Journey to the Northeastern part of India- Jincy M.R, XI A

  This travelogue is about a week's journey to the Northeastern part of India.  We arranged the trip to Meghalaya and Assam. We started from Mumbai on 11.02.2018 and we reached on 13.02.18. It was our 2nd day in Shillong on 15.02.18. 

We first went to Dawki River and there we had a boating service between two countries i.e, India and Bangladesh. This river spreads over both the countries and makes people from both the countries meet each other as the boating starts from India and it stops for a minute in the land of Bangladesh. But we aren't allowed to stand in the land. After having a wonderful boating,we then went to the India- Bangladesh border and there we saw the bond of friendship between the two countries. The countries are separated by a gate which allows the passage for emergency. Then we went to a village named Mawlynnong, known as the cleanest city in India and also holds a place among the world's cleanest cities. The food and love between the people increases its beauty. Plastic is banned here. Proper disposal of waste is another important thing. They served us delicious food and it filled our hearts with joy. 

Then we went to the Living roots bridge which was made by the tribal community of Khasi,which they used to walk carrying logs for domestic purpose. The bridge was built with the roots of  two trees which still exist today and people all around the world visit this place as it is a naturally built bridge. Taking photographs are allowed but sitting or standing on the bridge is not allowed. This was all about the day . In the evening we had a walk across the market street of Shillong where we could hear people bargaining all around.                 It was our 3rd day in Shillong. We went to the Ward's lake ( artificial lake), which is named after the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, Sir William Ward, who started the plan for the establishment of this lake. It was  constructed in the year 1894 by Colonel Hopkins. The lake is accompanied by a botanical garden. Then we went to one of the boating sites in Shillong. After boating, we went to the Don Bosco museum . There we saw a wide variety of instruments, dress, ornaments,study on different tribal community, cultures and more. Study about Christianity and names of missionaries who sacrificed their lives for the betterment of the state were also mentioned along with the sacraments. There were many things to explore and it had a site from where the whole Shillong city could be seen. After creating a lots of memories from Shillong,we started our journey to Guwahati, Assam. 

It was our first day in Assam on 17.02.18. Kamakhya temple which is famous among people from all over the country, is situated in Guwahati town. We went to the Kaziranga national park which is known for its one-horned rhinos. We had a jeep safari towards the inner side of the forest.We saw many animals including the elephants, cow, zebra, rhinos,pig and more. Migratory birds were also seen in this place. Then we went to the Umananda temple which is situated in the island. We went for  boating towards the cave where people dedicate their offerings along with pooja . Inside the temple, it was evening time, so the temple was left only with the head priest. Monkeys were more in number than humans. This was all about the day.
         On the next day, we started our journey from Guwahati to Kerala conveying all sincere gratitude to the people who helped us in making our trip a memorable one.
            On comparing the both capital cities, both are developed cities but the difference lies in the atmosphere and crowd of people in the cities. In Shillong, we could experience a silent atmosphere with a pleasant weather whereas in Guwahati, we experience the lives of busy people and a different weather with lots of humidity.
             We had different types of food from different regions.We Got a chance to have Assami tribal meals which consisted of curries made from leaves.
         Our first destination was Shillong,capital city of Meghalaya and there we experienced different types of climates. On our first day , we went to Elephant falls which is known for its elephant shaped rocks and clear water. Then we went to one of the famous view points in Shillong. After that we went to point where the rivers of the seven sisters ( Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam,Arunachal Pradesh) meet. The place was covered with fog and pleasant wind.Then we went to Mawsmai caves and enjoyed exploring. The stones inside the caves were slippery and we fell down many time. It was completely dark inside and then with the help of torch lights we  finally reached the end point. There we learned the importance of cooperation and value of others as we were able to reach our destination with the help of many who weren't known to us. This cave was near to Cherrapunji, the place which receives maximum rainfall. We were fortunate enough that we went there during the end of the winter season so that we were able to see maximum places. Cherrapunji during that season got dried up. During rainy season it is much difficult to walk through the Mawsmai caves as the chance of slipping is more. From our first day's experience we were all eager to explore more places with new experiences.