Inside the Wettest City on the Planet (Rains Every Day)

Inside the Wettest City on the Planet (Rains Every Day)

This town gets more rainfall than any place on earth! Welcome to Sohra, a small town in northeast India, which receives more showers in one month than London or Seattle gets in an entire year. The people here must adapt to always being wet, from washing laundry in waterfalls to wearing turtle shell umbrellas. Oh my god, how am I going to cross this? Main roads get washed away in landslides and residents can get stuck for months. So why do people choose to stay here? And what other struggles do they face from getting nearly 500 inches of rain per year? Just arrived in Sohra and this is the town. It is obviously pouring rain right now so I’m gonna duck for some cover. Everyone’s got an umbrella except for me. Hello, how are you? Can I have an umbrella please? Goodbye all you… Bye bye. Everyday rain? No, every day. Every day? Yes. So you get a lot of business for umbrellas? Yes. Thank you. You’re welcome. Ah, now we good. Thank you. Rainy season in Sohra is no joke. I got a little bit of umbrella traffic here when you walk past people. Gotta go up like this. And she goes down. In this town, it’s not just rainy. I can barely see 10 feet in front of me. It’s hard to believe how people live like this. So I’m eager to chat with some locals and observe their lifestyle. It’s so cool there’s these little shops you can just dot the highway. Stopping over here and getting some chai. My favorite thing about India. All over this country, no matter where you are, north, south, east, west, you can find hot milk tea. I love it. Thank you. Oh, just what I need in the morning. On the side of the road, we just see people walking with these like shells. It looks like a little turtle. And that’s just the cover that they use for the rain. Who makes this? You made that yourself? How long did it take to make this? What is it like to actually live here when it’s raining every day? What jobs do exist in the rain? I’ve only been here for about two hours, but everyone has been so friendly, so smiley, and so genuine. I really feel that people here are really kind. Thank you. Have a nice day. Go Yankees. I’m on my way to meet up with my local friend, Tenny, who I randomly found on Instagram. He’s going to be helping me navigate and translate my way around the world’s wettest place. Welcome to Suwara. Thank you, Brian. It’s good that you’re welcomed by the rain. I’ve been in rain a lot of times in my life. I always see rain. But the fact that you guys live with this every single day, that’s crazy. I remember my grandma told me there would be rains of 40 days and 40 nights non-stop. When people are used to rain, if it stops raining, then everyone will get sick. Because the rain here is a blessing for us. It’s not a curse. Without the rain, there wouldn’t be life here at all. It’s how the people flow here with the rain, with its rhythm. The rhythm. Yeah. They don’t complain. They don’t fight. They just go and float like fish in the water. You swim like fish in the water. Tenny is taking me to a local restaurant for breakfast, and I hear the food here is nothing like elsewhere in India. Oh, this is cool. It smells good in here. All right. This is a really colorful plate, man. This is a local dish? Yes, yes. It is a local dish. It’s called Jado. I’m seeing like every color of the rainbow on this plate. Those are beef meatball. So this is beef. It’s another reason that it doesn’t feel like I’m in India right now. It’s because they eat beef here. Yes, yes. Different world, man. I couldn’t find beef anywhere in the mainland. I’m going to call it the mainland. Really good yellow rice. And there’s this beef flavor that’s like soaking on the rice. Wow. Whenever they go around town just to carry anything, like phone charger or whatever, you just got to have plastic all the time. Do you want to say anything about soda to our camera? I appreciate that. That was awesome. As we roam around town and drive through the heavy fog, I spot a fisherman on the side of the road, and I want to see if he can answer more of my burning questions. Drew, you fish here every day? No, only Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Is it stressful to live here when it’s always raining? It’s difficult for us when it’s raining to live here. Why? Because no sun. How does rain influence the life here? When it’s raining, also, it’s not difficult for us. We can go anywhere. We have to stay at home. We don’t get any work problem for us. Have you ever thought about living somewhere else? No, no. Nice to meet you. My hand is dirty. See you later. Bye-bye. Good luck. Safe journey. Thank you. You may have noticed that people here look more Southeast Asian than Indians. And it’s because their ancestors came from Myanmar and Cambodia, two of my favorite places on Earth. Also, look where we are on the map. It’s such an undiscovered part of the world. The tribe here is called Khasi, and the Khasi people follow a rare matrilineal system where women inherit their family’s property and carry their last name. And