Living It Up On The Living Root Bridges!

What’s the biggest challenge for a writer? When words fail them. Someone, something which makes you go speechless… you want to describe it all but you don’t know how to articulate it. A similar befuddlement (in a good way of course) was my experience when I visited the North East India.

Meghalya, owns the repute of being the wettest place on this planet. And that’s the only reference I had learnt in my school. It came as a fill in the blank question in the geography subject. To relate it a bit to the practicality, the place filled my mind and the writer was left blank to express. Happiness was inward, but here I don’t know if i can do justice to what I felt as I put it down in words…

The trip was of diverse minds coming together. Each one had their photographic perspectives. I being an amateur, just knew the light adjustments and clicking what was in front of me. But let’s leave that aside. In association with Photographers of India along with ChaloHoppo, the actual explorations of the places had begun.

Going through the thick tropical forests here, lush greenery is a given. Being heavily blessed with rainfalls, the mountains adorn themselves with rainfalls. It is like a jewellery they flaunt. A stream that lines at every nook of the corner, clouds at a lower level and beautiful smell of the mud after showers, Meghalaya is no less than an ornamental beauty of a destination.

The Seven Sisters Waterfall, as the name suggests has not one but 7  falls cascading next to each other. But the best time to experience this is during monsoons because naturally that is when there’s maximum water flow. We visited during the summers, so did not get to see anything that pleasing. All we saw was a mere valley and a large mountain in front of us, a sight you’d get on any other trek.

Our plan took us next to Arwah caves. Arwah caves take you the other side of the hill, which you view from the Seven Sisters waterfall. It leads with a beautiful walkway for a while and then there’s a entrance into dark. It gave me a very Khuljaa Sim Sim feeling, (because why not bro?) it leads me into some dark alleys ahead and await a historic treasure. The inner child was joyful! We all walked inside, without realising initially it houses a million year old proof of existence. There are fossils within of birds. On the inside there is gentle water flowing below and as you walk ahead, there’s only darkness to welcome. Where will this even lead? Well, probably to a No Entry board, but what the heck!

Not everyday do you go through such caves housing fossils and creating stalactites. On the way out, as I saw towards the stairs leading up showing the sun rays out, it was time to rejoice the Khuljaa Sim Sim again.

The main highlight of Meghalaya are the Living Root Bridges, the place’s claim to fame, so to say. The otherwise ignored Khasi tribe from Nongriat village, has devised an unique pathway to reach their destination, by growing the living root bridges. Basically, the natural roots of the rubber trees are directed in a way that they reach the opposite bank of the brook or a river and guess what they’re much much stronger than our city’s infrastructure. (Ambuja cement should feel puppy shame) Sorry na yaar! My blog, my liberty to be lame.

So these living root bridges are not built overnight. They are nurtured. The roots need to reach the other side and grow well in the soil. Formation takes over the years and not to miss the splendid beauty it offers! And to reach here, you have to cross several others, made of only metal rods. Walk on these long and narrow bridges which can only accommodate not more than 4 people at a time at length. It is thrilling in its own way. There is crystal clear water gushing underneath which you can admire through these see-through string bridges. And well, they move alright while you’re midway. Haha, what fun! Like one hand you just want to jump in the water you see below but the second you see that rare possibility of falling from this bridge, it shocks you. It is another fear some of us were countering on the way. I, personally was too excited to get on the next bridge, until on one I was about to drop my cellphone, and never see it again. Damn! That twisty feeling in the stomach. Siccckkk!

There is a lot to admire even on the way to these bridges. The flora and fauna is exquisite. And beauty presented itself when on the way we saw the Single Roots Bridge. We crossed the bridge and all were such pretty smiles. Being a big group, it took some time for everyone to cross and mind you photograph! Like these were 50 photographers, admiring beauty, capturing the best and getting themselves clicked on these bridges. Those who had reached were all ‘Hello from the other side.’ The vibe of happiness after tiresomely trekking down had begun to set in.

Gradually, we trekked about 3500 steps down to reach the Double Living Roots Bridge and boy the view you get when you actually see it… has a writer now falling short of words. It was surreal.  

This is not one, but two bridges stacked over one another, made of roots, sturdy, looking beautiful as a stream flows below and right in front is a waterfall! It was hard to resist. The sweat that trickled all the way to reach here, now no more mattered when you got the worth of it. Forget being painfully drenched in sweat, it was time to drench in the coolness of this water that flowed heavily from the waterfall. Taking the direct heavy flow on your shoulders, the continuously flowing water almost reaching the veins in your head, the feeling was magical! With the entire group so crazily happy, there was a reverberation of positive vibes only. The seemingly abandoned pathways had found its spirit in a joyous group admiring it!

Imagine having a hot maggi after you’ve literally cooled down. The pain literally washed away in the waters. It was time to occupy the tents, begin camping for the night! Bliss has a definition? Experience has a feeling? Friendship bonding has a start? The gleaming sky above was a witness.

The night was just getting started. The bottles were yet to be opened. What was going to follow next? Wait for my next blog.