Megalaya : Frequently asked questions

Megalaya : Frequently asked questions

How we chose Megalaya ? How we reached there?

Our Friends Achuthan & Indrani has visited in early May 2015 & suggested this place to us. They gave a draft itinerary for us for a week, which I shared in travel forum Indiamike.com. (Normally used to do this whenever I travel to new places ); Karikor who was in this forum suggested some changes in itinerary. Particularly instead of staying at the same place for all the 8 days, he suggested to stay in different place. Initially we were very hesitant as we need to change/ vacate room everyday. But with little bit of research, found that it was the best way; otherwise we need to spend about 5 hours every day in travel (Two and half hours each).

There are 2 ways to reach Megalaya

Option 1: Chennai to Kolkatta by flight (Plenty of options/ flights)

                    Kolkatta to Shillong by Flight (Only one Air India flight is there every day & it gets cancelled due to bad weather at times)

Option 2: Chennai to Kolkatta by flight

                    Kolkatta to Guwahati by flight; then 3 hours drive to reach Shillong (many flight options for this)

We chose second option as advised by many friends.

Where did we stay?

As mentioned earlier, we chose to stay in different places. Other than saving the time, most of the places we stayed were unique and completely different from one another and each one was with a different back drop. 

We stayed for 2 days in Mawphalang at Maple pine Farm house.

From there we travelled to Mawphanlur and stayed there at a guest house.

Then we moved to Mawlynnong & stayed at a Guest house.

We moved to Cherrapunji from there and stayed at Sai Mika Resorts

Finally, we stayed at Orchid Lake resort at Shillong for a day before boarding the flight.

Though few days we had some disappointment since we could not cover many places or we were dull, the places that we stayed gave lot of freshness and comfort; We enjoyed each one of the stay, but the first two stays (Maple pine Farm house at Mawphalang and Guest house at Mawphanlur) were outstanding and not to be missed out !!

What about the food?

They have good vegetarian food. Rice quality is almost similar to Chennai. So no complaints. They serve 2 or 3 vegetables; Egg and chicken can be done at our request.

Veggies can surely manage with the Rice, Dhall and 2 or 3 vegetable dishes that they provide (Potato is cultivated there a lot and they use it in every food); They don’t know Sambar, Rasam, Curd, etc

In Cherrapunji, there is a new hotel called as Orange roots, which serves pakka Tamilian food; here we ate Idly, Dosa etc.

We met the owner & his son who manage Cherrapunji resort and Orange roots hotel; both talked in fluent Tamil to us; Father had worked in Megalaya in a bank and had had married a woman from Megalaya. Therafter they had been in many parts of India; Finally he took VRS, got a land here, came and started a resort; It was the first resort in Cherrapunji (Charra Holiday resort); Even today, this is one of the best and famous resort here; Last year they have opened this new hotel (Orange roots). 

When you go to Orange roots hotel run by them, prefer Tiffain items than Rice items; Rice items are costly and not so good; Idly & other south Indian food is comparitively cheaper as well as good.

Is it safe to travel in North eastern states?

This question was raised by many friends; I do not know about other North eastern states; but there was certainly no risks that we or the previous friends saw in Megalaya; In fact in many places we don’t see any tourists; at some places, we alone are there; despite that there was no fear of theft or any other issues. Also they treat us so respectfully.

What about the language? How can we manage?

They understand English to some extent. Hindi – most don’t understand. We need to have a driver who understands English; also in some places when we take Guide, need to select some one who speaks English well.

Do we need to have guide for all days?

No; not required; A good driver can help us in many areas. But in some places, Guide is a must; Else it will be a total disaster and we cannot enjoy anything. Particularly for Mawlongbna and Double decker bridge visit, guide is a must. 

What about transport?

Government transports are less; there are shared call taxi kind of  system available; but it is better to take a car. They charge about 1,700 to 3,000 per day depending on the vehicle and distance that we travel.

What is the best time to visit Megalaya?

April, May is quite ok; Climate in many places is very cool. We were told that June, July also is very good as falls will have lot of water. Its better to avoid Aug, Sep, October- as it could be rainy season. Nov, Dec, Jan will have very less temperature (around 5 to 10 Degree) and if one wants to enjoy such low temperature, can chose Christmas vacation time too..

