HRIDOY TANVEER REFLECTS ON HIS LATEST TRIP TO SHONADIA TO CELEBRATE THE 31ST WITH LIKE MINDED TRAVELLERS
Just like many other previous tours we had to Cox’s Bazar, this one too was fulfilled. Shonadia island is a place where I always wanted to come back and spend more time amidst the serenity of nature. This 31st gave me that opportunity, only this time the team was bigger and better. In total, we were 20 in number.
While six of us started from Dhaka, the rest 14 joined us from the port city Chittagong. On 31st morning, we all met at Cox’s Bazar and headed to the 6 no. jetty where a boat was waiting for us to take us to Shonadia island. As the boat started to ply through the coral blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, we could already smell the excitement waiting for us at the island. Right after reaching the island, a breath of fresh air already heavy with that beach aroma of salt, sand and serenity hit our nostrils.
We got down from the boat, walked around the beach and finally found the sweet spot where we could set up our tents. With the sun scorching right above our head, the place was a bit shady with jhau trees. Once the tents were set up, we decided to cook our lunches making fire with the locally available dried branches of trees. This time, we had a newly-wed couple with us who decided to have an adventurous honeymoon.
As the night crawled in, we started to enjoy the quietness of the empty beach. We welcomed the new year with fireworks and BBQ. The first day of the new year was all about just relaxing and exploring the amenities that virgin beach has to offer. Angling was great fun for all my travel buddies. The thing such a getaway provides us is a unique opportunity to spend plenty of time away from the drudgery of city life.
With the beautiful blue sky on top of your head, sitting on a sand dune and reflecting on life was a favourite pastime for many of us throughout the stay on the island. The nights were far more beautiful than the day. Starry nights, waves crashing on the shore, and lots of chilling with tour members and singing at the top of our voice-this trip was all about enjoying bounties of mother nature.
As all good things must come to an end, we had to wrap up our tour as everyone needed to come back to Dhaka to resume working. As a frequent traveller and organizer, this had been another great opportunity for me to spend wonderful times with a bunch of like minded people. Though we are expecting to shed our tanned skin soon, thanks to the sun rays on the beach, the amazing memories will keep peeping into our minds throughout the year for sure.
Photographs by Hridoy Tanveer