Adventure in Land of Clouds - Meghalaya

I recently went to the state of Meghalaya for a holiday. It's called the “Land of Clouds”

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Firstly, I would like to explain how I arrived at choosing Meghalaya. I had 3 days of leave in my schedule and wanted a quick getaway for something not regular stuff I  encounter in my regular work travels. So I was contemplating going to Sri Lanka/Vietnam/Thailand/Himachal Pradesh/Uttarakhand/NE States of India. As it was a short trip, I narrowed down to Sri Lanka or NE states. I visited Sikkim and Assam before so wanted to cover other states especially Meghalaya. Given the weather in month of March, I finalized on Meghalaya.

I neither had time to plan my trip nor came across people who could guide me what all places to cover. I initially checked the official tourism website of Meghalaya govt and relied on chatGPT for an itinerary. Then I realized for a short solo trip better to approach a tour operator and then made multiple calls. I specified my requirements of stay at a campsite and home stay and cover maximum adventure places.  After couple of iterations, I quickly narrowed down to 1 operator and finalized the itinerary- which was 10 days before my trip day. The tour operator I choose for my trip was GoSomewhere.in who crafted an itinerary as per my requirements.

Started my Trip Day1 early morning from Hyderabad on flight to Guwahati. As soon as I reached Guwahati airport, my personal guide was ready for pick up. My guide - Richborn Jana - was a local Meghalayan who was a graduate in Tourism. There is a unique story behind his name but I am not going to write about it here but rather prefer you have a conversation with him to know about it. I was very lucky that instantly we connected and synced with each other well on how we were going to go about our trip.

So we started from Guwahati to go first towards West Jaintia Hills to cover Krang Shuri waterfalls. We  entered Meghalaya and had breakfast on route and later we passed by Shillong airport where I stopped by to check out the place and met a colleague who validated my itinerary as a good one. Then first stop was Krang Shuri Waterfalls and boy what a sight it was! It gave me the confidence of good start. Next we went to Dawki river for boating. Though the water was not high and as pristine as claimdue to bridge construction works, the boat ride was excellent. The ride stopped upstream at a point where we had an option of having a snack and beverage to chill by the river with water flowing on your feet.  It was an excellent stop which allowed me to have a random conversation with other travelers and we all had a good time before returning back. Finally went to my night halt location of Mawlynnong village for my home stay. “Delphi and Risa homestay” offered me a chance to live like a proper local person in a village setting helping me to wake up to the rustic sounds and natural environment of the region.

My day2 started with a trip to Mawlynnong village -"Asia's cleanest village ". It was indeed clean and fabulous place and made me wonder why more villages cannot be like it. There were many in village homestays as well. Later proceeded for the trek to Nongriat. For this trek,  I was accompanied by another guide- Japeth who was fabulous throughout the trek. It was a steep descent initially almost 3500 steps to reach  Living Double Decker Living root bridge. It's a wonderful nature's gift which was really heart warming. A further trek crossing a difficult terrain with wooden ladder stairs and further walk towards the blue lagoon. Almost close to the destination,  I almost gave up. A pep talk by the local vendor made me take few more steps and the sight of blue lagoon itself made me wanting to swim there. It was a breathtaking place and a perfect reward for the grueling hard trek to reach the place. I took a dive into the blue lagoon which helped me cool down and get ready for the trek back. The trek up was so tough but with positive encouragement from other trekkers helped a great way in reaching back. I would like to acknowledge a good Samaritan couple (other visitors from Bengaluru) who were friendly and offered electrolyte water at a very critical time for me. Once the trek completed,  went to the campsite in Sohra which was my night stay.

The campsite was located within Sa-i-Mika Resort in Sohra region of Meghalaya in Khasi Hills. It was a brilliant setup for tourists which housed cottages,  camping,  restaurant,  bar and play are for kids. I highly recommend this place! The campsite had campfire, music speakers and bonfire for all to sit and relax. Met other campers there and one fellow camper and me hit the bar within the resort to try the  local gin. Overall a fantastic stay.

