But if you are visiting cherrapunji, there is much more to it than rainfall & waterfalls.
Today I will be taking you to a fabulous example of bio-engineering...
On Shillong cherrapunjee highway, keep moving towards Mawsmai caves...
Just 3 kms before mawsmai caves you enter a village where new road starts to your right.
The important landmark you can notice on left hand side is restaurant called HIlbari.
You will see the signboard showing cherrapunjee holiday resort..
Its 15 kms away from this junction. 15 kms is bit tough travel due to bad roads but the hoardings painted on the road will keep you moving till you reach the resort.
After crossing this distance, you will see a bunglow. This is the resort... a fantastic place to spend time. For visiting living root bridge, you have to take stop here.
The owner of this resort Mr Rayen is very interesting person. He and his wife run this resort & all people serving you here are from nearby villages.
Mr. Rayen is originally from Tamilnadu & his wife is from this village where the resort is nestled. Mr. rayen was working with nationalize bank & after taking retirement he has started this small but beautiful place.
You will feel very homely after reaching here..
They serve good food, you can enjoy campfire & evening music program performed by local artists.
Next morning resort can arrange guide for you or if you are regular trekker you can go on your own.. but I guess the advantage of taking guide is you can ask him about local people, villages around & other
things which you wont come to know otherwise.
One has to descend 2000 steps to reach our attraction, living root bridge.
This is a single decker living root bridge.. used by locals to cross the river.
Now, what's so special about this bridge? Its built without using any artificial construction material, fabulous example of bnio-engineering..
Here locals plant two trees with elastic roots, one on each side of river. Then they put bamboo, or wooden plank over the river with its end touching roots of both trees on both banks.
The roots are then trained to grow on this bamboo or plank. Roots of both the trees grow over the plank till they meet each other & even further till they reach opposite side.
Once roots of both the trees are grown... your bridge is ready to use.
The binding of these roots is so strong that people can easily use this bridge for their daily commute.
After this single decker bridge you have to come back till junction where steps start for going up(not trek starting point) & take right route.. You have to walk for another 40 minutes & you can see Double
decker living rot bridge. On your way, you will realize that the bridge is not any artwork or experience but this is the way they used to built bridges for their commute & hence there are ample of such bridges, some of them extending over 100 feet.
Due to elastic nature of roots they are able to take huge load for years.
Tired after walking so long? Don't worry walk 10 more minutes ahead of double decker bridge & you will reach the place called natural swimming pool.
It's amazing & your tiredness is gone away. Due to limestone, the water reflects the blue sky & as there is no pollution here, its very clean calmly flowing water..
Enjoy swimming here, have your meal(Which you have to carry from resort), & get ready to climb back al those 2000 steps & 2 kms of walk..
It will take another 3-3.5 hours to come back.. end of the day you will be tired but happy that you have seen something very different & unusual..
So enjoy the hospitality of Mr. Dennis rayen & also the trek.. If you are visiting Cherrapunjee dont miss it..
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