Clean highway, clear sky, lush mountains, and you stop your vehicle by a roadside stall that reads ‘Local Khasi food.’ You scan through the large steel bowls displaying different dishes of the day, from vegetables to fish and meats. Once your eyes get enough of the alluring sight, you carefully curate a platter for yourself – sit, talk with your fellow travellers or if you are alone, just soak in the moment amidst the cluck-cluck of plates. Slow travelling? Yes. Place? Could be any place in Meghalaya but here, it is Nongpoh.
In this fast-paced ‘instant-this,’ ‘instant-that’ world, slow traveling is increasingly becoming a norm among travellers. People are doing away with strict time-bound itineraries to just live in the moment. For the North Eastern states, where tourist footfall scales new heights every year, slow travelling could prove to be sustainable. Nongpoh is one such stop that could very well be all about a quieter experience in the hills. Nestled in a quaint and elaborate township, Nongpoh is an administrative hub of the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. It is located nearer to Guwahati (a little above 40 kms) than Meghalaya’s Capital, Shillong.
Nongpoh, for me, is the nearest destination to experience ‘that Meghalayan experience’ if one is entering from Jorabat in Assam. Of course, there are other places that fall before Nongpoh, but the cumulative experience that it offers particularly with local food stalls and the market, is what makes it stand out. It does not boast any touristy attractions or natural ‘wonders’ that make the headlines. If that does not sound boring to you, then Nongpoh is a stop to stop by.
One enters Nongpoh spiraling through the NH-40, and passing through Byrnihat, while soaking in the sight of roadside hamlets. One may miss the Nongpoh Centre in the blink of an eye if the vehicle is speeding. However, on weekdays, quite often, you would see a large gathering by the small football ground by the roadside. One cannot miss that sight in the blink of an eye. My first impression of Nongpoh was this, when I saw a large group of spectators – young to old, men to women, enjoying a local football match – one kick and two cheers at a time.
Just opposite the ground is the market complex, one that is constructed by the government in the form of a building that is mostly abandoned, while the other old traditional market space where business happens as usual. From bayberries, bamboo shoots, fresh vegetable produce to clothes, meats and so on, you will see a small yet abundant marketplace. Here, women folk outnumber male vendors, a usual sight in most parts of Meghalaya. You can sneak into one of the women-run corner jadoh stalls for a plateful of traditional khasi food and a cup of milk tea. For dessert, a woman by a corner sells steaming hot black rice cakes, while another offers ‘red tea’.
Take a stroll outside the market and you will find yourself at a hilltop with the expanse beneath you. The roadside Khasi rice stalls are a few steps away from the centre. Pick any and you can get an authentic pay-by-the-item Khasi meal experience.
A few kms inward from the centre at Nongpoh, the road leads to a popular spot – the Marngar Lake. It is a park spread around a large pond, where the locals and tourists from nearby places come for day-outs and picnics. A peaceful aura prevails in the lake as one stops for an idle getaway. Some kilometres ahead, there is a resort named Bamaeri, that also draws a significant number of tourists for a scenic experience.
That sums up a low-hype yet soothing and slow-paced Nongpoh experience. Good food, less traffic, local produce, and rural scenery that keeps on changing with seasons – an ideal stopover.
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– Simanta Barman
(The author is a Guwahati based freelance journalist/writer)