Table of contents :-
1. Shillong – Scotland of East India (Part – I)
2. Shillong – Scotland of East India (Part – II)
3. Cherrapunjee – Wettest place in the world
4. Guwahati – Gateway to North East
28.09.09 (Shillong)
Today we planned to visit some places which were just at the heart of shillong so that by lunch we could come back home for lunch and then go out for shoppingin evening. The main Shopping areas in shillong are Bara Bazar & Police Bazar. From Tourist point of view I liked Police Bazar. Don’t forget to eat Jalebi from Delhi Mishthan Bandhar as they are really delicious.
SHILLONG
Lady Hydari Park
The Lady Hydari Park is just a km away from the Ward Lake. This park is designed like a Japanese garden where you will see the pine native to the area – Pinus Khasiana. It is well laid out with its Mini Zoo.
Lady Hydari Park-out side forest museum
Lady Hydari Park - Forest Museum
Lady Hydari Park
Lady Hydari Park
Crinoline Falls
The Crinoline Waterfalls has a swimming pool surrounded by the orchids, potted Bonsais and a rock pool with reeds and water lilies. It is just a walkable distance from lady Hydari park.
Crinoline Falls
treking - Crinoline Falls
Butterfly Museum (Entomological Museum )
The Butterfly Museum is at Wankhar and Co, Riatsamthiahopen who have started breeding butterflies as a conservation measure and for their commercial use. They have a good display of mounted butterflies and beetles from India and abroad.
Butterfly Museum (Entomological Museum )
Ward’s Lake
The beautiful lake located in the heart of the city, known as the Ward`s Lake was built in the memory of Sir William Ward. The horse shoe – shaped Ward Lake has pleasant boulevard paths around it, paddle boats for hire and a café. There are a large number of fishes in the lake and feeding them from the bridge is a favorite activity done by the people of all age groups.
Wards Lake
Don Bosco Museum
Don Bosco Museum of Indigenous Cultures at DBCIC (Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures) is Asia’s largest Museum of Indigenous Cultures of its kind. In it the visitor can have an overview of the whole of North East India. Rising into Shillong’s skyline the Museum is a seven storey building with 14 well laid out Galleries of international standard containing artefacts, paintings, fibreglass figures – all a feast to the eyes and a source of knowledge. The topmost Gallery is where the visitors can relax and enjoy some of the rare dances of the North East.
The seven-floor Museum offers the visitor an unforgettable experience of the Northeast by means of over 14 aesthetically pleasing and informative galleries.The Detail of the gallery is given below:-
1. Pre-History Gallery
The Prehistory gallery explains the history of Man’s gradual evolution as expounded by a Physical Anthropologist.
2. Basketry GalleryThe village set-up so realistic of this gallery takes the visitor to the remotest corners of the Northeast.
3. Land and Peoples Gallery
This gallery provides a beautiful overview of the places and peoples of the Northeast: 32 large size photographs in colour, 26 in lack and white and 18 lifesize fiberglass figures and 60 busts are an exciting presentation.
4. Musical Instruments Gallery
Here the eyes can feast on traditional musical instruments. If they come alive, they will mesmerize every visitor with their melodious music.
5. Fishing, Hunting and Gathering Gallery
The varieties of baskets used in fishing and the implements used in hunting and the types of containers used during harvesting are indeed astonishing.
6. Weapons GalleryWeapons too are part of culture. Traditional weapons may not be used now-a days. But the gallery preserves them to recall the past and to remind us how people struggled to protect themselves and their dear ones.
7. Agricultural Gallery
This gallery illustrates various agricultural practices by means of three beautiful dioramas. A 255 year-old mighty tree in the middle of this gallery is indeed an attraction.
8. Traditional Technology Gallery
The dioramas displaying pottery, wine-making, basket-making, blacksmithy, goldsmithy, weaving, wood-carving, leather works and cane-making provide a quick tour of the Northeast with appropriate explanations.
9. Costumes and Ornaments Gallery
This is another feast to the eyes. The display of traditional ornaments, shawls and colourful tribal costumes literally take the visitor to the farthest areas of the Northeast.
10. Housing Pattern Gallery
This gallery provides a glimpse of the socio-economic situation of the people of N.E. India, including Sikkim.
11. Art GalleryThis gallery displays all the eight States by means of their ancient i artifacts and paintings.
12. Photo Galleryit houses a large number of rare photos from the Northeast depicting the cultural life of the people almost a century ago.
13. Religion and Culture GalleryHere twelve iarge panels guide the visitor through the major reiigious beliefs and cultures of the world.
14. Media and Culture GalleryIn this gallery one can sit back and enjoy some of the excellent dances of the Northeast. It is like going to all the States of the Northeast relaxing at DBCIC!