much to my surprise, almost everyone here speaks English. Nice to meet you. You’d think people here would stay indoors to stay dry, but it’s actually the opposite. The outdoors in Sohra is somehow charming and unlike anywhere else on Earth. It’s crazy just getting ready to get outside. I got my poncho on. I’m getting my umbrella. It is pouring right now. As they say, when it rains, it pours. We are now heading to a living tree root bridge, which is one of the spectacles to see here. I don’t know much about it, other than it’s like a bridge made out of a tree root. I have now removed my gym shoes because they’re soaking wet, so I now have sandals on. We’ve made it to the living root bridge, which is literally tree branches made into a bridge, but it’s over this treacherous waterfall. We’re one step and we’re dead. We’re gonna walk across it. Let’s go. Let’s go. Holy crap, it’s a huge waterfall right here. Oh my god, how am I gonna cross this? Mother nature is calling. This is so cool. Every step below my feet is a freaking branch of a tree. And look at the falls. Northeast India is freaking awesome. Don’t forget that. Oh my god, that was exhausting. The power of mother nature is insane out here. That was like the craziest adrenaline rush to walk over that bridge. There’s a saying that if you walk on this bridge, if you walk barefoot, that means you are grounding to the ground, right? But that’s what the feeling it gives you, the sensation that you are connected with the tree. It’s like the example of that avatar, Ewa, you know, that tree of life, something like that. So here, the living root bridge is the tree of life in our place. I found out that the guy who built the living tree root bridge 60 years ago is still alive and lives right up the hill. We are here in the middle of the jungle with a massive waterfall and a tree root bridge. How come you decided to live here all alone? What is it like to live in a place that’s raining all day every day? If you had the choice between living in sunny blue skies and warm weather every day or weather like this, cloudy, rainy, thunderstorm, which one would you prefer? Thank you. Thank you. Bye-bye. We’re heading to a cave here. I feel like I’m always stepping in puddles here. This is a good viewpoint, but all you can see is foggy now. This is a viewpoint. I come from a very hot desert. This is so different from my hometown, bro. What do you think about that? What do I think about it? Bro, you live in the rainiest place on earth. How does that make you feel? It’s normal for us. Sometimes it’s like we used to complain about it, but what can we do? Are you happy that you come from a rainy place? The rain is a blessing for us. And if there’s no rain, it feels like you’re going to fall sick. Where I come from, my mom would always say, you’re going to get sick when it rains. And you’re saying the exact opposite. Yeah. We’ve just made it to Ottawa Cave, a very significant place in Meghalaya. And why is that? Because all of Meghalaya Plateau was under the sea a long time back. So this cave proved what was once under the sea taken up when the Eurasian plate collided with the Indian plate. So mostly you’ll see here are sea creature fossils in the Cretaceous period. So the significance about this is a limestone cave. So what was left in the seabed at the time was moved up here and slowly carved by rainwater and the water that carved what you see. So because of so much rain, this cave is formed. Yes. And you can hear the loud sound. There’s water like rushing through here. Actually, we are under a mountain right now. So on top of it, there’s a mountain right over there. That’s how this cave is formed. See, these are one of the fossils, like the gastropod fossils here you can see. I’m not the biggest cave dweller, but hearing the ancient history of Sotha is pretty neat. And it was nice to take shelter for a few minutes because now we’re back into the heavy rain and fog. Just pulled over. We’ve been driving for hours in these roads and you can’t see anything. It is just completely pouring rain. I mean, like, how? It’s just crazy that people like live here. Hello. Where are you going? What is this? Nice. And what is this? This is… In the distance, I spot some kids waiting for the bus. And after they tell me they’re going to school, I become curious as to what it’s like to study in this harsh environment. We’ve just entered a school here. It’s so loud from just the sound of the rain hitting the roof of this school. It’s just like this crazy echo in here. Let’s just say my elementary school did not look or feel anything like this one. Does anyone speak English? Yes. You all speak English? Yes. What grade are you in? 10th grade. Can you play the flute? One, two, three. That was amazing. Thank you. I’m from America. Arizona. Have you heard of Arizona? You’ve heard of it? How do you feel living here? Is it, like, difficult to live in the rain? No. We enjoy. You enjoy it? So it means you have to carry an umbrella everywhere you go? Yes. And have, like, a poncho? Yes. Bye. Bye. Everybody has a different color umbrella and it’s so cute. Before they go into class, they just put it on the side and when you come out, it’s ready for you. It’s so loud, like, the sound of the rain hitting the roof. I can barely even hear myself thinking right now. Everyone’s looking at me like, why is there a white dude standing in my school? Hi. How are you? So, what’s your name? Riyaki. Riyaki. And how old are you? I’m 14. 