Day 2 – Shillong

We started the day very early as the Tata Sumo that was booked was there at around 6.30 am. We got ready, had our breakfast in the mess, packed our bags and left for Shillong. The driver was very good and we did not have any problems making him our friend as he was almost as old as we are. The journey from Guwahati to Shillong is the best journey and you should not miss the fun by going in any Public Transport. We stopped the car at many places and even more when we were nearing Shillong. Parth had quite a rough time as he was travelling by road after a long time and that too in a hilly region like that.

As we approached Shillong, we saw a massive dam, then we saw a few big lakes. We stopped at a lot of places all along the way. The scenery was exotic, all we could see was mountains, clouds, greenery, clean water and cool breeze. One of the lakes particularly, known as the Umiam Lake (bada pani or big water) is the biggest lake there and very beautiful. We reached Shillong at around 11 am. We stayed at Sainik Aaram Gruh, which was booked by Paartha’s dad. We had lunch there and again left for some local site seeing.

beautiful lakes

We went to Shillong Peak first. And just before reaching the spot, some fees has to be paid and that had created a small traffic jam. We took the full advantage of the opportunity and ventured into the forests a bit. Shillong Peak is the highest peak in Shillong and we get a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding areas from there, but of course if you are lucky enough and there are no clouds blocking your view at that time. We saw a biker gang who were riding all the way from Guwahati in their macho bikes like enticer, eliminator, bullet and wearing black leather jackets and helmets. We all thought we would definitely come some day biking to such a beautiful place!

Then we went to Elephant Falls. That is also a superb place to visit, the water fall there creates a beautiful view. That area had been known to be very earthquake prone and that was the reason of creation of the Elephant Falls.

Elephant Falls

Then we started our journey back to the Shillong city. When we were near the market area, we saw one of our juniors who is from Shillong itself, Deeptanu. We asked him about the nearby places and he also took us to the market there, Police Bazaar and showed us some shops where we bought some clothes for very reasonable rates. We all got so carried away by the quality of clothes there and their rates that we forgot about our budget and went on a buying spree. While we were shopping, we entered a cloth shop, in which there was a lady who was being very nice to people, she was talking a lot to the customers. She started asking us about our whereabouts and when we said that some of us were from Karnataka, she said that even she was from Mysore and started talking to us in fluent Kannada! That was a big surprise to all of us, we bought some t-shirts there and had a nice talk with her. It was already closing time there, so we had to hurry up and even the guest house timing was 8pm, so we left the place early.

Patil and I had nice south Indian dinner at a south Indian restaurant there, while others were catching chicken. Then we returned to the guest house. We were alloted 2 rooms, but the rooms were so big that 1 was enough for the 9 of us. We gave the driver 1 full room and all of us occupied the other one. Then was the time for some KUKRI FIGHT, for the want of more blankets and pillows. We got so involved and fought that we started feeling hot and had to open the windows for some time!

Police Bazaar