Day3 started early and quickly visited Wei-Saw Dong waterfalls which was a three layered waterfalls followed by Noh Ka Likai waterfalls which is India's third highest waterfall. Next visit was “Garden of Caves ”. This was a wonderful place for all tourists to visit as for me it was Meghalaya in a nutshell tour for adventure enthusiasts.  The place had Caves,  waterfalls,  rocks, wooden bridge treks. The place itself narrates what is there and why. Next stopped by mawkdok valley briefly and headed towards Mawphlang Sacred forest which was a holy place for the local population. It had great natural trees which were well preserved. The Sacred forest was guided by a local tour guide (Vish Roy) and there too I met wonderful co tourists. The tour guide took fabulous pictures of us which i never had got clicked that way! Next was to rush back to Guwahati airport for my return to Hyderabad.

My Click by my guide in Sacred Forest

My views on my holiday:

Fabulous place to visit for sure and it needs a long duration or multiple visits. Great for adventure enthusiasts,  calm  explorers, waterfalls and water thrill seekers,  nature lovers etc.

Got to experience local food (Khasi and Jaintia meals). It was simple yet tasty - completely organic and rich in nutrients. Loved the beetle nut ending. Even Lime juice I had during my trek tasted different as it was a natural hill grown limes. So being a foodie,  it definitely clicked with me.

Beetelnut Tree

Listened to Khraw Umdor songs - Arijit Singh of Meghalaya.  Liked them - good for karaoke fun 🎤

One aspect which disturbed me on my trip was my stay near Mawlynnong village. It was outside the main village and next morning when I visited the actual village and found homestays within,  I  was furious with my tour organizer. However,  on reflection I feel, it was better to stay outside and appreciate the beauty of the village which was by the villagers and too many visitors staying within would  encourage commercialization and the place might loose its sanctity.

Besides Memories, friendships, I took home Tangerines which were fabulous and would not like to open a debate here on if they were better than Nagpur Oranges 😝, Pineapple - more fibrous than what I tasted, Strawberries - definitely yummy, a bottle of Khasi Red Wine 🍷 and wild cinnamon which is punchy!

P.S: My independent views and no commercial interests involved or influenced by anyone.

For imagine, please check out my Instagram profile [https://www.instagram.com/karangeddam?igsh=Y3RxaTRhNHl0cDRz](https://www.instagram.com/karangeddam?igsh=Y3RxaTRhNHl0cDRz)​

Please watch the reel in full to understand how difficult or easy as per your trekking level experience it was of the Nongriat Living root bridge  - https\://www\.instagram.com/reel/DVtNRTtE\_XF/?igsh=bmZnNDA3Mjg2dmY2

Meghalaya Tourism - https://www.meghalayatourism.in

Pacific Thrill

I wanted to share my recent vacation trip to Australia. I went to visit my Sisters family in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Mostly when we take the name “Queensland”, it rings a familiar bell - Great Barrier Reef! Yes, the most conserved and largest natural coral reef system in the world. It’s one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World” made by living organisms! Coral Reefs - Support marine life and are a good indication of our water bodies overall health. 

To visit Great Barrier Reef, we choose “Lady Elliot Island” a small Island which is the southern most part of the Reef which starts from Close to Papua New Guinea. It’s located 85KM into the Sea North East of closest Queensland city of “Bundaberg”. We  choose a day return tour from Gold Coast to the Island.

We Started of early in the morning from Gold Coast Airport at 0645 Hrs on a Cessna Caravan(C208) to the Island which is a 1.5 hour scenic flight. The flight itself was wonderful given the fact that it would fly low over the ocean to see enroute scenic attractions like Gold Coast city beautiful beaches, Brisbane skyline, Moreton Bay Island, Tangalooma wrecks, marine life movements from the sky and then onto the scenic island!

