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.