Meghalaya - Part 3 - Mawlynnong : Asia's Cleanest Village
Day 4 - [6-Sept-22] - Check out from Mawlynnong, Single living root bridge (Riwai), Balancing Rock, Mawlynnong local sightseeing. Head to Cherrapunji and overnight stay at Cherrapunji ((Labana hotel)
Today we woke up to a rainy morning in this tranquil village.
We called up our driver and requested him to get his car closer to our homestay since due to rains we couldn’t get our baggages till the parking lot. He was kind enough to request the local people and get his car near our homestay. We loaded our baggages and stopped by a restaurant for breakfast. Unfortunately breakfast was not ready at any restaurant. It’s a laid back village and people start their day at their own pace. So we had to wait for the breakfast preparation. Then finally after an hour or so we were served Poori and Bhaji.
But still the rains had not stopped. In fact it started more heavily pouring. So we decided to take a walk in our raincoats or ponchos and reached the nearest view point. But walking up along the bamboo bridge in these heavy rains might turn out to be risky. So we decided to head back to parking lot cover other 2 places and return for local village walk when rain subsides.
Balancing Rock
This is located right outside of Mawlynnong village(1 KM distance). This is seriously a science wonder since what we saw here astonished us. A huge boulder resting on a smaller rock. And it seems no natural calamity has disturbed this formation till date.
We next drove to Single Living Root Bridge of Riwai.
Riwai Single Living Root Bridge
At almost 3 KM from Mawlynnong is yet another wonderful natural creation – Single living root bridge in Riwai. This is declared as UNESCO world heritage site.
This single living root bridge is a 300-year-old man made bridge across a stream by intertwining the aerial roots of rubber trees around betel tree trunk. Also this is the only means of connection for the villagers residing on the other side of the stream to reach Riwai. It can take up-to 20 years for a bridge to become fully functional. Overall, a unique collaboration of man and nature can be witnessed at this wonder.
To reach this bridge, one has to trek around 300 meters from the parking area. There is also an entry fee charged here.
The path till the bridge was too slippery due to rains. So reiterating this again please ensure you have the right footwear and raincoats with you if you are visiting Meghalaya during monsoons.
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| This is the Single root bridge |
Next we headed back to Mawlynnong to explore this village and feel the tranquility.
Mawlynnong Village Walk
As mentioned in my previous blog, Mawlynnong village is a community-based eco-tourism initiative where people residing in this village have made collective efforts in maintaining this village clean.
And we could see strong emphasis on cleanliness and sustainability in this place as we took a stroll along this village. For example – Dustbins made out of bamboo. Even the streetlights are solar powered. Watching school kids taking bamboo umbrellas was really inspiring. And it seems every Friday there will be a cleanliness drive in Mawlynnong school where in the school kids, teachers and other staff will clean the entire school and keep it ready for Monday.
In the parking lot, you will find lot of stalls where in you can buy some souvenirs made out of Bamboo.
You will find clean pay and use toilets everywhere as the village folks are completely against open defecation.
As you walk along this quaint village, you will find some bamboo benches to relax and enjoy the tranquility of this place.
One of the most popular attractions of this village is the Sky View. It is almost 85 feet high built entirely with bamboo sticks tied together forming a wooden bridge leading you to a tree house on top which offers view of the Bangladesh border. There is an entry fee of Rs.30/.
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| View of Bangladesh border |
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| Walking along this bamboo bridge was thrilling |
Then we walked towards Bangladesh viewpoint.
Bangladesh View Point - There is an entry fee of Rs 20 per head here.
This is almost similar to the Sky view. Not much difference. Just that you will get to see Mawlynnong village from the treetop.
It was inspiring to see how every resident of this village takes care of keeping the streets or locality clean. This village is a classic example of how man can work with nature and not against it.
We continued our walk along the clean lanes of this village.
We came across Church of Epiphany. This is a century old place of worship for people residing in this village. It is very clean and peaceful here. Must visit if you are aiming for some solitude amidst the greenery. But unfortunately, it was closed. So, we took a walk along the lawn and resumed our walk inside the village.
Also, one thing I noticed in Meghalaya is Women empowerment. Most of the shops are run by Women here. Cash registers are managed by women including the food stalls in market.
After a soul soothing experience in this cleanest village of Asia, we bid adieu to Mawlynnong and headed to Cherrapunji.
Pages from my Meghalaya Travel Diary
Meghalaya - Part 1 - Latlum Canyon and Nartiang Monolith
Meghalaya - Part 2 - Krang Suri Falls and Dawki
Meghalaya - Part 4 - Cheerapunji Local Sightseeing
Meghalaya - Part 5 - Double Decker Root Bridge Trek and Sacred Groove
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