Once on the Island, our tour guide gave an introduction to the Island and prepared us for the day. We changed to swim wear with snorkelling equipment and other safety gear provided by the Tour operator. We first went on a glass boat to the coral reef viewing every thing in the clear waters. Later the boat docked and we made the plunge into water. For me it was my first time in the ocean - I was anxious as well considering I never swam in the seas or rivers - only a Pool swimmer. Once in water, I initially gingerly held onto the safety rope and started looking in the water. The magnificent view of the coral reef along with the beautiful fishes quickly eased my anxiousness that I left the safety rope and started swimming besides the fishes. To my delight, We stumbled upon an “Green Sea Turtle” which swam right next to us and reached the surface to get some fresh air and again ducked underwater and swam away. That moment was epic for me and my excitement knew no bounds. It was simply a wonderful experience to watch the animal we know since our childhood stories live its natural beautiful life unknown to us till that instance. Once back on the Island, we tried to snorkel back on the other side of the island which was shallow trying to take advantage of the high tide to spot more sea life in action. However, the high tide was not that high and the sea current was too strong that we returned back to the island. Back on Island, we changed and ate our Lunch offered by the Island tour operator and chilled by the beach. Afternoon by 1430hrs we were back on the Cessna Caravan to return to Gold Coast.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience for all of us. Greatly appreciate the tour management firm and the Island operators for running a very balanced tourist attraction whilst paying utmost care to safeguard the marine and avian ecosystem. Even plastic water bottles are prohibited on the island in efforts to safeguard the reef. Simply Amazing!

P.S:

This is a personal opinion and none was influenced or paid for by any tour/island operator.

For detailed read, Please read the following links:

Great Barrier Reef - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef

Lady Elliot Island - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elliot_Island

Tour Operator - https://ladyelliot.com.au/day-tour-ex-gold-coast

The Adventure trip of Ladakh

I have been on an adventure trip recently to Leh, the capital city of Ladakh. Leh is located at a very high altitude – 11000 ft above mean sea level. Geographically, this place has huge significance – It was formed by the clashing of Indian Plate with Asian landmass millions of years ago. This explains lots of findings in Ladakh – the salty lakes, desert, mountains etc. 

Coming to the trip genesis, it was initiated by my friend from school – Vamsee who being an ex-servicemen of Indian defence forces, had friends currently serving in Ladakh who encouraged to explore an adventure trip of Ladakh. He put forward a proposal with our classmates and instantly had great response. 12 of our batchmates from school confirmed for the trip and that gave my friend a good impetus to plan the trip.

Finally, when the trip day arrived, we were down to 10 but still a great number to go ahead with the trip. We started early and arrived in Leh by flight around noon time on Day 1. After arrival at Leh airport, we went to straight to our Stay. We were advised to take complete rest for the reminder of the day and avoid any straining activities to acclimatize to the high altitude.

Day2:

We started the day with a stroll on the banks of Indus river which was very close to our stay. Then we went to a small village where we were welcome by a small family for tea in their home. This gave us a glimpse of local home and their livelihood. We were thrilled by their hospitality. Later in the evening we went to Leh Market and had our dinner at a local bakery – specializing in Yaks cheese.

Traditional Ladakhi Home

Day3:

We headed out of Leh towards Magnetic hill – a place where vehicle runs contrary to expected direction.  Then we proceeded to Sangam, a place where the two rivers join(Zanskar and Indus). It’s a wonderful sight. We were immediately drawn to the rafting experience which was on offer there. It’s the highest place on the world where river rafting can be done. But given our fitness levels, we decided to go for the shorter 8KM experience. Many were skeptical but it turned out to be a wonderful experience on the river! Later we moved to Pathar Sahib Gurudwara – A great tranquil place with lots of history. We had langar (communal meal) which was fabulous. Later we continued to Leh Palace which was the royal abode of the ruler of Ladakh. Then we went to Shanti Stupa which was built as part of peace mission. Later, I realized that at its base were Lord Buddha’s relics. We then visited the “Hall of Fame” – a wonderful tribute to the War hero’s of India, It had a museum which gave great insights about military accomplishments. Later there was a beating the retreat ceremony followed by sound and light show about the Kargil War – a hair raising and patriotic depiction of the events – It is a must visit for every Indian. Finally we returned to our stay.

