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)