A Mountain of Lakes, Mawphanlur

A beautiful day and blue sky with snow flake clouds and pristine made the last stretch hard climb to Mawphanlur lakes village very exciting. Fortunately we got to camp finally after many days and pitched our tent overlooking the lake at the village society Travellers Nest. Travellers Nest It’s an eco tourism initiative by a collective of villages in Meghalaya and they have a website villagegetaways.in

The 32 kms ride took us past many hamlets, and as always we saw so many sights and experienced foods that are raw and realistic. From meat stalls on the highway with a pig half carved up on display ( a very common sight – but I don’t take pictures as it’s disrespectful to the animals and the local indigenous beliefs) to a pig being lovingly taken for a walk with its tail. We saw a fox on the village road to Mawphanplur and he bolted as soon as Ashim called out to him! Our life is made more beautiful and meaningful when we meet children on the way and engage in playful conversations with them and share our share our pocket of goodies. Their smiles are priceless. This is the mission after all of this odyssey through the Himalayas – to spread joy and peace and share their mountain life with the rest of the world. From 1800 metres ASL the rolling hills and table plateaus of Meghalaya are simply breathtaking. And the five small lakes here in Mawphanlur are really lovely, still a bit away from the maddening crowds at Cherranpunji and other more famous sights.