaya

There is an Irish proverb, “Laughter is brightest in the place where food is good’. A Mumbai institution since 1945, Shri Thakkar Bhojanalaya is one such place. The joy and aromas in this small eatery in Kalbadevi are its USP. With the quality of food remaining the same, the amount of spices and oils not any more than in home food and the servers serving as if you were a guest at their own home; this is a place that has its loyal patrons whose tribe is only growing.

I was introduced to this quaint little eatery by father and his younger brother (Chacha). The two brothers love to visit this place as they get to eat their favourite Gujarati and Rajasthani foods in the form of a thali and customised to their tastes. So while Chacha likes his food spicy, Papa prefers it medium. Come to Thakkar Bhojanalya and not only these two but me who eats minimal spices also has an awesome time. So all their vegetables and curries are made to cater to people with different spice levels and the menu changes daily. In fact, the family that own this place also gets their meals catered to from the restaurant.

The starters and desserts listed for the day 

Yesterday I decided that it was time I took Persepolis and her mother to this iconic food joint as she had never been there. Born and brought up in Mumbai, educated in institutions close to this eatery and worked in the lanes even closer; this friend of mine was oblivious to the existence of Shri Thakkar Bhojanalaya. Once she obliged me with an appointment in her calendar I decided I would waste no time and so the dinner was decided.

Reaching the place is a bit of a chore, given that it is smack in the centre of old Mumbai with narrow lanes and hand carts plying. Once there, it is your luck how long or short would be the wait. I was prepared for a twenty minute wait but fortunately it was  only a couple of minutes. A very comfortable table for three allotted to us we got the empty thalis with the endless vatis (katori) and Persepolis was super excited. She wanted to understand how much food would come our way and vowed not to eat till all her vatis were full.

The empty thali with a signal of oncoming abundance

First came the salad and the chutneys followed by the starters or the farsans as they are locally known. They were piping hot and tempting but Persepolis held on. Then came the aamras, the mango puree, and that bulldozed all temptation away. She just dug into the vati and I was smiling. The veggies and curries were delayed as aunty and I had requested for non-spicy variety. Unable to hold herself any longer, Persepolis decided that she would get the spicy lot that was already being served. And soon her thali was full. As the server with the papad walked by she stopped him to take one, not that she craved it but wanted to taste all the items on the menu. With the thali full she dug in and seeing her smile was pure joy.

The full thali where refills are unlimited! The acutal food coma begins

Soon the non-spicy food came and we were on our way to a food coma as well. Now before I move ahead, as you can see the variety of the veggies and the curries I will not spend time on that. But dear readers, you should know that the breads are also of a minimum five types – jowar roti (the one that has my preference), bajra roti (which is served with jaggery), wheat roti (with ghee), biscuit bhakri (which is delightful but heavy) and puri (yummy but deep fried). So I got my jowar roti, aunty took bajra and wheat and Persepolis took one of each! She was like a child in the playground with new toys!

I was savouring the food and taking my time with each curry. There was no place for desserts either in my stomach or in my thali. Persepolis decided that when satisfying the taste buds the sweet tooth had to be catered to first. So she took the kalajaum and the sheera. While by the end she could not eat the kala jamun she loved the coconut sheera.

Just if you thought this is where the meal was over, no. There was rice, pulao and khichdi still left to go! I had no place for anything but at the insistence of the person incharge I had a teaspoon of the khichdi and the pulao. They were delicious! Persepolis and aunty enjoyed the khichdi but post that even Persepolis had to stay stop to the food onslaught. We were full to the brim and more. It was an absolutely delicious meal served with love and at INR 700 a person it was not expensive.

The evidence of a delicious and a thoroughly enjoyed meal!

Just before we got up to leave we realised that the buttermilk had been left. Well it is supposed to be a digestive and in that light Persepolis and I drank to toast our fabulous dinner. We were all happy campers. Alighting the stairs Persepolis claimed that she would now recommend Shree Thakker Bhojanalya to anyone and everyone she met. In the next instant she had a realisation and said, “ Well I would be recommending a place that everyone already knows of.” Better late than never my friend!

