Enjoy Police Bazar, Shillong
Wondering what is the busiest place in Shillong? Want to know what to do in Police Bazar while on a holiday? Check out all that Police Bazar offers for all ages in this article. While in Shillong, Meghalaya for a holiday it is common to stay in Police Bazar since most of the hotels are situated in and around that place. This article describes the variety of things you can do in Police Bazar. Enjoy the trip to Meghalaya, the Scotland of the North East and so called land of the clouds.
I took a four day trip to Shillong, Meghalaya last week with the plan was to sightsee various parts of Meghalaya. While surfing online for hotel facilities with my husband we came across many recommendations for staying in Police Bazar. We checked out various hotels online and came across Shaurya Inn, reasonable, neat and clean place very much in Police Bazar. In this article I have described Police Bazar, the advantages of staying there, what to do in this place, and what not to miss if you are in Shillong for a holiday. About
Police Bazar, is a well-known market situated in the heart of Shillong. It is one of the most important shopping centers for the residents of not only Shillong but for various parts of Meghalaya and all the tourists who visit Meghalaya. There are a few small shopping malls, while some buildings around the Police Bazar circle are under repairs. Shopping can be done from shops, or from the roadside vendors. This place is overflowing with people all through the day, and is easily reachable from all parts of Shillong by taxis, buses, and supplementary transport service (small vans).
So this place has a concrete circle with plants surrounded by 7 roads going away from the circle to different parts of the city. A few roads are one way to ease the traffic. In case you are driving, beware of cops. If you land into the wrong lane they will not miss an opportunity to fine you. 
What to shop
Along the road which does not allow vehicular traffic, you find a lot of shops along both sides of the road. They sell: Food, electronic items, clothes- material, woollen, smuggled winter wear from Thailand, gadgets, medicines, beauty kits, grocery, bakeries, bags, vessels etc. you name it and it is available in the shops.
Majority of the road side vendors will sell winter wear- woollen printed pajamas, leather and other jackets, blazers, shoes, fresh fruit plates, shawls, sweaters, woollen caps etc. They are dirt cheap and a good choice for gifting. There are small shops on the ground floor and the basement in all the buildings, and many higher floors are hotels. I got a woollen pajama for just 200 rupees.
So where can you buy handicrafts of bamboo or cane which Meghlaya is famous for? Just near the circle there are two handicraft emporiums, and along the road to EC hotel are two government owned handicraft emporiums. Walk around these shops, you will get purses, baskets, display items, trays, bags, Assam silk sarees, jewellery etc. You may need to bargain at the private emporiums. Take a peep into Reliance in the mall, and you may come across some very good winter wear, not available in metros. 
What to eat
Both vegetarian and non vegetarian food is available in various hotels along the main roads of Police Bazar and in the small bylanes. Unless you walk around the whole place, you may end up missing a few great places. I would particularly mention a few not worth missing: Citizen Hotel restaurant which has a rock band playing mostly on Fridays. The ambience is great, not noisy, and serves wonderful Chinese and Thai food. A word of caution for the veges and those who have limited chilly, inform the person while placing the order. Then you will really relish the food. Another place is reachable from the road, which does not allow any vehicular traffic. Walk down the road for a few minutes, and ask anyone for Dominoes. This is a Marwari joint, just opposite Dominoes, extremely reasonable, homely food, not oily or too spicy and mouth watering. You can order a thali or a few items and enjoy home type food.
What else to see or do
To move around Meghalaya/ Assam/ Arunachal Pradesh you will get buses/ luxury coaches/ private taxis/share taxis. You can even take a helicopter to Guwahati or Tura for a nominal charge of 1500 to 2000 rupees. Since we went in Diwali all shops were lighted up with electric lamps/ LED lights or oil diyas. The decorations are very colourful, appealing and amazing. A few photos are attached displaying the Diwali lighting.
Overall Police Bazar is a wonderful place to shop, to move around, to eat, and to plan further tour connections or to travel back home.
Police Bazar Photos
I dream of touring the beautiful, untouched north east states. Shillong seems to me, the cleanest city than our big cities like Delhi or the planned city of Chandigarh. BTW, except for Shillong and suburbs, is there anything worth visiting across Meghalay?