TAKE YOUR LADY LOVE TO EXOTIC AND CLEANEST VILLAGE IN ASIA-,Mawlynnong, Meghalaya, India

Tommy Singh gulped the last remains of Signature Whiskey from his square cut glass and declared. "Tomorrow we shall be on a rural tourism to the Asia's most exotic and cleanest village-Mawlynnong"! I was hoping that he would say that and I readily agreed.

We were at the roof top bar at the Hotel Center Point, Shillong when we met a young and beautiful couple who had returned the same day from Mawlynnong and had narrated a breathtaking experience of their visit to the village which we were told had been declared as the cleanest village in Asia by "Discover India" magazine. It was a pleasant surprise and a great news, when media particularly the foreign ones project India, in spite of great development, as an overpopulated and a chaotic country.

The couple were mesmerized. According to them If you want to give your lady love an unforgettable holiday to a part of the country she has never visited before, then this might be the one!

It was a beautiful morning when we left on a 90 km journey by road to the village of Mawlynnong near Bangladesh border. The hills were surrounded by clouds,a cool breeze caressing our faces. It had rained last night and the smell of rained soil was intoxicating. We reached at a village on the way called Laitlyngkot where we had tea with Momos(a Tibetan snack).

Suddenly Tommy Singh, my friend nudged me. I looked towards the direction of his raised eyebrows. There were three giggling Khasi girls near the tea stall. My jaw dropped. My goodness! What a beauty they were. Fair and pristine- carved at leisure by the God! What an astonishing beauty this country has, I thought.

Within 3 hours we were at Mawlynnong. The village was situated at the southern slopes of Khasi Hills close to a border post village of Dawki. It was warm and humid. The area had many swift flowing streams and rivers.

We contacted the village head who showed us our little bamboo cottage built on a stilt, situated at the vantage point from where we could see the beautiful land of Bangladesh a distance. The passage from room to room was by bamboo bridges.

After a wash, we were on a village round. I was impressed. The cemented pathways. The houses were small but impeccably maintained with flowers and floral vines -- inside and outside the gardens. We could see orchids on trees, giving them a bright look. Cheerful Bougainvilleas grew everywhere bordering shrubs, bushes and entrances to homes.

No doubt Mawlynnong was a model to the whole world with its high degree of environmental awareness. Shouldn't the rest of India learn from these innocent villagers?

In the late evening we sat on the verandah of the cottage, enjoying the village atmosphere while sipping the Kingfisher beer. The dinner was basic of a vegetable curry and rice.

Next day we were a bit adventurous. Went on a trek into nearby forest to explore the living root bridge.

These bridges were nature's wonder with a bit of human effort since 1000 years! The bigger ones were near Cherrapunjee, we were told, but this one was quite impressive too. Spanning across the river, the roots of two huge trees have gotten intertwined and now formed a bridge. Further we went to see a small waterfall, really a scenic one.

We were totally rejuvenated!

We left the heavenly village of Mawlynnong by 4pm back to Shillong.

It was a true village tourism and a lifetime experience..




FOR DETAILS VISIT:
http://megtourism.gov.in/tours/NaklairTours-Mawlynnong.pdf

To get there
The best way to reach Mawlynnong is by road. It is located about
90 km from Shillong.
The closest airports are at Umroi, about 30 km from Shillong,
and the airport of Guwahati.
The closest rail head is at Guwahati, 103 km from Shillong.

Where to stay