One Week with Nature

Last year, I was in Sylhet for one week as my second maternal uncle, Mesbah Mama, got transferred there. Thus, we found the perfect excuse for a family vacation. We made our way to Sylhet by train. And I must say, for my first train ride, it was a pleasant experience.

After 7 hours, we reached the Sylhet Station of Sylhet Sadar Upazila. Mama’s car was waiting to pick us up. After a while, we reached their home at Sylhet Cantonment. We had our breakfast, and one of my cousins couldn’t sleep the entire night from the excitement of our arrival. We got welcomed in a very humble way. Then in the afternoon, we planned to visit all around the cantonment with my siblings and cousins. We had a lot of fun together. We played golf, and none of the golf balls went towards the destination. My cousin Rafin helped me out by correcting my posture,  and I must say the golf sticks were quite heavy. While returning, we were checking the infantry and artillery troops to see how their practice was going on.

The next day, we planned to visit Shahjalal Majar and Sreemongol. There were a lot of fish inside the pond at Shahjalal Majar. While drunkards were lying all around the place, claiming themselves as special messengers. After that, we visited Sreemongol, took a lot of pictures, and later had some tea in the city of teas. The flavor was splendid, and there were many layers of colors, which are rarely found in Dhaka. It was almost evening; the sky and my tea were complimenting each other.         

On the third day, we visited Ratargul Swamp Forest and, later, Jaflong Zero Point. Ratargul was completely like a floating city, as half of the year there remains water and another half remains under water, giving a common Haor vibe.

                                     

Jaflong Zero Point was a picturesque place. From there, India was completely visible. Then, from Jaflong, we also visited the Shangrampunji Jhorna, or the local Mayabi Jhorna. We needed to ride an electric boat from Jaflong and then walk for an hour to get there. Walking for an hour was extremely exhausting. My throat became as dry as bone. I could no longer stand still, and my spine refused to function. But after seeing the heavenly waterfall of Mayabi Jhorna with my bare eyes, the effort felt completely rewarded. The Pacific sound of the avalanche of water striking the stones and the sprinkles of that shower hitting my face were straight from paradise.

On the fourth day, we visited the famous lake of Sylhet, Lalakhal.               
There, we roamed around the entire lake by boat, and interestingly enough, the water color was green. The lake is really commendable and is surrounded by aligned trees. Later, we went to Agun Pahar, where fire sparks ignite between the small hills and lakes. A special kind of bubble forms there, and as there is a source of gas, even in water, the fire can ignite. It was scary to go near; we had to see it from afar, and it was a spectacular sight.

On the fifth day, we were so tired that we decided not to go far. Then my parents decided to visit the Grand Sultan Resort for a day, as my mama had an important meeting that day. With excitement in my heart,  along with my cousins, we went there, had our lunch, and visited the entire resort, and it was breathtaking. We wanted to spend a night there, but it was not possible due to our tight schedule.

On the sixth day, we visited Bholaganj Shada Pathor, and to me, it was the best place of all. We woke up at 4 a.m., started to get ready, and hopped in the car within an hour. We made a 4-hour journey by car, then a 1-hour journey by CNG, and then a 1-hour journey by boat, and at last we reached our desired destination. The place was full of white stones, staying true to its name. Then we went to the Army Rest House and had our lunch. After that, we all get into the water. There, India's mountain water flows from Shada Pathor, and that day in India, a great storm was taking place, so the water was full of tides and waves. We enjoyed it a lot. We were floating, and the waves were so rough that we felt as if death was not too far. Then my father brought us life jackets, and then we again jumped into the water. Till the Maghrib Azan, we were inside the lake. Then we got up and said goodbye to the best lake.

 

The farewell to Sylhet was near, and soon it was the seventh day of our trip. We had our train tickets booked. Leaving our cousins behind and leaving the amazing places was really heartbreaking. Even after everything, it was an amazing tour in Sylhet, and it still delights my heart. Whenever life feels too burdensome, I recall this tour and its sweet memories.  This tour reminds me that nature has its own way of giving, and every human is an individual like a plant.