Shillong - Scotland of the East

Shillong- Scotland of the East, is the capital city of Meghalaya. It lies in the East Khasi Hills District. It was fun exploring this hill station. I was surprised to see the crowd and traffic in Shillong. But one thing I really liked about the city was that the traffic there is disciplined. No one tries to overtake. Vehicles form a queue and drivers show patience.

Lovely view of the Farmlands of Shillong

The most famous tourist spot in Shillong is the Elephant falls. It was named so by the Britishers because there was a rock on the left side of the fall which resembled an Elephant. But now one cannot see the rock because it was destroyed in an Earthquake. There are three steps of this falls and two viewpoints. People are allowed to go in the water of the falls till a certain point. 

Elephant Falls

The first step of Elephant Falls

The second step

The third step of the Elephant Falls

Lady Hydari Park  is dedicated to Lady Hydari - the first lady of the province and wife of the former Governor of Assam. Lady Hydari Park is a mini zoo and a garden with wide variety of local flowering plants. The park also has a play ground for the tiny tots. It was pleasant walking in the park.

At Lady Hydari Park

Lady Hydari Park

Ward’s Lake is situated near Police Bazaar and is popular for boating and its garden walk. The lake is full of fish and we could see many people feeding the fish from the bridge. We had a small walk in the garden and then took a boat ride. 

At Ward's Lake

View while boating

Ducks at the Ward's Lake

The highest point in the State is the Shillong peak (1965 meters above sea level). One can get a splendid view of the Shillong city from the Shillong peak.  The views were really awesome. The weather was also very cool and the sky was full of clouds. 

View of Shillong from the Shillong Peak

The Golf Course of Shillong is not an ordinary golf course. It is one of the oldest in India and the wettest in the world.  

Golf Course

Golf Course

The best place to do shopping in Shillong is the Police Bazaar. There are many handicrafts showrooms in the area. We bought some exquisite wooden and bamboo showpieces.  We had some delicious and hot jalebis at Delhi Mistan Bhandar, which is famous for it jalebis.

We had our return flight in the afternoon from Shillong Airport. So, we went to explore Umiam Lake  in the morning. Umiam lake, also known as Barapani (meaning big water) is located 15 kms from Shillong. It is a man made lake and is famous for its water sports. We had a speed boat ride at the lake, which was thrilling. There is also Lum Nehru Park, located near Umiam Lake.

At Umiam Lake

Umiam Lake

View of the lake while boating

Awesome view of the Lake

At Lum Nehru Park

Shillong Airport, also known as Barapani Airport, is located in Umroi which is 40 kms from Shillong. It is a small airport. When we reached there, it had a deserted look with only security personnel at the gate.  Only Air India flights operate from Shillong. Our flight was late due to bad weather conditions in Kolkata. Our flight was at 1’o clock and was late by 3 hours. The Airport staff started arriving at 2’0 clock and after an hour we were allowed to check-in.  Aerospatiale alenia atr 42 is the aircraft which is being used by Air India in Kolkata- Shillong route. It is a small plane maybe because less people travel on this route. There were hardly 20 passengers on board.  

It was an enjoyable trip to Meghalaya which I will never forget. Trips to Cherrapunji and Living roots Bridge were particularly special.