We are constantly exposed to the blue light emitted from our devices, whether we're scrolling lazily or watching something intently.
Due to the impact of digital devices and social media, the sleeping schedule and pattern have been significantly disrupted.
Sometimes we take help listening to the natural sound effects to feel close to nature, and it helps us to feel calm and relaxed, to escape the complexities of the modern world.
Mesmerising hill-view in the rain from joomghar
What will happen if someone spends the night in this natural setting in reality? Is there scope for this to happen to anyone? Last week, we joined with a professional travel group named 'Altitude Hunter' to go on a trip to Bandarban to feel the serenity.
The journey began from Dhaka to Alikadam in Bandarban. Some prerequisites were instructed to take with the travellers, such as gear like trekking shoes, a water-repellent bag, rain covers for bags, as the travellers may have to trek in the rain, and odourless repellents, as there can be mosquitoes, etc.
All our food supply was taken from the Alikadam Bazar, as there would be no scope for obtaining food anywhere in the hills.
Journey
The journey began with a boat ride from Amtoli ghat on the Twain Khal, accompanied by our guide. Beautiful green hills on both sides bound Twain Khal. It was such a mesmerising view.
After a journey of about one hour through the Twain Khal, we reached Dousri Bazar at the army checkpoint for entering Alikadam. After submitting our NID, phone numbers, and official FAQs, we began our trek to the Thankowain cascade. There is no other way to reach the destination than by trekking.
The way beside the khal was so fascinating, and it became complete when it started to rain. Our team leader, Sujon, and the guide guided us through the trail.
There were four points where we had to cross the Khal. The heavy rain and the hill water flow made the crossing very difficult as the water force and pressure were strong, and we had to crisscross that particular area.
After overcoming some obstacles, we reached the cascade. The rain made the cascade flow in a large form, so the mighty sound of water falling made the heart beat a skip out of amusement.
We spent the evening in a joomghar belonging to a Tanchangya family.
A joomghar is made with bamboo, bamboo sticks, dry leaves, and other materials. It doesn't have any closed doors or windows, as there are no security concerns from the people living on the hill.
It is not only the living place of the ethnic people but also a challenging and straightforward portrait of their life. We spent the evening lying and relaxing in the joomghar, gazing at the cascade.
It was a treat to the eyes and soul. After a pleasant evening of snacks and sightseeing, we prepared for the night's cooking at the Tanchangya family kitchen.
The night at the joomghar was beyond imagination. The water falling sound from the Thankowain waterfall, together with the water flowing sound from the jhiri, made the night surreal. The effect we get from the digital platform is nowhere near the real natural world. At midnight, some gheko were calling from the roof of the joomghar. It's like everything complements each other.
The next day, after having khichuri as breakfast cooked by our guide, we started for the hill trek from the Thankowain waterfall. It was a strenuous activity for us as we were newbies on the hill.
One of our team members faced difficulties as he had a fast heart rate, and the rest of us had breathing problems. But our team leader Sujon took the steps very slowly to catch our breath, made resting breaks, and encouraged us every way possible.
After an hour-long trek, the destination came into view. We reached our desired joomghar at Hajirampara for the following day's stay.
There were the Chimbuk hill range on one side and the Mirinja hill range on the other side, and we were in the middle of a hill at the joomghar.
There were no other people except us as far as the eye could see.
The hill view was as green as possible, and sometimes it was a conundrum whether it was real or if we were looking at a picture.
As the afternoon came by, it got as cloudy as possible and started to rain. The quiet joomghar, the green hills, the rain, the thunderstorm, all made the feelings just complete, nothing less, nothing more.
It was an escape from reality, the hustle and bustle of life, the complexity, the negativity from every way. The whole team felt like this was our place; we didn't want to go back to our real lives. It was just a dream we made to live in.
At night, we had dinner with a Tripura family, whose joomghar we stayed at. We had the opportunity to watch the full moon, but clouds prevented us from doing so. But that ambience was another type of beauty.
We woke up early the following day and watched the sunrise lying on the Joomghar. After spending some time gossiping and relaxing, we packed our bags to detour our source and came back to reality.
Expenditure
If anyone wants to take the tour, there are some budget sections. There are buses available at a fair price to Alikadam from anywhere.
You must register at the different army camps with your NID and take your tour guide from Alikadam.
Then you can take an auto rickshaw to the Amatoli Ghat and start the journey with a boat. All food supplies must be taken with them, as there is limited scope for arranging food in the hills.
You can use the kitchen of the local people, and sometimes they may share their food with you, and you have to pay them for your stay at the joomghar.
If you prefer not to go solo and would like to share responsibilities, you can opt for a renowned travel group and pay them a fixed amount.
There is so little time left to explore the hills this rainy season, so make a plan and hurry up.
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