NORTH EAST VISIT DAY -1 - 860

        NORTHEAST VISIT - Day 1 - 30 th Aug 

We were at the Chennai Airport Domestic Terminal at 3.00 AM for our Indigo 6E 6771 flight to Guwahati scheduled to depart at 4.55 am . Our Sanjay Tour operator Manikandan himself was there at the Airport . It came as a surprise to learn that there were 51 of us on this tour . Barring a select few , Manikandan , being one of them , most were on the wrong side of the Sixties . 

Boarding was quick and hazzle free . We were Airborne 10 minutes before departure time and landed at Guwahati Lokpriya Gopinath Bordolai International Airport very much before time . 

A thing or two needs to be mentioned about the Guwahati Airport . It is supposed to be one of the biggest Greenfield Airports in India now  . The layout and the amenities here are simply superb. 

The first thing that MK ( Manikandan Our Tour Operator ) did was to take a roll call . 51 of us were there in total as I said most of us on the wrong side of the sixties and a few which included me on the other side of the seventies .  . Seats were assigned for 17 of us each in 3 Air Conditioned Tempo Travelers clearly marked as 1,2 and 3 , with Pre assigned Seat Numbers . No questions asked about the seats assigned . Enough space was made available for the luggage in the empty seats and storage area  . 

Our first place of visit was to the PURBO ( East ) THIRUPATHY BALAJI TEMPLE some 15 KMS from the Airport . The Temple by he looks of the Gopuram could be mistaken for any Temple Down South . The Temple has VINAYAKAR , Balaji and Padmavathy Thaayaar . Very clean and exquisitely Designed .  

There is a park adjoining the Temple with a cafeteria inside the Park . By prior arrangements , MK had made arrangements for Pongal vadai and Idli with a hot cup of Coffee or Tea  . A filling breakfast indeed . This got over by 9.15 am . 

A visit to the North East and Guwahati has the Khamakhya Temple Topping the list of the Itinerary. . I must confess that though I had heard the mention of the Temple many times , I had never imagined the number of devotees who visit this place . There was an offhand mention that we would be lucky if we could manage a darshan in close to 10 hours . 

We were at the Temple Entrance after our Breakfast at around 11.00 am . 

MK used all his skills and his contacts to secure us a darshan though after a wait of close to 2 hours in an airconditioned enclosure which itself was a big relief . This was much like the Balaji Darshan at Thirupathy except that the last leg is through a cave . At the bottom is the Mata Yoni . The partaking of the water from here is considered most sacred as is the Kumkum and Red Coloured Scarf . Darshan was over by 2 pm .  The lunch was again in Balaji Park Cafeteria. 

We were on our way to Shillong , the Capital of Meghalaya some 110  Kms away .  

Meghalaya as the name itself suggests is a Land of Mountains kissed by the clouds. One can not find words to describe the beauty of the place . We had our accommodations at Hotel Alpine Continental set in the middle of one of the busiest junctions in Shillong which surprisingly goes by the name of Police Bazar . 

Dinner was at a place called NAMMA MADRAS CAFE . It is run by a man hailing from Trichy . The food on offer could any day compete with the best on offer at Chennai or any other place anywhere else in terms of Taste and hospitality . 

After a busy day we finally went to bed at 9.30 . Being a Sunday all shops were closed which was a boon in our present circumstance of long hours of travel from the previous night itself . 

A very hectic day awaited us the next morning . More about that later .