Magical Meghalaya

21 March 2022

After the Kaziranga Safari, we finally set out on the journey to the place about which this whole trip is about - Shillong, Meghalaya. We started off early in the morning and reached Jagalbhanda for breakfast. The breakfast was king size - rotis with 5 kinds of side dishes (stir fried veggies, dal, spinach). A hearty meal to start the 250 odd km drive. It was a bright and sunny day, and the highways were a breeze to drive in. We stopped for some Elaneer mid-way and reached the foothills at around 12pm. The ghat roads began thereafter. I was astounded at the number of petrol bunks we saw enroute. There were at least 2 for each kilometer. As we climbed ahead, the temperature started to dip down, and we were welcomed with some cool breeze as we entered the outskirts of Shillong. Another sight that surprised us were the local taxis - the whole car was painted a bright adika vara yellow. I have seen taxis being painted black and a pale yellowish orange, but this bright yellow was so new.

The first thing that you notice as you enter Shillong is the Umiam Lake, which is situated in valley sort of set up, nestled by mountains on all sides. The bluish green waters, that had tiny waves and ripples all over was a sight to behold. We had booked our stay in the Upper Shillong which was at a distance of 10 kilometers from the center. We reached our hotel, the Silver Brooks at about 2pm in the noon, and decided to have our lunch in the restaurant that accompanied the hotel. One of the best things about doing the North-East trip with a 2-year-old kid is - Rice and dal are the staple food here, which makes it a little easier for most of the trip. We had some Dal and Rice for lunch and retired to our rooms. Given that we had drove for 5 hours and that it was noon already, we decided to rest for the remaining part of the day and start our exploration from the next day.

Athi, however, wasn't ready to rest as he had had enough sleep in the car during the drive. V rested, while me and Athi ventured out. The hotel had a small slide and a trampoline for the kids. He played on it for a while, and then took a walk around the neighborhood to watch the cows grazing, mynahs fluttering about everywhere which Athi enjoyed chasing around. Most of the neighborhood was farming land which were just ploughed and ready for cultivation, and a couple of houses here and there. 

As we went back to the hotel, V came out, so we walked further and reached a school playground where kids were practicing football. There was a particular kid, hardly a year older than Athi, who was jumping about and loved kicking the ball around, which intrigued Athi. Some of the other older boys noticed us and encouraged Athi to give a shot at kicking the ball - and boy, he got really excited, and didn't want to leave the place. It was hardly 5pm, but the twilight has kicked in, and by the time we went back to our hotel, it was pitch dark even though the time was only 6pm. The temperature had also dipped significantly, and the chill could be felt. We had an early dinner at the same restaurant and slept off as early as 7:30pm. I believe that is the earliest that Athi has slept for the first time ever.