Places Covered: Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Guwahati
Time: Oct 15-Oct 21, 2018
Climate: Medium cold in Cherrapunjee and Shillong, hot in Guwahati
Rainfall: NIL, not even in Cherrapunjee
Travel Agency: ACE Consortium, 9/19, Ekdalia Rd, Ekdalia, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700019 Ph: 033 2440 3403
Flight: CCU-GAU-CCU Indigo
Hotel: High Winds (Shillong)
Four Season Eco Resort (Cherrapunjee)
Onyx Garden (Guwahati)
Car: Standard AC Swift Dezire Roundtrip from GAU to Shillong to Cherrapunjee to GAU
Trip Itinerary:
DAY 0
Umiam Lake (Bada Pani)
DAY 1
Dawki
Mawlyngong Village
DAY 2
Ward’s Lake
Don Bosco Museum
Lady Hydari Park
Durga Puja Mandap
DAY 3
Shillong View Point
Elephant Falls
Seven Sister Falls
Nohkahlikai Falls
DAY 4
Eco Park
Alfresco Grand Brahmaputra Cruise
DAY 5
Kamakhya Temple
Sucreswar Temple
TRIP REVIEW
Firstly, Onyx Garden in Guwahati was the best hotel of the lot. Four Season Eco Resort in Cherrapunjee is a new facility-it does not have WIFI, is located in a desolate area but the service is very good. High Winds in Shillong had really bad service and should be avoided at all costs. We had meals at Jiva Veg enroute Shillong, Center Point hotel in Guwahati, Orange Roots in Cherrapunjee amongst other places which were all good. The food was the worst at Mawlynong Village. We did not do any shopping at Police Bazaar at Shillong or Fancy Bazaar at Guwahati because honestly the Kolkata malls and markets are bigger and better. Amongst the attractions, I liked Don Bosco Museum the best especially the Skywalk-and I climbed seven stories to reach there. I could not view much at the Shillong View Point as everything was engulfed in clouds. Umiam Lake was a vast man-made stretch of water and a nice place for a stopover on the way to Shillong from Guwahati. Dawki was serene, clean and very scenic and was worth the three hour long drive. Mawlynnong Village was no great shakes-just a bunch of touristy shops with very scarce amenities. I had to walk a stretch to get bottled water. Ward’s Lake was a patch of green with calm water and was unbelievably beautiful. Lady Hydari Park came a close second with ducks plying on water bodies and gorgeously landscaped expanses. Of the waterfalls, Elephant Falls and Nohkalikai Falls were less than what I expected them to be. The Seven Sisters Falls was so scanty and distant from the viewpoint that I needed binoculars to view them properly. I was caught by surprise when I chanced upon an unnamed waterfall enroute Cherrapunjee that I stopped the car for a while to soak in its magnificence and pristine beauty. The Eco Park at Cherrapunjee was a let-down while compared to the one that we have in Kolkata. The Alfresco Grand cruise on the river Brahmaputra was relaxing and refreshing after a tiring sprint all across the Guwahati-Shillong corridor. Kamakhya Temple, a much revered religious spot in Guwahati, was surprisingly methodical and free of money hungry priests. The lesser known Sucreswar Temple was a quiet zone, apt for a quick prayer and offerings. We also had a chance to stop by at the artistic Durga Puja Mandap near Polo Towers at Shillong. Shillong, with its scenic splendor and cool climate is a popular destination for Bengalis. All the local people speak Bengali and the Assamese script is the same as Bengali. The journeys across states are breathtaking and the roads are butter-smooth. Shillong was once named “Scotland of the East” by the British-so if you cannot make a jaunt to Scotland right away, consider making a trip to Shillong-the nearest airport, Guwahati is only an hour away from Kolkata. Bon voyage!
AninditaRoyMusings 