
CHAPTER 11: TREE SPELUNKING
The good people of Mawpdai Village have pinned much of their hopes for the future on a single tree; a … Continue reading CHAPTER 11: TREE SPELUNKING
The good people of Mawpdai Village have pinned much of their hopes for the future on a single tree; a … Continue reading CHAPTER 11: TREE SPELUNKING
In early 2019, I walked across the Khasi Hills of Northeast India. It wasn’t easy. But where are the Khasi … Continue reading CHAPTER 1: THE KHASI HILLS
It was among the hardest walks I’ve ever taken, and among the most beautiful. Morningglory, his dad, the ever-boisterous John … Continue reading CHAPTER 13: TO THE SINGING HILLS
At about the halfway point on the car ride from Shillong to Sohra, just after the village of Mawjrong, the … Continue reading CHAPTER 12: BLOOD HUNTERS AND BABY GHOSTS
Now for the third and final post of my series on the Khasi Hills’ architecturally unexceptional, yet inarguably scenic, steel … Continue reading SUSPENSION BRIDGES OF MEGHALAYA: PART 3
One day while searching for a living root bridge hidden deep in the canyon system of the Umrew river, I … Continue reading CHAPTER 11: THE FEARFUL BRIDGE OF MAWSHUIT
‘Slap’ is one of my favorite Khasi words. It means ‘rain,’ and if you’ve spent any time in Meghalaya during … Continue reading CHAPTER 10: RAIN
This is the second part of my series on the architecturally unexceptional, yet often spectacular, conventional steel and wood suspension … Continue reading SUSPENSION BRIDGES OF MEGHALAYA: PART 2
The most extraordinary places in Meghalaya are all hidden. The darker vales of Riwar abound in secret waterfalls and deep … Continue reading CHAPTER 7: THE ROOT BRIDGES OF RANGTHYLLIANG
There’s a good reason why Northeast India’s incredible root bridges have captured the world’s attention. While living architecture has been … Continue reading SUSPENSION BRIDGES OF MEGHALAYA: PART 1
Or, perhaps a better title might be: “The smallest root bridge I’ve ever clapped eyes on, though there could be … Continue reading THE SMALLEST ROOT BRIDGE
The Khasi Hills were made by rivers. Coming to know the lay of the land in Meghalaya is therefore a … Continue reading CHAPTER 5: THE CANYON OF THE FALLS
Today I thought I’d share a few photos of a small root bridge in the Khasi Hills that I was … Continue reading A QUICK LOOK AT HOW A ROOT BRIDGE DEVELOPED OVER TIME
What a group of people eats is a big part of who they are. That means it’s not a good … Continue reading CHAPTER 4: FOOD
Nelson Nongbri had helpfully made me a rough map of the network of trails west of Nongriat. It looked basic, … Continue reading CHAPTER 3: ON BEYOND NONGRIAT
As a lonely Phareng (Khasi for foreigner) stumbling through the jungles of Riwar, it’s hard not to get noticed. Outside … Continue reading CHAPTER 2: VILLAGES
It was over a decade ago, during the monsoon season of 2011, that I first ventured to the spectacular Khasi … Continue reading THE ROOT BRIDGES OF NONGRIAT OVER THE YEARS
India, as a political entity, geographical concept, or civilization, is often described as a world unto itself. If that’s the … Continue reading CHAPTER 1: THE RAGGED EDGE OF INDIA
HOW ARE LIVING ROOT BRIDGES MADE?* The Khasi people of Northeast India create living root bridges using the pliable aerial … Continue reading How are Living Root Bridges Made?
The following is a short excerpt from my upcoming book Through the Canyons of Living Bridges What are living root … Continue reading What are Living Root Bridges?