Until we meet again, enjoy the food photographs and if possible a visit to this food paradise!

Kaziranga

They say you don't know when you fall in love and then to deepen it you should have no expectations. I do know when I fell in love with Meghalaya, it was love at first sight. As I was leaving for Kaziranga, I was sad. I was leaving a love behind, or so it felt. But what happened was that the clouds and the weather followed me to the plains. The cloud covered mountains were visible even as we entered Kaziranga. The weather maintained its hum and I just felt that the love had followed me. So to ensure that this love only deepened I had no expectations from my morning Safari. I wanted to enjoy the experience and that was it. 

As the Jeep rolled into the National Park my heart just swelled with the beauty that my eyes encountered. It was lush green with specks of brown and purple. It was pristine and fresh with bursts of scents and the aroma of wet sands. It was tranquil and calm with spurts of birds chirping and animals calling. This natural ecosystem was the result of the consummation of the perfect marriage between the masculine and the feminine. 

The jeeps lined up at the permit point

I stood up at the back, holding on to the bars on the side and soaking in the beauty around me when I spotted the herd of elephants. These were female elephants on their morning graze. I learnt that day that female elephants do not have tusks and walk in the middle of the herd to protect the young ones. Tigers in the forest only attack the young ones and not the grown up male or female elephants. Kind of obvious right, I meant one swing of the trunk and the carnivore would be pulverised. 

 

After the "Sri Ganesh" of the safari we moved ahead on the narrow roads, once in a while crossing another Jeep. This trail was only for vehicles and the elephant safari trail was a separate location. Trivia - Kaziranga has sperate elephant safari trails for Indians and foreigners. As the Jeep rolled on suddenly I thought I saw a rock move. My sleep deprived brain was playing tricks but before we moved ahead I squealed because the deer raised its head and I saw the two beauties resting close to one another. The driver halted and I took a couple of shots. Oh how I wished I had bought a telephoto lens! The 150mm zoom was not doing justice to the view that the naked eye was capturing. At least the raw image capture would be some silver lining! 

The other Barasingha eventually got up to afford me this shot

These were the hog deers that we saw and soon we came by a bevy of swamp deers or barasingha as we call it in India. The animals were lazing early in the morning and it seemed as if some were fighting slumber still. We stood there for a few minutes and some heads came up only to go down, some stood up, walked a few steps and then retreated but a large number just were not interested in us. Once again the lens was inadequate but the raw image helped. Trivia - Hog and swamp deers are not spotted deer species. 

 

Chilling deers without a beer

Now was the time to go and find the Rhino, the Wild Buffalo and the Tiger. As we entered the woodland (the deeper forest) I was told to stop any expectations of the Rhino or the Buffalo but to be on the look out for species of snakes. It sent creeps through my skin and I sat down right in the center of the seat at the back. I was absolutely fine if we missed all reptiles altogether. Trivia - There are no crocodile or alligators in Kaziranga. 

 The Woodlands were beautiful with some very pretty trails used by forest rangers. Robert Frost's "The woods are lovely dark and deep" started playing in my head. I wish I could have disembarked and walked into what seemed like an inviting castle of trees and nature. A few meters ahead we stood on a bridge that was the path to cross the large water body enroute. The views on either side were spectacular and made me smile in admiration of nature's glory. 

 

Back to the grasslands my eyes were starting to lookout for the big ones. We came by a jeep of documentary film makers who told us they had spotted a tiger just a few meters ahead but it had wandered into the trees. Wanting to take a chance we headed in that direction and before we left I almost asked the photographer if I could borrow his telephoto lens, but hesitating I just kept shut. 

