Jotlang travel story of inexperienced travelers
Adding 1 extra day to victory day closure and total 5 nights 4 days plan to go to Fakirapool, I didn't think how many kinds of obstacles are waiting ahead. As December 13 is a Thursday, naturally there will be a lot of jams all over Dhaka; But the trouble started when the road from Dhaka-Aricha highway to almost the Prime Minister's residence was somehow closed because the Prime Minister held election road meetings at different places from Gopalganj to Dhaka that day. The time to leave the car was at 11.30 pm but even at 11 o'clock our 4 members were stuck in Aminbazar jam. Even then, at our insistence, the bus stopped for a long time and due to the jam, our last member arrived around 12.15 pm. Bus passengers were not abused because they were wearing heavy clothes. Then 4 girls and 8 boys from Jahangirnagar University Adventure Society (JUAS) and another experienced elder brother who has already done Jotlang-Yogi summit once, 13 of us started the journey. Unofficially, Jotlang is the 2nd highest mountain in Bangladesh and Yogi Haphong is the 4th highest mountain in Bangladesh.As usual, 10 o'clock in the morning rang after crossing Chittagong due to the traffic jam. At around 12.15 pm the bus arrived at Satkania and broke down, a new disaster. After waiting for 30 minutes a local bus came to take us to Bandarban, we reached Bandarban around 1.30 pm. I couldn't eat in the morning and I didn't have lunch in the afternoon. I reached Bolipara around 4 pm, I saw a long line there. Signed out and went to Thanchi around 4.45 pm. I filled the form somehow and went to the police court and then they said that they will not give permission today, I pleaded a lot but who listens to whom. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon meals in front of Khelam police station without fail. The new trouble started with the hotel crisis, there is no hotel anywhere or a board of 200-300 Tk, even if it is empty, it is too expensive. Meanwhile, I ran around but could not find a hotel. We are all budget travelers, so we didn't want to spend a huge amount of money on hotels. When we approached BGB, they requested that since there are girls, there is no hotel anywhere. Later, I was forced to go to Hotel Discovery in Thanchi, took 2 rooms for 5000 Tk. for 13 people.
After getting fresh, I went to Thanchi Bridge and chatted till 10.30 pm, at first the mood was hot that I should go to Jotlang or Yogi, but when I went to Thanchi Bridge, I felt like chatting with some of my people on Thanchi Bridge at night, this too in some way. not less A completely different feeling. Later I thought that it would not be bad to sit here and chat all night on a full moon night.
The most thriller story of life, anyone will be scared to death if they go here
As the plan got changed, we decided to go to Nafakhum on the 2nd day. Slowly enjoying Thanchi-Remakri waterway and after 2 hours of light trekking from Remakri, I reached Nafakhum around 12 noon, after jumping in the water for about 1 hour, I decided to take a guide from Nafakhum's upper district and go to Dalian district through Ulaching district, road 2. 30 hours. But as soon as I was about to leave, the business man of this neighborhood came and forbade us to go that way because there was a presence of the Arakan Army some distance ahead and the day before that they had turned away some people who were going that way. Another setback, then changed the route again and went to Dalianpara via Penadongpara near Remakri at 9pm. Incidentally, out of 13 of us, only 4 people have trekking experience in Bandarban, 6 people have the highest experience of Chandranath Pahar and Khaiachra, Napittachra or Panthichila and the remaining 3 people are trekking for the first time in their life. So 7 hours of trekking with heavy bags on the first day for the inexperienced and newbies, 3 hours at night on top of that was a challenge but everyone enjoyed it with a smile and left for Dalianpara at 9 pm.
On entering the Dalian neighborhood, a lady informed that the members of the TGB group had not yet held the Jotlang Summit, which scared some people. After leaving, the most experienced elder brother told me that he will not go to Jotlang tomorrow because of leg pain, another one after him did not. Everyone looked very tired, wondering how many will go tomorrow, some others don't want to go but those who want to go will go anyway.
