Charming Shillong

Day 59 of our Pedal the Himalaya Tour.

Shillong is a beautiful town where indigenous customs, traditions and food, blend seamlessly with Christmas carols, the latest fashion, cool cafes, Bob Dylan and mountain bikes with boys and girls that actually throw themselves into real adventure like Ian who runs the coolest bike show in town, and the only Indian I know into bike-rafting ( yeah, look into that if you don’t know what it is!). We had a meandering day moving from getting our bikes fixed at Pro Cycling @procycling_shillong and then on Ian’s recommendation a taste of authentic Khasi food at an even more authentic no-name eating place! The dishes were absolutely delicious all cooked on wood fire.

We signed off the day with a nice coffee the Dylan’s Cafe, a lovely cafe dedicated to Bob Dylan. The upcoming Christmas celebration spirit was already in the air with decorations, lights and xmas trees already up.

Late this evening, my mother’s sister told me that my grandfather, Late Shyam Lal Maini, actually built the road to Shillong in the early 1940s! This is truly special for me to have cycled on that very original road!

We stayed for the two nights in Shillong at a very nice BnB which was in a colonial style bungalow.