Wei Sawdong

Wei Sawdong was not on the itinerary of the tourist taxi. But then, what WAS in it lasted barely 3 hours and now we were supposed to return to Assam. 

60% of the places mentioned on the plan were 'stop and see' locations which meant we could very well see them from our parked car without setting our foot out. 

Just for going to and from Cherrapunji to Guwahati we didn't hire and cough up Rs 8000. Whether you consider the kilometers run, the places seen or the time taken, by any parameter, we were, at a complete loss. Not worth the money spent nor the long hours spent slouched in the cab. 

It took us an hour to convince the driver to take us to Wei.  

The road wasn't bad at all. He had lied to us. 

The falls were concealed behind a dense forest and we had to trek through a muddy path. Some places had bamboo poles randomly thrown together  

while some others had vertical ladder like structures put in place

The roar of the water was getting louder as we descended down the steep mountain. That kept us going, exhausted and yet exhilarated at the same time.

And you are almost there. The stream gushing downwards is visible.

A slight turn to the left and woah! We get to see the most amazing three-layered waterfall in full gusto. What a visual treat!

How beautiful it is! It was difficult to get a clear shot of the falls with no people in it but looks like I managed. 

The water was pure white, and resembled a river of milk pouring down.

The entire experience was surreal. 

As we climbed back, we kept looking back over our shoulders, trying to capture the view one last time in our mind's eye, savoring it even as we bid adieu. 

It was an amazing trek. Not to be missed. In fact, the waterfalls is so beautiful that during the times when the flow of water is limited, it has a different charm and beauty. So whether the water is less or more, it will appeal to your eyes. 

And in case you are unable to do the trek down to the plunge, then there is a route you can take called the View Point from where you can view the falls without having to go through the muddy, tricky path. And this is the view of the falls you will get to see. You can see all three tiers. 

We spotted the Dainthlen Falls in the distance.

The vehicles go right up to it. It is a straight drop of about 80 meters. You will find a signboard on the road as you drive to Wei. It falls on the way so you can either do it before or after Wei.

As we drove back to Guwahati, we were all so content and hungry. Yes, the mountains always leave you hungry - either for more sights hidden in its belly or for steaming, hot food. 

Cherrapunjee and the East Khasi Hills were a tourist's delight. 

The Seven Sisters of Meghalaya

What is with the name Seven Sisters and the North-East? Sikkim has a famous waterfall by the same name and so does Meghalaya (ML).  

We had booked a cab from a tour operator in Guwahati for Rs 8000 for 2 days. Day 1 Shillong and Day 2 Cheraapunji. Day 3 plan of Dawki River was canceled due to landslide and road closure that had happened a day before. How unfortunate! 

Our driver had told us that tomorrow is a big day, with lots of places to see, the first place - the cave - opens at 9, so be ready at 8:00 a.m. We enjoyed the first rains of Cherrapunjee lashing at our windows and slept in great anticipation of what the next day would bring. 

We were ready at 8:00. He dropped us at the cave at 8:03! Turns out, it was just a 3-minute-drive from our homestay. We could have practically walked to the place. Urgh!

For breakfast, we were at the mercy of the only restaurant that was open at the time. 

The lady was so rude, that I thought one of the customers, who had come in a group of 5, would beat her up. He, however, decided to bite his tongue and eat his long-delayed roti quietly. 

Like most other helpless tourists, who were woken up early and mercilessly dropped off here, we too ordered the only two safe options available in this part of the country - Maggi and Bread omelet. We were scared to ask the lady to give us another omelet lest she scolds us for ordering repeatedly (yes, that is a legitimate feeling here) and not making up our minds the first time around. 

After a long wait, she decided to tell us the amount we had to pay. I mustered the courage to ask her what cost how much. She gave a death stare. That instantly shut me up, and we paid up without another word. 

Below is the pathway leading to the cave. 

The picture below shows the interior of the limestone cave with the lights on, which, according to me, made it look ugly, though, I guess it was necessary. 

Do the cave only if it hasn't rained the previous night, which is highly unlikely as this is Cherrapunji, the wettest place on earth and it practically rains here every day. In our case, it had rained all night (mid-May was supposedly peak summer) and the cave was flooded in places. With elderly people or small kids, it can be difficult to explore it due to the uneven footing, and the claustrophobic atmosphere.  

I was least excited about the cave. In fact, I wanted to do the Wei Sawdong Falls instead of the Cave. But our taxi driver refused to oblige saying the roads are not good for "small cars". We were in a Swift Dzire which he was driving at the speed of 40 km/hr.

We set off to the next item on our list. The Nohkalikai Falls which I have described in this post. 

