A walk to fossil land

Day 65 and 66 were interesting.

We reached Mawlyngbna and found ourselves in a lovely forest cottage in the wilderness. It is called Travellers Nest and has been started by a cooperative of village societies across Meghalayan villages especially in the Khasi Hills.

The walk we went on was unexpectedly one of the most interesting hikes I have ever undertaken. The three hour long return hike to the Fossil site, millions of years old, belongs to the Cambrian period. The fossil site close to Mawlyngbna is known to have fossils of different sea creatures – crustaceans, molluscs and starfish. It also has the only place in India which is home to the Indian Pitcher Plant, a carnivorous plant which the locals call the demon flower or ‘Tiew – Rakot’. The plant is an endangered species and protected under the Wildlife Act and has many medicinal properties as well!
The hike took us through dense jungle, lovely streams, a waterfall, rickety bamboo bridge, swathes of dry wild grass, lava rock formations and slippery boulders.
I didn’t know that in one day in a few hours it was possible to cover so much both in terms of natural vegetation and geologically. For the first time ever we saw massive holes in the river beds in various shapes, some were perfectly rounded and clear and one was even heart shaped! These are visible mainly in the winter and not during the monsoon as the river is in full spate. What was equally astounding to see were the imprints of possibly a dinosaur on the ancient lava rock.

Albert and Kynjai were excellent guides and companions. They are both from Mawlyngbna and are the local naturalists and they both became friends.