Worlds Highest Rafters😎

Day4:

We started for Nubra Valley via the Khardungla Pass which is the highest motorable road at an elevation of 17892 ft Above Mean Sea Level. It was a grueling  journey as our bodies take a hit due to the less oxygen levels at that altitude. We reached NubraValley and checked into a resort tired. In the evening we had a great time under a camp fire with my friend belting out superhit songs on guitar.

At Khardungla Pass

Day5:

We got up early to the stunning view of Nubra Valley. We went for a stroll around the fabulous town.  Nubra Valley has a desert which is wonderful. We then started for Pangong lake – which is a salt water lake. The lake is a beautiful place made popular by Indian bollywood film – “3 Idiots”. Later we rested close the place for viewing the Milky way. We were told it was the best place to view the night sky – however, we were novices on this front and were staring at the night sky with no luck. Later read that it is clearly visible during dark nights – we visited almost on a full moon night.

Pangong Lake

Day6:

We started our journey back to Leh via Changla Pass – the second highest motorable road in the world. However, we were now acclimatized with the environment. Hence it was a breeze. Enroute we checked the HemisMonastry, the Thiksey Monastry and Rancho School (Again made popular by film ‘3 idiots’). We then returned to Leh where we went to grab bikes for our next two days.

Day7:

We started with our bikes to Kargil on NH1 which is the best road to bike on for not so expert mountain riders like us. We went quarter of a way before one of our friends bike had a tyre puncture.  This led to a delay which resulted in us driving in the night in extremely chilly conditions. It really took a toll on our bodies. However, we successfully made it to Kargil and checked into our hotel.

Bikers in Action💪

Day8:

Keeping our previous days lessons learnt, we started early getting our vehicles checked before starting in Kargil. Without any issues, we reached back to Leh by evening. We went straight to the Leh market to make some purchases like dry fruits as we did not do it until then. We then had a party late in the night with camp fire and drinks to celebrate our grand trip without any issues. The weather turned absolutely chilly compared to the first day we were in Leh.

Different shades of Mountains

Day9:

We had our breakfast and started back to the airport. Bidding adieu to a great vacation for us school buddies!

Overall it was a great journey for the adventurous. We thank Indian Army who are responsible for most of the infrastructure in the region and also the officers who helped us with the itinerary – which proved wonderful and enjoyable for all of us.

For people visiting Leh, please do take precautions of resting for two full days after landing as it lays the foundation for our body to acclimatize to the lack of oxygen at those altitudes. Another important fact is carrying “Diamox” the wonder drug for high altitude sickness. Make sure to use it judiciously for a pleasant trip. Things missed in our trip were ATV biking and Double Hump Camel ride in Nubra Valley – as we were pressed for time. However, they were not glaring misses given the enjoyment we had!

Please visit the links of the sites we visited as these places have great importance and a tale to tell – which I cannot cover all here in this blog(hyperlinked and also links below).

•  Geography of Ladakh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Ladakh
• City of Leh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leh
• Indus River - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River
• Leh Market - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d17406552-Reviews-Leh_Market-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html 
• Magnetic Hill - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_Hill_(India) 
• Sangam - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d3683202-Reviews-Confluence_of_the_Indus_and_Zanskar_Rivers-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kash.html 
•  Pathar Sahib Gurudwara - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d3400596-Reviews-Gurdwara_Pathar_Sahib-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html
• Leh Palace - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leh_Palace
• Shanti Stupa - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanti_Stupa
• Hall of Fame - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d4603216-Reviews-Hall_of_Fame-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html
• Khardungla Pass - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khardung_La
• Nubra Valley - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubra_Valley
• Pangong Lake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangong_Tso
• Changla Pass - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_La
• Hemis Monastry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemis
• Thiksey Monastry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thikse_Monastery
• Rancho School - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druk_White_Lotus_School
• Kargil - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargil
• NH1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Highway_1_(India)
• Leh Airport - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushok_Bakula_Rimpochee_Airport