They are not the last frontiers of Bangladesh but one nestled between a meandering and translucent lake and hills and the other between enchanting hilly peaks and a sea of gathering velvety clouds are natural choices for a retreat after busy schedule of life. How should communications to these holiday retreats be? Road communications from the country's capital to these destinations are all right but the same cannot be said about the travel between these two spots. Also, the check-in time at 12 noon to hotels including Parjatan facilities is such an inconvenience for vacationers who arrive early in the morning after a night's journey!
Visitors willing to go to Bandarban on completion of sightseeing at Rangamati feel dismayed when they discover that there is not even a decent bus service between Rangamati and Bandarban. Only two 28/30-seat buses operated by a company leave from Rangamati in the morning, which return from Bandarban in the afternoon. These are local buses in which passengers keep standing and are picked almost at every bus stop. Then there is a journey break for half an hour. The rationale behind such a long break is simply incomprehensible. If there were non-stop tourist buses, the travelling time would not have been more than one and a half hours instead of three or three and a half hours these buses take.
Now why the two tourist spots are not well connected is beyond comprehension. The two scenic beauties -one lively with its watery expanses guarded by hills and the other a sleepy arch -have their own irresistible attractions. Integration of these two into a service package for eco-tourism awaits to be made good use of. Last week's article concentrated on Rangamati and now the focus is on Bandarban.
True, Bandarban cannot compete with Darjeeling or Kashmir for reasons understandable. The world's tallest peaks are nowhere near. But yet this hilly district has something so poetic and bewitchingly enchanting to offer that the more celebrated mountain sites lack. A journey at dawn, mind it at dawn proper, can give the impression of heaven coming down on the hill tops there. Unending white masses of clouds hang right beside the serpentine road curving to the country's highest tourist spot called Nilgiri. It looks more like a sea of cotton spreading down below the road. Sometimes thin screens of black and wet clouds surround the Chander Gari (Is it called so because the car takes people literally to the moon?) enthralling one's senses with wonder and awe mixed together. If one can spend a night at one of the Nilgiri resorts, nothing like it. One becomes a witness to the whisper between the heaven and earth or between the 'Meghbalikas' (damsel of cloud) and their lovers Nilgiri or Chimbuk hills.
A breathtaking sight the gathering clouds though start disappearing with the first rays of the sun. Those who visit Nilgiri when the sun is up in the sky miss the most captivating scene that is created early in the morning. If a visit to the Nilgiri is everlasting for the ethereal clouds, a visit to Nilachal just before sunset brings a visitor face to face with a sleeping beauty whose expansive emerald blue anchal (fringe of shari) lies sprawling. So soothing and at peace with itself, the place gives one the experience of a pilgrimage. It is unlike the religious ones people feel while visiting the golden temple which is full of crowds and noise. At Nilachal, even the boisterous among the visitors feel they have no right to disturb the calm and serenity surrounding the entire hilly landscape.
While Meghla and the waterfall at Shailapropoat are most likely to disappoint one because of their inglorious shape at this time of the year, a visit to Nilgiri and Nilachal more than compensate for the bumpy and risky journeys there. Bandarban have its special attractions. Yet the tourism industry at both Rangamati and Bandarban seems to have remained a disorganised venture. Young drivers who drive the Chander Garis have their own story to tell. They are not oversmart though they would not mind haggling with visitors hiring their service. The rate of their fare goes up or drops depending on the arrival of tourists. Chander Garis are best suited to feel the entire environment while on a journey to Nilgiri. One can literally touch and feel clouds. The fare for a Pajero jeep is the same as for a Chander Gari which is a makeshift variety of similar jeep with no roof. Procured on auction they are good at travelling on rocky roads. This is the only area of this service sector that seems to be organised enough. But drivers are as usual deprived.
Clearly, introduction of more professionalism in tourism under Parjatan could roll transport service, accommodation and other types of hospitality into a single package. There indeed lies the key to developing tourism at these beautiful spots. For example, tourists should have enjoyed a Parjatan transport service between the two destinations if there were one. Also sightseeing under its guidance at Bandarban with all the requirements provided could deliver a shot in the arm of tourism there.
nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com
From Rangamati to Bandarban
Nilratan Halder | Published: April 18, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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