At the designated spot we waited for ten minutes but the tiger was no where to be found. We saw two pelicans in flight, once again the naked eye rejoiced while the camera cried. As we decided to wait a while longer it started to rain and I realised that the tiger had decided it did not want to oblige me. With the hood tacked on, we moved ahead where in my world I saw the most beautiful sight - golden ducks all in a row. The golden Siberian ducks or the Ruddy shelduck is a gorgeous migratory bird that flies from its home in Siberia to India to tide over the harsh cold. At the end of March, these were the last lot left before they flew back home. How could these small, tender looking creatures undertake such a long and arduous flight ! They were gorgeous and I got some good shots. Trivia - Ruddy shelduck pair and mate for life. The male has a black ring on the neck which is missing in the female. 

 

Waiting for the tiger. It was spotted at the far right corner in this photograph

The golden Siberian duck - Ruddy shelduck

Rejoicing in the chance encounter I was lost in my thoughts when we stopped at a point where the wild buffalo, the rhino and deers all grazed side by side. Not one distracted the other, not one ventured towards the other and not one animal made a sound. Live and let live seemed to be the personification here. As I was trying to capture the animals in my SD card, as best as I could, I saw a bird go and perch itself on the buffalo. The endearing interaction lifted my spirits to say love exists. 

 

The Rhinos and hog deers - Oh what I would have given for a tgelephoto lens then

The bird and the buffalo

We were now on our way back when a Bharadwaj flew by and perched itself on the brown grass. The blessing was welcome and the proximity was a blessing for the camera. Taking a few shots I was ready to get back to the hotel and leave for Guwahati. 

 

The lucky Bharadwaj

As we moved towards the exit we saw the bevy of barasinghas yet again. They were l content as was I. Closer to the exit I spotted elephants again and this time, the male in the distance raised his trunk as if in salute and I saw the tusks in all their glory. It was the perfect goodbye. 

 

The grand salute that deserved a telephotolens

On the way to the hotel all I could think and hope was that falling in love should always be this easy. I was glad to know that another species subscribed to my view that mating and pairing should be for life. I kept thinking that if only respect, affection and compassion would really be as unconditional as I encountered that morning how wonderful the world could be. 

 

The tranquility

Togetherness - Hog Deer

Co-existance - The Stork

 

 

Blessings around

 As I returned from my holiday, waiting to start the next innings of my professional career I had three packages waiting for me. One was from family, one was a set of documents to be signed and the third one was from now an ex colleague. It was a small gesture but it said, "now whenever you pick up this flask you will remember me". His last email to me said, "you are irreplaceable". I was just humbled. 

Before this, in Delhi I had two ex-colleagues reach out to me. They wanted guidance and help in planning their career. As I spoke to them and understood their aspirations and desires, I once again saw the trust they placed in me. It reminded me of my responsibility to them and that again was quite humbling. To have built a rapport, while working remotely, where they trusted me enough; I must have done something right. 

And then came the call from someone who is a great person and as a professional I have tried to guide with all honesty. A recent realisation was that not only is he risk averse and brand concious but also not as driven as I thought he was. All of this makes him the unique person that he is - trustworthy, reliable, thorough and very respectful. A very rare individual to come across in his age group. He was calling me up to tell me how he had just been made an offer. How exciting! 

Thinking of all of the above, I drove to meet an old friend for lunch. We had planned this weeks ago. In the hot and sultry Mumbai weather we were meeting at an old colonial restaurant that both of us liked. It was a relaxed and unpretentious afternoon. More than the food it was the company I enjoyed. How far have we both come from being the teenagers in high school unsure of where our careers would go! Today, we both had a laugh on varied issues and just communicated. Who cared where one had landed professionally. The fact that we share this ease after all these years, is the biggest gift and victory! In fact we even planned a dinner the day after with another friend who is visiting from the US. 

As far as family is concerned of course I won the lottery but even as far as friends are concerned I have struck gold. I am grateful for these old and new connects that help me stick to my roots, remember my responsibilities and ensure that I always keep my heart open. I am a heart person and that has given me all these brilliant moments. Yes it has brought me hurt as well, both personally and professionally. But that will not stop me. I have picked up and moved on and I know that from now on I will be safe and strong. 