14. Tell me about what it’s like to live in Sohra. It’s good. I mean, the rain, we’re tired of the rain. I mean, obviously, there’s a lot of rain and it’s also good because there’s nature around us, not full of concrete buildings, you know? You said you’re tired of the rain. We’re not tired. Like, sometimes when it rains too much, we’re tired of the rain. You speak perfect English. I think so. I don’t think so. Everyone here study English? Yeah. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a professor. Professor? Yeah. At this school? No, no, no, not this school. In a university or something. In Meghalaya? Yeah. You have a slight British accent. Me? A bit, I guess. Oh, you can do it? A little bit, yeah. Nice. Anything else you want to say about life in Sohra? Life in Sohra, like, it’s good. Like, there’s a lot of waterfalls and full of places, like, there’s hills, not like places in Delhi or something, you know, full of buildings and all. Here, like, it’s good. We get a lot of fresh air. And it’s somehow, like, we find peace here. Everybody here is really happy. Like, they’re all smiling. Yeah. Like, in my hometown, when the weather’s like this, everyone is depressed and sad and they want to, like, stay home. But you guys are just happy. Yeah. Even now, also, we want to practice, but sir said it’s too rainy, na? Like, it’s too heavy, so we might get sick. You’re so kind. Thank you. Very sweet of you. It’s hard to explain how I feel like this is not India. Like, everywhere else in southern and central and northern India is so different from this part of India. And on the map, you can see, like, we’re so close to Myanmar and Bangladesh. It honestly feels more like the Philippines here than anything else. The way the people look, the way they act, they’re giggly. They all speak English. They’re friendly, outgoing, smiley. This is school. Actually, this was after when the Welsh missionary came here, after Thomas Jones, this was built here. So, this is more than a hundred years old school. Why are they going to school on Saturday? Mainly, Saturday, because this school, actually, it’s not like other schools. There are some Christian schools here that’s till Friday, but Ramayana Christian Mission does till Saturday. And today is that they are practicing for independence. There is a practice. You could see those drums there. Welcome to my home. This is my humble home, which has lived, you know, since ancestral times. Awesome. Hello. My sister. Nice to meet you. I’m Drew. Can we come inside? Okay. She’s my mom. Nice to meet you. Oh, this is cool. Smells good in here. It’s a little guy. This is the main room and this part here is the kitchen. Whoa, this is so cool. We have to hang the wet clothes like this because it’s all wet and we have to dry it. They can’t dry their clothes outside because it rains all day long. So, they have to dry inside. So, we have this. So, when you walk to the kitchen, your head level is on the clothes. So, this is the dryer for the clothes. We put a, you know, a chola in the center with charcoal and then we cover the wet clothes all over this. So, you make a fire. Yes. That’s so cool, man. See, see? Then we keep the charcoal inside there. Cool. And then we’ll cover this with it and then we’ll dry the clothes on this basket. Does this roof leak when it rains really hard? Yes, yes. You can see it’s all leaking and it’s all broken because of the rain. So, when it leaks, you just put a bucket under it? Yeah. What are you making over here? What is it? It looks really delicious. And french fries. This reminds me of Vietnam. These tiny, tiny chairs. I mean, they’re almost like, they’re like three inches above the ground. This is how you sit. And this is the table when you eat? Oh my god. We call them lingkanot. When I’m here, I feel like I’m in Southeast Asia. Even your language, it sounds like it’s so different than… It has that K. Yeah. Khmer, when you say Khmer, no? Khmer is Cambodia. Yeah. We don’t have C in our letter. We have K. So, that’s why Thomas Jones gave us the alphabet because we don’t have that C letter. So, in the pronunciation of C, he put the K. You keep mentioning Thomas Jones. I just want to really understand quickly, who is this guy? So, he’s a Welsh missionary that came here before the British. So, when he came here, he started a school here. Then he started that school and it was like, you know, like the first church and first school was built here. At the time, Shillong was a little village. Shillong? Yes, Shillong was a little village. Now it’s a big town. Yeah. Actually, when the British came here, they were making this, they made this the capital of Meghalaya in the 1836 to 1866, something like that. Interesting. And why did the capital move to Shillong? Because of the rain. They have to shift this capital to Shillong because due to heavy rainfall. This is Tenny’s room right here. Cool, man. You know what? Like my childhood home, where I grew up, was just like this. I had stuff all over the ceilings. Oh, nice. I had a guitar. Oh, wow. Just like similar vibes to how I grew up. Nice. And what kind of music do you play? I play basically like classic rock and, you know, like these oldies, goldies. Like Led Zeppelin stuff? Yeah. Beatles, yes. Beatles, yes. You know, I’m going to ask you at some point to play for me, right? Yeah, yeah. Can you? Play a song? