It was not meant to be Shillong. Dates were set Apr 29 to Mar 3. A makeshift long weekend to get out of town.
First, it was Thailand but the Covid restrictions were coming off on May 1st. 2 days of unnecessary pain was not worth it. Kaziranga was there too but Kaziranga safaris only happen till Apr-end. (Once we landed at Guwahati, later, we got to know that Safaris are still going on, it happens till rain comes) . There was also Dubai on the table where you can get VISA as long there is a valid US visa for next six months. Mine was expiring in Apr-end. Shillong was proposed but but not a serious contender till we saw the above luck.
But three days before the trip, we decided to lock Shillong and book tickets. Last min accommodation was a challenge but Aerodene and Airbnb came to rescue.
Day 1: Land at Guwahati and drive to Shillong
Shillong is 3 hrs drive from Guwahati airport. On the way, almost at the end of Shillong is the Umiam lake where you can do boating. With lovely weather and a nice sunset neartime, this was good outing on a travel filled day.
Day 2: Mawlynnong
Mawlynnong has the cleanest village in Asia and was in my list of places to visit. Little did I realise that it has now become a tourist-trap now, but so be it.
Our first stop was a Living Roots bridge near Mawlynnong. Big banyan trees has roots on both sides of a stream acting like a bridge. There is a double decker root bridge as well near Cherapunjee but we didnt go there since it required 3500 steps to go up and down.
Day 3: Laitlum canyon
Laitlum canyon is very close to Shillong and a sight of beauty. We got really good views once we reached there but then it was followed by heavy rain. The trail at Canyon goes down to a village called Rasoga which has 3000 steps to get down. I did this trek, going down by about 80% and coming up. During this, I saw white clouds, dark clouds, drizzle, heavy rain, rain with sun, rain without Sun, clouds below me, above me. All in 4 hrs. It was amazing. Kanishka walked on the Canyon along the rim and had a good time too.
After Laitlum, we decided to checkout Cherapunjee where we went to Arwah caves and Nohkalikai waterfalls . Arwah caves are huge caves. It is a small walk where you get to see 3 more waterfalls along the way. Good weather made the day good.
Day 3 dinner was at City Hut and dhaba, the only good food that I enjoyed in the entire trip.
Day 4: Sacred grove forest
My plan was to do the David Scott trail but it rained heavily in the morning (actually, the whole night). So, we decided to just do the Sacred grove forest. Got a good guide who helped us with cool pics too :)
Post, Sacred Forest, we witnessed once of famous Shillong traffic jams. 60 mins for 2 kms or so. Anyways, once we were out. we went to Don Bosco museum of North East culture. Our verdict is that it is wasted potential and space. Some good tidbits but some really bad exhibits as well.
After Don Bosco, we went to Cafe Shillong for lunch. A highly overrated restaurant. Surprisingly, the trip was a big disappointment food-wise. All meals were a let down.
Post DOn Bosco, we headed to Aerodene for some rest and then went to Police bazaar for some shopping. Kanishka did all the shopping and I headed to Cee Wee bar for some good book reading.
Day 5: Leave early and back to BLR
We reached BLR airport at 415 pm and home by 640. BLR weather was decent since it had rained here as well. Shillong weather was cold, we were sleeping under blankets.
Overall, there are more cool places to visit in Shillong. Sharing a list below. Guwahati is also the base for all NE - including Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram etc. However, food-wise, the city can do better.
Points to visit in Shillong next time
- David Scott trail
- Bamboo hike https://www.taleof2backpackers.com/mawryngkhang-trek-bamboo-trail-meghalaya/
- Double decker Living roots bridge