Timing of Museum
Summer : 09:30-17:30 Hrs (Sunday : 13:30-17:30 Hrs) Winter : 09:30-16:30 Hrs (Sunday ; 13:30-16:30 Hrs)
Don Bosco Museum -Reception
Don Bosco Museum
Enterance - Don Bosco Museum
Don Bosco church
Don Bosco church
After visiting the Don Bosco Museum we went back home, had our lunch & after some rest we left for Shopping. We purchased some souvenirs from police Bazar. We found them quite reasonable.
29.09.09 (Shillong)
Golf Club
The Golf Club has an 18 hole golf course where competitions are held and a Polo ground, restaurant and bar. The course has a reputation of being the wettest but one of the most beautiful in the world. The club was founded in 1898. The course initiated as a 9 (nine) hole course in 1898 was later converted into a full fledged 18 hole course by Capt Jackson in 1924.
Golf Club
Golf Club
Golf Club
Sweet Falls
The sweet falls are sited at a distance of about eight kms from Shillong. The fall is known for its simple though beautiful elegance. The water falling from the fall resembles a straight pencil of water flowing out from a huge water pipe. The water drops at a vertical distance more than 200 feet.
Sweet Falls
Road to Sweet Fall
We were taken for the lunch in newly constructed Army officer Mess by our relatives with whom we were staying. I have been to many Army officers mess but never seen such a attractive mess. The VIP rooms of the mess were similar to any 5 star hotel. I heard that Garhwal Rifles’s – Lansdowne mess is one of the best mess in India but I could not visit there during my visit to Lansdowne in May 2009 as the advance permission is required to visit the mess.
Army Officer Mess - Three Tribles Guarding Mess
Enterance - Officer's Mess
enjoying Huka in Mess
Army Officer Mess
view from Officer Mess
View from Officer Mess
Army officer mess - dinning room
After having our lunch we left for Air Force museum.
Air force Museum – This museum is situated enroute to Cherrapunji just 8 kms from the city. One can go through the history of Indian Air Force.
Air Force Museum
Air Force Museum
What a collection of pics, I specially liked the fact that they fully chronicle the entire journey. I was very close to visiting Shillong last year but a minor not-well health and a 3 year old baby young-parent fear gave in to postponing the trip, we lost all the money for the air-ticket as well since it was one of those dirt-cheap (500 Rs fare) ones where most of the expense is for taxes etc.
Its really a wonder to find a 18 hole Golf Course, Don Bosco Museum and such grand water falls at a place which is not high on indian-travel-circuit. I think as a country, we greatly lack the ability to expose these beautiful places. I am sure that your story would motivate more folks to visit these far-away places.
Thanks for sharing.
Dear Nandan,
Thanks for your motivational words. Sorry to hear that last year your shillong trip was cancelled due to health problem.
WISH YOU AND ALL OUR GHUMAKKAR FRIENDS A WONDERFUL DIWALI
nice posting
This is indeed a nice and helpful post. However, I’d like to highlight the flipside too. We were at Shillong just a few days back. While the climate and natural beauty of the place is worth appreciating, there are some disturbing developments. Shillong, like most hill-stations of India, is being over-run by tourism and commercial development. It now has regular traffic jams and its air is polluted. The streams running through town now carry raw sewage that one can see in nearby waterfalls also. There is plastic everywhere with tourists contributing to garbage in no small measure.
Even in countryside, we could see pockmarked hills as local residents mined them for boulders, sand, and coal. Tree felling is also rampant. All this is already affecting the climate and we were told Cherrapunjee now no longer receives the highest rainfall in the world. If this goes on unchecked, I’d give the natural beauty of Meghalaya ten years at the most.
Dear Alok,
Thanks for liking the post. Your all concerns are true , but who all are responsible for it? I think we only.
Lovely snaps, I have a small query. The officers mess that you have snaps of – is it the Setuk army officers mess near the NORTH EASTERN INDIRA GANDHI REGIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES (NEIGRIHMS ).
I enquire as I am booked to stay there.
It would be nice if you could be specify the mess that u have snaps of.
Debangshu
(debangshumitter@gmail.com)
No it was not near NEIGRIHMS. I am not remembering the name of the Mess , I went there with my some relative for Lunch but It was quite far from the city.
I don’t think civilians can book the room directly in Army Mess.
I am being booked in by a army officer who is my relative. The mess is about 5 kms away from the city on the roads of NEIGRIHMS. Is the place that nice to stay at.
Sorry Debangshu I am not aware that both the mess , where we went for lunch & where you are suppose to stay is same or not. If it is same than its worth to stay there . When we went there that time rooms were under construction.
I am able to recall this much only that we crossed Rinzha Bazar while going to mess.
thank you Mahesh
hi,
i need to go to Happy Valley, shillong in dec10/Jan11.
how far is it from main city? how will be the weather around that time??
Dear Shadab,
Happy valley is around 8 kms from the main city. The beautiful sweet fall is very close to Happy Valley.
In Dec.- Jan. , climate will be pleasant or tolerable cold during day time but the nights are chilled.
semwalsaab…could you please advise the timing of the airforce museum and also if it is open on Sundays
many thanks
Sorry Raj not remembering.