Saga of Shillong (5.1)

Chapter 5: Scorching Sun, Clear Water and Living Root Bridge (Part 1)

It was day 3. I was sleeping like a sloth under my blanket. I could hear, my father was shouting, “Get up rascal. You need to shower. At least go to the potty. I can’t manage a bathroom this time.” I could hear mother was asking, “Yes, bring three parathas and tea too.” Now folks, if you visit the hilly regions, you must try the parathas (stuffed bread). upon hearing the name of paratha, I finally got up. Brushing the teeth, I was looking at the frozen snowflakes on the window sill. Whoa! Was it snowing all night?

By 8:30 am, we were ready to leave for the day. While travelling, I always carry a small bag containing, my phone, wallet, charging battery, umbrella, earphone, comb, lipstick, eyeliner, necessary medicine and a mirror. My father calls it grandpa’s mitten. This time also was no difference. Moon was a very punctual man. As promised, he came by 8:00 am. I said, “Brother Moon, good morning. What’s today’s schedule?” He replied, “Today we are going to have a long journey. There are only two spots to cover, Dawki river and living root village. But if you guys don’t hurry up, we can’t be back by 8 pm.” Suddenly, we heard, “Be careful. Did you forget about my knee replacement surgery?” I smiled, “Moon Dada, buckle up.”

Journey to Dawki was long. Dawki is a river which has crystal clear water. If you search for its photo, I am sure you will be amazed to see its beauty. It seems like the boats on the river are floating in the air. So when I asked my mom to visit the site, she immediately said, “Yes.” It took almost 3 hours to reach there. But the road was really interesting. We crossed many hills of limestones. Moon said, “This area exports limestones to cement factory. Many people even smuggle them. You know, as the Bangladesh border is nearby, smuggling is easier.” After one and half hours of driving, he halted twice for a few time. Each time he said, “Click some photos if you need.” And each time, I said ‘cheese’ until my mother was satisfied with photos, worthy of uploading on social media.