Mawlynnong- The Magical Getaway

We lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling of the bamboo house we were residing in. The only sound that reached our ears, was that of crickets having a loud late night conversation.

“What if a snake falls in through the gaps in the ceiling?”, questioned my brother.
“I haven’t seen a mosquito here, and you are talking about snakes”…

We were guests at Asia’s Cleanest Village- Mawlynnong, situated around hundred kilometers from Shillong, in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and it had lived up to all our expectations.
It was gorgeous, like a magical getaway that one would have to visit through a mysterious doorway. None of us had ever visited a place that had not a spec of dirt, not one piece of rubbish anywhere. The Khasi Huts were placed amidst the lush green forest, surrounded by colorful shrubs. In some areas, the trees created a canopy under which I sat and my brother captured the moment in my father’s beloved DSLR. My parents could not get enough of the scenery. I can’t blame them;  the waterfall, the gardens, the flowers, the trees, it all really was enchanting!

Every single resident of the village treated us like we were not Tourists , but  a part of their beautiful family. We were greeted with genuine smiles and treated to a delectable supper that had been prepared to suit our tastes. In a new state, amongst unfamiliar faces, we felt loved, and cared for.

…”But we’re literally in the middle of a forest, and forests have snakes” said my brother in another attempt to scare me.
“Sleep, will you? We have to bid farewell to the family tomorrow morning” I replied and turned the lights off.