I am not sure why I am writing this, maybe it's the emotions. Maybe it's my way of etching this in my memory. Maybe it's sending a message to the universe. Whatever be the reason, the bottom line is that I am filled with gratitude and thanks. As I start a new chapter I hope and pray that Ma answers my prayers and helps me continue being the heart person she sent me as. 

So stay tuned for more to come, especially a note on Kaziranga. 

A Blessed Holiday

I wanted a short holiday and I needed a break. The options in my mind were multiple, including a short trip to London. Have not been there in over 2 years now and am missing the city. Yet it was not where my heart was drawn to. After the recent trip to Ladhak, that rekindled my romance with the mountains, I wanted to explore the hills. 

The first thought was Ooty and as quickly as it came it got dismissed. It is fairly accessible and is more of a relaxing holiday than an exploration. Sikkim has been on my list for sometime now and so began the research. The only two airports that seemed close by were Bagdogra and Siliguri which are quite far away from Gangtok, the starting point. And then the itinerary I wanted needed more time than I had. Plus it seemed to be closer to Ladakh in terms of the landscape and so I began to wonder if I should pick another destination.

Shimla, Gulmurg, Srinagar were suggestions that came my way. They have also been very popular of late. Flights abound and there is nature, history, culture all to explore. They all seemed interesting options to consider and yet for some reason my heart was not convinced. Snow is not what I craved. Conflict is not what I wanted to be the center of my thoughts. North of the country is something I have seen a bit now. So I was back to the North East, that which was unknown to me. 

I am not sure how, but at some point I came across Meghalaya. I liked, no I loved, what I read fairly instantly. It was nature in its purest form. There was culture that I was completely unaware of. And then there was history. But how to get there was the question. The answer I found was via Guwahati. I recollected a friend mentioning a trip to Kamakhya Devi there a few years ago. Google search indicated that the temple was less than twenty kilometres away from the airport. I think that was the last confirmation I needed and my heart was set on a trip to Meghalaya, Kaziranga and starting with darshans of Kamakhya Devi. 

As I read more it just seemed that the six nights I had budgeted were too little but I had to make do within this time frame. So the trip was laid out with provisions at the start and the end for darshans, Ma willing. As I started to research the darshans at this Adi Shakti peeth, I realised that the most certain way was to hire a guide or get a defence recommendation. I decided to attempt both and both seemed tentative. I booked the trip and yet had no clarity on darshans. 

It was only a few days to departure. The guide was not available only for one day but at three thousand rupees a day I would need to hire one for all six night. It seemed totally unnecessary and so I refused that option. I now needed to hope for Ma's kindness. And it was just then that I got a message from the very generous ex-colleague I had contacted. One of his batchmates from the army would help. My heart leapt with joy and yet I pared back my enthusiasm. What if? And so I wanted to plan for contingency. I read about the queues, the tickets and prepared myself to wait in the queue for hours. 

However, the day before I was to leave, I spoke to the contact in Guwahati who was kind enough to interact for a few hours as we worked through the logistics. At one point darshans seemed confirmed and then suddenly tentative as it was a Sunday that I desired to have darshans. It is the day of peak crowds and so the contact was unsure. My heart sank. I was struggling to understand how to ensure darshans, when something within me said to leave it to Ma. The Benevolent One always said, "Whatever Ma wills is what happens". So I bowed my head and decided I would accept Her will. Before the night dawned, I got a message that darshans were confirmed and the contact person details were in the message. I did not know how to react so just said a prayer of thanks. I was humbled.

The path leading to the temple is thronged by shops selling offerings

Post arrival I reached the temple and waited for the contact. As I was escorted inside the temple complex, I was praying with folded hands and was thanking Ma profusely for the opportunity. What I did not realise in the interim was that we had directly entered the sanctum sanctorum. Right in front of the goddess, I stood, not knowing what I had done to deserve this good fortune. As I stood there praying fervently, I was guided to the main spot where Ma's Yoni had fallen. Devotees thronged this spot to touch the holy water, have a sip and get blessings from the priest. As I knelt in front of Ma, touched the water and gave my offerings I felt blessed and yet incomplete. It's the best word to describe the emotion that went through me then. As the priest asked me if I wanted the saree offered to Ma to take back, I was only able to say "Ma ko Chadha dijiye" (offer it to Ma). And as I said this I was unsatisfied with my response. Darshans done and Prasad collected I went on my trip feeling blessed but not complete. 

