Umaim Lake from Viewoint

Welcome to the first day of our Meghalaya travel. I am someone who loves to meticulously plan out most of the details possible before starting a trip. Months of research and rework would go into all my travel plans in a pre Covid world. Fast forward to a post Covid world and I had nearly forgotten what planning for a trip meant. Last year the only place I went to was a resort near Pune for a couple of days in December. And that's what I could manage at max in the whole of last year. Now are travel plans have become completely dependent on the Covid situation everywhere. Plus when you think about the rules and regulation that have been enforced at any major tourist place, you feel its better to be at home than go through all the hassles. 

I will break up this entire travel diary into small parts as they might otherwise get too long to read. Hence splitting day 1 into two parts, the first of which is below.

Before the Trip

So to start with, I didn't have any plans for any kind of travel until September. Then one fine day while watching a travel vlog series on Meghalaya we fell in love with the place, the greenery, the people, the food and the unique culture of that place. Me and mom had a casual discussion on the desire to visit this place someday. And then it was put on the backburner. Then suddenly a couple of days later my aunt called and she informed that they were planning to visit Meghalaya from where my cousin was planning to do a work from hills. So if we are interested maybe we can also join them. The opportunity felt godsend and even without giving it a second thought I jumped at the proposal. 

What started as a casual work from hills idea slowly transformed into a full blown travel plan of 9 days thanks to yours truly. Well, in my defense I can only say that considering the ever changing Covid situation, getting the next opportunity to travel is very uncertain so I wanted to fully utilize the single opportunity that was knocking at my door.

There are a couple of things I did straightaway-

1. Referred to some YouTube vlogs on Meghalaya and got a visual idea about which all places seemed interesting and feasible for us. (feasible because we had a couple of senior citizens with us in the group)

2. Post a question on the trip advisor forum asking about a indicative trip plan. This became a very helpful thing in the whole planning. The 'local guides' who are basically reviewers who are having an in-depth knowledge about the region provides various recommendations depending on the questions you ask. If you want to checkout my discussion thread head over to the link HERE.

3. Looked up on the internet for all covid related norms and procedures. Entering into Meghalaya mandates that you either are double vaccinated or having a negative RTPCR report with you. Everyone in our group was double vaccinated. So we carried multiple print outs of the vaccination certificate.

4. We booked the flights (direct flights - Indigo) before finalizing the hotels and places. You usually get cheaper flights if you book early. But this proved to be both a boon and bane for us. Boon because we got cheaper flights. Bane because we realized later that if we had booked the return flight from Guwahati, it would be shorter distance for us from Tura - our last destination. And also we could have spent a couple of days in Assam to checkout a few places near Guwahati. I will talk more about this in my blog which will cover Tura. But keep in mind if you are keeping Tura as your end point opt for Guwahati Airport for return.

5. You need to generate an e-invite for entry in Meghalaya. This invite basically has all the details (address, aadhar no, photo, age) of all the members in the group. In addition to that it would also need your trip plan and the address of first 2 days of your stay at least. Since the hotel in Shillong was booked by my Uncle's office so we already had the address handy. You most definitely should generate the e-invite before you travel so that you do not have to waste time at the Shillong airport for completing the formality. Trust me its a real hassle to do the same sitting at the airport when you cant wait to step out!

 For all the details of TO DOs refer to my last blog on the trip HERE.

Trip Starts

On a relatively warm morning of October, we started from Kolkata. Our Indigo flight was at 8 AM from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport. We were a total of 6 people from two families including a couple of senior citizens. So basically our group comprised of youngsters, mid aged folks and senior citizens. Hence during the course of this trip we set our destinations keeping in mind of this mixed age group. 

Boarding the Indigo Flight from Kolkata with single entry/exit door

Our flight duration was of 2 hours approximately. The flight travels over Bangladesh before entering Meghalaya. The landscape changes drastically once it reaches Meghalaya. Plain land and fields get replaces by mountainous terrain. Miles of undulating hills with dense forest cover and varying shades of green enthrall the eyes. As you go deeper into the state you would start seeing the quaint towns and the beautiful serpentine mountain roads dotted with farming lands. The plane was flying at very low altitude by then and we could feel we would almost touch the mountains. 

