Northeast India being somewhat different from mainland India, has always been an attraction to backpackers and so this time I decided to backpack to an offbeat location – The Meghalayas
#Backpacking has always been a way of relaxing my mind, by connecting with like-minded strangers, listening to their adventure stories and making my own too. There are great ways to explore the world however every experience comes with its own opportunities and obstacles.
This backpacking expedition I joined a group of young & enthusiastic backpackers, I oldest of them all. When traveling with younger travellers, initially there is always a doubt about acceptance due to the age factor, gradually diminishing.
I arrived late night at Guwahati and was joined by other members at the hotel. I was very excited and looking forward to making new friends in my co-travellers. From Guwahati, we had our tempo-traveller for our forward trip of the next 6 days. After a comfortably lavish breakfast ahead of Guwahati, we proceeded to Meghalaya.
Meghalaya is an unexplored heaven on earth. The view of the lush green layered hills, cloudy enthralling blue skies, turquoise waterfalls, pristine lakes and the dew-drenched meadows filled my heart with ecstasy and delight. Call it as perks of the pandemic, we did not have tourist crowds anywhere, we could move around in ease and every little pleasure was to our sole discretion.
Visited : Mawphlang Sacred forest; Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trek, Nohkalikai Waterfalls; Umiam Lake; Living Root Bridges; the cleanest village of Asia Mawlynnong; Krang Suri Falls; Monoliths; The Garo Hills; India-Bangladesh Friendship Gate; Mawsmai Caves, the wettest place in Asia, Cherrapunji. Relished the traditional dish Jadoh (ja’ means rice and ‘doh’ means meat). Missed the famous crystal clear waters of the Umngot Dawki River, which wasn’t so crystal clear due to rainfall the previous night.
Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trek was the most amazing experience for me. A 6449 ft, 4-hour trek one way. Our group had few first-time trekkers and so the group leader walked behind with them and I was left with the only other solo co-traveller in the group. We had all the freedom to explore into deeper areas of the forest, click abundant photos and videos. The entire trek involved walking through thick forests, rocks, rivers over man-made bamboo bridges tied with cane ropes. A local tea vendor shared that wooden ladders and bamboo bridges in this entire bamboo trail was constructed by the forest people without taking the help of the government.
Some bridges looked a bit shaky and we both were quite unsure whether they would keep our weight. But ofcourse in the midst of the jungle, half way through you simply have to keep your faith and continue walking and we found the bamboo bridges strong enough to take us across. Of course, we moved across the bridges one at a time. In the beginning, the track was a descending one until we reached a rocky gap and we had to literally squeeze beneath the rocks. Some places the trail were both uphill and downhill. At one point there was an arched bamboo bridge in the middle across a dangerous-looking ravine. This was the scariest of all the treks I had ever done because there were few parts which fell at the edge of the cliffs and had to walk-over for 7-8 minutes. The final part was a 100-meter-steep climb up a bamboo ladder that took us to the legendary king of Rocks U’Mawryngkhang.
Few months ago, making plans for this trip I was very intimidated about going #backpacking somewhere outside Mumbai for the first time. But after having completed this trip successfully, I have realised there’s never any one right way to do things. Once you have made up your mind and you are on the road, what you want and whatever you need everything will fall in place to get us to that point.
Well personally, with sightseeing and everything, all went well. However, as a group, by the end of the trip there were mixed feelings, pleasure, displeasure! Group travel is altogether an interesting challenge by itself. Different people, different habits, different moods. Sometimes, showing up late would ruin the day’s schedule, sometimes asking too many questions would get someone annoying.
Group trips suit extroverts who appreciate meeting new people and to me meeting people is the main feature of my travel expedition. In group tours, I have always had a wholesome experience of say – networking and socializing, I have always found people like me who are often traveling alone and have stories to share. And having cherished their company few have become friends for life.
All of us 10-member group and major part of the group from a particular region; at such times there is often friction because they are often amongst themselves, talking and joking in their own language, making their own plans, dining separately and doesn’t mingle much with the group. And so other single members feel neglected. The more number of people, language barriers, negative comments, whining, complaining, and small disagreements become inevitable. And then slowly the uneasiness seeps in. And so our group too had our share of all ups and downs to go with. We need to remember, in a group tour the harmony needs to be kept alive so that the trip can be enjoyed, so unpleasant needs to be ignored or accepted. Myself though, made several lovely friends in this group..
You can only venture into the unseen if you have the courage to stray into the zone that is not your comfort zone and invite struggle and uncertainty to be your travel partners. Remember, that these travel imprints are going to make us laugh, cry, and smile for years to come…🖖🥰
LifeinACircle 