People
like me, who love adventure in travelling and love to stay close to nature,
breathing virgin air, can’t miss a visit to
Laitlum canyon. Once you reach the top, the views are breathtaking and you can
feel the clouds touching you and passing by as you are living in an Abode in
Clouds.
Laitlum
Canyons literally translates to “end of hills” and it does justice to its name.
It is true to call Laitlum canyon valley abode in clouds. The
pristine Laitlum lends a majestic view down to the valley of the East Khasi
hills, overlooking the Raslong hamlet.
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| Police Bazar-Shillong |
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| Police Bazar-Shillong |
At
Laitlum, all one can see are breathtaking gorges and steep winding stairways
that snake their way down to the lush valley. The rolling hills beauty around Shillong reminded
the European settlers of Scotland. Hence, they would also refer to it as the
“Scotland of the East “The
Scotland of East.
Our
adventurous journey to Laitlum Canyons started from Police Bazar in Shillong at
7.30AM. From here we hired taxi after a bargain at Rs 1200.00 for up and down
trip. In Madras
Café, adjacent to the Shillong bus stand, we satiated our hunger by delicious
breakfast of masala dosa soft idly and South Indian filter coffee then preceded
the journey.
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| On Way to Laitlum Canyon |
Laitlum canyon is situated around 30 km from
Shillong, on Mizoram highway, nearby Smit Village. The pristine Laitlum lends a majestic view
down to the valley of the East Khasi hills, overlooking the Raslong hamlet. Clear
blue skies and green meadows with mid-height trees plotting alongside the road.
The Scotland of East.
Somewhere it is only meadows, somewhere low-lying pastures and somewhere small
town settlements. But amidst those, some things are constant, like the smiling
faces of children, their innocent playfulness, the women carrying bamboo
baskets over their head, men enjoying an afternoon siesta over a porch and many
more.
At entry gate, they charge Rs 50/=.
This fund goes for the welfare of the village. The hill top is a vast area surrounded
by fields and meadows, with just a single traditional thatched tea shop on top
of the hill. The tranquility here is enigmatic; one literally has to strain to
hear any sound and would feel frozen in time for a while.
The
moment we entered here, we were in a totally. Different world. Thick fog covers
the canyon blurring it from the view of the people. When we reached, we could
not see beyond 3 meters. The fog was so thick and the wind so chilly that we
started shivering. However, it does not steal the thrill, instead, doubles it
up.
There are several steps leading down to a
few viewpoints and later we learned that it leads down to the village that lies
at the faraway base of the canyon.
The hill top is a vast area surrounded by
fields and meadows, with just a single traditional thatched tea shop on top of
the hill. The tranquility here is enigmatic; one literally has to strain to
hear any sound and would feel frozen in time for a while.
There is
a trail that ends up in a steep flight of steps and then down to reach a small
local village called Raslong. It seems as if someone left the village there and
forgot about it. It lies in such an extreme depth and is quite disconnected
from the other villages.
This village Ra Song has 300 odd
inhabitants. The stairway that leads to Ra Song has close to 3000 steps and you
will pass through bamboo plantations and wild orchid groves on the way.
Incidentally, this rather arduous path is the only way villagers can go to the
nearest market.
Their
only way of transportation as it appeared was the tiny steps that make up to
3000 according to sources and may take upto 5 hours for the hike. There is a
trolley attached to a house by the edge of the canyon that transports food and
other essentials to the villagers. A few men guard the house and look after the
trolley service.
Little boys with a bamboo basket hanging on
their back, selling boiled eggs to make a living, are a mark of the self
respected and hardworking Khasi inhabitants of the Raslong village. We climbed
down a few steps to a viewpoint from where we looked over the canyon and the
village, which looks so tiny from there.
The
perfect place to stand and stare at nature, a 270-degree viewpoint that will
present you with the view of the 4 nearby waterfalls. Climb up to the flattish
grass filled hilltop that overlooks the valley for a surreal experience.
Some journeys are so dreamy and peaceful
that it rings in your heart long after you have left that place. Laitlum happened
to be one such place for me. True to its name, Laitlum – The Edge of the Hills;
the view from the edge of the cliff is simply breathtaking.
The End
