When for the first time we saw the Umngot river all were speechless....the water was transparent and we could literally see river bed and fishes in the water. Never seen such a clean ...clear and beautiful river, very deep but appears shallow due to crystal clear water. It’s an excellent example of nature’s art.
Since beginning I m fond of adventures traveling and camping and by gods grace I got a life partner with same interests...we have travelled so many places in our 9 yrs of marriage and every time we try to explore new places and new Adventures. This time we decided to stay in a tent in shnongpeding overnight to experience the night and morning by riverside.
We reached our tent by a boat In the afternoon...it was a bright and sunny afternoon and I was really happy that I could wear normal jeans tshirt there unlike Shillong and Jowai where I could not think of removing my woollen sweaters and jackets even for a minute. It was a pleasant sunny afternoon and One person came to receive us , and took us to our tent. A small cosy and basic tent. There were two blankets and a carpet inside . My son is 5 years old and cudnt believe that we were going to spend our night there. There were around seven such tents and behind all these tents there was a jungle where they have made scariest but clean washrooms. Meghalaya is said to be one of the cleanest state in india and we experienced it when we visited each and every place. Even small small villages are so neat and clean , all the houses are beautifully decorated with plants and flowers everywhere and no where we found roadside garbage or dirt. In Shnongpeding camps they have made washrooms inside the jungle which are very clean and maintained really well. Little bit away from this place they have made a small lovely bamboo restaurant. It’s so beautifully made considering the river view in the front and I still remember the taste of the super delicious food they serve there.
It was a beautiful evening and we decided to go for Kayaking In the beautiful serene water....me and my little one had time of our life kayaking in that crystal clear water....no body was there apart from us ,as if whole river only belonged to us. In the evening they served tea and biscuits which we enjoyed while watching sunset. And then it started getting cold ....there was a sudden change in the weather. It started getting dark and we could feel it more because there was no electricity.t..no lights . They gave traditional lanterns which we call kandil to each tent and the light was very dim. Cold weather, Bonfire and talks , it was my kind of night. We were around 8 people in that camp all together two from Assam ,two from Shillong ,one caretaker and three of us. It was a beautiful night by the river . The sound of water and Bonfire made it more memorable for us . And the best part was food, we never thought that we could get such a delicious dinner in our camp which was on the river island ,away from the main town . First they served us Baked fish ,it was a local river fish which was marinated with ginger,lemon and green chilies then wrapped in aluminium foil and baked in the fire . Very simple and very basic recipe but the output was amazing. The baked fish was the hit dish that night and everybody enjoyed it..after which the main course was chicken curry,rice ,tomato pickle and delicious Dal . Sometimes we go to some place and feel as if we belong to that place ,same thing happened that night ,I felt as if belonged to that river..that camp...which was away from routine life,there was no wifi ,no light, no contact with civil world which was like a total therapy.
It was a chilled night...with wind blowing continuously and after finishing our dinner and talks we headed towards our tent...little one was already asleep and it was really cold ...two blankets which we thought were more than enough were not at all enough...and they provided us more...the most challenging thing which I felt was going to washroom which was little bit away from our tent,that too in that darkness . They gave us small torch to carry and with gathering some courage I went up . I could not see anything around me ,it was very dark and the jungle which looked beautiful during daytime was looking really scary in the night. Finally I came back to tent and I was really happy with my tiny achievement .and we then slept ...we are so used to materialistic things in life that initially I was restless as I was missing my pillow and there was no light ... our lantern was about to go off and I was worried to face darkness after that. But it was all in the mind , after sometime I didn’t even realise when I slept and so peacefully... wind speed was so high in the night which was shaking our tent badly but it was really Cosy and comfortable so we could sleep peacefully.
Next morning we got up very early coz we wanted to see the sunrise.what an amazing morning it was....when we saw s the sun rising and the view was breathtaking. No words ..no pictures can define it ever. I feel fortunate that I could do my daily workout and meditation there...and the experience was most memorable. Fresh air, sunlight and clear river what else i could ask for ?
Early morning tea came in a thermas and some biscuits...and then we decided to go for zip lining which we never did before..it was thrilling ,exciting and wonderful experience . And we were really surprised that my little one who is just 5 yrs also finished it successfully.
And after that the best part was breakfast with the view....I kept wondering in such a small place which they called their kitchen how could they prepare all those wonderful things with minimum resources. There was French toast, Maggie with veggies ,boiled eggs ,corn flakes and juice . And what was in front of us was the river with blue water...while we were having our treat our eyes surely had theirs.
After spending real quality time in the wonderful camp of shnongpeding it was time to say goodbye.
With the heavy heart and countless memories of those 24 hours we left for the next destination. But the experience which we got there really tought us so much.... we have stayed in the tent many times but those were lavish comparing to the one this time. The tent in Shonongpeding was very basic and simple..but it proves that happiness can be created with minimum materialistic resources and maximum natural sources which feeds our soul ,mind and heart ❤️
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