Day 14: Rain Comes

10. Guwahati:

“What if there’s a bomb right here, next to us?”…. SF to himself on Guwahati

“Filthy...” O on Guwahati

Guwahati! The city, slow but organized. People, nice. Weather, pleasant…SF on Guwahati

It had just stopped drizzling. The whole place was wet and the weather extremely pleasant. It is one of those rare cities where the bus stand is right next to the railway station. We didn’t want to waste any time and we rushed to the bus stand to catch the next available bus to Shillong.

It was here that mayhem of a different kind took place. The scheduled 3 hour journey took 7 hours, with 2 break downs, a puncture, fire in the bus and traffic jam.

As we entered Meghalaya, the view outside was like a dream. The greens, the constant drizzle, the clouds, it was in this setting that life found meaning. I had dairy milk chocolate in one of the most pleasant places on earth – Meghalaya. I probably couldn’t have asked for more.

11. Shillong:

“Hey, look at him spit!” SF to Oneiro

“Er…having an umbrella qualifies a citizenship in Shillong?” O on Shillong

It was sixish when we reached Shillong. We thought, like every other place that we’ve visited, it would be easy to get accommodation. We only thought so. The first place we enquired, we thought we selected a wrong place. Then the second, the third, seventh! All hotels were full and no rooms and were priced exorbitant amounts. It made no sense. It was more expensive than Bangalore. We settled on a place which looked worse than the one in Pahargunj. It was straight out from the ones shown in the bollywood movies showcasing underworld brutalities.

We got out, had a light meal, booked tickets for a one day organized tour to Cherrapunjee for the next day at Meghalaya Tourism, and got back to the dungeon. The hotel guy gave us a thick blanket which the minute one puts it over him/her either because of the tiredness or because of the stench in the blanket, sleep just comes. (However, I argued with Oneiro that I fainted)