🛣️ Weekend Windings

There are drives that take you somewhere — and then there are drives that bring you back to yourself.
This weekend, the road home carried me through the Shillong–Guwahati Highway — familiar bends, cool whispers of mist, and the quiet thrill of returning.

☁️ Stopover at Umiam Lake

Location: Umiam Lake
Mood: Stillness. Sky. Soft blue ripples.

Here, the lake doesn’t reflect the world — it reflects stillness.

A short pause to stretch, sip something warm, and watch the clouds slide across the water like slow-moving poems.

Umiam Lake through my lens on bright and sunny November’25.

☕ Stop Cafe Coffee Day, Nongpoh

Location: Highway-side, Nongpoh
Mood: Pause. People. Peace in a paper cup.

Not for the caffeine, but for the comfort.

It’s my little ritual now. A warm cup, the low hum of travelers passing through, and the joy of recognizing the same faces — baristas who know how long to brew and when not to ask.

Recharging myself

It’s my little ritual now —
a warm cup, the slow hum of travelers, and the soft clatter of cups behind the counter.
Baristas who know how long to brew, and when to leave you in peace.

The ambience holds you:
rain teasing the glass, mellow music somewhere above,
headlights threading past the windows like ghosts on a quiet journey.

Nice ambience but wasted due to poor maintenance

It’s warm, yes — but solitary.
A kind of hush that holds space for your thoughts.
It costs a little more than it should, but maybe solitude, steeped in stillness, is always a luxury.

🍛 Stoppage Shangbangla Khasi Cuisine

Location: Shangbangla
Mood: Home in a meal.

A plate of jadoh can teach you more about belonging than any passport ever will.

I order without the menu. The jadoh arrives steaming, followed by tungrymbai and a gentle laugh from the cook who remembers me.
The flavors linger — smoky, earthy, honest.

🌿 The Road That Knows Me

The highway curves, the light softens, and the city hum grows distant.
Each stop feels like a verse, each silence like punctuation.
By the time I reach home, I realize — I didn’t just travel back. I returned.