Today is a rather unusual episode as will be evident from the title. Occasional disappointments are an inevitable reality of travel and today’s episode is testimony to that.
Meghalaya , as the name suggests means Abode of the Clouds. True to its name, it gets lot of rainfall and hence is endowed with beautiful waterfalls. So I had this mental picture when I embarked on this trip.
But I must tell you right in the beginning of this episode that my expectations were high and the place did not live up to my expectations. Perhaps the wrong season of travel, perhaps unrealistic expectations, perhaps the hyped marketing …whatever be the reason, it definitely did not hold me in awe as many other places have done.
Be that as it may, let me give you a realistic picture of what I experienced.
Seven Sisters Waterfall
True to its name, it is a seven segmented waterfall close to Mawsmai village in the Khasi hills of Meghalaya. It is one of the tallest waterfalls in India falling from a height of 1033 ft.
The falls plunges abruptly over limestone cliffs from a table top mountain into a pool at the bottom and to enjoy the falls, we have to visit during the immediate post monsoon season.
Unfortunately, we visited in the month of April and it was dry. Of course the cliff itself was a sight but there was just a small thin stream of water we could see…
The seven sisters falls…the red mark shows the single streak of water
Noikhalikai Falls
This is the tallest plunge waterfall in India falling from a height of 1115 ft. Below the falls is a pool with unusual green color of water.
This waterfall is associated with a sad legend of a lady called Likai who jumped off the cliff in sorrow after her daughter was killed by her second husband. The legend is explained in a plaque at the site.
Noikhalikai falls
Elephant falls
A three layered waterfall ; this had more water than the other two ,though the height of the falls was not much. A flight of stairs takes one to the bottom where the water forms a pool.
Elephant Falls
From the pictures above, most of you would agree with my opening remarks. The other disappointment was at Dawki. I have seen several pictures of crystal clear water of the Dawki river with boats floating on it. Read on to see what I encountered…
Umngot River
Umngot river is also known as Dawki river and is a river that flows through Dawki town in the foot of the Jaintia Hills on the Indo Bangladesh border. As we drove to Dawki, the fence at the border was very clear and well maintained at many places but quite the opposite elsewhere.
It is one of the cleanest rivers and an important fishing destination for the locals. A suspension bridge spans the river.This river is famed for its crystal clear water allowing us to get a clear vision of the river bed. Unfortunately, we were unable to get that clarity on the day of our visit as it had rained the previous day as per to our local guide.
After a short walk from the parking lot we reached a boat jetty which was really crowded and just behind that was the board showing Indo Bangla border. At this place, the border seemed absolutely porous….
The place where we boarded our boats seemed more like a crowded bathing ghat to me…
The crowded area from where tourists board the boats
The porous Indo Bangladesh border at Dawki
The boat ride on the Dawki river
The suspension bridge
Steep rock formations along the sides and the water gushing down at one end
While along one side were rounded stones
What we saw vs what was expected!!!
So it was with a bit of disappointment that we left from Dawki.
I am sorry that this post has been a disappointing one…but I have to tell you the truth. Hopefully when you travel, you will be able to see these places in the best of times…
See you next week with more encouraging destinations.
Till then, do subscribe, like and comment…
Travel-along.in 