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Why not? You may say I’m a dreamer. And the world is one. Oh, that was so good. Wow. That was like spiritual for me. Really? That was really cool, man. Thank you. You got some talent, bro. Really? It just came from the heart. Yeah. Tenny is now taking me to the local market. Umbrella’s up. Still pouring rain outside. So far, it has not stopped raining for a second since we’ve been here. This is the betel nut and that’s the betel leaf, which we used to have as the main Kasi snack. What’s the reason that people chew it? Is it for like enjoyment or is it for getting high? It’s not like in Papua New Guinea where they eat to get high. Here, the betel nut, first of all, this is the fermented one. You know, that live betel nut, which they used to put this under the water for two and a half months. And they take it out of the water so that potency is a little gone. So it becomes a little more yummy. And why do you eat here? Because it’s a little cold. So Nepal and here, they eat a lot of betel nut because it’s a little cold. It warms your body up. The craziest thing about this market is like, it feels like it’s an emergency situation with all these tarps and all these puddles. Like, look at this. Like everywhere in the market, there’s just water leaking into a bucket. But for these people, it’s just everyday normal life. That’s the most shocking thing, I think. People just learn how to adapt to their environment. Oh, man, my shoes are completely wet. You’re all wet, I guess, not just your shoes. Yeah, I’m all wet, but just wet socks. First of all, Tenny, where are we right now? We are at the… Somewhere. Somewhere. Okay, we’re in the countryside. And this lovely lady. Hello. We call her Mae. Mae means mother. Mae. Mae. She just gave me this pure local chicken egg, which is from her farm. It’s a pure local chicken, not a farm. So what do you do with it? We drink it. I mean, like, you can drink it raw. You can take it raw. It’s very rich and very healthy. Oh, it’s literally liquid. You’re literally drinking liquid yolk. Yeah, you want to drink it? It actually doesn’t have much of a taste. That was interesting. The raw egg. And he’s loving it. Look at this guy over here, just taking it down. Good job, Tenny. Hi. Everyone is chewing betel nut. It’s just a thing. It looks like they just got blood in their mouth, but it’s just betel nut. That’s all. What makes you happy in life? What she’s saying is, like, when you are healthy, you are happy. When you are unhealthy, when you are not well, basically, you are sad. She’s healthy. You’re very healthy. Yeah. I hope to live as long as you. She’s below 70. 70. You look great. You have a very young face. This is the back room. I think she sleeps in here. There’s a bed. There’s a kitchen. This has to be where she lives. And then she just has a shop on the outside. This is fermented rice beer. Rice beer? Whoa. It’s very sour. Very sour and very spicy. Cool. There you go. Thank you. Before we dive deeper into the wettest place on earth, I want to thank the sponsor of this video, Revolut. It’s a global financial app trusted by over 60 million people around the world, including me. Revolut is giving new users a $20 signup bonus right now. Let me tell you more about it. If you travel often, you know how frustrating it is to deal with hidden fees, bad exchange rates, and complicated bank transfers. Revolut solves all that with one simple app and this prepaid debit card. Their standard plan has no monthly fees. You can spend abroad with no sneaky fees, withdraw cash from in-network ATMs with no charges, and hold and exchange over 25 currencies at great rates, all from your phone. You can even send money fast to friends or family in 140 plus countries in their local currency, which is what I’m going to do to pay our local guy, Tenny, for this trip. And here’s something really cool. You don’t need a social security number to sign up. Revolut makes it easy for non-US residents to get started and take control of their finances from anywhere in the world. That is what money freedom looks like. If you’re an international student, a temporary worker, or just globally connected, this is the app for you. If you scan the above QR code or use the link, you can get a $20 signup bonus. It only takes a few minutes and you’ll be grateful you did it. Thanks again to Revolut for supporting this video and let’s head back into the rain. We’re driving along here and you can see a fresh landslide just happened. Scary, like at any given moment, the rocks could come down again. We are just bouncing around from shop to shop, meeting all these lovely old ladies and they’re just serving us tea. What a life. What’s your name? My name is Drew. This lovely lady here is going to show us her village, which is just nearby. She’s going to come in our car with us. Okay. Come on, come on, come on. