Deeply disturbed by the brown landscape of the East Khasi Hills, I was looking forward to the boat ride at Dawki and the visit to the Living Root bridge. Here at least I would find the lush forest and tropical paradise that I was so looking forward to.
But along the way, I did come across bits of mountainside shaved off as part of the road widening process. One cannot deny the importance of better roads that are essential for connectivity but I do wish there was a gentler way of doing it without destroying our fragile ecosystem. On the other hand, better connectivity is the only way in which the unadventurous tourist can explore the world.
Anil, our driver was oblivious to my inner turmoil and was particularly happy that at long last, we’d have no option but be face to face with Bangladesh when we visited Dawki.
Parking the car to the side of the road he pointed to the boats below and the green umbrellas of Bangladesh across the river. He asked us to get down and enjoy an hour’s cruise down the river while he waited for us. He didn’t tell us that he’d be waiting on the other side.
As we started going down, I was shocked that wasn’t a proper staircase leading down! Nor was there any railing to hold on to. With my heart in my mouth, I slowly went down and actually clutched onto the hand of a stranger who offered to help. As we stepped into the boat, I discovered that he was our boatman.
Seating us in the narrow boat, he gently pushed it off the shore and within minutes we were paddling upstream towards the rapids.
Floating down the Umngot river is an unforgettable experience for me. After years of panicking in a boat, for the first time I felt a sense of calm as the boat drifted downstream. It felt like going back in time, where fishermen sat patiently in boats or on rocks, waiting for the fish to bite.
As we passed the Alpine tents pitched on the pebbly bank, we neared the rapids and my heart began beating faster. Luckily the boatman sensed my fear and turned back towards calmer waters.
Once again it was a wobbly walk over the pebbly river bed and another stone staircase before we found Anil grinning with triumph that he had achieved HIS objective : seeing Bangladesh within touching distance !
At one point, we drove along a barbed wire fence marking the Indo Bangladesh border. A uniformed border security man reminded us how real the threat of infiltration is.
Then we had to go back via the suspension bridge that warned us that it was weak and only a few cars could cross at a time.
On the way to the Root Bridge and Mawlynnong the cleanest village in Asia we got to see parts of the real Meghalaya with pineapple plantations and lush green hillsides.
The living root bridge and the Eco Park is a must visit.
The Living Root Bridge is an ingenious construction using the adventitious roots of the Rubber Plant , demonstrating how man can work with nature to achieve connectivity rather than work against it.
While I was impressed by the root bridge, I was quite let down with the cleanest village. With the money that the village has now come into, many of the villagers have made their traditional homes into modern concrete homes and quite honestly, I felt I was taking a walk through my father’s housing colony in Pune!
But all in all, this was definitely a trip that exhilerated me and made me feel glad to be alive.
However, one major take away was that advance research is well worth it to plan a more rewarding journey.
Ciao,
