AFTER EXPERIENCING THE SUPER AWESOME VIBES AT ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK AND THE TEA GARDENS OF MUNNAR, I HEADED FOR KASHMEER .

THE RATE OF LAND IN MUNNAR VALLEY WAS NOT SO HIGH & WAS IN MY BUDGET BUT THE LOCALS DID NOT WANT TO HELP SOMEONE WHO THINKS ABOUT BUDGET AND WANTS TO SETTLE RATHER THAN DO INVESTMENT AND DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.

AFTER HAVING TRAVELLED AND LIVED IN HIMACHAL PRADESH AND UTTARAKHAND, IT WAS NOT A NEW THING FOR ME, EVERYONE WANTS RICHIE RICHS TO INVEST IN THEIR AREA, NOT TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY BUT TO INCRESE WEIGHT IN THEIR POCKETS.

JAB TAK 2-3 CHOOTIYON KE MOOH PAR 5-6 LAKH FENK KAR NA MARO TAB TAK  KOI HELP NAHI KARTA, MERA TO BUDGET HI UTNA THA .

FROM ALUVA WHERE I STAYED FOR THREE DAYS, I TOOK A TRAIN TO DELHI BUT DUE TO SOME REASONS I DIVERTED MY TRAVEL TO NORTH EAST INSPITE OF KAASHMEER .

REACHED KAMAKHYA RAILWAY STATION, TOOK A HOTEL IN A VERY VERY CROWDED PLACE OF GUWAHATI .

NEXT MORNING VISITED KAMAKHYA TEMPLE WHERE I FOUND THAT VAGLAMUKHI TANTRIKS OFFERS BALI TOO, SAW A BABY GOAT’S HEAD SERVED TO THE GODESS, RELAXED AFTER HAVING HALF VODKA IN THE EVENING, SLEPT THE WHOLE NEXT DAY AND LEFT FOR SHILLONG THE UPCOMING MORNING.

SEEING THE SHILLONG’S HEAVY TRAFFIC, CHANGED THE PLAN AND WENT TO SOHRA VILLAGE ALSO KNOWN AS CHERRAPUNJI TO MOST OF THE INDIANS.

GOT TO KNOW THAT CHERRAPUNJI NAME WAS GIVEN TO SOHRA BY MIGHTY BRITISHMEN.

NATURAL , EXTREMELY BEAUTIFULL LANDSCAPE STARTED COMING AS SOON AS SHILLONG CITY BOUNDARIES ENDED.

REACHED SOHRA IN THE EVENING, THE NEXT DAY I VISITED TO GARDEN OF CAVES AND NATURAL SWIMMING POOL.

NATURAL SWIMMING POOL BEING THE BEST PART OF MEGHALAYA, TREKKED THE WHOLE BROOM CULTIVATED MOUNTAIN UP AND DOWN TO EXPERIENCE ITS SUPER AWESOME VIBES.

NEXT DAY WE VISITED LYNGKSHIRE WATERFALLS, THE WATER OF WHICH WAS MUDDY BECAUSE OF THE RAIN LAST NIGHT, THE FEEL OF CRYSTAL CLEAR BLUE WATERS WAS ALREADY TAKEN BY ME IN THE NATURAL SWIMMING POOL.

WATCHED THE GOLD CAVE, ARWAH CAVES, SEEN THE PANAROMIC VIEW OF BANGLADESH, SAW THE LONGEST PLUNGE OF ASIA AND ENDED THE TOUR AT MAUSAMI CAVES, WHICH COULD HAVE BECOME A PERFECT PLACE FOR DOING TAPAS/ PENANCE/ MEDITATION.

NEXT MORNING, I LEFT FOR KONGTHONG AKA THE WHISTLING VILLAGE. IN THE WAY, I MANAGE TO SEE A ROOT BRIDGE.

THE JOURNEY TO THE KONGTHONG VILLAGE ENRICHED MY SOUL WITH THE LUSH GREEN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH EAST, NEVER SAW SUCH BEAUTIFULL LANDSCAPES EVER.

VILLAGERS THERE USED TO CULTIVATE BANANA, BAMBOO & BROOM AS THE CASH CROPS.

KONGTHONG VILLAGE IS KNOWN AS WHISTLING VILLAGE AS THEY HAVE A TRADITION OF CALLING NAMES OF THEIR NEW BORNS IN FORM OF MUSICAL NOTES, I WENT OUTSIDE THE ONLY PLACE OF ACCOMODATION IN THE VILLAGE ie TRAVELLER’S NEST, TRIED TO TALK TO THE CHILDREN PLAYING ON STREETS BUT NO ONE RESPONDED, WENT BACK, WHILE GOING BACK TO THE TRADITIONAL KHASI HUT, I MANAGE TO SEE A FOOTBALL CODE, ” MUJHE BAARISH MEIN BHUTAN KE PAHADI MEADOWS ME FOOTBALL KHELNE MEIN BAHOT MAZA AATA HOGA BUT  BAARISH MEIN FOOTBALL KHELNE KA MAZA HI KUCH AUR HAI “

I TALKED TO THE CLOUDS PRESENT ABOVE THE MOUNTAIN OPPOSITE TO ME AND EXCLAIMED ” VANHA KYA KAR RAHA HAI BHOSDIKE LUND, IDHAR GARMI BAHOT HAI, YAHAN AA KE BARAS “

DEKH PASEENA PASEENA HO GAYA MAIN, WILL FURNISH THE LINK TOO.

IN AFTERNOON I FELT SO MUCH SUMMER HEAT THAT ONCE I DECIDED TO LEAVE KONGTHONG BUT AFTER THE SUNSET THERE STARTED MILD RAIN SHOWERS ALONGWITH STRONG WINDS AND THE COMPLETE ENVIRONMENT GOT CHANGED.

THE NEXT DAY, WE LEFT FOR DAWKI VILLAGE WHERE EXIST THE UMGAT RIVER WHICH IS KNOWN FOR THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER & SHARING BOUNDARIES WITH BANGLADESH, SINCE IT RAINED THE LAST NIGHT IN SHILLONG, UMGATS WATER TOO BECAME MUDDY.

HAD A NIGHT STAY AT MALYNNONG, THE CLEAN VILLAGE.

SINCE CLEANLINESS BEING THE ONLY THING APART FROM ROOT BRIDGES AND TREKS IN THE VILLAGE.

WENT TO ELEPHANT FALLS WHERE I TRIED THE TRADITIONAL KHASI DRESS, DID THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, DIDNOT LIKE SUCH THINGS BUT GOD KNOWS HOW MY MIND CHANGED SUDDENLY.

AFTER HAVING A SHORT TOUR TO THE SACRED GROVE AT MAHPHLANG VILLAGE, I TOOK AN ACCOMODATION IN KYRDEMKHLA FOR NEXT FIVE DAYS TO RELAX AND FEEL THE CLOUDINESS OF THE PLACE, CELEBRATED MY 33rd BIRTHDAY THERE.

FOR FOUR DAYS THERE WERE RAINS ALMOST 24 HOURS WITH COOL WINDS, THIS WAS WHAT I WANTED SINCE A LONG TIME, THE ONLY THING MISSING WAS THE WARMTH OF LAVA ROCKS BENEATH WHILE ENJOYING THE RAIN.

ON SIXTH DAY, I LEFT FOR DELHI VIA KAMAKHYA, KAMAKHYA EXPRESS.