Meghalaya : Part 3

Mawlyngbna

Day 4 of Meghalaya Tour, we woke up by 4am and started our day around 4:45am. We had to climb all those 3000 steps which we had climbed down couple of days ago. Climbing down was comparatively easy! Considering it took us around 2 hours to climb down, it would take more than that to climb up and to avoid the harsh sunlight, we all agreed to start the day way early.

We left the village where we were staying, crossed those suspended bridges and started our way up to Tyrna village, slow but steady pace. Sometimes it was gentle, sometime steep. We were keeping our pace and the locals and their kids would just pass us like it was a walk in park of them! We could turn our heads and take a glance at the small village situated amidst the mountains and forest where we stayed for 2 days. By the 7:30-8am, we all reached the top at Tyrna and then started our travel towards Mawlyngbna. Yes, we also struggled how to pronounce these names, it was Maw-Ling-Bana 😅.

Travel from Tyna to Mawlyngbna was via Cherrapunji and then Mawsynram. How cool. The 2 names we read about and studied in school days as places which receive maximum rainfall! Cherrapunji for quick breakfast and then around 3 hours journey to Mawsynram for lunch and by 3 pm, we reached Mawlyngbna.

We had enjoyed waterfalls and treks for last 3 days, now, it was something different to experience. The sight where we reached was called, "Split Rock Patch". It was like a long crack splitting the giant rock into 2 parts. We could climb down the ladders, go inside this "split", explore it, move forward, crawl, walk and them climb up at the other end! If you have been to Sandhan Valley in Maharashtra, you can get it what it is like, however, this was way narrow, sometimes one need to walk sideways! But what a thrilling experience it was!

Navigating Split Rock Patch. Courtesy : Nayana

After we climbed up at the other end, we just sat there watching the sunset and then headed over to nearby village called Lawbah for Tea and Momos at Jon's place.

Group photo at Split Rock Patch

Evening snacks at Lyngdoh Restaurant

After our evening snacks, we headed towards our stay near Umkhakoi Lake, where we would stay in tents for next 2 days! And to our surprise, we got some hot water, for bath, after 3 days!!! Everyone took their time and we came back to Lyngdoh restaurant for our dinner. What was in dinner? The usual Dal-Rice, but this time, we had salad, papad and some fried fish! and then apple custard in dessert! One of the best meals on this tour! It was yummy!

Next day, we started off to another thrilling experience. Caving! After 10-15mins of travel, we got down, and started our small trek which led us to Mawpun caves. We had some local guides with us to help us navigate the boulders at the entrance of the caves. Everyone took out their head torches and in we went!

These caves are made of sandstone and as you walk into them, its pitch dark, small water streams flowing here and there. It was all exciting and adventurous. We navigated our way, sometimes climbing the rocks, sometime crawling and so on.

Inside the caves. Courtesy : Nayana

We explored the caves for some 10-15mins, took some photos, yes, we did try to get the photos even in such a dark place 😆. After a certain point, guides told us we cannot go further and then we navigated all those boulders again to come out of these caves. Surely this was something I did very first time and it was a thrilling experience.

Next adventure for the day was River Canyoning. Most of us had heard of Kayaking or River Crossing or River Rafting, but we were not sure what exactly this river canyoning was. We followed our local guide, wore our safety jackets and started on the small trail, which led us to a spot for cliff jumping! Wow.

And here we go! One by one, we took the jump from the cliff. It was around 12-15 ft in height? May be. Some took another round of cliff jump, while some were still hesitant, should I or should I not?

After the jump, we had to cross the small pond and then navigate the water stream as it passes. and that's what River Canyoning was all about! Just like a water ride in an amusement park! A natural amusement park should I say.

It was obvious to get totally wet in the waters, so all we had with us was GoPro! But as they say, you have to be there to experience the thrill. Sliding down the stream, taking a dip in the pond, slipping on the wet surfaces, jumping from the cliffs and all these in between a remote jungle. This was a never done before activity!

Somewhere in between the river canyoning

We had a late lunch after day full of action packed activities. Fried rice and sweet and sour vegetables. Changed our clothes, took some rest and then just sat near our tents to witness the colorful skies and calm, beautiful sunset.