Sky View : Mawlynnong the cleanest village in Asia

A Welcome Message At Parking Place : Mawlynnong

Contd from Part 1: Shillong To Mawlynnong
                          Part 2: Living Root Bridge Of Riwai 

 It was almost two in the afternoon as we reached Mawlynnong .The first thing that catches your eyes is beautiful flowers and well maintained colorful plants everywhere.It is almost like stepping into a gorgeous botanical garden or a beautiful place from fairy tales.Mawlynnong is also called God's Own Garden.

Jingkieng Jri : Living Root Bridge Of Riwai of Meghalaya

Thatched cottages in Riwai Village

Contd from the first part :  . It took us a little more than three hours to reach Riwai Viilage which is just two km before Mawlynnong .The outside temperature at 31C  was pretty hot for Meghalaya .Sun was sharp .Pranab did a good thing to bring  a Sun Cap .We parked our car near  first way to the living root bridge (another was  just few mt away) .We had heard so much about the living root bridges of Meghalaya  and finally we were about to see one . There was this small sign board which pointed at the narrow pathway to the bridge.

Shillong To Mawlynnong- The Journey

Upper Shillong

Mawlynnong was on top of our travel list for last couple of years . Had to hold our plans earlier for various reasons .Finally came the day when the time was right as everything was perfectly placed. We were on a five day trip to Shillong.My mother -in-law and dear Suniti ( our housekeeper Dulal's wife) offered to look after my kids for the day so that Chandan and i could visit the place. Pranab ,Chandan's childhood friend and Dulal accompanied us to this unforgettable journey. Mawlynnong is  an over hundred years old  village situated in the pristine East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya ,India. In the year 2003 it earned the distinction of being the 'Cleanest Village Of Asia ' declared by Discover India Magazine .Though this beautiful and little village attracts visitors from all over the world throughout the year i would still prefer to call it under explored . A large part of North East India still remains undiscovered and there are very few travel guides to help the visitors coming to these parts .I will be posting my travel experiences through my pictures as a

Bordoisila

had tried to capture the arrival of Bordoisila March 2009 from our terrace

It was a Saturday most probably in the month of March approximately thirty five years back.My dad was newly posted to this small town of Assam.The town had a tiny market comprising of not more than five to six shops.I still remember it had a small general store ,one tea shop ,a vegetable stall and another meat and poultry shop. It was a ritual to visit the nearby town Tejpur which was just forty kms away every Saturday for our weekly shopping.We were returning to our house after one such very initial trip.The weather was bit cloudy but pleasant .All of a sudden the sky turned almost black .A fierce and strong wind changed the whole weather in few secs.There were thunders and lightening in the area and we could hear and see the flashes of  thunderbolt .Soon it was accompanied by heavy downpour .It was impossible to move further . My dad parked the jeep on the side of the road by positioning it in such a way that it faced into the wind.The jeep was shaking badly and all three of us (me ,my sis and brother) were pretty scared .My dad was cool though .He looked back at us and said ," don't worry ,it's Bordoisila ,she is visiting her mother's house .Everything will be fine in few minutes". Thousand questions cropped up on my mind ..who is she ?why is she so angry ? why is she doing this ? But at that moment