Potenga: Our First Tour
At the Very First
August 28, 2015. We had finished our third semester’s final. After the exam, we were busy chatting inside the lake area of Dhanmondi 32, along with my friends Shakil, Raju, and Tuhin. We are talking about whose exam is the worst, how measurably we will fail to promote to the next semester, and promising each other to study well in the next term.
The time is 5 pm at the clock. Suddenly I proposed to go to Barisal. Launch journey all night, singing, chatting and the next day we will go around here and there inside Barisal city and catch the return launch the next night.
Meanwhile, Shakil said let's go to Sylhet instead of Barishal. Though Sylhet is not bad either, so let it happen. Just wanted a trip anywhere, that’s my target. By the way, going on a trip will cost money.
Putting my hand in everyone's pocket. Wow! What a condition of everyone’s pocket! Whatever, we have a little though, but Tuhin has only ten takas in his pocket. This is the financial condition right now.
How would we manage the money? Ok, it’s another story, I will write another story for this. Let’s back to the point. This time it turns to convincing a couple of more friends. I called Arafat, explained to him, persuaded him, and told him to go downstairs, to our other friend Rihan’s house.
I called him over the phone and took him downstairs. “Rihan, let's go to Sylhet''. He is more excited than us hearing this. He started to concentrate on making a list of all that stuff needed (He is a very fancy guy). Later on, I went to Shakil's house. Taking everything needed from his house, we reunited at Dhanmondi 32. Our next plan is to catch Sylhet going by train from the Airport Railway Station.
Before the Beginning
I offered them to go to the airport station through Mirpur (A brand new road is constructed some days ago from Mirpur to Airport through Kalshi, moreover my home is at Mirpur, some useful stuff can be taken for the trip since we are direct from the campus to the trip. ).
By the way, we are moving to Mirpur. After reaching Mirpur, section 10, everyone wanted to stay there until I come back from home with the needed stuff. I along with Raju and Tuhin have brought every necessary stuff from my home(Like clothes, towels, etc).
I also take a digital camera to take photos that have no sufficient charge on the battery. We met again and started to move to the Airport Railway station as the first step of our journey. We have been stuck in a traffic jam, and everyone looks at me with bloodshed eyes since I have convinced them to go through this route.
By the way, we reached the station when it was 9 pm. After having dinner at a roadside restaurant we wasted a lot of time chatting. When coming to the ticket counter at 11 pm, the last train from Sylhet already passed the station.
A sigh of frustration ensued from us. We decided not to go back home today. Whenever the next train arrives, we will sit on that. That's what we think. We started to play cards on the platform. As if, today we will do something.
Now it’s 12:20 pm. A train is coming from Kamlapur station. While the train enters the station, We start to run along with the train. I have asked the TC of the train “where will the train go?” Chittagong, he replied. No hesitation, just have jumped onto the train and the journey begins.
Having dinner in a roadside restaurant beside the station.
The Journey Begins
Though we don’t have the tickets, we start to negotiate the fare with the TC during the journey (it is illegal though, for both sides, to get up in a running train in a hurry, and Mr. TC will not pay a single penny to the government, we are sorry for that).
Whereas the fare is 350 taka, we ended up with 200 per person. Just take us down to Chittagong somehow. It is an exciting, difficult, and ridiculous journey. We go to the storeroom next to the railway kitchen. There are two chairs, but no chance to be seated.
We have put the newspaper on the floor and been seated on them, getting ready to play cards again. It’s an uncomfortable situation! Meanwhile, another embarrassment starts, Shakil's diarrhea. Ran to the train’s washroom for a while. What a pain he is in! we are laughing with sorrow.
This is how our train journey started. All night we relax a little, going outside the compartment, smoking cigarettes, going inside again, telling jokes, singing. These are our only way to be stable night long. I have more songs and jokes in my bag.
On the other hand, Shakil's condition is going very uncomfortable to diarrhea. He is calling on Allah and holding his stomach. Didn't get any seats to sit in all night. That's how we are going to spend the night.
The train picked up a few stations before sunrise in the morning, many passengers got off, and we too found some seats vacant. At one of the rail crossings in the morning, our train is standing in the middle of the line and waiting for the other train to cross.
In this gap, getting off the train we took some pictures. The journey begins again. As we are closer to the destination, a state of sleep falls over my eyes. Meanwhile, with my camera, Rihan and Raju finished the charge by doing photography and videography all over the surroundings.