Indigo operates an ATR flight ( lighter, smaller aircrafts for shorter durations) in this sector. Though I was aware about the ATR flight but I forgot to consider the fact that these aircrafts has only one exit gate and for this flight it was in the back. We booked all our seats in the front rows so we were the first to enter and last to depart. This seemed like at disadvantage at first but there was one perk that we got. The first row of Indigo flights are XL seats ( more leg space and comes with a higher cost) and most of the times these seats are empty. But as the evacuation route was situated near these seat so at least one passenger needs to be seated in these seats as per mandate. So the airhostess randomly asks someone from the nearby rows to occupy the XL seats. While going to Shillong my uncle was asked which he happily agreed to. And while coming back we proactively asked the airhostess regarding the XL seats to which she agreed immediately. So this is a simple trick to get a free upgrade to XL seats. 

Arial view of Meghalaya from flight

The greenery of the land is mesmerizing

The aircraft was flying so low we felt we could touch the mountains!

While the flight was taxing on the runway. The Umroi airport is visible in distance

Since we were seated at the very first set of seats, we were the last to de-board the plane. The moment we stepped out of the aircraft, cool and pollution free air of Meghalaya greeted us. It seemed as if we have stepped into a place which didn't look like India anymore! It was a short walk from the aircraft to the airport. It felt a little like the Pune airport because of the size of the airspace and the mountains surrounding it . But the major difference was that the hills surrounding the Umroi airport was covered in a thick carpet of green. It was just an amazing sight to behold. Walking down the tarmac, with seasonal blossoms adorning the sideways and the towering mountains hugging the quaint airport form all sides. 

Umroi is a small airport and very limited number of flights ply to and from this place in a day. So the number of passengers you will see here is very less compared to any other airport. When we landed we only saw one queue of passengers waiting outside the airport, mostly to board the flight in which we had just arrived. And apart form those passengers the arrival hall was completely empty for us.

Scenic walk from the flight to the airport

We got our bags within 5-10 minutes of landing. There is a couple of belts only so its well managed and everything is pretty much in the accessible distance. Coming to the washroom in the airport. They are nice and clean. Do not expect anything jazzy like in big airports. But I was pleased with the number of washrooms present in this small airport. It is actually more than sufficient. 

Before you can exit the airport or basically enter Meghalaya you need to complete the exit formalities. There is a small counter just before the exit of the airport where two young ladies were verifying all the documentations of the passengers. We asked the seniors to wait at the seating area while me and my cousin got into the queue to complete the formality. It was a small queue of about 10-15 people only. Every tourist is expected to produce the following documents at the counter:

1. Double Vaccination Certificate ( or RTPCR if you do not have a double vaccination certificate)
2. ID cards ( e.g Aadhar cards work at all places)
3. E-invite ( complete with all the necessary details of the passengers)

Now if you are having these three set of documents in place, it would hardly take 5 minutes to complete the exit formalities. Their database already would have your details (photographs, ID cards etc.) and they would just cross verify them with the documents you produce. But surprisingly what we saw that most of the tourists were completely clueless about the E-invite. The mandatory E-invite is mentioned almost everywhere if you do a little research or even in your flight ticket instructions. Still most people were caught unawares. They were then asked to download the app, and fill in all the details on spot before they were allowed to exit the airport. I would again mention that please get the e-invites done before your journey. It saves a lot of time and energy because its an exhaustive list that you need to fill in. 

The ladies handed us a slip which had to be shown at the entry point of Shillong. It was a proof that we had completed all entry formalities at the airport. Do not loose this slip! Once the formalities were done we stepped outside. It was a bright sunny and cool morning. The view from the exit point of the airport seemed prettier. The green hills against the sharp blue sky was a treat to the eyes. 

