The wettest hills in India, root bridges and a river as clear as glass.
Meghalaya means ‘abode of the clouds’, and it earns the name. I flew into Guwahati and went up into the Khasi Hills, where some villages get more rain in a year than almost anywhere on Earth.
It was a reminder that you don’t need a passport for a trip that changes how you see things.
Stories
The gateway to the north-east sits on the Brahmaputra, one of the widest rivers in Asia. It's where the trip started and ended, with flights from home on either side.
Stop 2 · MarchShillong is the hill capital, with pine forests, cafés and a music scene that surprises everyone who visits. The hostel was the base for day trips south into the hills.
Stayed at XTSY Travellers Hostel Stop 3 · MarchSohra, once called Cherrapunji, is famous for rain, cliffs and waterfalls. Villages around it grow living root bridges, trained from rubber-tree roots over generations until they're strong…
Stop 4 · MarchAt Dawki the Umngot river runs so clear that boats look like they're floating on air. It's right on the border with Bangladesh, and the fishermen's boats drift over a riverbed you can see…
What it taught me
A domestic flight and a hostel bed. Travel doesn't need much money. It needs time, and the decision to go.