INDIRA LAISRAM

By Laurence P Belcher I h ave now just returned to the Indian capital of Delhi after a most enjoyable and interesting visit to a part of India that I knew so very little about, two adjoining states of India called Assam and Meghalaya. Assam is situated up the north east part of India, bordering countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and China. This part of India is so vastly different from the rest of India I have seen so far and does remind me of parts of Australia. The high mountains of the Himalayas, steep hills, deep ravines, forests, waterfalls were some of the most amazing views I have been lucky to view. Truly awe inspiring!Most western tourist seem to know so little about this part of pristine India or they don't consider to include this area in their India itinerary. Perhaps one of the reasons is the travellers' warnings to refrain from visiting these remote areas as some parts of the region have long histories of insurgencies. I caught a flight from Delhi to Guwahati, a

That's how Darl describes Shillong. And how apt. I spent a good seven days in my hometown last week and three days in muggy Guwahati, my other home to attend my mom's second death anniversary. The time flies. In the process, we also make myriad memories. I was both sad and happy to be home. But Shillong is always such a welcome break from the humdrum of city life, that at the end everything else far outweighs the pain. After two hours and 15 minutes, Darl and I reached Guwahati. Didn't feel different than Delhi because of the heat. We were received at the airport by my brother, sister-in-law and my little niece Likla aka Kikky. We didnt waste too much time in Guwahati, the gateway to the northeast, as we had to come back after exactly four days to attend the family ceremony at the Ishkon temple there. So last Sunday, we took off on the three-hour drive to Shillong from Guwahati on a taxi, which Darl says must find its place in one of the ten top thrilling rides of the worl