We already had a pre-booked car from my uncle's office which was supposed to pick us up form the airport. the same car would be with us for the entire duration of the trip. Please note Uber or Ola is not operational in Meghalaya. So you need to always avail local transportation or local cabs for travel. Since Umroi Airport isn't a very big airport so I would recommend you pre-book your car who can also come and pick you up form the airport. There seemed to be a taxi stand at the back side of the exit gate, but we did not check that out. 

The Exit side of the Umroi Airport

Since the car still had some time to reach the airport we took the opportunity to click some photos around the area while my mom and grandma sat in the chairs outside and chatted. There was a covid counter outside, which was providing covid related information to tourist who went up to them. A point to note, there is no restaurants or food shops inside or outside the airport. So if you want to grab a quick tea or coffee that is not possible in the airport.

Rear side of the Airport from where you exit

Cab drivers outside the airport waiting for their passengers

Soon our car arrived. We had booked an Innova for the entire trip duration. It could snugly fit in maximum 7 adult passengers + 1 driver. But that would be very uncomfortable especially in the back seat by the boot. we were 6 people so it was good for us. We had 5 big suitcases and 4 backpacks with us. So some of the suitcases had to be put on the roof of the car. It took the driver almost 10 minutes to get all the luggage arranged and properly fastened. Once done we were on our way. 

I had heard that the driver had already expressed his displeasure over our plan to visit Tura to my uncle before we reached. He again started asking us why we were planning for Tura and kept giving us reasons why it is not a good place. The weather is warm, not like Shillong he started with. The distance is too much, there is nothing much to do around - his ranting continued for a bit and my uncle did his best to bypass them. While me and cousin were pretty adamant that Tura definitely needed to be included as we wanted to touch upon all the major regions of Meghalaya. Finally when the driver got to know that we have pre-booked our stay in Tura he gave up hope of coaxing us out of that plan. 

The place where we stopped for tea

Since this was Day 1 of our Meghalaya trip we wanted to checkout a few places nearby after reaching hotel and freshening up. While researching about the places we could cover on day 1, I did see that Umiam lake would be on our way to Shillong. But I had thought that with so much of luggage and the disheveled look we should better not stop at the Umiam lake enroute. But when we spoke to the driver he mentioned that it would be better to stop and check out the lake on way than try to come back in the afternoon, because by that time the traffic would be bad. It was almost 11 and folks wanted to get some tea. So we stopped by a tea shack on the highway for a quick break. The shop owner was already prepping up for lunch time. He was chopping some vegetables to be added to the chowmein he was making. But he happily agreed to make tea for us. The interesting bit was that this guy was from Kerala and he had come all the way to Meghalaya and was now settled here owning a business. Once done with the tea we were on our way again.

Since the driver was showing his reluctance for some of our planned areas while we were talking earlier, when he suggested this, there was an iota of doubt in our minds that he didn't want to drive later in the day hence he wanted to finish everything at one go before dropping us off at the hotel. But there was no way we could verify at that point whether it was a genuine suggestion so we agreed.

The lake can be viewed from various points on this stretch of road. There is a viewpoint further down the road which gives a bird's eye view of the lake. But first we wanted to get a closer look of the lake. The entrance is by the side of beautiful orchid resort. It has chalet style cottages which you can see from below and would be tempted to spend the night there. There was an entry fee at the entrance of the gate. We paid Rs 360 for 6 people ( Rs 60/per person). The pretty road led us to the entry of the Water Sports Complex.

There is ample parking space at this place. We parked our car and headed towards the entrance. There was a nice park area to start with. Manicured lawns and lot of shady tall trees surrounding the cobblestoned pathway that led to the water sports area. There was some very unique flora and fauna around. The place had considerable number of tourists since it was a Saturday. It was both a mix of locals and tourists who were seen in the park. A few steps along the way and you get the first glimpses of Umiam lake shimmering in the background. The lake hugs the shore of the water sports complex. There is also washroom facility inside the complex park. 

