We Can’t Believe This Is INDIA 😮 Riding MEGHALAYA [🇮🇳34]

Wow, look at this. We are behind the waterfall. Lovey and Ollie sticker. >> Oh my god, look at this. What even is this place? Why is it here? >> Good morning, guys. Welcome back to the channel. Our Westwind bags are still going strong, which is good. We do need to give them a wash, though. Our time in Nagaland was very adventurous. That's the reason that our backs looking like this. We had a lot of mud. We had a lot of rain. I hope the new state here, Megaa, will be a little bit more gentle, so that was quick. Now the backs are on. But before we hit the road, we have to do a few tasks in the morning. One very important thing is to clean the lenses because I can tell you guys it's really annoying if you edit the footage and then you can see, oh, there was a bug on my lens for the whole time, you know. Also, another really important thing is to check [music] the camera timing and settings a few times already that the time was so off like 5 minutes, [music] 10 minutes, and then the whole editing process is so annoying. So, always check the camera timing. And every morning before we start riding, we're recording [music] our rides with the GPX tracker. This app is amazing. Oh, what's happening here? Make sure that you reset it in the morning and then we can just start tracking and it will show us at the end [music] of the day the kilometers we have done and the time we need it. So that's really really cool. Then another thing I really love to do now is cleaning our visor. I just got the spray bottle here. I put some [music] washing up liquid in there and some water and it really cleans it very well. So you always have a really nice view. [music] I love that. And then another really important thing, even though it's cloudy at the moment, but you really need sunscreen. And the last really and maybe most important thing in the morning is coffee. Cheers. Woo! Look at that. >> Oh, whoopa indeed. >> Yeah, >> covered in mud from head to toe. You're starting to look the real deal, my love. >> Good morning, world. Welcome back to the channel. It's ride number 33 on our motorcycle adventure exploring the northeast of India. >> And we are here just outside the city of Joai in the state of Megallaya. >> And we have blue skies this morning. How nice is that? >> Yeah, we have blue skies now, but the forecast looks really 50/50 over the next few days. I mean, Mega Lea is the wetest state in the whole of India and it's home to the wetest place on earth. So, I wouldn't be surprised if we get wet on this visit. But despite the forecast, I am super excited to explore this new state. Mega has so many awesome places to see. from Asia's cleanest village to, as I said, the wetest place on Earth. It looks like it has tons of waterfalls and rainforest [music] and beautiful rivers. And speaking of waterfalls and rivers, we have an awesome ride lined up for today. So, let me show you where we're heading. So we are here in Jai and today we will [music] be riding first to the majestic Crangsuri waterfall. Stopping off at the spectacular Dorky River on the border of Bangladesh before finishing the ride in a [music] place called Maong known as Asia's cleanest village. Today we're pretty much getting an overview of everything that makes Megala so special. We've got waterfalls, we've got rivers, and hopefully some beautiful riding along the way. >> Yes, I really can't wait to explore more of this state here. Our first destination is about 30 km away and Google Map says it will take us 50 minutes. It is already 9:00, so better hit the road. Let's go. >> [music] [music] >> We just had to stop here on the side of the road because we saw something really, really cool. >> Yeah. Check this out. It's a cave. This whole hill that we were just riding past, there seemed to be loads of little caves and there were like workers inside. >> Wow. Oh my god. Look at this. >> What even is this place? Why is it here? >> You can see their chisel. You know, >> you think they're using this as a quarry? >> Yeah, I think so. >> That's crazy. >> That is crazy. Wow. Check that out. You can go actually [music] around here. Oh, and look, there's water >> and some flip-flops. >> It feels like an ancient cave, but I [music] think like you said, it looks like it's been carved out really recently. I have no idea what they're doing here. It looks actually like like it might be salt. >> Taste it. >> No, I'm not going to taste it. >> Why not? >> It could be poisonous. I really don't think that cave is safe. No, it doesn't look safe. >> No way. So, I just asked ChachiBT, "What's with all these caves?" And ChachiBT said that they are called rat hole coal mines in the hills around July which are known as the giant tier hills. They are actually a very controversial form of mining. >> Okay. >> They dig small handd tunnels often big enough for a person to crawl through and that's why they're called rat holes. Horizontal tunnels branch out following thin coal seams. So these are actually coal mines. How crazy is that? The region has very thin coal seams that are not suitable for large scale machinery. They send people to just hand dig inside these tunnels that have