Shillong - 'Scotland of the East'
In an effort to not get bored during a week’s stay at Guwahati, my cousin Priya and me planned a trip to Shillong. While planning for the trip, little did I know how romantic the city of Meghalaya was. By the time we were ready to go, I’d already heard a lot about the city and tried to visualize it throughout the 3hr drive from Guwahati to Shillong.
The capital of Meghalaya (one of the seven sisters - Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh), Shillong lies on the eastern part of the state, perched at an altitude of 1,520 meters (4,990 feet) above sea level. The Umshyrpi and the Umkhra rivers, which finally merge and form the Umiam River, water it. The city derives its name from “Leishyllong”—the Superpower or God who is believed to reside on the Shillong peak, overlooking the city.
It was 10 in the morning, still 45minutes more to reach Shillong and we could already feel the romance in the air. Lying in the cradle of the tall pine conifers and pineapple shrubs, the city’s undulating terrain, the surrounding hills and the abundant greenery was absolutely captivating.
By the time we finally got into our room at the Hotel Pinewood, Priya was tired and wanted to catch up on her sleep. So I left her on her own and freshened up to take a stroll. I walked down the street behind my hotel which took me to a junction where, one road led to the market, the Police Bazar and the other led to the Ward’s Lake, a popular garden with a lake. I took a while to look around and started walking down the lane which would take me to Ward’s Lake.
I passed by the lake’s gate and kept walking leisurely surrounded by a green blanket. I was so enthralled with the lush green mountains and the seemingly low clouds, that I lost account of time. At one of the precarious road turns, I couldn’t help but stand still and cherish the scenic beauty, the distant houses, food stalls which were looking like toy houses.
By time time I returned to hotel, it was 2.00pm and priya had already booked a guide to take us the around the city. I was quite tired by now, so pushed the sightseeing tour to next morning. For the evening we planned to visit the market and the Ward’s Lake, where we did good 1hr boating.
The evenings don quite early here, so is the dinner. We weren’t hungry when dinner was getting served as we’d already gorged on the famous sumptuous momos at Shillong restaurant. We slept in early, so that we could start our touring early next morning.
We were quite lucky to have been able to see the Shillong peak, an ideal picnic spot, 10 km. from the city on a clear day. The breath-taking height, a part view of Bangladesh and the panoramic view of the country side from here made it clear to us why Shillong is also popularly referred to as “Scotland of the East”. From here we moved on to the Sohpetbneng Peak, set against the backdrop of a sacred forest. This 'Navel of Heaven' as per Khasi mythology is a heavenly peak which offers to fill the spiritual void and emptiness, to those who seek and desire solace and peace of mind.
From here we moved to Cherrapunjee (Sohra), 56 km from Shillong, situated in one of the rainiest rain-belt in the world, 1,300 m above sea level. It was a pleasant drive to see the roaring water falls leaping into deep gorges, including the famed Nohsngithiang falls. We kept sitting on a rock near the falls and captured the beauty in our cameras. The charismatic town is also famous for its limestone caves and orange honey. It also has the oldest Presbyterian Church and also an establishment of the Ramkrishna Mission.
By the time we returned, it was dark. So we planned to go to Elephant Falls the next morning. 12 km on the outskirts of the city, the mountain stream descends through two successive falls set in dells of fern covered rocks. From there we moved to Umiam Khwan (Barapani), where we indulged in some water sports. Barapani also offers sports like water skiing, water scooter etc and trekking routes. As we got tired enough, so we could only go shopping in the evening, where we got some really good leather chappals and bags for ourselves at unbelievably cheap rates.
We were so fascinated by the alluring scenic beauty that we decide to spend a day more and just relax. Though there were some more places to visit like the Lady Hydari Park, a popular charming tourist draw with an adjacent mini zoo, the State Museum and several falls like Spread Eagle Falls, Sweet Falls, Crinoline Falls and the Bishop & Beadon Falls, but we wanted to spent the day relaxing and knowing the place a little more.
Before coming, we’d heard of live bands which perform locally and of the typical Meghalaya food. So we decided to hunt for live bands if any performing and went looking for food with local flavour as without it the trip is always incomplete. We were successful only in the search of local food. Besides the famous momos, the Meghalayan cuisine is heavily tilted in favour of meat, particularly pork. Jadoh - a spicy dish of rice and pork is eaten almost any time. Here fish also is a favorite dish for many. The appetizing chicken clear soup followed by steamed rice and mutton cooked with bamboo shoots was simply awesome!
After the meal my tummy was gratified but my mind was still longing to stay on in the place of amazing hide-outs. The trip was just refreshing. But we’d to return, so we hopped into our car and kept gazing at the pristine beauty till the time I could and reinforced my belief that nature inspires!
