Jan 19, Thursday: We took the 2:30 bus to Chittagong. The journey was relatively uneventful. We reached our destination at around 8:30, rested a while, had dinner and called an early night in order to prepare for the nest day’s road trip.
Jan 20, Friday: Our posse of two Noahs and one Pajero jeep started from chittagong at around 10 o’clock in the morning. This time our destination is Cox’s bazaar. The journey took 4 hours and the road is in good shape. However there is such a thing called too much road travel. Inspite of all that, as we neared Cox’s bazaar my heart leapt at the thought of the magnificent sight ahead of me. It is not enough that it is the longest unbroken sea beach in the world. The unsuspecting road traveler is marveled by the mejstic waters as soon as the car glides on top of a road bump and BEHOLD! There lies the Bay of Bengal, roaring and foaming, in your direct line of sight and the optical illusion making it seems beach-less and closer than it actually is. We checked into Sea Palace a grand five-star hotel equipped with modern amenities and breathtaking sea-view. After a sea-food oriented lunch we went for a swim in the swimming pool. It was fun for a while but some of us thought it might be insulting to the sea if we came to visit her and instead went for a swim in the pool. In any case we hurried to the beach (hurried may give the wrong impression; it was more like we tried to hurry. It is difficult to drag ourselves along the super sandy beach) just in time to catch a glimpse of the setting sun. We took pictures left and right and went ankle-deep in the sea whose water is black and repulsive looking. But that hasn’t curbed its roaring one bit and it is listening intently to this roaring that we drifted off to sleep after a post-dinner magic learning session.
January 21, Saturday: This day started early. We had a bried breakfast and headed off with our posse towards Teknaf, the southernmost tip of mainland Bangladesh. a two-hour rie took us to there where we boarded the Kutubdia launch that would help us cross the waters of first the river Naf and then the Bay of Bengal and take us to our island destination. River NAf I always found very charming with its quiet, elegant waters and small waves. The river divides Myanmar and Bangladesh in its mid-way. The launch ride took three hours and I felt a wave of sea-sickness hit me as we glided into the open sea. But the view of the pristine coral island sprinkled with swaying coconut trees and the surrounding green-blue waters reinvigorated our souls. We barely checked into the hotel, changed clothes and jumped into the waters like spellbound and obedient sea-lovers. This water is unspoiled and shimmering, inviting and cajoling anybody and everybody to bathe in its purity. Lunch was extensive as we were hungry from the entire journey and jumping in the sea. After lunch some of use preferred to rest a while the more adventurous of the lot decided to venture around the island and take in some of the sights. We walked along the perimeter of the island and stopped to take pictures on the alluring and ever so enchanting coral rocks. We decided on a fantastic spot to take in the breath-taking sunset. Since there were very few people around the whole experience seemed almost private. WE headed back to the hotel on a van. Nighttime was a throng of activities. It was a dark night with the moon nowhere in sight. Beside the barbeque chicken preparation a local artist played folk songs and all of us gathered around the fire as is befitting the situation. The men played cards while the women chatted along. The lights went out at 10:30 and we dozed off to slumber.
Jan 22, Sunday: we went onboard a barge to take us to the neighboring Sera island where apparently the lagoon is clearer and the corals are bigger. We came back to the island and went for another swim in the sea. As we reluctantly got out from the waters, we felt a little sad at having to leave this pretty island and head towards our known world. The same launch took us back to Teknaf and from there on we made a reverse route journey and reached Cox’s bazaar at night.
Jan 23, Monday: We had breakfast and roamed around the presidential suite of the hotel, did some least-minute shopping and headed back to Chittagong. On our way we stopped at the safari park. We took a on-wheel tour of the park and stopped at the main attractions. I have to say the lion and the lioness were the mot impressive. The lion was very clear about his position as the king of the jungle and the lioness too proud to move about or be bothered by disturbances. We spent another night at Chittagong and came back to Dhaka the following day.
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