Clean river, clean village in Meghalaya

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Our action plan for the day was to visit some clean places — a clean river and then the cleanest village in Asia. We set off from our hotel in Shillong by 8 AM after a sumptuous breakfast. Weather was good. We had to traverse around 80 kilometers south, near the Indo-Bangladesh border to Dawki, to have a boat ride in the crystal clear water of the Dawki or Ungmot river, as it is also called. Hilly terrain coupled with the number of road construction/expansion activities going on, progress was slow. It was around 11 AM, when our driver, Amitabh announced that we had reached Dawki. All we could see on the not very broad but winding road, were vehicles parked on both sides. We could see the river way below and , at some distance on the other bank of the river, we could see Bangladesh.

Climbed down the somewhat uneven steps down to the river way below. Local boatmen with their association head are present at the road level and, we negotiated two boats at Rs.600 each for one hour. Reaching the riverbank, we could a number of boats moored there and many more being rowed along on the pristine greenish blue waters. 

Hopped on to two boats and our family squad was off on the Dawki river.

Lush greenery on either side on the hills and the water so clear, that one can see the bottom of the river, with its pebbles, stones, etc. The other boats seen from a distance and with the greenery on the sides getting reflected in the water, there is a mirage effect of the boats not touching the water but hovering a little way above it.

Went upstream towards the Indo-Bangladesh border. Could see the India and Bangladesh flags fluttering at the border, high above on the hills. In the distance, we could see Bangladeshi boats moored too. The suspension bridge over the river, we were told could be used to drive down to the BSF-controlled border. We did not, given the paucity of time. Just admired the suspension bridge connecting the Jaintia and Khasi hills, from our boats. A very porous border, I thought.

Putting our hands into the cool water was exhilarating and the clear view of the river bottom added to the charm. Now the boatman turned the boat around to move upstream and, soon enough veered towards the left bank. A brief halt, we were told to enable us walk around on the stones and refresh ourselves with pineapple, juices and biscuits at the stalls put up there.

After around 20 minutes, got back on board and reached the starting point. Overall, time taken was close to an hour and half. Climbed back to road level, got into our van and with hungry stomachs proceeded to Mawlynnong. The road passes alongside the barbed wire border with Bangladesh for a few miles, before veering away a bit.  It was around 1.45 PM, when we touched Mawlynnong.

Mawlynnong’s claim to fame dates back to 2003, when Discover India magazine voted it as the ‘Cleanest village in Asia’. The tag had stuck and in recent years, this has attracted a lot of foreign tourists. Even as we were keen to walk into the village, our stomachs were grumbling with hunger and, the priority was lunch. Two small eateries near the parking lot were the options and both of them served both vegetarian and non-vegetarian stuff. Not very impressive but, left with little choice, ordered a simple vegetarian lunch. Surprisingly, it was par — the dal, the chutney, potatoes. No soft drinks were available, though.

We now strolled into the cleanest village in Asia, Mawlynnong, around 75 kilometers from Shillong. The village is said to have a population of around 1000 with 90% literacy. Cleanliness & conservation appeared to be the core theme, though a third viz. Commercialisation could be added. Yes, we could not see any locals here, but all the cottages/houses carried the signboards of ‘Homestays’. As we enter, there is a bamboo bridge  to move further.built in the style of the famous living root bridges of Meghalaya ( a separate blog on these), that we have to cross to go further.

Neat winding roads, with beautiful cottages on either side, flowering gardens, bamboo baskets to collect waste, bamboo/wooden benches and shelters can be seen all through. The population being predominantly Christian, there are 3 churches in the village.

The Treehouse is closed on Mondays and, so we couldn’t go up. We did go up the Sky Tower, constructed on a private property ( Rs.20 per head). A bamboo structure on which we climb to the platform high up, from where we get a complete view of Mawlynnong village and on clear days, even the Bangladesh border, some distance away.

Certainly a model village, we thought, as we got on to our van to see the nearby Balancing Rock, one large rock perched on top of a smaller one. On the way, so can drop in. Nothing great, though.

Next spot was the Mawlynnong root bridge ( a separate post on all root bridges, next) and now time to return to our hotel in Shillong. Distance was not much but with the traffic being bad, we could reach back only by 8 PM. Tiring but certainly a fun-filled day.