Let’s get lost!
One fine day a thought just came to
my mind, let’s escape to another world. ....
I thought for finding a place to bury myself for some moments
of tranquility. Where to go? What to do ?
I started preparing and trying to sort out the logistics.
Some moments fast forward….
Wading through bone chilling knee deep water, crossing
slippery rock surfaces, maneuvering though sharp rock edges, deviating a pool of water and quicksand I
went to explore a new world inside earth, an experience of lifetime. Found a
beach near a pond inside the cave, sat on the sand and switched off the light
of the helmet. The eerie feeling of darkness, cold engulfed me and that was the
moment of tranquility. I was at another world, cut off from everything just
darkness around me….
On 10th November,2013 at around 11.30am I was
inside Krem Mawmluh, the 4th longest cave in Indian Sub-continent.
This was how it happened…
About Krem Mawmluh
Krem Mawmluh or Mawmluh Cave, is a Grade 2 level cave in terms of difficult and easiness in Meghalaya, which includes about 5 meter vertical drops, waist deep pool of water, belly crawls, vertical climbs at few places and mostly horizontal passages inside the cave. The Cave entrance is a short trek by crossing hills and thick bushes near the Mawmluh village of Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. The limestone deposit in the southern part of Meghalaya along with the consistent rains forms these caves. ‘Krem’ is a Khasi word for cave. The length of cave passages is over 7 kilometers.
In NH 40 enroute Shillong
I started from Guwahati at around 6.30 am
towards Cherrapunji, tanked up at a Petrol Pump at Khanapara, in Ri-Bhoi
District of the Meghalaya. One side of the road falls in Assam and other side
of the road is in Meghalaya having the beeline of Petrol pumps and Wine shops as
both petrol and wine are cheaper in Meghalaya. The NH 40 is being widened at
many places cutting through the hills for the Guwahati – Shillong Expressway. I
enjoyed the morning freeway till Umium Lake (Barapani). I just took two breaks
in between for some photos along the highway.
The NH40
Umium Lake (Barapani)
Reached Shillong and picked my cave guide, Mr. Manbhalang
Wann. He is a professional cave guide who
trained in Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. He told me about
his experiences and the basic guidelines of caving. The main point is to
concentrate and focus on the job while inside. Caving is a dangerous activity
if anyone is not serious and does not concentrate on the basic guidelines. Mr. Manbhalang
told me that it is fun and one should enjoy the trip but by strictly following
the rules. Each step should be taken cautiously and the grips on rocks and one
should know about the body balance, weight transfer etc. He also specifically told about the fragile
atmosphere inside the cave and asked not to touch the beautiful limestone
formations which took thousands of years for forming and beware of the sharp
edges of the rock surfaces.
The road till Cherrapunji was beautiful with numerous
hairpin bends. We reached Cherrapunji and took the turn towards Mawmluh Cement factory
in Mawmluh-Laitkynsew Road. I parked the vehicle near the cement factory and
changed into caving suites, Boots and helmet with LED lights. Manbhalang took
the cave bag containing Water bottle, rope, carabiner, extra batteries and
other things. We will be required to track for almost one hour for the cave
entrance. Then we started the walk towards a hill navigating trails in long
grasses. The path turns to a steeper track from where we started climbing the
hill using a rocky path. Each and every step was to be taken carefully,
inspecting the rocks before putting the weight of the body in it. The climb was very stressful for me and finally
we ascended to the top of the hill. Then we needed to walk near a cliff for
some distance and on reaching a point Manbhalang pointed to the area where the
opening of the cave was. It was in the lower point of the hill.
The winding Road to Cherrapunji
The Mawmluh Cement Factory
The Caving Gear
From the Hill Top
My Guide 'Mr. Manbhalang Wann' leading me on the track
The track
The Cave Entrance is marked with the arrow. Long way to go.
We stopped for a moment and the Plains of Bangladesh is
visible from the place. Manbhalang told me about the descending procedures
towards downhill. The jungle was thick and the track was complicated as there
were some confusing trails towards the cave entrance. Slowly and carefully I
have started the downhill descending. At around 11.15 we have reached the cave
entrance. Manbhalang briefed me about the basic safety procedures inside the
cave. One has to be very focused and attentive inside the cave as it is a
dangerous activity. But at the same time following the rules it’s a very exciting
adventure. I checked the helmet straps, and lights of helmets, and then switched
them. An unknown feeling gutted me and I stepped inside.
