Maya Dip: A Quest towards Solitude

In recent times, a lot of social media users are seen glorifying a certain place they recently encountered. Hundreds of check-ins have been made on Facebook and the selfies are uncountable. Some are calling it the ultimate place for a getaway from the city's chaos, and it has now become the new hot spot for photographers.  Who knew a sand bed in the midst of the Meghna River can be a perfect spot for travel enthusiasts. For the locations natural magnificence, its quiet atmosphere and rural setting, visitors say it's hard to leave its enchanting beauty. It is why they are calling it Maya Dip.

Known as Nuner Tek to the locals, Maya Dip is nothing more than a collection of the sand beds, yet it has been circulating the trends list for quite some time now. “I first heard of the place from one of my friends, who is a photographer, who also heard about it from someone else,” says Rakin, a contributor of the popular magazine Kishor Alo.  “A couple of friends and I went there and we were amazed. We didn't realise that such beauty is placed just an hour away from Dhaka.” Like any other traveler, they took a selfie, which was later published in Prothom Alo. One can say that was how the hype for the place came about.

The location to Maya Dip is quite simple. One must first go to Narayanganj, Ananda Bazar, which sits right beside the Meghna River. A bus from Gabtoli is the best option to go there. The next part of the journey is by boat. Almost every boat man knows Nuner Tek, and for 50 taka, they will happily take you there.  The boat ride is for 20 to 30 minutes and it is one of best parts of the Maya Dip experience. After a few minutes one will encounter nothing but riverine water. It is both very pleasing and frightening at the same time.

The first thing one notices when arriving at Maya Dip is the greenery. No houses, no trees, just lovely, green grass.  A 10 minute walk will take one towards a place which looks like a beach. The water might not be the cleanest of waters but the environment is such that one cannot resist dipping their toes into it. The ghaat consist of a 4 to 5 houses. Locals are quite friendly and most of them work as farmers or fishermen. The whole area consists of maximum 50 to 70 houses. There's no shop nearby so visitors make sure they bring everything with them.

“It is very quiet, and people are quit friendly. You can spend hour after hour by the ghaat and no one will bother you,” says Maisha Khaled, a student of North South University. “As a woman, I know there're very few places where I don't have to worry about my safety and Maya Dip is one of them.” Maisha comes here almost every month; sometimes with friends, sometimes alone, just to get away from the hustles-and-bustle of city life.

As Dhakaites, we sometimes need to escape this crowded city, just to give our minds some well-deserved peace and relaxation, or maybe just to think about the future. Maya Dip may be the perfect solution for it, a land of solitude just outside the chaos.