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this place, it’s that everyone is extremely friendly. Everyone. I can’t see anything here. We’re in the clouds. Wow, this is like proper village life. Yes. This is your house? Yeah. Okay, cool. This is so awesome. We’ve made it inside of Bonita’s house. Bonita? Bonita. Thank you for inviting us over. You can see it’s very, very like rustic in here. That’s the word I’m looking for. I just feel like this house has been the same for like 50 years. Yes. You know? It is. This is like village life. And that’s what she’s mentioning here. Like the earning is not that much, you know? Because like you could see the rain also is there. She has to go to work and where she’s selling something in the shop there. What’s the average amount of money that you can make in one day at your shop? Two thousand rupees. And that also they have to, you see we have come from that shop, by the car all the way here. It’s a little far. She works. In rainy season? Yes. Now? Yes. You walk all the way? That’s like several kilometers. Yes. One hour walking from here to that shop. So in rainy season now, she walks one hour just to go to work. She makes around 10 US dollars a day. That’s hard life, man. She’s just laughing all the time. Yes. She’s always like that. Have you traveled to other parts of India? No. She hasn’t. Even Shillong also just once in a while or once in a month. Oh, so she should like really never leave this place. She’s like really- She’s proper. Deeply rooted here. Yes. With the rain, do you feel like it’s a blessing? Or are you just annoyed of like, it’s raining again? With the rain, it’s a blessing. And if it don’t, we’ll get sick and fall ill. And when it rain, it brings us, it makes us healthy. So she likes the rain? Yes, if it’s not, it’s loud. Hello. Let’s have a tour of the rest of the house. This is another room here. You got potatoes growing. Here’s the laundry, always inside because outside it will get wet. This is what the language looks like. Said it’s a phonetic alphabet. These are the words here. Got some egg carton collections over here. Back here is where they sleep. It’s beautiful smell in here. It’s like this aroma. Maybe it’s because there’s flowers on the wall. Yeah, this is the bedroom. You can see on the ceiling right here, there’s leak. There’s just water coming down. And when it plops down, it just goes right here. I mean, just imagine your bed is literally right here. And just right here, there’s leaks. There’s one more room here. Let’s see what’s up back here. It’s like the lumberyard area. You got a lot of wood. This is as traditional as it gets. Very cool. Yeah, they used to shoot some squirrels and birds. Like, you know, most probably the invasive species type of creature. And why? It’s not surprising thing because before we live like on hunting. That’s how we live in the jungle. And we hunt from, you know, from deer to monkey to bears to tigers. This part of India is so different than the rest of India. When you travel around, do you feel like a disconnect culturally? I feel homesick kind of thing, you know, because like what I see here is not there. Only in some of these neighboring states like Arunachal or Nagaland. Not the Seven Sisters, like other parts of India. Oh yeah, it will be. Because I’ve never wanted to travel outside because of that. You know, I don’t have that heart. But in travel, in the Seven Sisters, I feel comfortable. But most of the world, like in America, when you talk about India, they’re only talking about the main part, not the Seven Sisters. Yes. How does that make you feel? Now, it doesn’t make me, I mean, like feel anything about it. Because like I’m in here, like I’m just so much connected in this nature. It doesn’t occur to me or it doesn’t, you know, like hit me when somebody talk or, you know, like, or don’t talk about it. Also, because this place has its own beauty, has its own vibe. You always lust into it. It’s like you’re swimming into it. I truly actually feel that what you’re saying. It has its own vibe. It has its own feel. Yeah. And it’s like, you just can’t explain it. It’s different. Yeah. It’s so unknown to the world. The people watching my video are like living in other countries. And when they think about India, they don’t think about this place. Yes, exactly. Most probably when they come, like that’s the main part, like what people see as India is like dirty and with plastics and this and that. And here, that’s what we are having, facing a lot of problem when the main people come, like tourists and all. They litter the place. They throw a lot of garbage in there. And they, some of them would try to bully also. That’s terrible. Yeah. Like some of them have