Biography 227: Rangamati tour

 I have decided to visit Rangamati. It's a hilly district beside Chittagong. Many tribes live here with the plainland people.

Generally, people go there as a side destination, like they visit Chittagong, Cox's Bazaar, Bandorban, and Rangamati. I don't like rushing while travelling, so I decided to see Rangamati only. My friend Tuheen (an ex-colleague) joined me. I mean, I asked her, and she agreed.

I have always informed my parents about my movements, like where I am going and which places I will go next, one after another. So, I shared my travel plan with my family, too. Whoever heard this, family and friends, said to me, "You two girls will travel alone? How come?"

Well, why not? But deep inside, I was feeling discouraged. My cousin Litu was working with his own travel agency. So, I asked him about the tour plan. Like where we should stay, which places we can visit, etc. He gave me information as much as he could remember at that moment. He also booked a motel for us. I told him everybody was saying how we two girls would travel alone, is it ok for us to go there? He replied, "How did two girls become alone?" That sentence really gave me the courage to have this tour.

Now, our country's situation is different. So, girls, please always have some protection.

Our motel was a government-regulated old building just beside the lake's hanging bridge. Their furniture was old and elegant, and the food was good. In the morning, when we visited the Hanging Bridge, we saw lots of fog coming up from the lake water. Fish were near the surface water. The bridge looked like it was hanging in the sky, surrounded by clouds. It was an amazing moment.

Later, we crossed the bridge and went up to the hill. We found many tribe families are living there. They have different ways of dressing up, their household items are different, their bungalows are made in different styles, they speak different languages, they look different, and they are adorable and welcoming. Felt like I had come to a different world.

We booked a speed boat and hopped around the lake all day. In the afternoon, we saw birds that had come from the cold and were returning to their country. They looked very beautiful. Near the lake, I saw small cottages, which are for rent, and anybody can have a private time.

Rangamati has different shops with the tribal people's handmade items. I bought a dress and other items for my family. The price was slightly higher than it should have been, but not too high.

Then we came back to Dhaka on a bus. Each time we passed any city, I texted my father, mentioning where we were at that moment. Because Rangamati didn't have a mobile network in those days, I started sending messages when we came to a big city or plain land.

My dad was very excited to get my message. He told everybody where I was. My nephew Tamim became very irritated. He said, "Why are they not in one place? Why do they say different cities' names after a while?" All laughed at him.