19 match's found in 'Adventure' category -

Long walk to Keokradang

The most charming adventure tour in Bangladesh is to explore Keokradang, the highest peak of the country. Our team consisted of only two persons -- Rahul and I. So the tour was more of an adventure for us. Many suggested us not to go on this venture, but defied them one by one.

Sally for island

The sea-truck was a disappointment. It's a small affair; dirty all over, the sides rusted by the salt of the seawaters. When we reached Maizdi Court port in the afternoon, the sea-truck was sitting there like the ugly duckling. The deck was already filled with lungi-clad men, burkha-draped women and children sat on wooden folding chairs, some munching peanuts, some having bananas and throwing away the peels carelessly into the air. Of course, what goes up must come down and so the floor of the deck was soon getting covered with the banana peels and peanut shells and becoming dirtier by the moment. A few mullahs all decked up in robes and <>topi<> lie sluggishly and read the cine page of a newspaper.

Island in stillness - Part-2

I yawned, stretched, rolledover and slid down the bed. It was fog all around, as I stood on the forest bungalow balcony. The dew was dropping from the tree leaves, leaving soft round marks on the dirt below. There was a pungent smell of the village -- of dirt ruffled by dews, trees and the sea.

Where deer sprinkle gems

Concluding part

A soft afternoon glimmered on Nijhum Dwip as we silently rowed down a canal. We all sat in silence, our eyes and ears intent on hearing every rustle of the nature. It's a surreal situation, our boats had to go under thickets hunched over the canal, all we could hear were birds chirping and the thickets brushing against the boat. On both sides of the canal are forests of kewra. Our eyes and ears strained. The sky seen through the bush looked too blue to be true.

Riding The Snows

It's an irresistible color, white. It tugs at the heartstring and beckons one to Himalayan heights every winter, the freezing cold notwithstanding. There is plenty you can do with the crisp white flakes as they descend lightly from the laden skies: just scoop them up in handfuls and play ball, and hop onto a sledge and let the sledge man run down the hill side with you, or put on a pair of skies and zoom down to slopes at 60 miles an hour.

A book and a trip to Mainimukh

"This is stirring stuff,” Khosru reached into his bag to produce a green A4-size book with a sky blue jacket.

The elephant trail

It is a beautiful rest house in the middle of nowhere. Standing high on concrete stilts, the white-walled, tile-roofed building looks alluring on a hilltop. Two huge balconies were just waiting for us to slump. The breath-catching scene made us forget our journey fatigue.

Kasalang chronicle

We were once again cruising. First, we crossed the lake into the creeks and then we found our way into the Kasalang river.

Mountfort's bird paradise

A Flight of steps up the steep slope led to the Pablakhali bungalow. We toiled up it, carrying our backpack and camera equipment. We passed a small pond by the woodland and then the white structure came into view. It is just a copy of the Mainimukh bungalow -- the same design, the same wide balconies. On the sofas laid out in the shaded balconies, we sat down to have tea.

The enchanted forest

In the mild afternoon sun, we wanted to take a better look around. to feel the changes that have taken place since Guy Mountfort, the famous wildlife expert and WWF trustee, visited this place and recorded his fantastic observations. But even before we set out we knew not much of the forest is left today: the land has gone through a lot of stress by humans -- first by building the Kaptai dam that had flooded and destroyed the forest land, and secondly, by illegal loggers.

Part-1

Swatch of no ground

I was getting bored in Dhaka in the restless early months of this year when I got the invitation to a special treat on F.B. Baba Loknath. I fought with parents, ducked through corporate darts, tricked the weather, and finally made it to the Cabin No. 11 of MV Chhuti, anchored at Mongla port. We were to set off the next morning on a very special trip few have taken before -- a trip to the Swatch-of-no-Ground, a weird deep canyon in the Bay of Bengal, where you can have the rare chance of watching dolphins and whales.

Part - 2

Swatch of no ground

The night fell and darkness engulfed us. I was spellbound by the wonderful silence of nightfall; serene, peaceful and tranquil. The silence was broken by the call for dinner. Sobhan bhai, the cook, had already fixed the table, or rather the pati, and laid scrumptious food on it. The menu was simple; rice, daal, two types of vegetables and fish curry. Due to my low intake of food it was very difficult to convince the cook that the food was absolutely delicious. Consequently I was nicknamed 'chorui pakhi' (sparrow). Yet mealtimes were always enjoyable, as Master Shaheb, the captain and senior most member of the boat would hypnotize us with his stories, ranging from outlaws invading his village home to unknown sea creatures jumping on deck, while Kalimullah bhai, the engineer cum sculptor, would try to counter with his smart logic and Jakir bhai, the all-rounder, doing everything from cutting onions to helping Master Shaheb maneuver the boat through the freezing nights, would sit at a distance and smile discreetly. It took me little time to feel at home on Loknath. I was very comfortable just lying on deck watching the night sky, or Kalimullah bhai carving a piece of wood into 3 small cute dolphins with a simple chisel.

Trekking to Kudung Guha

It was Dr Reza Khan, the zoologist, who once told us about a mysterious cave somewhere in Teknaf. He enchanted us with the description and photographs. A elongated gap in the hills through which you can see the green vegetation outside. The cave floor filled with water. The picture remained with us as we dreamt of stepping into that cave one day.

Part 1

Journey to a bat cave

As far as I can recollect, the mountains have always fascinated me. I still can vividly recollect my first trip to the mountains of Beluchistan in Pakistan at the age of four. When my uncle called my name aloud to the mountains, the mountain replied back my name. It was a sheer magic to me. Then he explained what an echo was.

Part 2

Journey to a bat cave

Next morning we resumed our journey at the first light of dawn. Towering peaks and emerald green forest patches lined the riverbanks. As the river was very shallow and the rapids very swift, we had to walk most of the way while Aung-shoy and Kong-la dragged and pushed the boat up the stream.

Scaling dizzying heights

Mountaineering- for Bangladesh it is a new concept. To hold on to a dream of getting higher and higher, to have a look at the world below from a place where very few people have ever been is something very tough here in Bangladesh. Geographically, we are inhabitants of a mostly flat alluvial region. So, one can easily understand how hard it is for someone to find a way to accomplish his dream of climbing snowy ridges; to be higher than anyone. But the exception is a few people who dare to stick to their cherished dream against all the odds for their mother land. And sometimes, it pays off.

Sir Edmund Hillary Ride; 88+KM

Perhaps everyone around us know the name of Mt Everest, the highest mountain on earth, the majestic symbol of courage for mankind. The 29th May, 1953 is perhaps the most significant day for mountaineering with the conquest of the Everest.

Kayaking on Shangu

During the long awaited vacation of our Independence Day, we were dying to do some water sports in the Bandarban hills. Since long we have seen the mystic water of the river Shangu during every trekking we made to this area. So, we planned to start trip from Thanchi to Bandarban town.

Trekking to the Everest base camp

Himalayas. The name itself explains a lot about this colossus mountain range -- the madness, exhilaration, excitement and most importantly the spiritual chasm. Home to some of the world's most infamous mountains plus the highest peak of the world Everest, Himalayas dwarfs all other mountain ranges by far. It is solitary in every sense.