What are the best attractions in Megalaya?

Lot of natural caves – out of which two in Cherrapunji are very good & must visit. In fact one cave is opened about an year back only; but that is the best ! Very big and we can walk for more than a kilo meter in complete darkness with torch alone for help.Wonderful experience...

Root bridges, which are made of tree’s roots,

Falls (can only see; cannot take bath; have you ever taken bath in a falls in Kodaikkanal or Ooty??)

&

the cool climate….

How many days trip will be ideal?

A minimum of one week is required. There are people who spend 2-3 weeks in Megalaya alone. 

What about the cost?

For a single person it may cost 20,000 to 30,000 for a one week trip. (Including flight, room, food, local transport, etc) 

Trekking to Double Decker bridge: A trip to remember: Megalaya Travelogue

Double decker bridge..Situated in Cherrapunji. Visiting this place is an experience in itself. As we travel in Megalaya, some how we look for this day of our trekking to Double decker bridge. Very rare tourists that we come across in the trip will invariably ask " Did you visited Double decker bridge?" If they had visited, they will share some tips...This bridge and the trekking was covered by BBC too once in a very detailed manner...

3000 steps on one way and again return.. With family....should we go? Wife was very hesitant; only daughter was pushing. Friends who had visited earlier advised to keep this trip at the fag end of the trip, as legs will be paining a lot the next day.

Somehow convinced wife for the trekking and the D Day arrived. We started very early by 7 AM;  It was raining heavily in the night (it was Cherrapunji !!) & we were a little worried. In the morning, there was no rain; we started our trip along with a guide.

As we were about to start trekking, it rained again. We waited for half an hour for the rain to subside in the shop situated there and then started the trekking; 

It all looked very easy & smooth. And again rain struck in the middle of trekking. We had proper things with us (Jacket/ Rain coat) & continued our trekking. People will generally say it will be slippery if it rains. But we were cautious and the journey was fine. 

On the way we see people carrying huge weight climbing up. We really pity their life; also there were children going to school from the Non griat Village (Thats where the double decker bridge is situated); They do this trekking every day to go to school (Wonderful exercise... they must be used to it !!)

There are two wonderful hanging bridges on the way and walking in them with huge falls adjacent is a thrilling experience...

We reached Double decker bridge comfortably. While going we will step down for most part and only at the end we need to climb a bit. So there will not be much issue.

Double decker bridge - is  created by roots of the tree- in 2 layers. One in the ground and another in about 30 feet height.

A beautiful natural pool is near this double decker bridge and we can take bath there (except when water is more foreceful)

There is a home stay near the double decker bridge who serve food. We need to inform in advance over phone or on reaching the place - before going to the Double decker. Mostly they give noodles only (Dont know what they serve after Maggi is banned now); we had our lunch there.

The return journey started; again until half the way through, it was fine. The real struggle started only then. It was steep 2000 steps, which goes almost continuously and it is a big challenge. Wife struggled a lot and beyond a point said- She cant walk. We decided to then take it 100 steps every time and take a rest. We put songs aloud in Phone & started climbing up slowly; took as much rest as possible and reached the final destination !!

Relief and a sense of achievement as we Completed our trekking...

It takes 2 hours to reach Double decker and about 3 hours to come back. We will spend about 2 hours there; so the whole day need to be allocated for this trekking only.

Need to wear good shoes; take only one bag only for entire group and request the Guide ( he is a must for this trip) to carry it; they will do it quite willingly.

Aged people and those having very small children (who cannot walk) can consider skipping; others can certainly explore this wonderful, one of a kind, ever memorable trekking experience.

Visit to Mawlynnong- Asia's cleanest Village

During a trip which lasts for more than a week, all the days will not be superb; there are bound to be a day or two, which makes us little down. One such day was when we visited Mawlongbna.

Actually this is a nice place and some good activities are there including Kayakking; however one should go to Mawlongbna only if they stay in the Government Guest house situated there; It is in a different location inside a Forest; if we stay there, they arrange a Guide who will take us to all places around that area and also Kayaking.

