INDIA & BANGLADESH 2014: 5 From Delhi to Shillong, India

Friday, October 3, 2014

There was an excellent breakfast buffet at the hotel which I felt well enough to participate in before we were transferred to the airport for a flight on Spicejet airlines. Check in was quick and efficient with no line up. I purchased bulkhead seats for leg room at a cost of 1,600 rupees (about $27), then went through security with no problem, however Marilynn had her bag with camera and other equipment completely unpacked and run through the machines again – the process took about 15 minutes.

The domestic terminal was clean and appeared quite new. After sitting in an all gates waiting room one proceeds to the lower level for a bus to the Boeing 737-800. Some years ago I wrote about the marvellous service on Indian Airlines, however that has changed. First we had Air India with exit row seats so close together that the emergency exit would have been useless in a crisis, and now Spicejet who have used the North American model of charging for everything – even soft drinks and bottled water. I did, however, get a cup of complimentary water from a pitcher upon request. Stewardesses wear a loose red shirt and blue jeans, as apparently do executives. The chief operating officer's photo above his column in the airline magazine has him in a sports shirt and blue jeans – all very casual.

Takeoff was delayed over half an hour by air traffic control bringing on board time to over 3 hours in uncomfortable seats.

October is festival season in India. When we drove through New Delhi yesterday we passed an area where wood and paper demonic effigies of various sizes were being constructed, lining the roads for many city blocks. Some are up to 40 feet (12.5 meters) high, built in sections for assembly on arrival – all are pre-ordered. This is for the Dussehra festival, and the evil fellow being mass produced is King Ravan of Sri Lanka, who is credited with kidnapping Lord Shiva. The king was killed by Lord Rama, however his effigy is destined to be burned by the hundreds every year on this night. The occasion will be accompanied by fireworks and great celebrations.

When we arrived in Guwahati the plane was parked at the far end of the runway, where a bus drove us about 2 km to the surprisingly good terminal At first it seemed I was not to be let off the plane, as I'd deposited my boarding pass in the garbage on board and they checked them at the foot of the steps when deplaning. The guy finally accepted by itinerary as proof I should be there, but that is another first.

It took forever to get our luggage, but our guide, Samir, managed to talk his way into the baggage area. Once underway we met our driver Kemal and headed through Guwahati for Shillong. Guwahati has two names, one for the old city and one for the new. It is the capital of Assam, the big tea state.

En route we stopped for a very good lunch, and to go into a small roadside temple in a tiny village to see the holiday preparations. No need to take shoes off, the floor was dirt, but statues and a display had been lovingly made and carefully set up. The people were all smiled and very welcoming. Here they don't burn effigies, they drown them. They will go into the river tomorrow, the last day of the festival.

We stopped en route to buy some wine. The road is on the Assam/Meghalaya state border, and liquor is much cheaper in the latter, so we bought on that side of the line. This area is populated by the Khasi tribe, a matriarchal society where all property is in the name of the women, who are also permitted to have up to 4 husbands, although that is no longer usually done. The area is tropical, with lots of palm and banana trees.

The advertised 3 hour drive turned into closer to 5 hours on an incredibly busy road in bad condition. The road is being made into 4 lanes, but is not near finished, so a lot of driving was on rough dirt. The really bad news is that we have to come back this way. It was well after dark when we arrive in Shillong, where a two lane road is the only route through several km of city. Traffic was not even crawling, rather at a full stop for awhile, then a move of a couple of car lengths. The city is swarming with vehicles and people for the festival. In a need to stretch my legs I decided to get out and walk, and was joined by both Marilynn and Samir.

The many temples had put up displays of coloured lights depicting various religious scenes. The internal displays in the temples were amazing works of art, and brilliantly lit. The tradition is that people walk all over town visiting each shrine. We walked for a couple of km, looking into the temples and admiring the brightly lit displays leading to the entrance.

When traffic moved again the driver didn't see us and passed by. Attempts to contact him by phone didn't work as the network was down. Finally Samir ran flat out to catch him in the heavy traffic, while Marilynn and I walk at the fastest pace she could manage for another kilometre or so to where he'd finally been stopped.

We checked into the Hotel Centre point, right in the middle of the shopping district of Shillong. The room was spotlessly clean, had a ceiling fan instead of air conditioning, but will certainly do the job for the next two nights. They also have an excellent restaurant, with very attentive staff.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Shillong is a vibrant active city with a brutal traffic problem. It is the capital of Meghalaya state, but in addition to the state government buildings it is also headquarters for the army, air force and border patrol agencies of eastern India. There are a number of educational institutes, research centres and experimental farms

We drove up 1,985 meter (6,511 ft) Shillong Peak through pine forest. It is located on air force property, so passports are needed to enter and look down on the city from high. Lots of market gardening is done at this altitude, huge radishes, cauliflowers, cabbage and a lot of other produce were available at roadside stands..

Traffic was heavy, being the 3rd day of a 4 day long weekend. All tourist type sites were packed. At various places goats beside the highway were being bought individually for sacrifice tomorrow, the last day of the festival. The meat is distributed to the people of each village.

We then drove to Cherrapunjee, which is credited with being the wettest place in the world with 11,902 mm of rainfall per year average. This was a British hill station, and many colonial buildings are there dating from about 1840. Along the way we walked down to see Elephant Falls, a set of three waterfalls ending in a deep pool. As we neared Cherrapunjee we came to an area of family coal mines, a lot of small low grade coal deposits that people tunnel for as a family, then bag and sell it.

Nohkalikai Falls was worth seeing. A river pours over a ledge of rock and drops 54 meters (139 ft) into a deep, emerald pool. We were to go through Mawsmai Cave, but there were hundreds of people lined up to get in, so decided against it. We drove for miles down a once paved, but now broken up, one lane road along the side of hills in the back country. At one point we could clearly see the plains of Bangladesh only a short distance away. After getting lost, our trusty guide got local information and we carried on to one of the root bridges of the area. I've only seen these on National Geographic, but they are living, growing suspension bridges across rivers made by patiently intertwining the roots of trees until a strong, growing bridge is created.

In the evening, another great meal at the hotel followed by a walk in the pulsating adjoining market area where were picked up a few essentials. The majority of people are very friendly and helpful.

Samir was telling us that the minimum wage in India is 220 rupees ($3.67) per day, but many people ignore it and pay less. The tea plantations apparently pay about 75 rupees ($1.25) per day.