Bandarban & Cox's Bazaar, July 2006

From the Mountains to the Sea.......

19-21 July 2006

We have been planning this trip for some time. But as it happens with all trips that involve several people, it was difficult to get a consensus. But this challenge was finally won when we were able to set a specific date for the journey, 19 July 2006. There was Omi, fresh from a tragic personal incident. Rommel just came from Australia. Saadi missed out; but Aunik was there as the prime entertainer. There was the duo of Farhan and Aurnob to keep Omi on his toes. Farhan’s elder, Rashed, was there too. Shihab and me were the ones with most of the headaches! Babu missed out; so did Saikat, Srabon, Ovi, Shawon, Swajan, Moum, Bob, Andalib, Shouvik, and others. But may be others can join in during another journey, which we hope, would come some day.


When the sun came out, we were still at Chauddagram, Comilla, two-hours' drive from Chittagong.......

Anyway, the night bus journey started with a shock! Omi was late. He almost missed the tour; but we were able to pick him up from the last bus stoppage within Dhaka. (with our eyes and cheeks wet! :). The night journey was without drama until in the early hours of the night we bumped into a big traffic jam! There was a road accident and the road practically became a one-way road. At night we knew that we would reach Chittagong by daybreak. But when the sun really came out, we still had two hours’ journey ahead of us.


The lake at Meghla was very tranquil place, full of green surroundings.......

We reached Chittagong by around 8:00AM. And had our breakfast at GEC intersection. We now had the challenge of reaching Bandarban. That required a hired vehicle. We also had the plan to reach Cox’s Bazaar by evening. So, we actually had to reserve a microbus for the whole day. After looking through several options, we finally boarded one by around 9:20AM. Off we go! We crossed Kalurghat Bridge across the River Karnaphuli by 10:00AM Bandarban is just 92km from Chittagong. So, it wasn’t supposed to be a nightmare journey. But the damage was already inflicted by the long overnight journey from Dhaka, which took more than 8 hours. Some of us drooled during this part of the journey, but none could sleep when the picturesque roads of Bandarban began to show themselves to us. This was my first visit to Bandarban; so, there was more than one reason for me to get excited about. We reached Meghla, a place just outside Bandarban town, by around 11:45AM. There’s a nice rest house there by a nice lake surrounded by hills and trees. We took advantage of the rest house and got refreshed. There was much to see at Meghla, but we had already made our mind that we would give time to other places of Bandarban; so, we moved to Bandarban town shortly and began to plan the rest of the sightseeing.

Our microbus wasn’t the right vehicle for sightseeing in Bandarban. We needed a four-wheeler. There’s a parking place for all the four-wheelers of Bandarban. We went there to hire a vehicle. The monsoon was still not over. And the monsoon isn’t the best time to climb hills. But we still couldn’t get rid of our plan to climb at least one hill. Chimbuk hill is the highest one we had within our reach (around 3,500ft). But the road to Chimbuk was cut off due to landslide during a recent flood. So, we had to forget that plan. We were all in a sad mood. The morale dropped quite a bit. We came here after such a long journey and now the only news we hear is that we can’t climb Chimbuk! But then one of the drivers gave us the idea of climbing Tiger Hill, which is just outside the town of Bandarban. He also told us that on the way back we could bathe at Shailaprapat stream. We consented to the ideas of the driver and began the journey once again.


Tiger Hill, Le Top de Top (Top of the Top).......


The green carpet, seen from Tiger Hill........

When we reached the base of Tiger Hill, we began to realise the steepness of the hill. It isn’t the highest of the hills by any margin, but this is the tallest hill close to Bandarban town. The four-wheeler was stretched to the limit. The road was steep indeed. The vehicle even stopped once right in the middle of the road! We got a real scare. We at last realised that this isn’t the right season to climb a hill that steep. The road wasn’t in the driest of conditions. So, there was the chance of slipping all the time, even when you had a very good vehicle. Anyway, scary or not, we were astounded by the view that we could have from the top of Tiger Hill! It was around 12:45PM when we finally “climbed” the “summit”! This is one breathtaking scene! Being on the top of the world was exactly the feeling it gave us! There wasn’t a single hill nearby that could rival its height. So, we were literally at Le Top de Top (Top of the Top)! Did I complain about the season? What the heck, forget it! The view from the hill simply couldn’t be that green without all of that rain. And what better conditions can you find to photograph these landscapes when there are white and dark clouds hanging overhead? It was heaven! There’s a small concrete cottage at the top of this hill. The cottage wasn’t operational when we went there. It looked like a relatively new structure.


