Cherrapunjee, officially titled the 'rainiest place on planet earth'. We arrive early evening and check into 'by the way' hostel. A simply designed place that's clean, well located, but best of all has a host, Heprit, who has the looks of Damien Marley, the wisdom of a Khasi elder and the laugh of Buddha. That night we talk politics and the environment over dinner with Tom, a Canadian writer who is also staying at the hostel. Hearing a commotion outside of the restaurant we let our senses guide us through the dark to a local dance competition that was taking place nearby, a sight that none of us were expecting. Nonetheless, we clapped and jeered when necessary. The crowd around us appeared unimpressed, apart from a few raucous cheers for the local favourites.
Well rested, the next morning we head off on an expedition. A 15km walk south. First stop Mawsmai caves. We negotiate around corners, ducking and crawling when necessary. I led the trio. Parts of the cave are a little claustrophobic even for the most fearless of explorers. An aged indian man in front starts to panic a little and needs some assistance. He cries 'help, help me' and I offer him a shoulder to lean on. He bares all of his weight on me as we make it through the cave together. His clad was hardly appropriate for this little adventure might I add, a suit and some very slippery office shoes made for some unsteady ground. All this said we finally prevailed and made it through the cave. It was only then that we realised this pensioners family were walking in front the whole time with no regard whatsoever for this terrified and decaying man. His warm embrace before departing made the appreciation well received.
We ramble through the Khasi hills further south toward the Latkynsew view point. A vantage point to see the wetlands of Bangladesh. That night we all chill at the hostel with a couple of Italian guys, drinking, smoking and sharing stories, not quite the early night we were hoping for in preparation for our 18km walk to Nongriat village the next morning.
We start our walk with our travel bags safely at the hostel, just taking the bear necessities for our stay deep in the Khasi valleys. We pass through villages, baron landscape and not a sole in sight. We start our descent down the 6000 stairs it takes to get to Nongriat. The steps becoming like a mantra 'one step, two step'. Our legs slowly turning to jelly we rejoiced in our achievements of reaching the utopia and wasted no time dipping our feet in the fresh azure pools underneath the rickety suspension bridge. We settled in to serene home stay and rested for the day.
Dinner that night was a concoction of organic vegetables cooked in spices fresh from the jungle, rice salad. All 6 of us, travellers alike, enjoyed this convivial feast around a family style table. Telling tales of travel and stories of previous lives. We resumed conversations and games in the communal area where Charlie and I were introduced to a new card game 'a*******' (or a****** if your American). A tactical game that proved more difficult to grasp the more the night went on, but the good company was all we needed.
We were woken from our sleep by the cockerels in the village. As Khasi legend has it, the cockerel once the bald, brave warrior had the courage to lure the sun ( Ka Sngi) out of hiding in its cave. In return the cockerel wanted Feathers from other animals so that he would no longer bare the harshness of the cold. So when the cockerel, dressed in an array of feathers, went to summon Ka Sngi he let out a 'cockle doodle do' which encouraged Ka Sngi out of hiding. Henceforth the sound of the cockerel in the morning before the sun emerges.
With a huge bowl of porridge to set us up for the day we went to go and explore this sacred forest like place. The first thing we came across was the famous sight of the double decker living root bridges. These are bridges that have been made from the roots and vines of the trees. A sight that is somewhat magical and enchanting. Like these things only exist in fairy tales. So we made our way across natures bridge and down into, what would be the river in monsoon, but now just dry land sculpted with what Charlie would describe as 'the biggest rocks I've ever seen mate!'. We stepped, jumped, hopped, climbed, swung and slid from rock to rock with little trepidation, making our way up stream. Stopping often to appreciate the surroundings and taking a dip in the fresh water.
The next few days were all very much the same. Time spent exploring, reading, skinny dipping, talking, playing, eating and climbing.
Our last excursion lead us to rainbow falls. After an hours walk off the beaten track, the sound of the water acting as our guide through this dense jungle. We arrive at a clearing where the water cascades down I'm three sections, creating three rainbows. There is a huge boulder in the middle of the falls which we waste no time mounting. With the aid of the steps that Charlie had arranged, we lay there, enjoying the crashing sounds of the water, mesmerised by the sight of the fluttering butterflies in an array of colours and cooling down in the off spray from the falls. We waited for 'Zie Germans' to arrive as they weren't too far behind us. When they did, Mattis and Charlie jumped into the aqua blue water below from the huge boulder. Mattis very elegant in his execution pin dropped perfectly. Intrepidly, Charlie stepped to the edge for her dismount. The result....a most inelegant belly flop. 6.4. WOOF. A punch in the air after surfacing confirming nothing permanently damaged.
We show our thanks and appreciation at the home stay and ready ourselves for the ascent up 3000 steps. We powered through with minimal stops until we finally reached the top just as the sun was setting behind us, shining a warm orange into a fiery red. We hitchhiked back to the hostel ready for a well deserved drink or two.
We decided to stay in Cherrapunjee whilst we tried to organise our permits to Arunachal Pradesh. With it's laid back attitude, friendly faces, breath taking scenery and fascinating history it was our home for the time being. We went on long walks, watched the sun come up and the moon set. We marched and sang around the village, setting off fireworks and firecrackers, as part of a ritual before slaughtering a pig. We helped prepare food for the community feast, talking with the local women and telling Khasi tales. We even made a banoffee pie. On the last night, at the community hall we helped serve the food to over a 100 people. Until at last we were able to enjoy the fruits of labour, breaking our vegetarianism without even giving it a second thought. We are not ones to hold back, especially when it comes to food, going all out with pig brain, intestines, kidneys and rice cooked in the swines blood. And finally relaxing to enjoy the revelry unfolding before us.
All that aside, our new friend Heprit was the deciding factor for our stay in Cherrapunjee. We would stay up most of the night, trading stories of cultures and childhood. Past loves and future dreams. Swapping music and sharing drinks. A warm soul that will be sorely missed.