Nongpoh in Meghalaya- Day 3

Before reaching Shillong, Suraj stopped the car at a roadside dhaba in Nongpoh. We ordered two plates of Paneer pakora and two plates of Onion pakora. The quantity was so much that we asked the server if we could cancel one plate and he said: “Once you order, you cannot cancel.” Ok, now comes the important part, we also ordered for pineapple from the roadside vendor, they were so yummy. They did not have fibre and they were so sweet, melting in the mouth. Sajid, as usual, praised it. I sometimes wonder he would make a nice court poet ;) I didn’t say anything about the pakoras. Trust me, they were not at all good, very oily and salty. Ok, let me come to the point, the pineapple was delicious and one pineapple cost us only Rs 10.

Don't know what Umer is dreaming...

Shahid, the cameraman...

Paneer pakoras, see the amount of oil on the tissue!

When others were enjoying their pakoras, I went to talk to the roadside vendors who were selling pineapples. I couldn’t talk much as they were unable to talk either English or Hindi. They couldn’t understand my actions and all I could make out from their actions and speech was they were staying on the hills behind their shop. And yes, I clicked some pics of their house. I checked out the array of pick¬les that they were selling. Some looked mouthwatering. By the time I came back, I saw Vij smoking stealthily near a shop. I know he loves to smoke in such places as the city is too polluted to even enjoy his cigarette.

The bamboo house where those pineapple sellers live

Sajid, Shahid and Umer

 Nongpoh is one of the finest natural hub in the north eastern region. It constitutes the northern lower portion of the East Khasi Hills and has a wide variety of vegetation with hills and rivers in the backdrop. Driver Suraj told us that Shillong is about 53 km away from Nongpoh. As we moved, we saw that Nongpoh is a small town in the nature’s lap. The drive itself was so cherishing. The cool breeze blowing across the land was somewhat intoxicating! On the way we could see people shopping for handicrafts, fruits and vegetables from roadside vendors.

Our next stop before reaching Shillong was Umiam Lake.