The Cave Entrance
At The Cave Entrance
The Sparkling Rock
The Entrance was very narrow and we had to squeeze ourselves
to get inside. After some distance we needed to descend. Manbhalang showed me
how to hold the rocks and how to balance the body weight on the two legs which
are to be put in two different rocks. Frankly speaking I was not confident enough at
the first time that I can do that because a slight error will result falling to
the rocky surface below at around 15 feet. But after observing his techniques
and following the instructions I crossed that section. The Helmet did a very
good job because inside I was hitting the ceiling albeit stepping cautiously. The
air was misty and I was having trouble because of my spectacles were fogged
which needed to wipe after every minute. But after some distance the air was
clear and comfortable. Very soon we found a section where some rocks were
sparkling like a diamond! Manbhalang told me the rocks of that section contain
some mirror like impurities in the rock that reflected lights. The sight was
marvelous. After some grueling and intriguing time
finally we got a comparatively easy section of the cave.
A Narrow Passage
I adjusted my light and tried to look and admire the lime
stone formations. It took thousands of years to form the natural limestone
carvings but it resembles intricate carving if done by some artists, but there
the artist was the nature. The atmosphere engulfed me; the quiet and serene
place imbibed the spirit of me. The cave had some passages which were
confusing, Manbhalang, who is an expert guide described that some passages are
200 meters to 2 km long. It is obvious
that anyone can easily get lost if they are not able to identify the correct
route. He told that in caves we should always look around and try to find some
landmarks so that while returning we can follow the correct route. The mind had
to be much focused and one should not hurry in any situations.
Some areas of the cave are completely submerged in the time
of monsoons and the rivers carries garbage from outside and these get stuck in
the cave walls. I have seen many polythene and other non degradable wastes in
the ceiling and the walls of the cave.
Then we found a pool, he told me that we have to cross this
pool. I followed him wading through the cold water by the side of the pool holding
onto the sharp rocks. The water was thigh deep at the area, the feeling of
drenching in bone chilling water was unspeakable, loose sands under the water
made the walk very difficult. Then we needed to climb a steep rocky wall almost
7 feet just after the pool. I had to pull my water drenched body by holding some
edges, carefully by letting to fall or slip. My boots were full with the cold water;
I tried to drain some water from the boots by bending the knees but could not
succeed much. So with a pair of sloppy boots, wet cave suit, wet hands
thankfully I did manage to cross the wall. Relieved at last, but there were
more obstructions to come.
Just coming out from the thigh deep pool
That part was interesting because an underground river or a
stream was flowing beneath the cave floor, the noise of the flowing water was
simply breathtaking. The cave was holed in at some parts and the river beneath
it was visible. I had to be very cautious while stepping at the bridge
formation with holes in it. ( It was like walking in footpath with open
man-holes at night).
We reached a spot called Hanging Garden. A sight to
remember, a beautiful area surrounded with various stalactite and stalagmite
formations. We were very careful not to touch the formations or not to damage
any lime stone carvings. We sat for a while in a rock and admired the sight of
the ‘Garden’. Water was flowing from two different directions and the sound
engulfed my soul.
The Hanging Garden
At the Hanging Garden
We started again admiring the carving on the walls. The cave
was spacious and the floor was easy in this part so I could walk a bit freely. Manbhalang
stopped at an intersection, there was three passages in front of us. He told
that one of this passage is not very long, may be 200 meters long, and the left
was long and goes deep, he told me that we will go by the right side passage.
He again told me that how will we find the correct path while returning. There
was a big white rock, he told me that in caving while going through a passage
one should remember some markers. I made a mental note that we veered into
right of the passage from the white rock lying there.
We entered that passage. That passage lead to another classy
sight of rock formations beautifully ornated with the limestones like pillar of
a palace. Albeit all curved by nature. We reached another crossing of river
which was ankle deep so navigating was easy on that part. Finally we were
standing on another intersection of three passageways. The chamber was huge and
a gushing river was flowing furiously by one of the passageways. Manbhalang
asked me to be cautious while stepping on the rocks beneath water as those very
slippery. The rocks had formed a shiny golden layer and very beautiful. But
navigating through those slippery rocks were very dangerous. We took the sandy
parts to track and took utmost caution while stepping on these slippery rocks.
But the scenery was marvelous, gushing waters flows and the our lights made
these golden rocks into a fairy land! Just mesmerizing!
Manbhalang pointed to a passage that will have an opening
near the cement factory, the passage was only 2 to 3 feet high so anyone who
will go in that direction will need to do a belly crawl. The other passages
were high as about 15 to 20 feet. We stayed there for some moments and decided
to rest a bit. The water formed a pool and the sandy part was looked like a
beach inside the cave!
The Golden River
At the Beach!
Is that a Ghost ?
