A Generic 'Trip Report'

When our benevolent sponsor sent us on a trip to relax on the beach— it felt like a perfectly doable idea. The idea remained afloat for a while, mostly before the journey commenced. When we almost missed the bus as our ferocious leader @zayedsakib mistook the bus schedule, and we were on the run with the heavy bags on the busy road of Arambagh, the idea of a relaxing weekend started to dwindle. It would still be alive till we reach our destination, or so I thought, then came @surrealfia, like Kalboshekhi, barging into the bus door, declaring her arrival in a boisterous outcry. The monotonous snore-engulfed bus suddenly became a battlefield. I thought to myself—how do 11 people relax together? What was I thinking!? The relaxing tour became more like an adventure. Is that bad? Not really.

Yet every single one of our not-so-little-band tried to find their solace in their own way (@sarashew, @drivingindevon and @annabeth are prime examples but not the only ones). They wandered around, often in two or three, sometimes alone, roaming the sandy beach, restlessly—perhaps on a quest to find some long-lost proverbial trinkets that eluded them. I don't know whether they have found what they were looking for—But I had a glimpse of serenity the day I reached there. For the first time I went to the sea on this trip, I was tasked to bring @chrysanthemum with me, we were to go on a liquor hunt, but extremely tired, he was fast asleep. I looked at the sea and felt the cool breeze touching me, invitingly. I didn't need any Nishir Daak to answer that call. At that moment, I was entwined with the sea, I was not a tourist, but rather an estranged friend. A reunited lost son. During the rest of my stay, I failed to attain that intimacy with the sea like that again, I was just another visitor to her mighty vastness. I can only hope the sea forgave my insolence, as she always does—for I will be there again before long.

Someone shoved a crown of flowers on my head at one point, I don't remember who it was (Fia most likely) and before leaving the beach, I offered that crown to the sea. She refused. I tried again and was refused again. Tossed back the crown to the shore every time. Was that her way of showing displeasure?
Unlike me, somebody else was in sync with the sea in their own way, I suspect. @r-nyn's
vagabondish footsteps were a sight to admire.

For a short while though, everyone was forced to relax on the Chander Gari. Stuffed with tasty meals from Palongki and surprisingly large coconut water from Teknaf they could do without but gorged on anyway—everyone dozed on the return trip. The chaotic energy the group had on the way to Teknaf took a nap itself. I looked at the faces, tired, yes, yet calm and satisfied. Perhaps the goal was attained a bit then.

@riz611 played the pivotal role in making this trip adventurous—he strikes me as a living breathing energy source—powering the surroundings. In retrospect, @rafa-noor stealing the flowers ornamenting herself (the signs begged her not to), @minhajulmredol always searching for places to pose as a model, and @sarashew stealing my butter-nan are part of that adventurous buoyancy. Sara can have all the naans, by the way. I hereby absolve her sins.

The people I interact with daily, getting to know them better had its own charm of course. @chrysanthemum's nonchalant gait stayed with me. He probably doesn't know this but I observed his movement with enormous curiosity.

That night when we all sat beside the fire, and talked about ourselves, our first impressions of each other and the confessions—the whole thing reminded me of The Decamerone.

Something else was a source of some relaxation for me, more than the sea, more than the green—I miss the walks along the mermaid's internal tiny roads at night—lighted in a gayish manner, as if it's a BTV set, yet surprisingly homely. However, something is telling me from deep down, that it had nothing to do with mermaid or their decoration—rather that particular time, that atmosphere, and that state of mind that shaped it that way for me. Only for me.