Meghalaya - Part 1 - Latlum Canyon and Nartiang Monolith
Meghalaya had been in my bucket list mainly due to two reasons – most adventurous trek to double decker root bridge and Cheerapunji which is the wettest place on earth getting the highest rainfall every year about which we have been reading since childhood.
Hence this monsoon I set off to explore this picturesque place along with my travel friends. My pro travel friend had planned everything perfectly right from itinerary, accommodations including the driver. And we consider ourselves lucky to get such a good driver who not only took care of us but also served as a well knowledgeable tour guide to take us around Meghalaya. You will know the reason at the end of my blog series.
Northeast India is called the land of seven sisters (Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland) and one brother (Sikkim). Meghalaya means “Abode of clouds”. As its name, this place is the most popular tourist destination because of its incredible landscapes, cascading waterfalls, long surviving living root bridges, natural caves and rich cultural heritage.
So, let’s begin this journey of exploring the most beautiful state of Northeast. Shillong is Meghalaya’s capital city but there is limited flight availability that also from Delhi and Calcutta. Hence, we had booked to and fro flights from Guwahati.
Day 1- [3-Sept-22] - Arrival in Guwahati -> Head to Shillong -> Overnight Stay at Shillong (Treebo Trip Shillong Tower Guesthouse)
We reached Guwahati from Bangalore at around 1 PM.
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport, Guwahati
At the arrival gates, we could see some interesting art installations depicting the rich cultural heritage of Assam.
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| This exhibit was near the baggage claim |
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| This exhibit was near the exit gates which clearly conveys this message to tourists which is the state animal. |
We were picked up by our driver and he prepped us mentally to brace ourselves for long hours of traffic jam since some road widening work was in progress on the Guwahait-Shillong highway. We were starving and we requested him to stop by for lunch. He finally stopped almost 3 hours later on the outskirts of Guwahati at a North Indian restaurant. Here we took Rajasthani thali(thali means meal) and north Indian thali. Food was yummy.
We then set off straight to Shillong. Once we entered Shillong city, we were welcomed with narrow roads, defense training centers on either sides of the roads along with slow moving traffic.
Finally, we reached our place of stay – Treebo Trip Shillong tower. Rooms are good but there is no lift and canteen is on 4th floor. So, you can warm up yourselves here by taking the stairs up and down before heading to bigger treks of Meghalaya😊. Food options are there. So you can either order it from room(menu card is placed) or walk up-to the 4th floor to order food. Since we had late lunch, we weren’t much hungry to have dinner. We just freshened up and hit the bed.
Day 2 - [4-Sept-22] – Visit Latlum Canyon -> Nartiang Monolith -> Overnight stay at Jowai (Amaara Homestay, Jowai)
We woke up to a very bright morning with amazing views of Shillong city.
Breakfast was complimentary in Treebo and we were served Poori Bhaji. After savoring yummy breakfast, we checked out from hotel and set off to two important spots – Latlum Canyon and Nartiang Monolith.
Latlum Canyon
We reached Latlum Canyon and unfortunately it was foggy everywhere and we couldn’t see anything. It was drizzling too. There are good options for food here like Maggie, corn, bread omelette etc. Rest room facilities are also made available here.
We next hopped onto our vehicle to head to our next destination – Nartiang Monolith. Drive from Latlum is too scenic with fog almost half way through out journey.
Enroute we took a pit stop to catch a glimpse of King's residence as we passed by Smit Village.
King's Residence, Smit
Visitors are not allowed inside. You can click pictures only from the outside.
The road leading to the King's residence is very scenic with Pine trees evenly planted on both sides of the road.
We then continued driving from here. While in Meghalaya, be prepared to take numerous pit stops during your journey since enchanting landscapes catch your attention wherever you go.
One thing about Sunday in Meghalaya is you will not find any restaurant or shops open. Some of the areas in Meghalaya are devout Christian areas where most people religiously attend Sunday mass and then relax for rest of the day. Market areas will wear a deserted look including restaurants. So please plan accordingly. Carry food along with you or plan local sightseeing such that you can return to your hotel soon. And we knew it is going to be tough to find restaurants for lunch today.
Nartiang Monolith
We reached Nartiang Monolith and we could see some tourists here but no restaurants or rest rooms either. We had some fruits and quick bites we had packed with us and then got off from our car to explore this place.
This place has the largest collection of monoliths at one place in the state. The menhirs(vertical pillars) are erected for men and dolmens(horizontal stone) for women. The tallest menhir is 8 meters high and 18 inches thick. These monoliths were erected approximately during 1500 AD to commemorate the glorious events of the Jaintia Kingdom.
There are nicely carved out paths that helps you take a look at each of the monoliths placed here and also get decent views of the villages in the backdrop. I loved the tranquility of this place.
When we came out our driver told us that there is a 20 crore renovated Durga Devi temple close by. This project was initiated by our honorable PM Narendra Modi to promote Hinduism also this place is apparently Meghalaya's most important Hindu sites. So we next set off to this last stop of our day.
Shakti Peeth Durga Temple, Nartiang
As you take a turn from the main road, there is an arc which welcomes you and leads you to the temple on hill-top.
There is ample parking space here. But we couldn't see anything written there to understand more about this temple.
Inside the temple premises, we could see some monoliths too.
There is only one small shop here where in we get some tea and snacks. Luckily our driver told that he has asked the ladies running the shop to prepare some quick lunch for us. God bless him😊. They served us some breads and chick peas curry which tasted delicious. The mother-daughter duo running the shop were the family of the Poojari working in the temple. We thanked them for serving our staving bellies. God bless them too😊. They said this temple draws lot of visitors during Durga Pooja time of the year.
Now we headed straight to Jowai and reached there at around late evening 6 PM. This is a quaint town and you will hardly find people moving around. It was heavily raining when we reached there and was super chill too. So till to pull out our jackets and strolls from the bag. Homestay is really good for a family stay but no food available. We were recommended to take a walk up to a café "Belly Timber" nearby which was about to close by 8. So we just dumped our baggage and set off for dinner. This café is really good with great ambience and some yummy food options of pizza, pasta, egg fried rice, sandwiches and many more. We had good dinner, reached our homestay and called off for the day.
Our driver had already briefed us about the next day's plan with some exciting adventures which I will be explaining in my next blog😊.
Pages from my Meghalaya Travel Diary
Very nice.. everything captured so detailed.. thanks for Sharing.
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