Though we could not stay in the Guest house, as no space was there, we spoke to the Caretaker who said he will arrange a Guide and we can come and enjoy the activities. Unfortunately when we went there, we could not reach him over phone, as none of our Phone had signals. (Aircel and BSNL alone have better tower in Megalaya; it is better to get a Chennai sim from these Agency before we leave; Don’t go and try to get a local sim there; it seems it will take a week or so to get activated there)

We could not reach him over phone nor we can meet him; somehow we did Kayaking, which was a different experience. We need to drive our boat. A guide is there to help. But we need to understand how it operates and accordingly do it.

Mawlongbna Guest house contact No: 9615 1700 25

There are couple of places – a cave and a rock which is considered as God near Mowlongna. This cave is not worth a visit. There are 2 better / bigger caves & please visit them only.

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Mawlynnong is recognized & recorded as Asia’s cleanest village and we stayed in a superb location here. Again it was almost like a Forest in the midst of it we have a Guest house. The inside room is not outstanding &average only. There is little bit of mosquito problem here and they had given coil- liquid – Net etc to escape from it. We used Net and it was fine. Food & Hospitality at this place also was very good.

There are many Root bridges in Megalaya which are very famous; ie: the roots of the tree will be so huge and it will act like a Bridge. Near Mawlynnong, there is one such good Root bridge named Riwoi root bridge. Those who cannot go to Double Decker root bridge can atleast visit this. This place attracts lot of tourists

When we went there, every thing seemed normal. So went without umbrella or rain coat; as we went half way through it suddenly started raining. (It is better to take them, whenever we get down from car in Megalaya; otherwise we will have everything in car, but will not be there when we need it) We waited in a shop there, where we were playing with a small kid. The shop owner ladies were kind enough to accommodate us inside their shop during rain.

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We went for walking in the Mawlynnong streets in the evening and next day morning. The road were well laid out with cement and they were clean. Also every house had beautiful garden.

In the place where we stayed, there is a view point – built; If we go up there, we can see Megalaya well and also can see Bangaladesh border

 (As Megalaya is situated closer to Bangaladesh, in many places, the cab drivers keep telling/ showing us that this is Bangaladesh border…) The view point here was very good.

Mawphanlur.. the Heaven on Earth...

Mawphanlur… the mentioning of this word itself brings Goosepumps to me…. Probably anyone who has visited this place will feel similarly…

It is a small village situated on the top of a hill. Just 8 Kilo meter travel in the hill and we reach Maphanlur. In the initial part of 5 KM, the road is very bumpy and bad, but the last 3 Km is well laid out.

It is better to call the local guest people over phone, who will come down to pick you up. They charge Rs. 100 per head to go up to the hill, which is pretty fine. (Better to avoid going by car until the roads are laid out well- their jeep is certainly better)

As we get down and move to our room, we are spell bound by the beauty of this place. We reached at the most appropriate time there: 10 AM…and it was about 18-20 degree out there (That was the maximum temperature for the day !!) The guest house is surrounded by hills, lake & complete greenery. Just cant explain the beauty of this place. It has to be experienced !!

We started roaming around the place till afternoon. We sat near lake and was running behind the goats and hens which were the only living beings to give us Company.

We hardly see people there; Once in an hour or so, few people cross that huge road.. otherwise there is nobody in the vicinity.

We came to guest house again for lunch. The hospitality of the guest people is awesome; so friendly and helpful. They treat you very well. The food was excellent; They give a bowl full of fire continuosly to keep us warm. ( I was laughing at the paradox of coming to a cool place wontedly and then looking for fire out there !!)

This is the only guest house available in Mawphanlur (Run by the local Co-operatives) and they have 2 rooms; they are occupied very rarely; these are opened just about an year back; this place is yet to become popular. Many drivers too don’t know this place !!

Around 1.30 PM, we again started our rounds, as we know that we are going to stay here only for one day and it will become dark in the evening. Again it was such a fun to walk in the greenery, occasionally meeting some cows and goats.

There is a local primary school in Mawphanlur & few houses are situated closer to that; few kids were playing there; As I went near that place, they ran to their house…

As it became dark, we came to the guest house half heartedly, as we would love to spend more time out there.  

We saw the local MLA making a surprise visit to the guest house; he spoke to us & gave his card. He enquired about the place; We told him that every thing is fine except the approach road to the hill. He said that his very purpose of visit is to note it down and repair it soon. Hopefully, the road will become all right in an year.