absolutely no, you know, safety, no regulations, nothing. Rat hole mining is heavily criticized because it's extremely dangerous because of collapses, flooding, toxic gases. Workers are often very young and they crawl through tiny unstable tunnels and major disasters have happened. It said like the 2018 Mega mining accident and apparently this type of mining was actually banned in 2014. So, there we go, guys. We've learned a little bit about the controversial rat hole mining of Megaloa. Oh, wow. Yeah, look here. >> Oh, no. We have to stop and see that. Hold on a minute. >> Wow, that's insane. [panting] >> I mean, it looks so exciting to explore, actually. >> Yeah, exciting, but really, really dangerous. No way. Look at this, guys. This is absolutely crazy. Look at these tiny little tunnels. >> Sweetie, can you please come out? >> No, I'm just having a quick look. No way. It like really goes off down there into a tunnel. Oh my goodness. There are just tunnels all over here. Oh [sighs] my god. Okay, I'm coming out. I'm coming out. [laughter] >> At least you're wearing a helmet. >> Yeah, that's true. Let me just have a quick >> sweetie. Come out. >> What? Okay, I'm coming. I'm coming. This whole hill is just littered with these little entrances and some of them are really, really small as well. I did not expect to see that today on our route. We were like, "Yeah, waterfall, beautiful river, rat hole mines. Did not expect that." Welcome to Cranks Suri Waterfall. Thank you so much. >> Hello. >> How are you? >> Very good. Very good ticket. >> Wow. There it is, guys. Cranguri waterfall. Look at that. This is one of the largest waterfalls in the whole of Mealo. No, I'm kidding. We're still doing the tickets. Oh, and here's the cutest little security guard dog ever. Hello. Thank you. Thank you. [laughter] She's so cute. Waterfall. Where are you? >> Hello. >> Hello. [laughter] >> Why did we park the bikes up there, Ollie? We could have gone easily. >> I know. Full throttle all the way. >> I think we have arrived at our first viewpoint. Come, come, come. >> So, the waterfall is just down there at the bottom. Do we have to walk all the way down there? >> It looks like it. >> No. >> Should we go get the bikes? >> Yes. >> Oh, you can carry me. [music] No way. Look at that. [music] >> That's so beautiful here. That is insane. Look, it's just a massive ledge of rock and there's even a cave behind. >> And the water is so crystal clear. It's very, very blue. >> Hey, show me your cool look. [music] There we go, guys. First waterfall in Megallaya. Look at that. It's not disappointing, guys. I'm impressed. I love natural places like this. Hearing the waterfall is just so good for the soul. And then looking out here, seeing the river, I could stay here the whole day. >> But we have other points of interest to go to. And we have a breakfast to eat. So, there we go, guys. Point of interest in Megaaya number one done. Hi. >> Hi. >> You are security. >> You keep everybody safe. >> Thank you. >> No way. Visit's not over, guys, because we found another path that goes behind the waterfall. No way. Wow. Look at this. We are behind the waterfall. Wow, what an epic cave. There are two things that I really like, caves and waterfalls, and this place has both of them. Absolutely epic. What a great place. [snorts] Motorcycle boots and jeans are not the right clothes for hiking, guys. Was all right on the way down, wasn't it? It's exhausting now. >> I think this is the only walk we have to do today >> or forever. >> Or ever. Any other point of interest we have to walk to? I'm out. >> Cancel it. >> We are bikers and not hikers. >> You can do it, my love. >> I'm dead. >> I'm alive. [laughter] [cough] So, we decided to have breakfast at one of these places in the car park. And we've got ourselves some egg noodles for breakfast. >> It's actually quite good. >> Coffee and cake. >> It's not exactly chocolate chip though, is it? Oh, you got you got the chips. M looks like it. >> Do you want it? You can have it. >> No, no, no, no. >> We have this bit. [clears throat] >> See if I can find a sticker. Lovey and Ollie sticker. [laughter] >> Please. >> Oh, yeah. Of course. >> You have to subscribe the channel. >> Nice meeting you. Nice meeting you. >> Okay. >> Ready? >> Yep. So, there we go, guys. The beautiful majestic Crangsuri waterfall. Our first waterfall of Megallaya. >> Yes. And it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Bye. [laughter] Yeah. >> So now we're going to be heading to another point of interest here in Megaa and that is the Dorky River right on the border of Bangladesh. So we've been close to the India Pakistan border. We've been close to the India China border. We've been very close to the India Myanmar border. Hi. [laughter] Hello. Cute. Cute. So, this is going to be our fourth country that India borders. I feel like we're just riding to all the different edges of India. So, next stop, Bangladesh. So I looked it up and apparently some areas of Megala receive 470 in of rain per year. That's around 12 m of rain a year. So this is really a rainy place. The name Megala comes from the Sanskrit [music] Mega meaning clouds and allaya which means abode. So the abode