Rain in the air, the western horizon, seen from Tiger Hill........


More greenery........

We were all eager to tell our near and dear ones where we were. Everyone brought out their mobile phones with scepticism. And all of us, except Farhan, go the same disappointing result that we expected before coming to Bandarban. Bandarban, as well as the other two hill districts of Rangamti and Khagrachhari, were all outside mobile phone coverage. (as of June 2008, the government gave permission to mobile phone companies to bring the whole region under mobile network coverage.) But Farhan had the last laugh! He had network coverage. He talked over the phone while others got disappointed. Some of us also used Farhan’s mobile to talk back home. And there were plenty of reasons to try to tell others about it. The clouds were regularly casting shadows on the green below and developed a moving pattern on the grounds that cannot be replicated by any artistry, however good they are. We were told that in good viewing conditions, it was possible to see the Bay of Bengal from this place. We couldn’t quite make the Bay, but we could guess that the Bay was somewhere in the west. The western sky was under a bit of clouds actually. Soon we could enjoy the beautiful view of those clouds shedding water on the shallow green hills below, just like a caring gardener. It was a sight to see. The view entertained us alright, but we were still a bit concerned about the possibility of encountering rain while we were still on the top. So, we had to limit ourselves. We were coming down by around 1:45PM, but with a mind that required some consolation. We had to force ourselves to leave. Tiger Hill had a magnetic personality, which was strong enough to attract us even when we left Bandarban.


Shailaprapat, seen from the road bridge........






Shailaprapat........ pristine spring.........


End of the fall........

Now we were on our way to Shailaprapat. This is a hilly stream that gets filled up in the rainy season. The journey to Shailaprapat takes us by the hill resort of Milonchhori. And this is the same road that leads to Chimbuk. We reached Shailaprapat when it was around 2:00PM. The speed and sound of water reminded us that it was in full song. The stream was not the biggest one imaginable by any means, but it’s enjoyable. The fast flowing water doesn’t blow you away; yet, if you try to enjoy it, it will soothe you. The stream is some way below the main road. And the road, in fact, crosses the stream by a bailey bridge. The stream ends up in a splash that is not exactly a waterfall, but does give full pleasure of it. Everyone prepared for a nice refreshment in the crystal clear water. Had to be careful though, the stony banks of the stream were extremely slippery. I got rid of my sandal shoe and the next moment I was down! I forgot that my shoe provided a better traction than my foot. I recovered from the temporary shock with a laugh though. This accident didn’t prevent me from taking pics of the stream from some difficult and potentially dangerous angles. Others took it a little further though. They went as far as the ultimate fall of the stream and took a really refreshing bath. I wish I could do that, but somehow I didn’t have the heart to go for it!

We suddenly realised that we had virtually nothing since morning, when we left Chittagong. And there was no shortage of hard travel and enjoyment. We took whatever we could find at the stream. There were fruits available there along with some other light food. We hardly noticed what were taking, but the pineapple was particularly succulent. We simply filled our stomach as much as we could. It was already 3:15PM. So, we knew that we were struggling with our timing. We still had the plan to visit the famous Buddhist temple.


The magnificent sight of the River Sangu.........


The Buddhist temple of Bandarban..........



We had to be on the move once more. On the way we enjoyed the breathtaking sight of the River Sangu from the top. The floating clouds were giving comfort to the lone river that flowed through all the hills. If was green all around; and it was hard to describe. But again, we had to move on. We went back to Bandarban town and changed back to our original vehicle, the microbus. We no longer had a dangerous journey ahead of us, which allowed us to pick our original vehicle. We reached the Golden Temple or Buddha Dhatu Jadi, as it is known officially, just before 4:00PM. The temple is only around 4km outside the town and on top of a hill, 146 steps up there. There, we got to know there that the temple was open for visitors from 4:00PM. We were tired; so, a bit of waiting didn’t hurt us. And as the temple was on top of a hill, it provided some excellent views, which never make one tired. When we finally went to enter the temple, we got to know that it was not allowed to take photos inside the temple. So, we were content taking glimpses from the outside. The golden statues and the golden top of the temple were imposing indeed. The sun was also shining on them, as if there was a smiling contest among those golden statues! The designs of the temple were exquisite and attractive. We really enjoyed this great monument at the end of a hectic day.

