Cyber cafe Sat: 18:00

Saturday, 27 November, 2010 18:00

A gentle jaunt down the road to Cherrapunjee where the LP mentions grand vistas over the Bangladeshi plains and waterfalls. It fails to mention that distant ringing bell that Cherrapunjee is the "rainiest" place in the world. I saw a sign to that effect and the great black cloud in front of me did not hearten me especially as I wasn't wearing my waterproof layer.

However, the titbit of key information is that Cherrapunjee's 12m of average rainfall occurs in the eight months from March to October and barely a drop falls from November to February. And it was so.

The big black cloud, however, translated into a misty cum foggy day with a tendency to a whiteout.

No rain, then, but I did see glimpses of the Nohkalikai Falls round the back at lat/long n25 16.311 e91 41.420 which are, apparently, the world's fourth highest. They didn't look that high but then the main viewing platform is half the height of the falls again above it. I clumped (in full riding gear with tank bag over shoulder) down the haphazard concrete steps looking for the "exciting new viewing platform" completed in 2006 to find a couple of spots with a decent view then that the concrete steps ended in a metre drop to a 45 degree muddy path disappearing into the forest/jungle.

No sign of the village you're supposed to go to to either see back up to the falls (unlikely, today) or down to the plains. The village not mentioned on the signs nor any likely named view point that might be the same. Ho hum.

I did meet an old Indian Army boy (retd.) who claimed to have been to 52 countries many courtesy of being the local Lions Club President. I stopped to snap the mist being blown (sucked?) up the mountainside leaving the cutting the road sits in relatively clear and chatted to a troupe of guys on bicycles who'd cycled here from Shillong (50km).

Bah! I've just realised I didn't check their gearing. I don't remember seeing a single non-fixed gear bike here in India. It's as though the technology doesn't exist and everyone struggles with fixed gears in tough mountain terrain. That might appeal to some, of course...

Hopefully, I'll attach the tiger pugmark to this message.