of the clouds and those clouds apparently rain a lot and the state is probably so wet because it has a lot of rainforest. In fact 70% of the whole of Megala is covered in forest and the forests are [music] sacred to the local people here. So much so that they believe that even taking so much as a leaf from one of the sacred forests will bring bad luck. And as a result, this state has many areas of untouched, pristine, old rainforest. There are many tribes that inhabit this region, but the main ones are the Kazzy, Gau, and Gianta tribes. And these tribes each had their own kingdoms here. But then in 1835, this area was incorporated by the British into Asam. And Megallaya remained a part of Assam for a long time. I just have to pause my info for a second, guys, because this is crazy here. Look at all of these trucks hauling rocks. And it looks like they're all facing towards Bangladesh. So, I think all of these trucks are waiting to go into Bangladesh. That's crazy. Look at them. They're all filled with all of this rock. >> I wonder what rock that is. >> I don't know. We've seen a lot of mining going on in the region that we just rode through. Seriously, it's crazy how many trucks are on this road. Insane. Let me see. I'm going to ask them. >> Hello. You speak English? >> Yes. >> Why are all the trucks here? >> To go to Bangladesh. >> To go to Bangladesh. Where are they loading? >> There. >> They're loading there >> and then waiting here. >> Yes. >> How long are you waiting here? [laughter] >> Two >> two days a week waiting for entry to go there. So, how long you have to wait in total? >> One week. >> One week. One week and then coming back. Wow. >> Back load. Are you recording? >> Yeah. >> Are you vlogger? >> Yeah. Here. This is our YouTube channel, Lavy and Ollie. >> Oh, you couple. >> Yeah. >> Oh, nice. >> Yeah. >> Hi. [laughter] >> Have a good day. See you. >> You too. So as I was saying this area remained a part of Assam for quite some time. In fact even after Indian independence this region was just two different districts in the state of Assam. But then in the 1960s a movement started to turn this region into its very own state. And then finally in 1972 of Assam's districts were carved out and the state of Megala was born. Look at this guys. We have a viewpoint. >> Oh wow. And what a nice viewpoint that is. >> Wow. [sighs] Yeah. That is Bangladesh. Basically where the hills end, that is the end of India. And all of these massive flat plains in front that is all Bangladesh. >> Absolutely vast area here. >> It just goes off off into the distance. Bangladesh looks like a pretty flat country. And we can just about see where the Dorky River flows into Bangladesh over there. And that is where we're going to be heading to next. So, we're coming up to the border to Bangladesh now. And you can see the trucks are still here waiting to cross. >> Yeah. And it's nice because the lad is going around here trying to sell some stuff to the truck drivers because I wonder like how do they eat? What do they do? If they really have to stay for more days. >> Crazy that they have to wait like one week. But I think we are here guys. This humble little gate in front of us. This is the border to Bangladesh. There's the sign. Welcome to Bangladesh. >> Wow. Nice. >> That's cool. >> It's funny cuz it doesn't look like they're getting through the trucks very efficiently, does it? I mean, there's like no activity here. Oh, wow. Hello. >> Can see all of these guys on the other side of the barrier here. Look, there's the people of Bangladesh. It's just that it's just from this barrier to that barrier. That's it. Seems pretty chilled, actually. >> Yeah. Look, a goat is entering as well. >> Uh, excuse me, sir. Do you have your passport? No. I really thought that this border was going to be like chaotic and full of loads of activity. It's not. Everybody's just sitting around. Everything's really chilled. I really don't think they're in a hurry to get these truck drivers through. >> A the poor guys. >> But anyway, we didn't come here to see the border to Bangladesh. We came here to see the Dorky River, which is, I think, 10 minutes that way. Okay. So, the Dorky River is just there. Oh, wow. It's really red. >> Wow. Yeah, the water, right, is really red. >> What is going on here? We had like pretty good roads the whole day and then suddenly it's like a mud bath. So, I can see on the map that there's a viewpoint, the Dorky River viewpoint coming up just after the bridge. Oh my god. >> Oh my god. I did not expect a road like this. >> No. >> It must have rained here a lot recently, but we've been really lucky today. We've had nothing more than a few spots of rain the whole day. Oh wow. Check this bridge out. Wow. Oh my god. Is that beautiful? Wow. Look at the guys there in the canoe down there. Oh, that looks stunning. >> Wow. Absolutely beautiful. So, here we are guys. We have made it to the Dorky River. