Meghalaya - a Sojourn in the Clouds

The abode of the clouds, so aptly named.  Do not go to Meghalaya with a plan for a hectic ‘been there done that’ kind of schedule crammed with plans for sight seeing.  This is a state which you have to just soak in ( pun intended); rambling through verdant hills, waterfalls and lakes.  The beauty here is a vivid green kaleidoscope of forested hills, water and clouds.

One can arrive at Guwahati by train or plane and then motor up to Shillong, the capital of the state.  This town used to be the capital of Assam in the old days and the layout and buildings are still redolent of the Raj. Using Shillong as a base one should motor around the state as far afield as one desires.  There is plenty of accommodation in Shillong ranging from the budget friendly to the exotic and expensive.

The three hour drive up from Guwahati is a precursor of scenes to come, lush green rain forests, and quaint villages with huts that have woven bamboo walls. It is sad though also to see the number of land slides along the way, possibly caused by deforestation. In winter this far East, the sun sets very early, when we went in November by 4.30 pm it was dark, so if you go in the afternoon, much of the beauty is lost in the darkness, to truly enjoy this lovely drive start early.

Spend a day or two in and around Shillong. There’s the Don Bosco museum and the Butterfly Museum (a privately owned collection),Wards Lake is a nice spot for a stroll. The Police Bazaar is the socially happening place, stroll around and watch a delightfully eclectic fusion of ethnic and west both in music and in dress. Watch the sunset from the Shillong Peak, a view point at the Air Force station, go early as it is a 40 minute drive and there is a crowd to have passes made. Going early also allows time for spectacular panoramic views of Shillong.

Spend a day on and around Lake Umiam, 20 kms from Shillong, this vast lake offers a truly serene experience. There is a facility for water sports, but I recommend you find the slowest boat possible and soak in the ambience.  On an island in the lake there is a hotel and house boat, it appears to be the ideal ‘get away from it all’ spot. Many hotels line the shores of the lake, all very scenically located.  We found the Ri Kynjai to be spectacular, both in the views it offered and the entire interiors done in local crafts, primarily cane and bamboo.

The hotel buildings have been inspired by the local Khasi architecture. Have lunch here, it is worth every penny of a slightly up market meal. For a bit of culinary adventure, try the Khasi food.

Every one has heard about Cherapunjee, the wettest place on earth; just that we somehow landed up there in its driest month!  Locally known as Sohra, it is a scenic three hour drive to reach there. The terrain and vegetation varies sharply depending on the rainfall patterns.  One passes thickly vegetated hills and valleys as well as starkly barren and flat plains in a seemingly random pattern. Do carry lunch as facilities are few and far between. In Cherapunjee there are many view points from where to see the cloud veiled cliffs which drop sharply down into Bangla Desh. 

The best view is from Thangkharang Park where a walk around the rim of the cliff affords magnificent views. In the rainy months the water falls here would be breathtaking, the dry months are Jan, Feb, Nov and Dec. The limestone formations inside Mawsmai cave merit a visit, though not for the claustrophobic; carry a torch though. 

Green and serenity is the theme of a visit to Meghalaya, enjoy the ambience, flora and calm of one of the least troubled of the North Eastern States.

A Day at Kaziranga

The Indian One Horned Rhino

 Kaziranga National Park is synonymous with the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, the only place in the world where you can see such large numbers of this battle tank like behemoth.  The park is in Assam and covers an area of 430 Sq kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The best way to get there would be via Guwahati and Tezpur.  The many places to stay around the park would suit most budgets and levels of luxury. I recommend staying as close to the park as possible to get in an early morning elephant safari.

 There is a view point on the highway approaching the park from where one gets a magnificent preview of the wildlife one is about to experience. From here one sees an enormous expanse of wetland with myriad birds and varieties of animals peacefully coexisting; we saw rhino, wild buffalo, a variety of deer and even a fox all at the same time, quite a Garden of Eden image.  The park is largely a wetland plain mainly covered by dense and tall elephant grass interspersed with stands of tropical semi-evergreen and deciduous forests. The picturesque swamplands have a thick cover of water lilies, water hyacinth and lotus.

Water Buffalo enjoy the swamp

To get a good feel of Kaziranga, I recommend a trip of one day at least, this should include an elephant ride (organised by the wildlife department) and a jeep safari (run privately by the hotels but with a park ranger accompanying). Carry binoculars and a camera with a decent zoom to enjoy the wildlife sightings which are mostly at a distance.

Elephant safari

Our early morning elephant ride started at about 6 am and lasted an hour and a half, I suppose these times would vary at different times of the year and might be worth a check before going. This ride takes you through some of the wetlands and swampy area of the Park that are inaccessible to vehicles. About 10 to 12 elephants with four to six visitors on each spread out in a selected area.  The elephant ride is an experience in itself as for most of the time the elephants have to push through the dense and razor sharp grass which is taller than elephant and riders combined.  In the swampy parts these well trained pachyderms seem to enjoy sloshing knee deep through the water and mud.  The wildlife sightings are mainly by the clearings next to the water pools, and one never knows what the next clearing might bring.  Apart from the ubiquitous birds we saw wild buffalo, rhino and a variety of deer; all at a great distance, this is where the binoculars came handy.  As the sun rose we were treated to a spectacular view of the rays of the sun peeping through the clouds and backlighting the hills to our south. Trying to take photos from a swaying elephant back in low light at extreme zoom is yet another challenge.

Crested Serpent Eagle

a Rhino crosses our path

A little later in the morning a jeep safari for about two hours took us through dense forest and to two view points. Driving along water, either swamp or river, for most of the time, we saw many deer, wild buffalo, birds and turtles basking in the sun on drift wood.  The view points are elevated towers so located as to give a clear view of the area around; from here we managed a good rhino sighting and lots of different types of wading birds. A superb specimen of a crested serpent eagle had the patience to tolerate us real close in a branch overhead. More birds and many distant rhino, deer and wild buffalo sightings later we were on our way home when a lonely male rhino (looking for his lost lady love?) decided to give us a grand display.  He came on to the road about 5 meters from our vehicle and first threatened us with a mock charge; then deciding that we were not worth the effort of another charge, he persisted in going around our vehicle at nearly touching distance for almost 10 minutes, allowing us an unique up close experience and a great photo-op.

Watching from so close a rich and relatively unspoiled ecosystem makes a visit to Kaziranga is a very satisfying communion with nature.  May be in observing these diverse animals peacefully coexist in this Eden like atmosphere there is a lesson for us humans?