It was around 4:30PM. Now it was time to move on once more. This time the destination was Cox’s Bazaar. I had been to Cox’s Bazaar many times before. But yet another visit didn’t make me tired. The last time I visited the place was some time back. A new look during a new time could be interesting indeed. It wasn’t too long before the sunset and dusk set in. We crossed Dulahazra Safari Park on the way. Some of us suggested a visit there. But we had to stick to our plan of reaching Cox’s Bazaar on time. It was too late for the day to pay a visit to the park. May be some time later.

When we reached Cox’s Bazaar, it was around 7:30PM. It was a tough journey all day. But at the end of the day, we at least got a staying place ensured. Aurnob’s uncle was in the military and through him, Aurnob was able to manage a couple of rooms at a military rest house at Cox’s Bazaar. And on top of that, the rest house was right on the beach with an open balcony facing the sea! What luck that is! It’s always a deal to get a sea-side window at Cox’s Bazaar. Anyway, after freshening up, we went to finish our dinner. We were damn hungry. We hardly ate anything substantial during the whole day; only fruits here and there. So, the dinner became a grand one. We filled our stomach like anything and enjoyed it to the full.

A full day’s toil and a dark night didn’t put us to sleep. We went to the beach at the dead of the night. It was a great feeling seeing the waves after so long. The sound of white waves jumping on the dark sandy beaches was soothing. There was a strong breeze blowing from the south. It was a little chilly, but enjoyable. Distant lights cast some colourful reflections on the water. We stayed at the beach until it became a little bit too much to keep standing. And at last it was time to reach for the bed. What a day! It’s been more than 24 hours of constant travelling. I still had the plan to wake up early. I wanted to see the beach at sunrise, even though the sun rose on the opposite direction of the beach. Others were a bit sceptical though, with obvious reasons.


Rainbow over Cox's Bazaar Beach at sunrise.........


The rainbow wasn't there for too long though........

As said, I woke up during sunrise, by around 5:30AM. It was a gloomy sunrise. A bit of rain was trying to soak the beach, taking away some of the credits from the waves. I was the only one watching this gloomy sunrise. What a shame! But hey! All on a sudden, by around 6:20AM, there were colours! Colours in the sky! A rainbow! The rainbow began to grow until it was all over the beach. It was a clear and full rainbow. What a surprise! I ran to wake everyone up. And what a pain! Everyone had such a hectic day yesterday that it became a real struggle to wake them up! Some couldn’t even pick up their heads. Whether the friends were up or not, I set up my camera and captured some rare moments. I did best to capture this huge phenomenon, but I was limited by the ability of my camera. My 24mm lens helped me with this one, but it still wasn’t wide enough. The left wing of the rainbow ended up in trees though.


Morning at Cox's Bazaar Beach......


Himchhari......... 220 steps up there.......


The hills and the sea, thats Himchhari...........


Himchhari........ God's own painting!!




A room with a view.........

After this natural photo shoot, it was time to get a bit more sleep. We finally woke up and had our breakfast. We had the plan to move further south from Cox’s Bazaar and come back here to have lunch. We moved out towards the beach after breakfast and hired a vehicle to go to Himchhari, some 18km south of Cox’s Bazaar town. The road to Himchhari kisses the Bay of Bengal all the way. In the best of conditions it’s possible to drive on the beach to reach Himchhari. But as we couldn’t do that, we rather took the road alongside the beach. This journey was one of the best short road journeys I’ve ever made. Wind blew our hair and we looked like a bunch of wild men who had never seen wind! As if we were looking for an end of this road. It was awesome. We reached Himchhari by around 11:00AM. Himchaari is a hilly area by the beach where you can see waterfall. But the falls have nothing but dried up. Yet, we climbed the hill after crossing 220 steps. The view from the top of the hill was fabulous enough to make the whole trip worthwhile. It was a magnificent meeting place of the sky and the sea. The colours blew our mind. Only Nature can produce such colours. We enjoyed the view for a while and did a bit of photo session. And it was time to move. We aimed for Inani Beach, some 12km further south (30km south of Cox’s Bazaar).

