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| Breakfast by the Lake |
The night in the jungle resort was uneventful and we rose, fresh for a new adventure. Freshening and packing up, we made the steep climb up to the restaurant area. Greeted by the waiter, he told usbreakfast would be ready in half an hour. Deciding to walk around the perimeter of the small lake, we wished the geese, guinea fowl, rabbits, ducks, chickens and cat a hearty good morning before settling down at the lakeside table.
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| Royal Enfield Himalayan - Macho Man |
Breakfast was a light affair of poori bhaji and bananas, and once we had gotten our carbohydrate recharge, I went across to the reception to check out. While there, a couple of bikes rode up the slope, one of them the Royal Enfield Himalayan I had asked to rent out. The guy riding the bike introduced himself as Parag and once I was done clearing the room and breakfast bills, we went across to have a look at the bike. Muscular and macho, internet photos did not do justice to this beast. Once we went over the basic handing over details, he started the bike. Nothing like the thud thud of the traditional Enfield engine, the deep grunt of the 410 cc powerhouse sent a chill down our spines.
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| Locked and Loaded - All Set |
Once we had handed over the documents and made the necessary payment upfront, I took her out for a small test ride. The clean grunt of power that emanated from beneath me had me dying to hit the road. Quickly, we finished packing and water proofing our bags, first with polyethene bags inside, then with waterproof rucksack covers outside. Mounting them on to the bikes took a while because it was the first time for both of us. Finally, happy with my securing, I carefully maneuvered the heavy lady down the steep incline, while the light one walked ahead. Once at the bottom, Anu got on and we hit the road.
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| On the Road - Beginning of the Adventure |
Just as I had expected, the power of the Himalayan beneath us was evident as we ate up the miles. With just one stop for withdrawing money from an ATM, the excellent weather and four lane highway ensured we reached Umiam comfortably in under two hours.
At the top of the descent down to the boathouse we stopped for lunch at the Orchid Lake Resort. Though slow to deliver, the food was fantastic and as usual we ended up ordering far more than we needed. Feeling obliged not to waste any food I ended up overeating once again, a common occurrence these days, I realised.
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| Waiting for the Boat |
Once done, we got back on our bike and went down the hill to the Umiam Water Sports Complex. Buying a ticket for the overpriced speedboat, I got the action camera out and we set out. As we ventured away from the shoreline, the stunning expanse of Umiam Lake opened up before us, surrounded by blue hills and lush green forests for as far as the eye could see.
Breathtaking views enfolded us as the speed boat sliced through the perfectly still water. Across the lake in the distance, we spotted the solitary floating house on the island, the only sign of human intervention in an otherwise untouched expanse of serene forest.
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| Floating Dream |
Beautifully constructed, it was tied to a couple of trees using ropes to prevent it floating away. The boat approached and was secured alongside a small floating jetty beside the house. Disembarking with our bags, we were received by a young man who guided us onto the island. The view that met us as we neared the floating cottage was surreal. We could not believe that a place as beautiful as this could even exist let alone being able to stay here. It occurred to us that we were very fortunate to have our request accepted by the owners as it was the only room for rent on the entire island. A small tin house stood nearby where the caretaker and his family resided.
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| Soaking in the Experience |
The interior of the house was done up with simple, clean and minimalistic decor, a wooden floor, walls, ceiling and a lovely low bed welcoming us. The bedroom led out to a balcony overlooking the gorgeous Umiam lake lying placid in the shadow of lush green mountains all around. Absolutely devoid of human pollution and filth, this little coccoon of purity was what was needed to cleanse one's soul.
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| Stealing my Chips |
We sat out in the balcony watching a few tourists being taken around for boat rides. Dark rain clouds had been gathering for some time, lending the lake an ominous tone. The bike ride and out of this world view had us both passing out for an hour. We awoke as the clock hit five. The rain clouds had opened up and the lake, which we thought just could not get any more perfect had become just that. That moment alone, with the pitter patter of raindrops on the cottage roof and across the otherwise motionless water surface, picture book cloud puffs rolling in from the mountain ridges all around, had made the whole trip worthwhile.
While we did attempt taking photographs using our phones and the action camera, we knew that no lens could ever even begin to capture the moment. Calling Angam the caretaker, we asked for an Egg Bhurji and tea that he promptly made and served. Though there was a TV and Tata sky connection in the room, we decided that we did not want the ugly tentacles of the Idiot Box entwining us on this perfect evening with nature. A few lizards and moths walked around the rafters, making Anu jump every little while. We went back to the balcony and watched the day turn to twilight, slowly taking the stunning spectacle with it.
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| Coordinating for Kerala Flood Relief |
Twilight lasted a long, long time and finally once it was dark, we heard Angam and his younger brother at the door with our dinner. It turned out his mother was at the hospital in Shillong with his grandfather and the two of them had made the dinner themselves.
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| Expanse of Serenity |
The food was delicious - rice, chicken curry, salad and vegetables. We made a mental note to tip them well the next day before leaving. After having eaten, we finished the movie we had started on the flight to Guwahati and then went back outside. The lake was calm as ever, not even a breeze stirring the surface. Anu told me about a childhood portrait in the Coorg house painted by Remu that had a cottage by the lake with a lighthouse that looked just like this one. She had used it to spin stories about her dream cottage to Tracy and Susanna, her little cousins when they were young.
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| Colourful Discussion |
Anu fell asleep in my lap, and one hour later, once the cane had bitten zebra stripes into my bottom from both of our weights, I decided to go to bed. We couldn't wait for the morrow and fell asleep wondering what it would be like to wake up in the floating house by the lake.
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