come from like, you know, big backgrounds. Or some of them belong to army people and all. And they, you know, they would show their, you know, their superiority. It’s not cool if people come here and they disrespect the land and the people. And the people. Is this tobacco? Oh yeah. Oh my God. Wow. Dude, this is so good. Oh man. That’s like a pack of cigarettes in one hit. How they make also, because see, there’s a tobacco they have to mix with charcoal. But charcoal that they, it depends on the tree that they burn. So supposedly it’s an orange tree. And from that charcoal, they will mix and it will become a little sweeter. So it depends on which tree. Doesn’t that give you a strong buzz? Yeah, it does actually. I kind of feel high about it. Damn. Ripping it. I love it. There’s such an abundance of water here. The water’s flowing everywhere. So it makes it really easy to just do your laundry or wash your hands. So cool, man. I’ve just entered a nearby village called Kongtong. And this is known as a whistling village because everyone at birth is given a name in the tune of a whistle. And that’s how they communicate with each other. When they call names, it’s a whistle. Let’s go meet some people inside. Hello. You’re very small. Yeah, they’re very small, right? This is a village of little people. They’re tiny, tiny, tiny. Hi. Bye. So cool. We’re just in this place. I’m here with Penchay, a local, great guy. The rain is starting to come again. So we’re going to put our things on, our shells. And we’re going to walk. Okay, then let’s go over there. Okay. You’re born and raised here? Yes, I was born and brought up here only. Whenever one person is born, they’re given a whistle as a name. A tune. A tune. Yeah. What’s your tune? That is my tune. So when you say that, everyone knows it’s you? You know, in Kongtong, if they need to call me, they don’t call me by my name. They call me by my tune. Do you know everyone in this village’s tune? Not all of them, but especially friends, relatives. I know almost all of them. What’s your father’s name? And your mother’s name? That’s your mother? Yeah. Let’s go over there. Oh, this way? Okay, cool. I never expected to find this here, a whistling village. Let’s put our shells down. It actually does protect better than an umbrella. Hello. Hello. Hi. This is really a village of little people. Look at these tiny, tiny… This is literally two and a half inches tall. Okay. Is she your grandma? Yes. They have six children. That means they have to compose six different unique tunes. Long tune and a short tune. Long version and short version. We use this tune in two ways. When we go to the field, to the farm, we use a long version. But when we are inside the village, we use a short version. Is that because when you’re in the field, they’re so far away? Yeah, yeah. You need to like scream? Yeah, scream, yeah. From one hill to another hill. So you told me the long version of your name. What’s the short version? That is my short version. And then my long version. That’s my long version. I will ask her to sing because mostly the ladies… She can sing. Yes. Mostly the ladies because they are the composer. The voice also is a little bit sweeter than us men. What’s your name? And what’s your whistle name? That’s so, so amazing. It’s almost like she’s singing a song, but it’s just her name. That’s really cool. Wow. How important is it for you to continue this tradition? Because nowadays everyone has phones and they’re like, they’re becoming disconnected from society. So do you think it’s important to continue this? Yes. You know, we still practice till now. If we call someone by official name or by name, we feel rude. If you call, if somebody call by this tune, it’s like we feel love. What’s your name? Thank you. What’s your name? This is actually better than an umbrella because you don’t have to hold anything. So you still have two hands. You know, that’s the issue I have with an umbrella. You can’t do anything else. It’s just echoey. When the rain hits it, it’s just like right in your ear. Okay. Phinchai here is going to call someone by their name and see if they come out and respond. Go ahead. What’s your whistle name? That is so incredibly beautiful that that’s her name. I can’t even explain it. And there’s a shorter one? That’s it? That’s it? What’s his name? When you have a kid, do you have you thought about the whistle name you want to give them? Thank you. I just discovered that in Meghalaya, it’s a matrilineal society, which means women have a lot more benefits compared to women around the world. So we’re learning about it right now. So my friend, can you please tell me a little bit about what these benefits look like for women? Are you the youngest daughter of the house? You are? Yes. So that means that you get to keep that house. That’s great. What an awesome thing. So the reason why we follow the matrilineal system here is because during our ancestor time, the men would go off to war with different tribes, you know. So it is the woman who is the sole taker of the house and the children. Our ancestors during that time, they wanted