Priyan R Naik
Driving to Dawki and Mawlynnong on the Shillong-Dawki Highway, after 60 odd Kms, one arrives at a fork. A milestone at this point says Dawki is 20 Kms away to the left and Mawlynnong another 20 Kms to the right. Which place does one visit first ? A man-made dilemma, for each option has its own merits and a wrong choice could ruin your holiday!
I did Mawlynnong first thing in the morning, leaving Dawki for the afternoon. Looked beneficial because most tourists had gone to Dawki leaving the road empty. This enabled a comfortable stop at the Riwai village enroute and a leisurely walk of 10 minutes to the ‘living roots bridge’. Riwai itself is clean and gleaming and the mid morning sun made it look more attractive than the commercialised and crowded Mawlynnong. Surrounded by nature, walking downhill to the root bridge was an easily navigable track leading to a breathtaking natural marvel straddling a stream of water (coming back was uphill and took lots more time!)
By the time I reached Mawlynnong it was noon. The village was clean alright but it was crowded with homestays everywhere. A walk to and fro the clean roads is pleasurable, but very soon one would proceed to Dawki to get sufficient time for boating on the crystal clear waters before it gets dark. You need to rush through one of Meghalaya’s attractions, the ‘Balancing Rock’, a huge boulder standing at a peculiar angle on another rock. How a gigantic stone can balance itself at such an odd angle and remain this way for ages braving cyclones and storms is a mystery?!
Fortunately, one can proceed directly from Mawlynnong to Dawki, the road meandering through lush green meadows, streams clear as crystal, pine-covered hills, gorgeous waterfalls, lakes and majestic forests. I felt inclined to stop at one of the waterfalls to see water gloriously dropping in cascades. Very soon the Umngot river separated by a barbed wire fence of considerable height fixed at the top was visible from a distance.
Dawki is famous for its suspension bridge over the Umngot River. Constructed by the British in 1932, I could enjoy spectacular panoramic views by crossing the bridge on foot but from here on began traffic jams. Several lorries carry construction material from India into Bangladesh hogging road space leaving little room for others to manoeuvre. These monsters would not have been on the road if I had chosen to arrive at Dawki right away in the morning? The chaos continues till the Indo-Bangladesh checkpost from whereon India’s Dawki becomes Tamabil of Bangladesh.
Last of all comes the highlight of the trip, boating on the fascinating Umngot River, with water so clear that one could mistake it for see-through glass. Flowing into Bangladesh, the river water is so clean and transparent, that the boat seems to be in the air while the bottom of the river is easily discernible. But the time of the day can make a big difference, shadows from the afternoon sun make this otherwise deep green lake look dull and murky. The smouldering sun disturbs the river bed and I could barely make out the bottom.
Whether you visit Mawlynnong first and Dawki later or vice versa makes a great difference, personally I wish I had done the reverse for a more surreal experience. A similar dilemma when visiting Nandi Hills, 60 Kms from Bengaluru requires making a choice! From the breathtaking hillocks one must decide whether to catch the stunning views of the rising sun in the morning or the setting sun in the evening or to witness low lying clouds floating around all through the day!
Priyan R Naik is a Bengaluru based contributor at The Shillong Times.