Posts
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| The delights of finding a pocket of heaven on Earth |
Have you ever stumbled upon something unexpectedly good when it was least likely to happen? I’m sure you have. It’s beautiful how life works out sometimes. Hope and despair work hand in hand to churn up a magnum opus.
That was what happened when we set out to visit Krang Suri
Falls one July morning (Read: A drive to Krang Suri Falls). After a seven-hour trip, we found only despair. Life gave us a shot of hope in the form of Kibo
Restaurant and urged us to look up and seek the brighter side of things. Find the rainbow in the clouded sky.
This is the story of what happened next.
Drive to Shillong from Amlarem
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| Krang Suri Falls to Shillong is a scenic drive |
Buoyed by a fulfilling meal, we continued our journey through rural Meghalaya, heading towards Shillong. The disappointments of missing out on Krang Suri Falls was immediately forgotten as we indulged in Meghalaya's picturesque landscape.
There was a sight to behold at every bend.
Even Lady Luck seemed impressed by our spirits. The thick
mist we had driven through during our onward journey to Krang Suri Falls had evaporated on our way back. Instead, we found
ourselves moving through areas so beautiful that driving turned into a
struggle. How do you concentrate on the steering wheel when the sights at both
sides of the road tend to take your breath away?
After a while, we noticed that the car was moving ahead at a languid pace, the accelerator turning from a friend to a foe. We pulled up at
the side of the road, our umpteenth stop on the trip. A stunning gorge
welcomed us, spanning the left side of the horizon. On the other side of the
road, hillocks soaked the warmth of the afternoon sun.
It was a place where you wished that the earth would stand still and allow you ample time to soak in the aura.
Roads that force you to slow down
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| Driving through heaven |
Little Messi ran around, and spotted a family sitting together for a picnic right at the edge of the valley.
“Baba, next time, let’s come here for a picnic!”
I nodded, ignoring the urge to explain to him the
complexities of having a picnic some seven-hour drive away from home. Yet, the
thought crossed my mind too. Sometimes, the drive can be worth the distance, the time, worth the tiredness. Aren’t good moments worth their weight in
gold?
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| Meghalaya leaves a lasting impression on your soul |
After spending some time in the middle of nowhere, with no landmarking to help trace our way back, we moved forward. Our trip felt complete, our hearts were full.
But Lady Luck wasn’t done yet. She held back the mist for
just a little longer for us to find another little piece of heaven in
Meghalaya. And it turned up when we were least expecting it.
A secret paradise waiting for us, just by the side of the
road.
We rushed out of our vehicle and scampered through the meadow. A little earthen path led to a stunning waterfall, a short walk away from the side of the road. We walked by a gentle river, hopping over depleted brooks and found ourselves at another of Meghalaya’s gift to the world. Our day had turned a full circle in a matter of hours.
It was Life handing us a lesson in dealing with disappointment.
The ecstacy of a sudden (stunning) discovery!
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| A chunk of paradise waiting by the side of the road |
How many times have you felt low, broken, battered, lost, in your life? I bet you don't remember. But it's an ageless feeling that refuses to surrender to time. The short-lived disappointment of a canceled football practice. The frustration of a failed interview. Unfulfilled aspirations, dreams.
"Hope is a good thing, Red, perhaps the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
The best way to deal with disappointment is to keep moving on, keep striving, keep hoping. Giving up is not an option, because you have to be prepared for what life has in store for you on the bend of the road. This is perhaps why life is often compared to a journey. You may have passed multiple stops, but there are many more ahead of you. It's how you face them that matters.
Because if you lose your head after a failed trip to Krang Suri Falls, you risk missing out on something equally stunning up ahead.
Hope is never so lost....
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| An abandoned bridge at the site |
And so we had a gala time at the unnamed waterfall that life gifted us. I gave Messi a piggyback rise, we dipped our hands in ice-cold water. We clicked pictures, joked around and walked back with a ton of memories. The drive from Jowai to Shillong is equally stunning, the road waving through lush green countryside, complete with mountains and valleys.
By the time we reached the capital of Meghalaya, dusk had set in and the sky had lost its colour. We maneuvered through the tricky traffic and reached our hotel, Quinton Enclave. Situated at a stone's throw from Police Bazar, this is a cozy homestay with decent rooms that immediately felt like home.
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| Our room at Quinton Enclave. |
The rest of the evening was spent in leisure. We had a little rest, a couple of cups of tea, and were back on the road, this time on foot. We explored Police Bazar, had some snacks, and finally had a low-key dinner at a Bengali restaurant. We hit the bed early, sleep arriving in an instant at the end of a wonderful day.
Every trip is a learning experience, and the best journeys often end up inspiring a little change within. Something so subtle that you don't realize it, until ofcourse, life throws a curveball at you. Because life can be unforgiving at times, but like the great Ernest Hemmingway said, hope is never so lost that it cannot be found.
Sometimes a peaceful afternoon spent at a hidden paradise somewhere in rural Meghalaya can give you the strength to face every adversities with a smile.
To be continued....
It is indeed wonderful to find something good when you least expect it. The quote from The Shawshank Redemption is basically the essence of life. Once again, well written.
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