Catching the rainbow

Nirupama K. N.
Nov 22
5 min read

Oki, so this is my most favorite trek of all time — until now.

This trek will always be special because it had everything: exhaustion, motivation, travel, trekking, walking, thoughts of giving up… literally everything I could think of in a big trek — but it was fun. In my previous blog, I told you where I was; today, I’ll tell you with whom I went.

I went with Thrillophilia, where Sachin from their Meghalaya branch contacted me, kept me updated, and made my life and this trip smooth and easygoing. He noted all my requests, including providing two trekking leads — one for the slower team and one for the faster team. Special shoutout to him! 🙌 I’ll share his contact at the end; if anyone wants to travel to Meghalaya — team or solo — reach out to him.

We woke up at 6 AM to see the sunrise, freshened up, and requested aloo paratha and toast. Remember, we had just 1 aloo paratha and a tiny piece of bread, and I don’t drink my morning cup of energy. Taking the trek a little lightly, my overpacking habit kicked in: I carried a medicine bag, water bottle, goggles and its box, jacket, charger… but forgot fruits, an extra pair of clothes, or a smaller bag. I still don’t know where my brain was that day! Oh God… I feel so dumb 😅.

After begging everyone to be on time on the second day, thankfully, everyone was ready by 8 AM. Reaching the base of the trek took about 1 hour, with steep turns in the forest. As per Sachin, our trek lead — Berlin aka Barlin Bhaiyya — was present at the base, chewing his favorite nicotine. After taking a “before the trek” pic, praying, and doing Ashtanga Namaskara, my friend and I took our first step.

My sister had told me before the trip: “Start first — don’t stop. Reach Rainbow Falls and only then take a break.” With that in mind, I started descending 1,000 steps to the first stop: the Double Decker Living Root Bridge.

Following Berlin closely, we learned so much about the forest, its trees, and the local way of life — how kids in Meghalaya learn English as their first language and how much the locals preserve and pray for their forest.

Even though it had been only 2 hours, I was already half drained by the time we reached the Double Decker Bridge. 🌉 To tell something about the Double Bridge, villagers of Meghalaya have used the roots of ficus plants or rubber trees. The Double Decker Living Root Bridge in Meghalaya is a unique bio-engineering marvel near Cherrapunji, made from the interwoven roots of rubber trees. It is located in the village of Nongriat and is reached by a strenuous trek involving thousands of steps. The bridge, which takes 20–25 years to form, can last for centuries and is a testament to the harmonious relationship between nature and the local Khasi people. As per Berlin, in another 2 decades, they are budding up another living bridge, to preserve the heritage of the double decker.

As you can see, it is the living double bridge

Remembering my sister’s advice, we paused just long enough to click 5 photos — mostly because Berlin insisted. After about 10 minutes, my friend and I left half the team behind; I wanted to reach the Rainbow Falls to see the rainbow and butterflies, and nothing was stopping me that day.

We left the bridge around 11 AM. On the way, a local lady served us lemon juice 🍋, and we crossed multiple brooks, streams, and rivers — everything so clear, blue, and mesmerizing. Berlin promised the route would take 15–20 minutes, but every 5 minutes, I asked if we had arrived yet, and he’d reply, “Just another 5 mins” — the classic trek lead lie 😅.

Finally, after an hour, we reached the Blue Lagoon. The water was freezing and captivating, but we couldn’t stop — Rainbow Falls was next. By now, we were running almost solely on willpower, with just 1 aloo paratha and a lemon juice in our system. The path got steeper, narrower, and more challenging.

One highlight: the stamina of Doctor Saab, who had spent half an hour at the Double Bridge but raced to Blue Lagoon and then joined us on the way to Rainbow Falls. His secret? Standing in the OT for 16+ hours! 💪 To distract myself from exhaustion, I asked him about medical stuff, neuroscience, and complex operations he had performed etc.,

I could capture the Rainbow but not the butterflies

Finally, there it was — Rainbow Falls. My legs were shaking (unable to add the video here though) , but I climbed down the ladder with sheer willpower. The waterfall, rainbow, and butterflies were mesmerizing. The place was almost silent, except for the sound of water crashing onto the rocks. Time seemed to stop. I soaked my legs in the icy water and just watched — a memory I’ll never forget.

After leaving, we had a small meal: Maggie, Parley-G, Good-Day, and for the first time, I tried tea. My legs were still shaking uncontrollably. Then came the toughest part: climbing back to Base Camp, over 4,000 steps, plus forest paths. We navigated in near darkness with only phone flashlights and torches, motivating each other along the way.

Finally, after extreme effort, we reached a small shop selling chilli mangoes and pineapples 🥭🍍. We devoured them like we had never seen food before! Carrying our bags and our exhausted bodies, we reached the base by 8 PM, probably among the first few in our team.

I turned and did a full Namaskaram to the forest, thanking everything that had happened. 🙏 We then took some exhausted but victorious pictures 📸 and got into our TT, heading back.

By the end of the day, I had completed the entire trek of around 30,000 steps (that’s what my activity ring said — excluding all the jumping and diving at Blue Lagoon) with just 1 aloo paratha, a piece of toast, 1 lemonade, 1 Maggie, 1 biscuit packet, a sip of chai, 1 mug of mangoes and pineapples, plus 1 packet of ORS 😄. Unreal, right?

The After Pic and the guy with the Bullet Jacket is our Barlin Bhaiyya :D

Thanks to Berlin’s motivation, I ended up pushing myself beyond limits. After the trek, I realized my friend had lost 3 kgsduring this trip alone.

Back at our rooms, we bathed, massaged sore muscles, ate light food, and slept — exhausted but fulfilled. 😴

Damn, what a trek!! I would love to go again, just with Berlin.

I learned how to push myself and realized the true capabilities of my body. This was insane.