It was a superb journey once more. But this time the weather played its part. The moment we stepped at Inani, we could see dark clouds looming overhead. Before we could realise how long we could keep ourselves dry, the sky came down! The rain was heavy; it was a stinging rain! We felt almost as if hundreds of blunt needles were trying to penetrate our skin. This shock was over within a moment or two though. We got used to it, even though it continued to sting. We stripped to our trousers and ran for the beach. It was a frantic run. We returned to our childhood! There was none to stop us, none to say, “Come back home, I say!” Anyway, we discovered that some local children at the beach were doing business with footballs. We took a football and began a game. A game of football in the rain; that’s what it was all about. We could hardly keep our breath, but it was worth the effort. A great thrill after a long time. A funny thing happened within this time. A dog came up and stole one of the coconut skins that we had been using as goal post! We chased the dog, but apparently he was adamant enough not to let it go!

At the end of the game we jumped into the water and the waves embraced us. We soaked for a while to our heart’s content. The rain, one the other hand, continued sporadically. Inani Beach is a little different from the main beach of Cox’s Bazaar (Laboni Beach) in that it has a fewer number of visitors and there are coral rock formations on the beach. One has to be a little careful while bathing in the sea, as coral rocks can hurt.


The empty and rainy Inani Beach..............

We enjoyed our whole stay at Inani. It was fun like no other. It was raining and we thought it wasn’t advisable to bring out our cameras. But I went for it in the end. How could I live with it? We had such a nice time over there and not a single photo of us from the visit? It can’t be. I brought out an umbrella and used the cam as much as I could. Those moments were special. I’m glad I did that.

Now it was time to move once more. We were feeling some pressure from our stomach. We left Inani by around 2:30PM. On the way, we took advice from Babu, who missed the tour, for a nice place to eat. He suggested Mermaid Café, right on the beach. We went for it. The best thing about Mermaid was that it was on the beach and it offered a nice view. When we reached Mermaid, it was around 3:30PM. We thought we could finish our lunch and then move on. But that could hardly be further from reality. We were a bunch of hungry travellers seeking nothing but food. And all the restaurant could offer was a s-l-o-w delivery of one item at a time! This is a place for a leisurely lunch; not for a quick getaway lunch; a place for the hard stomach people, not for the people who just finished a football match on a rainy beach!


Rain at Mermaid Cafe, Cox's Bazaar......


The green carpet.......


The shade..........


The brave and the sea........


The sand of Cox's Bazaar..........


Idle time at the looong lunch gave opportunity to have a look around.........


Sand artists............


Silhouettes..........


Children of the sand..........


The shade and the horseman........

Anyway, the lunch took so long that we simply moved around the beach waiting for the next item to get ready. The monsoon was at its best. It rained every now and then. But we sure had a great opportunity shooting some snaps. The Nature could beat anyone in terms of beauty. The sea, the sand, the clouds, the sun and the little plants on the sand, all played their part in making this beauty contest a success. It was enough to forget about food for the time being. But as soon as we went back into the restaurant, we were again thinking about food. We finished our lunch while it rained. The rain didn’t stay all the while; it was showing off and then all on a sudden, it was deciding to hide. But it was there in the horizon all the time.


Sunset at Cox's Bazaar Beach..........


Colours of sunset............


Golden sunset.........


More colours!!


Silhouette......... Aunik lost his specs, oh no!!


Friends forever........... Aurnob and Rashed

We finished our lunch by around 6:00PM. This was the longest lunch I’ve ever had. By the time we were finished, it was already time to enjoy the sunset. It didn’t take too long for us to reach our beach, the beach in front of our resting place, that is. The rain was still persistent; determined not to give us an easy chance to shoot the sunset. There was cloud all around, but hey, who gives colours other than the clouds? A clear blue sky hardly produces the colours that a cloudy sky can. You can really discover nature during a cloudy sunset. And on this day at Cox’s Bazaar too, we were not disappointed. The sun showed all its colours in a magnificent fashion parade of nature. It was wonderful. One could hardly think of more colours during a single sunset. It was something to remember. We clicked.

We stayed on the beach as long as we could, before it was time to plan for the return journey. We had already confirmed our tickets to Dhaka. So, it was just about getting freshened up and finishing dinner. Once we were inside the bus, we simply forgot the toil of the day and started talking about the extraordinary experiences from the tour. We talked until it became too much to keep awake. The whole tour now placed itself in our dreams, waiting to be revived once more with the sight of the glimpses that we managed to capture during the tour.