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that over there on the other side, those are Bangladeshi tourists. There's loads of food stalls and parasolles and looks like a little resort on the river. And you can see that people are doing a lot of boat trips around here. So, I think it's really popular to go up the river by boat. And I read online that the Dorky River was famous for being a very, very clear river. And I saw these pictures of canoes looking like they're floating above the surface of the water. It definitely doesn't look like that right now. It's been raining a hell of a lot recently. So, the whole river is just this reddy, murky brown color. But anyway, we made it. We're here at the Dorky River. >> Hello. Hi. >> How are you? >> Fine. >> Where are you from? >> Me? I'm from Germany. And you? >> Yeah, man. >> I'm from here. I'm a local. >> Where do you live? >> I'm from the road just 10 minutes away from here. >> You have a bike? >> No, I have a boat. >> Oh, you have a boat. Oh, that's nice. So, at the moment, the river very brown. >> Yeah. Because of rainfall. When there's rainfall, it carries away all those mud. >> Mhm. >> So, that's why it's become muddy. It will get clean within four five days. >> Four, five days. Okay. >> If there's no rain. Okay. So, we have to come back in four or five days. >> So, the people there are they from Bangladesh or >> No, they are Indian. >> They're Indian. So, the Indians can go to Bangladesh. >> We can only go close but we are not allowed to cross. >> Do you have family in Bangladesh? >> Yeah. There are lots of people like from my community who stay in Bangladesh >> before partition. >> Okay. >> When India and Bangladesh was just one country. Now they are Bangladesh residents. Same community but after partition they are in different countries. Your tribe is Kazzy tribe. >> Yeah. Yeah. Kazi also has many different like short. >> Oh, okay. >> I'm a W. >> W A R >> W A R W >> W. >> What is your language? >> W is the name. >> How do you say I love you? >> I love you. >> Mayanga happy. >> Mayanga happy. [laughter] >> Mayanga happy. You too. It seems a lot of people make their living there from taking people on boats. These guys are all boat drivers. Watch out. Watch out. Watch out. Watch out. There's a car. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Bloody hell. Woo. This road is really dodgy and we're like right on the edge of a massive cliff as well. And this place is really popular as well. Like a lot of people are coming here. But I mean this infrastructure is not suitable for the amount of people coming here. >> I'm so surprised like how bad this road is. >> Yeah. You can see here that a lot of the road has actually fallen. >> Yeah. >> Down into the cliff. >> Yeah. >> Wow. This is crazy here. That's crazy, man. >> Just be really careful here. >> Yeah. >> Oh, yeah. Look, you can see they are trying to work on it here. >> Yeah. >> Trying to cut out a bit more road from the mountain. This is insane. What the hell? >> Wow. Okay. Oh, wow. And the border security force is just up here on the top of the hill. So we are riding right alongside the border here. Basically Bangladesh is just down there. So now we are going to be heading to our final destination of the day. Every time I say final destination, I just think of final destination. Anyway, our final destination for today is the village of Moly Nong. Now what makes the village of Molong so special, you ask? Well, this village is known as Asia's cleanest village, and Molinong is where we're going to be spending the night tonight. Hopefully, we can find ourselves a nice traditional guest house. >> Yes, we haven't booked anything yet. So, we will just go there and then see what is around, what is available, have a nice walk around, and just enjoy the place. >> Yeah, let's see how clean Minong really is. Oh, wow. Look, there's a waterfall down there. Oh, and here. Cool. Wow. There we go. Waterfall number two here in Megallaya. Wow. >> That's idyllic cuz see the sandy beach and then the palm in the background. [music] Everything green. Everything epic, man. >> Yeah, that is one crazy jungle scene. Look at that. Amazing. Yeah, we're really starting to get into the rainforests of Megallaya now. Epic. >> [music] [music] >> Oh, wow. Has this nice here. Wow. Wow. And the other side as well. Look at this grand nature right here. Amazing. >> Yeah. Apparently, Megaa is just the land of waterfalls. [music] >> [music] >> All right, guys. I think we are here. We are coming into Asia's cleanest village. Welcome to Molinong. And >> before we go into the center, we will just check out here this place to see if they have a room available for us. Yeah, this place is called Molinong Bamboo Cottage. Let's see if they have some space. >> We just checked into our room for tonight. Check that out. We have a really big bed, a small little desk. We're just charging all our cameras here. And here's the bathroom. And really, this place is super super clean. It's probably one of the cleanest rooms we had. I'm excited to see how the center looks like, if it will be as clean and spotless. So, we will just head there now. We decided to walk. >> It's just like a couple of minutes, so it should be fine. >> Welcome to Molinong. Cleanest village in Asia. >> How do you pronounce the village? >> Ma. >> Nong. >> Ma nong. Yes. >> Ma nong. Okay. Okay. >> Right up to Kashmir. >> Nice to meet you. >> That's very That's very kind. talking about you