A few summers ago, I along with one of my junior colleague brother went to Shillong for a weekend trip. It was my brother’s first trip to Shillong. He was particularly interested in Laitlum Canyon. He exclaimed-”Hope this trip will provide enough resources to fuel my social media handles for a few months!”
On the way, our car met with a minor accident. We escaped unhurt but had to accompany our car driver to a local police station as witness to the incident. Finally we reached Shillong quite late in the afternoon. In the evening, while strolling near Ward’s Lake, my brother lamented, “Dada, the first destination I visited in Shillong is a police station!”
Next morning, we hired a local cab and reached Laitlum Canyon. At that time, it was raining incessantly. The weather was cloudy and Laitlum Canyon was not visible at all. On top of it, while walking towards the edge of the cliff we slipped and fell on wet ground with our shoes drenched! My brother was so upset that he decided to remain barefoot for the day!
With no signs of change of weather, we moved on and visited Elephant Falls and Shillong Peak as per our itinerary. But even the breathtaking beauty of these iconic locations could not cheer up my brother. He said, “Dada, the weather just spoiled my dream trip. You visited Laitlum Canyon earlier. That is why you do not feel it!”.
While returning from Shillong peak, suddenly the weather appeared to be brighter. Our car driver quipped, “You cannot predict weather Sir. But you may take a chance.” Taking a cue, we again headed towards Laitlum Canyon. As we reached Laitlum, the weather turned cloudy like in the morning. Laitlum Canyon eluded us again!
Accepting our fate, we started our return journey to Shillong. After a while, with utter amazement we saw that the Sun appeared and continued to shine for the rest of the afternoon in the clear blue sky! My brother remained silent for a while and finally remarked- “Dada, it appears to me to be a fitting end to the trip that started in a police station!”
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