North East Odyssey: Part Fourteen

Day Eleven (04.12.2021): Road trip from Shillong to Guwahati

We woke up early morning, got ready for the day, kept our luggage outside the room and went for breakfast, the last delicious breakfast of Shillong. Done with the breakfast, luggage got loaded in the bus. Today was our last day in the spectacular Meghalaya. So, two of the seven sisters got ticked in my bucket list. But I am not done yet with Meghalaya, I would want to go back for the Double Decker bridge. Our girl gang wanted to visit the Wards Lake. As our bus passed by the lake at 9AM, we found that its open and hence our bus was parked, and we could visit the lake.

Wards Lake

This horse-shoe-shaped lake is surrounded by a botanical garden with cobble-stone footpaths and a fountain. The botanical garden has several orchids besides other floral species. One of the most prominent features of the lake is a wooden bridge in the middle of the lake. The lake has boating facility and a cafeteria. The main reason for us to visit the lake was the cherry blossom tree. There were swans roaming around near the tree. We clicked photos and captured videos.

Umium Lake + IAF Aerobatics Show

This lake is a reservoir created by the damming of the Umium River. We reached the lake viewpoint at 10:30 AM. The point was already crowded with public to watch the IAF Aerobatics Show. The Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) performed its famed aerobatic display over Umiam Lake to celebrate Swarnim Vijay Varsh. The ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ was observed to commemorate India’s military operation over Pakistan in the 1971 war and the selfless sacrifice and dedication of the Indian Army personnel in protecting the sovereignty of the country.. The SKAT of the IAF is known for its professionalism, precision, and prowess. Most professional Air Forces have a Formation Aerobatic unit which undertakes the extremely challenging role of doing aerobatic manoeuvres, in large formations, to not only showcase their capabilities but also to motivate the youth to join the defense services. While I could not capture any of the aerobatic videos, watching it was an eye delight. It felt like birds of a flock are playing formation games in the sky.

Done with watching the Air Force show, we got into our bus and drove towards Hotel Dcourtyard in Guwahati. We had lunch and checked into our rooms. We got room no. 204, it was quite small as compared to the one in which we stayed on arrival. Never mind. 

We were so tired due to the journey from Shillong to Guwahati, that we were in no mood of doing anything else but sleep. We had to meet at the reception by 3PM for the river cruise, so we groggily got ready for the same. We drove towards the dock, the bus was parked, and we walked up to the cruise MV Manashputra, on the path created using slabs of plywood and bamboo over the shores. The reporting time was 03:30PM.

Brahmaputra River Cruise

We boarded the Alfresco Grand Sunset Cruise. The timings were from 4PM to 5PM. We walked to the upper deck. There was a stage section, long tables, and chairs on both sides with the life jackets just above each seat and a bar cum restaurant. The Women Special Tour of Assam Meghalaya had also joined us on the cruise. We celebrated the birthday of Sandhya Dharmadhikari with cake cutting and birthday song. The performer started with the song "Dil hum hum kare" as a dedication to Bhupen Hazarika and continued with a few more songs. We passed by the Peacock Island. 

We walked up to the sun deck for the sunset view. We got back to the upper deck and ordered fries and mocktails. 

Everyone was dancing to the DJ tunes. Finally, we got back to the shore at 5PM.

Street food and evening walk

We got back to the hotel around 6PM. Hiteshree had to visit a salon in City Central Mall. Krupali and I accompanied her to the mall. Then we thought of taking the mall tour. We walked from the entrance of the mall to the exit and back. There was an event for celebrating Arunachal Pradesh. There was a replica of the buddha statue in Tawang monastery (the one I missed to watch). A group of girls dressed in traditional attire represented the state and performed the folk dance. 

We were walking on the streets searching for fried momos. Hiteshree was done with the salon and she joined us. Atlast the fried momos search ended at the Feast food joint. 

We walked further and had puchkas at the Quick Food joint adjacent to the petrol pump. Then we headed back to the hotel. On the way, Hiteshree and Krupali enjoyed the paan while I remembered my grandpa while watching the paan in making. We had dinner and random talks were on post dinner in the reception area. Then we went to our rooms for the final packing of luggage since this was our last night in the hotel and of course North East. Krupali and I were discussing on the 'back to square one' life which awaits us in Mumbai. I really do not like my tours to end so quickly. Done with the packing, we dozed off in our beds.

Read next: North East Odyssey: Part Fifteen