yesterday. >> Ah, nice. Nice meeting you. Nice meeting you. How are you? >> Good. Good. >> We always do a road trip. Every year we do this actually. >> Oh, nice. >> So, we've come all the way from Tamil Nadu. >> We got recognized. >> Yes. Thank you so much for watching. You really made our day. >> It's always nice when people stop. It's kind of weird actually because they just stopped on the road and went, "Oh, Ollie." Yes. [laughter] But that's so cool. Thank you so much for watching. But guys, we are here. We have entered Moly Nong. and the nice security guard at the front. He asked us for 50 rupees [music] per person to come in the village and he said that that is the village maintenance fee [music] which is fair enough because I guess it takes a lot of effort and money to keep this place clean. But he also told us where the name more linong comes from which is really interesting. He said that it comes from first the word mo which means stone and then the [music] word linong means a natural bowl. So the name Minong basically means a natural bowl made of stone. And he said that in the center of the village there is actually a place where you can see this natural bowl. I assume it's like a pool or a pond or something like that. But guys we are here. This is the start of Asia's cleanest village. [music] This is a clean place. Look at these streets. Look, there's a bin there. Oh, >> it's not morning, Mr. Rooster. It's not morning. >> It's not morning, Mr. Rooster. But not only is it clean, but it's also just incredibly wellkept. Look at these hedges and then this beautiful stone border here and these trees lining the side of the road because I wasn't sure exactly what they meant by cleanest. But it's not just in terms of rubbish. It isn't just clean here. It's also incredibly tidy and presentable and just absolutely beautiful here. So, I was just looking up why Molinong is actually known as Asia's cleanest village. And apparently, it earned the nickname after it was highlighted by travel magazines like Discover India in 2003 as being Asia's cleanest village. But now, it's not just become a nickname, but a way of life for the people that live here. Apparently, residents sweep the roads of this village daily, and children are taught to clean from a young age. I feel like here there's a real sense of pride in keeping this village spotless. Just what a nice thing for your village to be known for. I just love it. [music] [music] I really really like the feel of this village. It feels so calm and relaxing and quiet. Oh, wow. Look, there's a [music] church. Nice. It's really, really beautiful here. It looks like a big holiday park. Hello. How are you? >> Hello. [crying] >> Check out this place. It looks like a really traditional house. And they left the door open. So, I don't know if this means we are invited, but let's have a peek inside. They have a fireplace here in the middle and then this rack above it. Usually they use that to smoke the meat. So they just hang up the meat here and let it smoke for hours and hours and hours. And then over here we can see these like baskets. They're using these ones for rice cultivation. And I'm just so amazed because I think they don't use any nails in this construction. You can see it's all bamboo and then they're using natural strings here to knot them together. And it's like all like handmade bamboo. I love this type of building so much. >> What a place. I had no idea what to expect before we came here cuz you know tourist places. Sometimes you go there and you get disappointed. But Minong did not disappoint. This place is epic. They have so many of these little bamboo sitting areas and even just the people's houses. Look at them. So traditional and beautiful. Plus Royal Enfield bike over there. Thumbs up from me. So, now we're going to see if we can find a place to go and have some dinner. Ah, I think this is the Molyong. Excuse me. Is this the Molyong? >> Yes. >> Ah, okay. So, this is the natural stone pool that the village is named after. Well, there's not much water in it at the moment. >> No. >> No. [laughter] But I guess for the original people living here, this would have been the place where they could bathe, get water from. So then they named their village after it. >> Yeah, it's pretty cool. >> Really cool. Amazing. >> Oh, thank you so much. >> Beautiful. How do you say thank you? >> Kum. Kum. >> So, we found ourselves a beautiful couple of thies. We've got some papadam. We've got a dal here. And then some potato, cauliflower, bit of veg there. And then this one is a tomato chutney. >> M. Smells really good, >> but it might be spicy. >> It is probably spicy. >> Be careful. >> Yes, this is just what I needed. A nice veg tali to finish off this beautiful day. A little bit challenging, but mostly beautiful day. >> Yeah, it's been an absolutely awesome first day here in Megallaya. And what a place to finish. Minong is amazing. >> Yes. So, we will just enjoy our nice meal now. And that's it from us today. We hope you enjoyed the video. If so, please give us a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel, share the video with your friends and family, comment below, and we will see you next time.