Beautiful Calcite formations in the Ceiling
I sat on the beach and drank some waters. A bat was circling
around us as to inspect the intruders of his territory. Manbhalang and I
switched off the lights and the darkness engulfed us. The sound of the water in
a pitch black environment cannot be described in words. That was a different
world, and alien world, far from the civilization, inside the earth with no
lights. I soaked in the atmosphere and let the time pass by, separated from everything
that was the feeling of absolute nirvana!
We both were sitting on that wet sandy beach for some time without any
words, just soaking into the clam atmosphere, soothing our nerves and the soul.
Manbhalang showed me some knots and explained the types of
ropes used in rock climbing using a rope and a carabiner which he was carrying.
I learned some tricks of the knots and some basic rock climbing techniques. He
shared some of his ‘let’s get lost’ adventures along with his fellow
mountaineer friends. He was an experienced person and a true nature lover. He
was very particular about safety precautions and ensured not to do anything
that can damage the intricate system of the caves. He worked with many Indian
and Foreign cave expeditions teams and cave researchers in that part of
Meghalaya.
We decided to return from that spot. I clicked some pictures
and started the return journey. Surprisingly I did not felt any fatigue till
then. Manbhalanag was very cautious and repeated to me to be focused and very
alert. He showed a pond called ‘Fish pond’, cave fishes which are blind by
nature used to live there. We could not see any but heard some trickle formed
from their movements in the water. Suddenly he stopped for a moment and
signaled me to be quite. He pointed his helmet light to a part of the cave
wall, I adjusted my light towards the cave wall and could not believe the
sight...!!
There was a Bat just holding into the wall, it did not
reacted once even if our lights fall on that creature. It was beautiful, on a
white surface like a shiny black spot, it was resting. We waited some time, but
it stayed on. We just went by side and he was still there holding the cave
wall. May be he was hibernating.
The hibernating Bat
After that area there was a steep ascending where Manbhalang
showed me a trick of Chimney climbing. By using the body weight, balancing the
hands and legs one need to pull up along the wall. There was very little scope
to hold and there was little margin for any errors. I did that without any major
problems by listening and working on the instructions of Manbhalang. At one
time only a four finger grip was holding my entire body weight while
transferring the weight to the other side!
We crossed the deep pool and again soaked the cave suite and
the boots with the cold water. At some times the cold was unbearable, but I was
telling myself that I should focus on the objective without doing any mistakes.
We finally crossed that section and I was happy that my body responded to the
situation.
A marker placed for Measuring the Cave 
A stream coming out from a passage
The return to the entrance was uneventful. However the
ascends in the rocks needed extra caution and some expert guidance of
Manbhalang. I felt the change of air and the atmosphere near the cave openings.
Finally I spotted lights, it was daylight and then seen a part of the sky. I
was enthralled and overwhelmed with joy. Shook hands with Manbhalang with a big
grin in my face. The experience was still engulfing me. The feeling soaked me
to the core.
Our return tracking to the Cement Factory started. Now we
needed to climb the steep rocky hill and finding the least visible jungle
tracks. Manbhalang talked about the jungle surviving techniques and his
experiences. He warned me not to step in the green surfaces of the rocks that
have a slippery surface. I needed to stop after every 100 meters or so to
compose and regain strengths because the climbing part was very tough. Finally
the climbing was over and we found again in the plain top of the hill. After
walking for almost 30 minutes we saw the cement factory and my car which was
parked near to it. Oh! My baby Alto! She was basking in the sun awaiting for my
return!
We started descending; strangely there were no signs of
fatigue or cramps till that time after the hard, grueling day of adventure.
This may be due to the exciting experience which was still afresh in my minds.
But after some time when we reached the plains I can feel fatigue, and numbness
of my body which was creeping in slowly. We reached the place where my car was
parked and pull off the cave suites, boots, wet socks etc. My feet changed
colour to a strange white because of the soaked boots which I were wearing for
a long time. Drank some water, ate some chocolates and helped Manbhalang in
packing our caving gears.
Near the Entrance of the cave. The root of the trees can be seen here.
Climbing the rocky path
First Sight of civilisation after the surreal experience.
My Alto can be seen from the hill top.
vini-vidi-vici
Took some photographs with Manbhalang near the Cement
Factory and headed off to Guwahati. I was still 160 km from home at that time.
Epilogue:
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there,
wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream
before.”
- Edgar Allan Poe
It was an exciting trip coupled with lots of difficulties
but finally resulted a happy ending for me. The trip rejuvenated me to the core
and enjoyed the nature’s beleaguered creation to the fullest. With a promise to
return and explore new destinations I am signing off here. Thanks to all.
-x-