It started raining a bit by 6 PM; there were some power cuts as well. But we never felt unsafe.

Mist surrounded the place by 7 PM & it was difficult to even go to the place where we normally have dinner.

We had a wonderful sleep. The morning climate had many more surprises. There was a lovely mist, in which we can walk; but in 2 minutes the mist goes off and the sun comes out; within next few minutes, it start raining a bit… but only for few minutes; Again mist- then sun, followed by small rain; It was quite funny.

But we were told that the climate of Mawphanlur is like this all through the 365 days !! But the best time to roam around the village is 10 AM to 5 PM.. When you go to Mawphanlur, remember to spend this time outside… in the lake, green hills, etc.

We started back to Mawlynnong – Asia’s cleanest village around 9 AM; As we were crossing the lake and greenery, I was looking back at them with love..We started asking ourself…” Will we ever come back to this Heaven once again???”…..

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Mawphanlur Guest house contact Phone No: 9615 043 847

Mawphalang- Maple pine Farm house.. A Must stay place !!

Sharing a series of articles on our recent Megalaya trip... The first one is about the place where we stayed for the first 2 days...
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Mawphalang… A small village in Megalaya. Its about 25 KM from Shillong. While visiting Megalaya, it is better to stay in such villages than staying in Shillong city. The city does not offer much attraction, while the villages like these are extra ordinary, right from their location, climate, scenery, etc.

Scenic beauty of Mawphanlur village

We stayed at Maple Pine farm run by  Mr. James. It has 3 beautiful cottages. The location in which the village and the Stay is located is awesome. Surrounded by a river (in fact the car or jeep needs to literally run through the small river to reach his place; else it has to stand in other shore !!)

The car needs to drive through & cross this small river .. its not deep.. !!

Each cottage is made of wood; there is a Play house kind of upper part (similar to train’s – upper berth) available; this upper part is best for sleeping as it is very warm. Kids will enjoy this Play house/ upper berth concept very much.

Maple pine Farm house

Out of the 3 cottages, Cottage No: 2 is the best; Upto 6 or 7 people can stay there.  This cottage will cost only few hundred (300 to be precise) more.  It can be taken when 2 families go together.

There are many cute pets that James family has – 3 beautiful puppies, a horse, a cat, a rabbit ….The puppies were very friendly and they come and sit with us when we are doing camp fire.

Pancake - Break fast 

In Maple pine, the break fast is free: By default, they give Pancake-jam or Bread with omlette. If we need Roti, need to inform in advance. Other times, we get good quality rice, dhall and a vegetable and a non veg (chicken) dish.

At Maple Pine Farm house..

Power is generated through Solar and that power alone is used here for entire lighting & other needs !! Because of this reason, there is no bath room attached to the cabins. Only Toilet is attached. They have 2 common Bath rooms with heaters; though initially it looks little odd, we were ok with it when we were there, as this is one of the very few minus point (if we can say so); other one is the bad approach road to the Farm house; The drivers will struggle a bit to drive the last 200 meters. Despite these 2 minus, its worth visiting and staying in this place !

We met a Tamil family here who had come on a 3 week trip to Megalaya !! They stayed here for 2 days. Husband- wife & their son and daughter in law had come together and they were travelling to most of the places we visited but at a slow pace and stayed at each place for few days...

Guests who had come from Chennai...

Just Few feets away from Maple pine...

Mawphalang and Maple pine must be visited as a small group (either as friends or families) and just stay here for few days. The climate is very cool, the surroundings are mind blowing and we can have a relaxed few days…

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Closer to Maple pine, within walkable distance is Sacred Grove, a Forest area. Its better to visit this place with a guide.





He will tell many interesting stories: That you should not plug flower or any plant and you should not drink in this forest;  if you do so, snake will bite you; also the place where buffaloes were given as sacrifice every year will be shown by him. There are many interesting plants available here and Plant lovers will like this place. 

Few Photos shared here are taken by:  Mr. Sumit Bhowmik, Calcutta

Maple pine website: http://www.culturalpursuits.com/

	cp@culturalpursuits.com
	98560 41205

 (Next article... Mawphanlur... a Heaven on earth !!)