The wedding was on the second day in Shillong. It was at around 1:30 PM, short, and beautiful. The wedding ceremony was made special by the melodious singing of 5 nuns. They had just one electric keyboard as accompaniment, and even that too was used sparsely. Yet, the songs were beautiful. After the wedding, we walked down the steps in front of the church, and posed for pictures. There was the lightest of the drizzles(something we saw so often while in Shillong) and a strong wind that kept toppling signboard stands placed on the ground.
That long and happy day ended with a reception at the bride’s house.
On day three we decided to do shopping, food exploration and a bit of sightseeing. Like many cities, Shillong too had a place where prices were low and people flocked to. This place is Police Bazaar. It was about ten minutes by taxi from Lythumkrah were we stayed. Tip: Never ask a taxi driver how much. For a ten min drive 10 bucks per person was enough.
We wanted to shop for some souvenirs. My friend Suzanna, who is from Shillong, had suggested skipping the usual shops that sell things you get everywhere else and check out a few handicrafts shops at Police Bazaar. We walked through Police Bazaar first and found nothing interesting, just as she predicted. It was noon. We decided to eat.
Food: Our first destination was Hotel Broadway on the adjacent GS Road(with a restaurant by that name). On walking in to the lobby of the hotel, the hotel personnel told us that the restaurant has moved across the road and was now called Lamee. There, we tried something tame but very well reviewed on the net. Pork momos. Good decision! They were delicious!
The next stop was Trattoria, in Police Bazaar itself. This place serves authentic Khasi food. The eatery is small and the seating was communal(a word that has a different connotation these days). The food here seemed very authentic with local spices and herbs, and was definitely tasty.
Initially I had thought of naming this section Lamee, Trattoria, and Delhi Mistan Bhandar. Doing that would have been an insult to the former two, especially Trattoria, where the owner was very courteous and warm despite having a packed restaurant to feed. In Delhi Mistan Bhandar, we walked in to experience the worst customer service in Shillong. Nobody seemed to be interested in us, or about what we wanted. We finally figured out how the shop works, got the jalebis billed for by a man and woman(owners?) who seemed like they would have liked to be somewhere else, and moved out. The jalebis were just alright and greasy.
We did a bit of handicrafts shopping to forget that trauma and then headed to Ward’s Lake. That was just 5 mins away. It’s right in the middle of the hustle but as you walk down from its entrance, all that noise fades away. You are then greeted with a beautiful view. Here are some pictures that shows how good this place is.
Thanks for reading. Some of you asked me many times when will I post the next installment. You know I was waiting to process the photos and then tell the story. A couple of days ago, I decided to tell the story and then make do with the photos. Hope you enjoyed. The next installment with some interesting stories is almost ready.