A couple of days later I messaged the contact to request for darshans on my return. I know I was being greedy but I needed to be with Ma one more time and then the Benevolent One had always said that after such auspicious darshans one should always head back home. I used that as an excuse to console myself that I was not being greedy but was following what was right. I was very warmly told that of course I would get darshans no problem at all. 

So this morning, the first day of Navratri, the day of Gudi Padwa, on the day that hundreds of devotees came eager to seek Ma's blessings I was back at the temple. As I waited for the darshans, I was told that there was a huge crowd and strangely I had no anxiety, no nervousness, only extreme calm. I was not sure of darshans and had told my driver so when he had remarked on the way to the temple that I was a rare one to get two darshans. I knew I wanted to speak to Ma once and so I would try. Once more she was gracious and gave me my time with her again. Today, as I knelt once more to sip the water, the priest patted my head twice just like the Benevolent One would. This time I remembered to take the cloth back with me and the priest put in around my neck. The entire duration that I was there I felt Ma was hearing me. It was a shorter but a clearer conversation. I was humbled, grateful and overwhelmed. 

Entrance of the temple decked with flowers to mark start of Navratri & the New Year

Coming out of the sanctum sanctorum I went to offer the customary coconut, light the Diya and offer the incense sticks. As I did the rituals this time I felt lighter. Walking out of the temple I felt calm, blessed and ready to return. I am sure that this trip was planned out of nowhere because there was a call by Ma. These darshans were not coincidental. She had wanted to hear me and now I am only hoping that she answers my prayers. Till then I will bow my head to Her benevolence.  

The earthern lamp, the Diya at the main gate of the temple - the light that shines on Devotees

Mountains, Mist and Mystery

I am on my way to plains as I write this and I am already missing these dreamy mountains that have been hospitable, gorgeous and soul uplifting for the last four days. It's funny and strange at the same time, how I am a tad emotional at leaving Meghalaya. Well I am on my way to a wild life safari in Kaziranga, something I had wanted to do for long now and yet I wish I had stayed longer in the mountains. 
 
As I see the cloud covered peaks and trees pass by for the one last time, I am reminded of the day when this view made a place in my heart. I was excited to visit Dawki, the cleanest river in India and the India-Bangladesh border. The legs were rebelling after the previous day's trek but a little bit of pampering and cajoling had worked and pre breakfast we were on our way. Suddenly I saw clouds rising from the valley to the mountain tops as if a cauldron of clouds was on the boil down below. I exclaimed in excitement which my driver interpreted as if something had happened, he stopped by the road side, turned to enquire and saw me gaping. He burst into a laughter and said if I wanted to take pictures all I needed to do was let him know. Off we went, the faithful camera and I, to catch the bubbling clouds. I thought this would be the prettiest sight ever. 

This was the initial view

 

See the cauldron?

How wrong was I! As we went higher up the views just became prettier and prettier. Even where the roads were under construction, I was oblivious to the bumps, jerks and the noise because the green and the mist had me spellbound. Celine Dion and John Denver in the background were completing my movie and I could not help but roll the windows down to breathe in the clouds. I was Alice in Wonderland, peeping out of my hole to stare at this beauty in an attempt to capture it for eternity. It struck me that another way would be shoot videos. I completely rolled down the windows, the wind flowing through my hair, took my phone out and lifted my arm as high as I could to reach over the roof of the car. That was the start of the shifts between still and videos, camera and the phone, being on the move and stopping enroute. 

This was on the move

We parked and I stood at this spot for miutes just soaking in this view!

 
By the time we reached the breakfast point my fingers were frozen and the legs clamoured for a walk. Even at this stop I was tugged by the views of the mountain and as I stared dreamily into the valley I remembered my driver's stern warning of us having to beat traffic. I thought he was fibbing so that I did not waste time but as we neared Dwaki I began to see the truth of his words. 
 