When I got awake, I understood that there was no charge left on my camera. Anyway, more embarrassment when getting off the train. We got off the moving train, a little away from the station gate, because we don't have tickets.
As a matter of uneasiness that we could befall in a harassing situation for no tickets. By taking the name of Allah, we somehow managed to get out of the station. Meanwhile, Shakil's condition has become more critical throughout the night.
This time the search for toilets started again. While searching for the toilet, we have come to Chittagong Government Women's College. Being in a situation getting worse(!), Raju entered the women’s college campus with Shakil!
We are laughing at the situation and holding our stomachs tightly. What an experience! Getting rid of the situation we are now to search for a restaurant at the corner of Chawkbazar and have our breakfast. After finishing breakfast we are now to Patenga. We reached Patenga through Halishahar. This is the first time I stepped into a sea sight area.
About Potenga
Shakil started looking for the toilet again! I found a public toilet on the Patenga sea beach. Oh! What a picture inside! Vomiting is to be happening more than abdominal pressure. Anyway, to get fresh after finishing natural needs, we have run to the seashore.
Going to the beach, again another frustration takes hold. There is water only, no beach! When I came back with an off heart, a local man said that the tide would begin to recede in the early afternoon, and then the beach would float.
I was a little reassured to hear. If you can not come down to the beach while visiting the sea, then where is the fullness of sea luxury! Meanwhile, no one's phone is charged. Went to a store and requested, that the shopkeeper allowed us to charge our phones in his shop. Started to charge everyone's phone thinly, along with my camera.
By the way, It's time for lunch. Going to a restaurant on the bank of the sea and ordering food they offer us some new recipes. Telling us to wait until they are making our food. It is a new experience with food. Leaving us seated, the chef cooked a special dish of chicken.
We never tasted this type of recipe. The food was quite good. With free pulses. After eating and getting refreshed, seated on the bank of the sea under the shade of a big tree. Everyone took coconut from a hawker. Never eaten such a huge coconut before.
After eating and drinking coconut water, everyone’s stomach is full of load. We are waiting for the ebb. At the beginning of the afternoon, the tide began to fall, and the shore began to float. our mind becomes a little excited with happiness, I ran to the beach, ah! The beach!
Sand across mile after mile. This is a wonderful sight, peace came down in my eyes and heart. I started running. Ah! What is going on? It’s raining suddenly. Taking shelter inside the beach shop eagerly waiting for the rain to stop. After a while, the rain stopped and the sun smiled. We landed on the beach again.
Who sees Raju and Tuhin’s excitement!. Excited, they are very excited. We blazed with joy. went down to the beach. Tuhin's lungi(a special bottom cloth of Bangladesh) came up over his head. Rihan stood at the beach with a modeling attitude and started taking pictures.
I along with Shakil and Arafat started taking selfies and pictures with a random feeling. I mean, we weren't even aware of the excitement that is happening in our minds. I am in an infallible illusion.
That day was August 26, the birthday of our friend Shabriar. Suddenly, Arafat gives an idea, "Let's wish him a special way.” We wished him a happy birthday drawing “Happy birthday” in the sand.
I am dancing, running back and forth, singing on the beach, starting to walk by the side of the sea, and walking a lot deeper on the beach. Along the side of the beach, there is a Bangladesh Air Force base, after a while a couple of warplanes were taken off the ground to the part of regular flying with the slogan of "We will keep the sky of Bengal free".
When that evening came down all of a sudden doing this and that! The tide started again, and the beach began to sink. The light shone on the ship anchored in the deep of the sea, the south wind shaking the body, the mind singing, "Ore nil Darya, amay de re de chariya".
While getting up on the rocks and sitting down by the seaside, the saga of twilight starts in the western sky. It is such an unearthly feeling in the mind, the air coming from the sea such a mind-blowing way our inner side rejecting the wish of leaving the place.
We don’t want to get up. But every beautiful moment has an end, we have to go back to Dhaka! Ok, let’s back home. We started our return journey from Chittagong railway station. We got tickets but no seats as well. It’s a Local train again. It’s 1 am at night, and we are waiting to go back home, leaving the place we loved. Perhaps someone at home waiting for us separately. At the end of the day, everyone must go back home.
At the beach
Time to Back
It is also a big story on the train back home. The body is breaking down in fatigue. I will write this story another day, maybe. We would rather go back home this time. I got off the train at Narsingdi station and came away to my sister's home at Narsingdi in the morning, my other friends left for Dhaka. Our first trip ended up with some unforgettable memories.
No comments