In an effort to not get bored during a week’s stay at Guwahati, my cousin Priya and me planned a trip to Shillong. While planning for the trip, little did I know how romantic the city of Meghalaya was. By the time we were ready to go, I’d already heard a lot about the city and tried to visualize it throughout the 3hr drive from Guwahati to Shillong.
The capital of Meghalaya (one of the seven sisters - Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh), Shillong lies on the eastern part of the state, perched at an altitude of 1,520 meters (4,990 feet) above sea level. The Umshyrpi and the Umkhra rivers, which finally merge and form the Umiam River, water it. The city derives its name from “Leishyllong”—the Superpower or God who is believed to reside on the Shillong peak, overlooking the city.
It was 10 in the morning, still 45minutes more to reach Shillong and we could already feel the romance in the air. Lying in the cradle of the tall pine conifers and pineapple shrubs, the city’s undulating terrain, the surrounding hills and the abundant greenery was absolutely captivating.
By the time we finally got into our room at the Hotel Pinewood, Priya was tired and wanted to catch up on her sleep. So I left her on her own and freshened up to take a stroll. I walked down the street behind my hotel which took me to a junction where, one road led to the market, the Police Bazar and the other led to the Ward’s Lake, a popular garden with a lake. I took a while to look around and started walking down the lane which would take me to Ward’s Lake.
I passed by the lake’s gate and kept walking leisurely surrounded by a green blanket. I was so enthralled with the lush green mountains and the seemingly low clouds, that I lost account of time. At one of the precarious road turns, I couldn’t help but stand still and cherish the scenic beauty, the distant houses, food stalls which were looking like toy houses.
By time time I returned to hotel, it was 2.00pm and priya had already booked a guide to take us the around the city. I was quite tired by now, so pushed the sightseeing tour to next morning. For the evening we planned to visit the market and the Ward’s Lake, where we did good 1hr boating.
The evenings don quite early here, so is the dinner. We weren’t hungry when dinner was getting served as we’d already gorged on the famous sumptuous momos at Shillong restaurant. We slept in early, so that we could start our touring early next morning.
We were quite lucky to have been able to see the Shillong peak, an ideal picnic spot, 10 km. from the city on a clear day. The breath-taking height, a part view of Bangladesh and the panoramic view of the country side from here made it clear to us why Shillong is also popularly referred to as “Scotland of the East”. From here we moved on to the Sohpetbneng Peak, set against the backdrop of a sacred forest. This 'Navel of Heaven' as per Khasi mythology is a heavenly peak which offers to fill the spiritual void and emptiness, to those who seek and desire solace and peace of mind.
From here we moved to Cherrapunjee (Sohra), 56 km from Shillong, situated in one of the rainiest rain-belt in the world, 1,300 m above sea level. It was a pleasant drive to see the roaring water falls leaping into deep gorges, including the famed Nohsngithiang falls. We kept sitting on a rock near the falls and captured the beauty in our cameras. The charismatic town is also famous for its limestone caves and orange honey. It also has the oldest Presbyterian Church and also an establishment of the Ramkrishna Mission.
By the time we returned, it was dark. So we planned to go to Elephant Falls the next morning. 12 km on the outskirts of the city, the mountain stream descends through two successive falls set in dells of fern covered rocks. From there we moved to Umiam Khwan (Barapani), where we indulged in some water sports. Barapani also offers sports like water skiing, water scooter etc and trekking routes. As we got tired enough, so we could only go shopping in the evening, where we got some really good leather chappals and bags for ourselves at unbelievably cheap rates.
We were so fascinated by the alluring scenic beauty that we decide to spend a day more and just relax. Though there were some more places to visit like the Lady Hydari Park, a popular charming tourist draw with an adjacent mini zoo, the State Museum and several falls like Spread Eagle Falls, Sweet Falls, Crinoline Falls and the Bishop & Beadon Falls, but we wanted to spent the day relaxing and knowing the place a little more.
Before coming, we’d heard of live bands which perform locally and of the typical Meghalaya food. So we decided to hunt for live bands if any performing and went looking for food with local flavour as without it the trip is always incomplete. We were successful only in the search of local food. Besides the famous momos, the Meghalayan cuisine is heavily tilted in favour of meat, particularly pork. Jadoh - a spicy dish of rice and pork is eaten almost any time. Here fish also is a favorite dish for many. The appetizing chicken clear soup followed by steamed rice and mutton cooked with bamboo shoots was simply awesome!
After the meal my tummy was gratified but my mind was still longing to stay on in the place of amazing hide-outs. The trip was just refreshing. But we’d to return, so we hopped into our car and kept gazing at the pristine beauty till the time I could and reinforced my belief that nature inspires!
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