Stone quarries abound western Meghalaya. The produce from here is then "exported" to Bangladesh via trucks. The smaller tonnage carriers go across the Dwaki bridge and the larger ones ply on an alternate route. But as these mountainous roads are single lane motorways, as vehicles pass in both directions a jam occurs requiring the Border Security Force personnel to police the movement. As we were stuck I hopped out of the car yet again with the camera and phone in tow. The river view was perfect from this vantage point. Seeing me run to the edge of the mountain the driver called out to warn me that once cleared we will have not even a second to spare. This time I believed him.

The view from above

 
Dawki was a bit of a disappointment. The green river flowing through the plains between the lush green mountains was a pretty sight but overnight rains meant that the river bed was not visible. What was most interesting though is the river border between India and Bangladesh. There is a stone boulder to mark the border and suddenly it's as if nature has demarcated the border on its own. Where the Indian side has a free flowing river, it thins out into a stream as soon as it enters Bangladesh. The sight was so pitiful that I took no snaps. A decision I now regret. Yet there were tourists on either side, one side boating and the other side floating on tyres. What contrast! 

The river up, close and personal

 
From here we headed to the border. I was looking forward to my encounter with the clouds again but our route took us through supari forests. The sun shone bright and the air conditioning was on in the car. Nonetheless it was a sight to sooth the concrete regimented eyes. As we reached the border fence I was stunned. It was just a high electrical fence just as would be to protect any compound. I could see the cattle grazing on the other end and if not for the barbed wire I would have thought that to be an Indian farmland. The things mankind has invented! 

The supari forests along the way

The border fence runing along for many many kilometers 

From here we were to head to Mawlynnong, the cleanest village in Asia. I am not sure what I was expecting there but I sure was curious to see how it was maintained. Just at the start of the village is a single decker bridge that has been created by the roots of two rubber trees on either side. Now apparently the locals have started diverting the roots so that an upper deck is built over the years and there is a second double decker bridge in Meghalaya. Well that would be a bummer! With easier access who would have the adventure as I did. Well to each their own as they say. 

The single decker root bridge with the ladder tied above to direct the roots for the upper deck

 
Moving on from here I landed in Mawlynnong and honestly it felt like a little curated set of homes. There is an entry fee for maintenance, a parking space with souvenir shops and tea stalls and then you walk into the village. What about the privacy of the villagers? I walked around and saw daily life go by. Children studying, women cooking and men attending to the shops. It maybe was not as curated as it appeared. 

Not as curated really!

 
By now I was hungry and decided to try the local food which for vegetarians is fairly a standard affair across the state. Rice, dal, potatoes, stir fried beans, tomato chutney and papad which is for the tourists. All around the village this vegetarian thali was for one hundred and fifty rupees. I saw a place that had more than two tables occupied and ordered. It was a home cooked meal and that was perfect. 

The village church

 
Now it was time to drive to Shillong and once again I was warned about traffic. But as we started to drive back through the clouds and with rolled down windows they caressed my cheeks, I said all the traffic was a welcome delight. The cotton fluff kept flowing along with us and my hand was now a permanent feature outside the window. A couple of hours later at a beautiful turn I saw a tea stall and asked the driver to halt. Capturing this enigmatic turn on the camera I headed to have a cuppa and met the same couple who sat behind me at lunch. After a brief conversation they headed out and I was left with a thought. 

My enigmatic turn

This holiday brought me face to face with holiday makers of all types - solo travelers like me, honeymoon couples like the one I met, families, groups of friends and tour groups even. They were travellers of all ages, from a five month old to multiple pensioners. I realised at that moment how much this state has to offer to people of all types. But for me it had offered the food for my soul - an absolutely perfect mountainous holiday, a walk through the clouds and a stroll through calm. 

A view forever!

 
I sat in the car ready to go to Shillong and undertake the next day's adventures. Till then I had a heart and a camera filled with memories of my tryst with mist, mystic and magic.