Wettest place on earth.

Cherrapunji is a small town in the state of Meghalaya(north-east India). It is the wettest place on earth, even though deforestation has reduced the amount of rainfall it used to receive. Cherrapunji sits on the southern tip of a plateau that looms over Bangladesh. The cliffs of Cherrapunji are the first place hit by moisture that forms over the Bay of Bengal. All the rain lands on arid, deforested, ground. As there is no reservoir to store the rain water, it rapidly runs down the hill towards the plains of Bangladesh.

Cherrapunji's yearly rainfall average stands at 11,430 mm (450 in). This figure places it behind only nearby Mawsynram, Meghalaya, whose average is 11,873 mm (467 in). Cherrapunji receives both the Southwest and Northeast monsoon showers which give it a single monsoon season. Cherrapunji lies at an elevation of 1,370 m (4,500 feet) in the Khasi Hills. It lies in the windward side of these hills to the Bay of Bengal branch of the SW monsoons which enters India through the Ganga delta. Due to orographic rainfall, the rain-bearing clouds are forced to deposit much of their moisture and rain on these hills from June to September. In the winter months it receives the northeast monsoon showers which travel down the Brahmaputra valley. Brahmaputra originates in China and is called the Yang-tse river.

The only way to north-eastern states is through the state of Assam. Take a flight or train to Guwahati in Asaam. Go to Paltan bazaar near Guwahati Central railway station. There are frequent bus service from Guwahati to Shillong. Buses takes 3-4 hours. If you wanna reach faster, hire a Tata Sumo for 120-150 INR. They will drop you at a place called Police bazaar in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. From Shillong hire a cab to Cherrapunji. You can go and come back the same day but i will suggest you to stay there for a couple of days and enjoy calm and serene atmosphere(and rain ofcourse). There are a few waterfalls in around cherrapunji. Some of them are Naukalika, Seven Sisters etc. You can actually touch the clouds in Cherrapunji. Don't believe me....ok....You won't unless you visit Cherrapunji. There is a Ramakrishna Mission in Cherrapunji. Do visit that if you have time.

I bet you will never forget your visit to Cherrapunji for rest of your life. Its a place of breath-taking beauty and exotic people. Meghalaya stands for "Land of clouds" and truly it is.

Signing off,

Kahaly.

Have a good day.