to honor the woman, you know. So they honored them by deciding that the property should go to the youngest daughter. Are you the youngest daughter? No, I’m not. So you don’t get those benefits? No. And what if the family only has boys? So it will go to the next girl in line, suppose the cousins or the niece. That’s really cool. I like how women are put forward in Meghalaya. Thank you. We made it to a church in town, which might sound shocking because we are in India and the majority of this country is Hindu or Muslim or Buddhist. Yeah. So you have Christians here. Yes. Tell me more about that. It was the first church ever in Meghalaya and all of Meghalaya. So before Thomas Jones came here, what was their religion? Khasi. Khasi had their own religion? Yes. After eight trips to India, I’ve realized that no country on earth is more diverse, spiritual and religious than this one. And right now, I feel grateful to explore such a unique part of it. But I can’t stop thinking about the students I met at school, especially the one who spoke great English. I want to know more about her life here in Sokha. So I got her number from the school principal, asked permission from her father, picked her and her little sister up at home, and we are now on the way to find their mother’s tea shop. There’s a lot of tea stalls. There’s one there. Yeah, this one is my mom’s sister. So you’re the family business of tea shops? Yeah, even my grandma. Really? Even my mom’s older sister. Is that what you want to do? You’re going to break the chain of tea stall owners? I feel like the rain is going to come again. I don’t have an umbrella, do you? No. So you’re just going to run home if it comes? Yeah, maybe just walk. It’s normal. Have you traveled to other places aside from Meghalaya? No, but some of my dad’s family, they live in Bangladesh. Oh, they live in Bangladesh. The border is just nearby. Yeah, it’s nearby. Have you been there? Yeah, I’ve been there. You have? Yes. What’s it like over there? It’s nice, but it’s also very hot. Culturally, does it feel like the same as here? Like the people? No. Is this the shop? Yeah, this is the shop. Okay, cool. Thanks. This looks like coconut. Yeah, that is coconut, yeah. It’s rice cake. That looks good. And what is this one? It’s called pukhle. Is it just like a fried doughnut? No, not a doughnut. It’s like it’s made from kind of like a flour. Cool. And this? That’s, I don’t know, it’s a pudo or pusla. Whoa, that’s so cool. This is rice cake with meat inside. Very good. It tastes like a giant piece of rice. The flavor. I’m trying to think of the flavor. Like you just enlarged one grain this big. That was a quick grab. Thank you so much. Wow, this looks really, really, really tasty. This is just like straight up local cuisine. When you told me that your family has a tea shop, I didn’t realize it’s like a restaurant. This is great. What is Kasi? Kasi is like the local tribe? Yeah, yeah. Tribe, there’s Garu. You have your own language? Yeah, we have our own language. Do you speak Hindi? No, I don’t. I mean, I only know how to write. How to write? Yeah, I mean, only a bit. It’s so interesting. We’re in India. Hindi is the most commonly spoken language, but she doesn’t speak Hindi. But her English is perfect. She understand us? Huh? She understands? A bit. She’s in kindergarten. She’s offended by it when you say a bit. She understands more than a bit. Yeah, I guess. How was your day today? Fine. Yeah, she got it. What did you do? I should play with my friends. And at home, I should do my homework. And I finish, then I study, and I just watch TV. Wow, she understands everything. What do you want to be when you grow up? A YouTuber. A YouTuber. And a Roblox player, like a pro. You want to be a pro Roblox player? Yes. I think your English is better than mine when I was your age. How old are you? I am six. Six. I’m not sure I spoke English as well as you when I was six. Do you like the rain? Yeah, a little bit. A little bit? Yeah. It doesn’t bother you? No, it doesn’t bother me. Like, it bothers a little bit. What about when it rains really hard? I just go to sleep. What if it’s raining hard in the afternoon? I just watch TV and play games on my phone. You’re making your debut in a first YouTube video right now. You said you want to be a YouTuber, and right now you’re in my YouTube video. How does that make you feel? Like, very, very happy. That’s good. I can only sing. Which song would you like the best? I like Soda Pop. You must Soda Pop. Can you sing it for me? Okay. I forgot, but I can still sing like Soda Pop. Okay, go ahead. Good job. I like how people just walked in and you didn’t even stop. Most people would be too shy. Let me pay for the dinner. Let me give a tip for the dinner. It’s fine. The people here are so nice. They’re not letting me pay. Thank you. These clouds are amazing. You literally live above the clouds. That’s so cool. I’ve never been to any place that looks like this. And I’ve traveled to every country in the world. Really? Yeah, and I’ve never seen… The clouds are way below us right now. That’s normal for you? Yeah, it’s normal for us. It’s such a quiet place. I could stare at this view for hours, but we have a new mission, and that is finding Pokemon cards for the little girl because she keeps talking about them. I’m taking her to a shop to see what kind of new cards she can add to her collection. You found your shop? Oh, Pokemon cards. Can we get all of them? Are you excited? Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. What do you hope to get in there? I got this one. Which Pokemon did you get? I have the rainbow one. Wait, is that Charizard? Let me see. Yeah, this is Charizard. That was my favorite card when I was a kid. I got a rainbow again. I got a rainbow again. Maybe you can give one to your sister. Okay. I still need to look for the rainbow one. I need a rainbow one. I never got a rainbow one. Why? Whatever. I still like it. I’m trying to figure out how your English is so perfect. Do you watch a lot of movies? Do you read books? How do you learn English? Class and TV? Yes. My best friend, they’re protecting me. They never protecting me. I’m just kidding. Does your sister protect you? She’s always protecting me, but she’s only jealous. She’s only jealous? Why is she jealous? Are you jealous? No, I’m not jealous. Yes, she is. Why is she jealous? Because she don’t have any money. I’m the youngest and she’s the oldest. When they have a baby, no. I will be the middle child. She is the oldest and they will be the youngest. I’m the youngest because I’ve got money. Maybe you can give your friends some Pokemon cards. Or do you want to keep them for yourself? I give them my Pokemon cards. I give all the class. I give to my best friend. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. That’s very nice of you. Okay, maybe it’s time to go home. Can I walk you guys home? Yes. I love how family-oriented it is here. You live next to your aunts and uncles and grandparents. It’s so nice. Where I come from, everyone lives so far away. You have to take an airplane. To reach my family, I have to fly. It’s only a few kilometers away. Yeah, yeah. It’s great. High five. One more. This high. Can you reach it? Come on. Careful. Jeez. Oh my gosh. Thank you for hanging out with me. Yeah. Maybe I’ll see you again next time I come here. Okay. Or maybe I’ll see you somewhere else. Okay. If you could say one message to everybody in the world, what would you tell them? Thank you everyone for watching this video. Like and subscribe. I have this thought that there are so many incredible corners of the world, but you simply don’t know they exist if you’ve never been. I came to Sohrat to see what it’s like to live in the world’s wettest place, and I’m leaving with a huge smile knowing that I just met some of the most humble and hospitable people on earth. I hope your day is a little better after hearing about this hidden corner of the world. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you guys in the next video.

Join Revolut and get $20 by clicking here: https://get.revolut.com/z4lF/drewbinsky1

The city of Sohra, India, gets more rain in one month than both London and Seattle get in a year! So I went there during the rainy season to see what it’s like to live in the world’s wettest place. This is one of my favorite stories I’ve ever told and I hope you enjoy 🙂

#india #rain #travel

✅ Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my channel by clicking here ➞ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Ize0RLIbGdH5x4wI45G-A

▶️ Watch my favorite videos ➞ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhiP3P44ul3Y8LDbhXJmhVsVWcpe-7O4O

I wrote a book called JUST GO, with exclusive travel stories & tips to inspire your next adventures! https://shorturl.at/6biKO

I’m on a mission to meet EVERY PRESIDENT, leader or head-of-state in the world — if you have any leads for any countries, please fill out this form! https://forms.gle/qjDp6SXUwGMcBEDZA

FIND ME ON:
► INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/drewbinsky/
► TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@drewbinsky
► FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/drewbinsky
► YOUTUBE 2ND CHANNEL: https://rb.gy/a65sj

👨🏻‍🦰 WHO AM I?
I’m Drew Binsky, and I have been to every country in the world (197/197), and now my goal is to meet every President. I make documentaries about interesting people/cultures and epic adventures in faraway places. My ultimate goal is to inspire you to travel, because travel is the best education you can get. And our planet is beautiful!

MOST POPULAR YOUTUBE VIDEOS:
► He Hasn’t Slept Since 1962: http://y2u.be/EDx1JvPEtxs
► 3 Things You Can’t Do in North Korea: http://y2u.be/mNsx0Nqryos
► Inside Hong Kong’s Coffin-Sized Apartments: http://y2u.be/6amK2BgjXk8
► Tallest Humans on Earth: http://y2u.be/u03kNQNclGY
► He Is The Ice Man: http://y2u.be/VF8dkjEdKNo

🙏 GET IN TOUCH!
► Website: https://www.drewbinsky.com
► Email: team@drewbinsky.com

Join Revolut and get $20 here! Offer expires 6 months from 10/04/2025. Exclusions apply. $20 bonus paid by Revolut, subject to the terms and conditions found: https://www.revolut.com/en-US/legal/partner-sign-up-bonus/