Phlangmawsyrpad: A quiet village with hidden caves
For a spelunker, this small village in East Khasi Hills with a close-knit community is a paradise waiting to be explored
(There is more to Meghalaya than the green hills behind the mysterious veil of clouds. The simple life in its villages, the humility of its people, the harsh reality of their existence and yet the warmth with which they embrace every traveller are unique to this state. Two young adventurers explore some of the places and share their experiences, which will be published in a series in Sunday Monitor. This is the second part in the series.)
Heather Cecilia Phanwar & Lyntiborn Marngar
Nestled between the busier tourist spots, Phlangmawsyrpad is a quiet village with its own character. Like Mawlyngbna, people here are warm and open to start a conversation. With only 125 households, it is a close-knit community. The Dorbar plays the same role it does across the region, working to uplift tourism, though most spots in the village are still unexplored.
Weiing Lakefront Camp
The one well-known tourist spot here is Weiing Lakefront Camp, a place to rest and unwind, especially on weekends. The camp has three glamping tents, each with a king-size bed, a sofa-cum-bed, a closet and an attached bathroom. Electric poles have not been set up here yet, so there is no electricity at the tents. Instead, the camp runs on inverters backed by solar panels. During the rainy season, this can make things a little difficult for guests, unless you are the kind who wants to go off the grid and just enjoy nature as it is.
Carrying hot water from the kitchen to the tent at night, trying not to spill a drop in the dark, took more focus than we expected. If you prefer a cold bath instead, the attached bathroom has that covered too.
The food here deserves its own mention. One night, the caretaker made us a local chicken dish that looked like it was cooked in black sesame seeds. It was not. The real secret was bay leaf powder. Black sesame seeds are rarely used, we were told, since they can cause gastrointestinal issues. Whatever the trick was, our plates were wiped clean by the end of it. Recreating the dish once we got home was not the same.
The caretakers always ask beforehand what we would like to eat, and over dinner, they tell stories about how the camp started and the guests who have stayed there. In winter, a bonfire keeps things warm through the evening. It is a small place, but it holds a special spot for us. There was never a moment we felt like outsiders. The hospitality here goes well beyond what you expect.
Into the caves
Caving is one of Phlangmawsyrpad’s best kept secrets. There are likely hundreds of unexplored caves around the village, and we got to step into one of them. For the locals, it is second nature, they know every turn by heart. For someone from the city, it feels closer to an episode of Fear Factor.
The air inside was crisp and clean, and the only sound was water flowing somewhere close by. We wanted to go further, but without proper safety gear, we only made it a few metres in before turning back. If caving is on your list, Phlangmawsyrpad deserves to be at the top of it, and the locals will happily explore alongside you.
Also worth knowing about
Beyond the one we visited, caves like Krem Phudjesin, Krem Mawpun, and another cave which is a smaller version of Krem Mawjymbuin are still largely unexplored and could put Phlangmawsyrpad on the map for cave explorers. The Phudweikenmei waterfall and the viewpoint under Janiaw village are also worth a visit, and the trek to Janiaw viewpoint passes fossils along the way.
READ ABOUT THE ADVENTURES IN MAWSYNRAM:
