
Walking through Laitlum today hits different. Back then, it was just the wind, the fog and the open grassy edges. No barricades, ticket counters and concrete holding you back, no homestays, tea stalls and shops lining the view. Just raw, untouched nature. Seeing it now feels different. Part of me wants to gatekeep the old version—the one without the noise, crowds and commercialisation. But then I look around and see locals earning a living selling “sha saw” and corn because of the tourists. The shops mean livelihoods for locals. The barricades mean safety for the masses. The homestays mean Meghalaya is on the map. And then I realize this is the price of sharing our paradise with the world. Maybe the “untouched” beauty is gone, but it’s been replaced by accessible beauty. It’s the inevitable cost of tourism, and perhaps… that’s okay. 📌 Laitlum, Meghalaya
This post was published on 29th November, 2025 by Joyce on her Instagram handle "@alwaysonthenextsomewhere (Always_on_the_next_somewhere)". Joyce has total 1.9K followers on Instagram and has a total of 72 post.This post has received 68 Likes which are lower than the average likes that Joyce gets. Joyce receives an average engagement rate of 25.53% per post on Instagram. This post has received 4 comments which are lower than the average comments that Joyce gets. Overall the engagement rate for this post was lower than the average for the profile.