Next up was the Seven Sisters, also called Mawsmai Falls or Nohsngithiang (if you can pronounce that. Now I get why they simply call it Seven Sisters. Easier on the tongue of the tourists). This is one of the tallest waterfalls in India with a height of 1000 feet. We were exploring the East Khasi Hills.

This is one of the rare waterfalls where we can actually stand and experience the place from where it begins and descends into the valley.  Most falls you view from a distance and can never actually approach the drop point of the falls. However, in this case, a bridge is built right over it so you get a really close view of the drop. 

The bridge of the Ecopark is visible from a distance.

The drop off point up close

The valley covered in mist

Cottages are being built in the Ecopark overlooking the falls. Scenic view from inside the rooms

The view of the falls from the main road. 

Day 2 of the tourist itinerary comprises the Mawsmai Cave, the Nohkalikai Falls, the Seven Sisters Falls, the Eco Park, and voila, you are done for the day. Time to return to Guwahati.

By 11:00 a.m, we had covered everything in the itinerary and the only thing left was to return to Guwahati. We realized that the Day 2 program was barely 3 hours! 

We insisted the driver take us to Wei Sawdong. Did he take us or did he continue to make excuses that the road is not good? 

In the next post.

Land of Clouds & Waterfalls

Meghalaya (ML) binds you in a spell. It mesmerizes you. It truly is the abode of clouds. 

Unexplored and unexploited, as yet, it is a beautiful state. 

Looking at the crowds thronging ML, the rooms being full or running to full capacity, and every location with loads of vehicles and scores of tourists, I hope and pray ML does not end up being the victim of our greed for beautiful locations. Human beings can spoil everything they touch. Like we say in Kannada, there is no grass that a goat does not eat. There is no place a man will go to and leave it unspoiled as before. 

One of the most beautiful waterfalls we went to in ML was the Nohkalikai Falls. 

I must add here that in ML, every road, every mountain, holds in his womb, many a waterfall. Everywhere you go, you will find a lovely stream making its way down and if you are a thorough city-bred person, you will want to capture the picture of every fall you see as you traverse the landscape. It will be an irresistible feast to your eye and it will take super-human effort to not stop the vehicle you are traveling in everywhere and anywhere. In fact, some of the exquisite streams and falls can only be enjoyed in passing as the onward coming traffic will make it impossible for you to stop and click pictures. 

There is one other thing: when you see the biggest or most majestic of all waterfalls, then the streams will look like regular fare. This is something you will experience a day or two into your travel in the region and you will learn to let go. 

The drive to Nohkalikai is easy as the roads are good and the view itself is picturesque.

Green and white are the two dominant colors in Meghalaya. Large, green fields and the countryside below and misty, white clouds overhead.

When we reached the location, the clouds had engulfed the entire mountain range and it was hard to tell what was beneath those clouds. Except for the roar of the falls, one could never have guessed that there was such a majestic sight behind the spread of white. 

Nohkalikai made us wait. We waited in the tea shop nearby and even as we took the last sip of our tea, the clouds started clearing. 

Like the regal, colored screens in single screen theaters of yesteryears, that went up slowly and then the movie began, the clouds parted way gently to reveal the sight of our lifetime. 

10 minutes apart and the scene changed completely. 

Steps and railings have been made and you can go right to the bottom of the falls to see the plunge pool beneath. 

But it is a lot of steps and if you are not physically fit or have kids with you, it is not advisable to go all the way down. The climb up will tire you or your kids and it would be time-consuming too. 

Nohkalikai is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. It falls from a height of 340 meters. 

Once you have had your fill of the falls, stroll around and enjoy the scenic beauty. Relish the happy 'I-am-in-a-faraway-place' feeling while it lasts. The vast expanse of greenery, very few people around, and the sound in the background of the plunge of water are the only companions to your thoughts. This is the kind of place where you will love spending time doing nothing.

This beautiful waterfall is a part of the tourist itinerary. So it is highly unlikely that you will miss this place.

As you can see on the right, the Cherrapunji schedule on day 2 of a 3-day tour of Meghalaya has Nohkalikai falls. The only thing you need to hope for would be for the rain gods to be kind to you when you reach there. 

Mist and rain are spoilers and enemies of the tourist. They don't care how far you have come from and how much you have spent to reach one of the remotest places in the North-Eastern part of India. 

Like tiger sightings in most wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, the visibility of most attractions in ML is a matter of luck. Pure chance. A blessing. We ourselves realized this when we visited Laitlum Canyon two days later. 

More on Laitlum Canyon in the next post of the Meghalaya series.