Umiam Lake is one of the biggest artificial lakes in Meghalaya that is situated about 15 km from Shillong. It is more popularly known locally as Bara Pani, and covers an area of about 220 sq km. Encircled by the lush green East Khasi Hills, Umiam Lake came into existence in the ‘60s due to the damming of the river Umiam. The importance of this lake is manifold as this lake is the outcome of the first-ever hydel power project in the region. The dam, built on the Umiam River, gave birth to the lake after having diverted the flow of water of the River Umiam.

Legend has it that once upon a time, two sisters were descending from heaven to earth to visit Meghalaya. On the way, one of the sisters got lost. And the other sister cried so much that the lake was formed by her tears. The literal translation of the word Umiam in Khasi language is ‘water of tears’.

Umiam Lake from a Distance

Park in the Water Sports Complex (Pic courtesy : cousin, Editing : Me)

A boat on the Umiam lake

Umiam Lake

We walked all the way down to the lake. There was a small deck on the right hand side. This was a perfect place to get some beautiful shots of the lake. A few steps ahead was the small jetty or platform which led to the boats for water activities. After taking a considerable amount of photos against the beautiful backdrop of the park and lake we went to enquire about the charges of the boats in the small ticketing counter situated near the jetty.

We could see some open boats on the water. These were small boats probably seating a couple of people. But since the sun was pretty strong at the time, we wanted to check out the cost of the covered boat. These covered boats could seat 10 folks. We got to know that the charge was Rs100/person for the covered boat and it would only go if the boat was full or if you paid for 10 seats in total. So either you cough up Rs 1000 or try to get some more people added to make the total 10. We first tried to get some other folks, but it seemed people were more interested in taking selfies than getting into the water. So after 10 minutes of futile attempt when we were almost ready to give up, a man asked us if we wanted to take the boat. We nodded and he said that he had already booked for his family and there were 3 seats empty so we could occupy those. We felt it was like godsent. But the next challenge was that out of 6 4 of us wanted to do the activity but only 3 seats were present. What happened next was unexpected for us. The man told that he anyway was not interested in going so he can offer his seat as well to us. We leapt at the offer with much gratitude. 

Other Boats

Our Boat

Our Boat

The ride was almost of 5-7 minutes. At first it might sound very less but believe me that's optimum ride time. In that short time itself the boat went almost to the mid of the lake and back. Now even if I am a mountain person I really love to get into clear waters at times especially for sports activities. I have had multiple experiences of boat rides but everyone of them is a unique experience in itself. Riding in the clear turquoise waters of Umiam lake while the water sprayed on your face at every turn the boat made was an exhilarating experience to tell the least. It is something you should definitely do. And if you have some senior folks in the group make them experience this as well, because its truly amazing. And pretty safe too. You do not need to worry too much as there are no sharp turns anywhere. 

Beautiful waters of Umiam Lake during the boat ride

After a really fun ride when we were back on the shore we offered our share of the money to the family. But the brother of the man who initially offered us the ride refused to take money saying that anyway they would have gone empty, it was good that we joined them. We were overwhelmed at the gesture by the completely stranger family. We got to know they are form Bihar but stay in Gujarat and this was their last day in Meghalaya. After exchanging pleasantries we parted. 

Important Takeaways from this part:

1. Ask the airhostess if you can occupy the XL seats. If they are empty once boarding is completed, chances are high that you will easily get a free upgrade.

2. Ensure you generate the e-invite in advance

3. Entry fee at Umiam : Rs 60/person

4. Cost of the 10-seater covered boat ( 5-7 min ride) - Rs 1000 (full boat) / Rs 100 per person

Next Part : Meghalaya Travelogue - Day 1 (Part 2) - Umiam Lake, Shillong, Laitumkhrah, Police Bazar

Other posts in this series:

• Meghalaya Trip Summary
• Meghalaya Travelogue - Day 1 (Part 2) - Umiam Lake, Shillong, Laitumkhrah, Police Bazar