The next day on December 16, Victory Day, I woke up at 4 am, freshened up, had breakfast and left at 6.06 am for the summit push of Jotlang, with our regular guide and 2 guides from Dalian Para. After 1.40 minutes we reached Y junction, there TGB elder brothers who had come from Jotlang summit earlier in the day also showed us some videos of the road, I was a bit scared myself. Later I requested 3 of us not to go because it would be very difficult for them to go. Because for us, it is better to return home safely to parents than to summit the mountain. I gave them our regular guides to go back to the village, then we 8 people and 2 guides continued to move forward. After walking for 2 hours, one's leg started hurting, I told one guide that you take him back to Dalianpara, then another guide said that he can't take us to the summit alone, some places are too dangerous, two guides are needed. Here too the problem, later the member told us that he will be alone in this forest till we come back, so we should proceed with the guide. It is absolutely unbelievable that anyone can come to this cave and say such a bold thing, then the guide is reluctant to leave him alone, one of us wants to stay with him, then the guide says that he will take him, we should go ahead with the remaining guide who is there. We ourselves are afraid that slowly both our members and guides are decreasing.Even then, with 6 boys and 1 girl and that guide, Dada, I continued to move forward. As we progressed the road got tougher, there were many places that were roughly 80 degrees steep and only had to climb up and down completely on bamboo.
If the hand slips from the bamboo once, it will take 2 days to find the body. Finally, at 1.15 pm I reached the Jotlang summit, at first I wanted to leave for 10 minutes, but I didn't want to leave such a beautiful and tempting view, I felt that it was really worth the effort. While filling the summit note, I saw that the 2 liter bottle was almost full. Then took pictures and started descending around 1.45. The road during the descent is full of more adventures, just going down along the bamboo.
Descending and descending, I passed the most terrible part in the evening, but then another new obstacle began. Shortly after Maghrib, the guide lost his way, and we got a new fear. The road forgot the power of his torch on it and it was almost over. Then took the new Ekta torch from us after wandering around for a while and continued on the right path. The road seems never ending, around 6.50 we reach the Y junction.I rested for a while, ate dates and started walking happily, and it was only 1.30 hours.
That's when another mishap started, one of our members, who has never had any trekking experience, fell from the mountain, got stuck in a bamboo tree 3-4 feet down due to pressure while descending a high hill. We do not have water in our souls. Turned on the lights to see if I could see down, it seemed to be at least 150-200 feet deep. Means escaped certain death. Then I slowly fixed him and crossed the rest of the road in fear that he might once again be the result of his pressure. Finally we back to Daliar neighborhood around 9.45 pm. Means about 16 hours of trekking in 1 day.
After that everyone congratulated us. The way everyone was hugging it felt like returning home with a huge achievement, even though it was nothing. That day I felt that I had survived several times from certain death, even the first sentence we uttered on the street was “If I could come back alive today, then...” . TGB's brothers and sisters thought that we would be back by 2-2.30 in the night, so they told our members in Dalianpara to come back that night to hang out with them, but we returned to the para and fell asleep by 11.30.
I wanted to go and hang out with my brother, but I didn't go because I was tired. But the surprising thing is that at around 2 o'clock in the night, the brothers of TGB came to our grandfather's house and started calling us. Later we came out and saw that they were all there and congratulated us. We are also surprised that they have come so late at night to congratulate inexperienced people like us. If you support like this, the tourism sector of Bangladesh will be more prosperous.
The next morning we slowly recovered and returned to Remakri. After coming to Remakri, I boarded the boat after getting on the network, I called home and learned that it is raining a lot in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar as well. Luckily we didn't get rain, thinking to ourselves that if we got rain after climbing, I don't think we could have made it back safely.
We completed the whole tour for 5700 taka. Maybe I could have done it within 5500 if I didn't stay in the hotel in Thanchi on the first day. Each boat fare (coming and going) cost 5000 taka, I paid 5000 taka to the guide of Thanchi, and I paid 1000 taka to two guides in Dalian Para. It is good luck that I got so few boats and guides even in this tourist season with a lot of difficulty.
I want to say one thing, before going, I was asking many senior brothers about Jotlang and Yogi Pathghat. But my own experience is little and I am taking some people who are more inexperienced than me or completely new, even none of the 4 girls have trekking experience in Bandarban, hearing this all of them except 1 brother frowned. Many thanks to that experienced brother for supporting me. And yes, there is not much difference between the 7 who went and the 5 who didn't. Maybe luck didn't help this time, but I know everyone can. So I would like to make a special request to the seniors, please don't turn your nose up when you hear someone's plan. You can do it, we can do it too, only it will take more or less time, but if we are motivated, we can travel with double enthusiasm.
But I would request everyone, if you want to go to Jotlang-Yogi Haphong, it is better to exercise a lot and then go. Otherwise, it is unimaginable how much danger it takes. Let me mention a line written by Monira Nowroz Setu, a brave traveler of Bangladesh, with which not only I, but everyone who goes to the mountains will agree with one sentence, “The sun is very important in the mountains. Starting in the morning can save you from the scorching sun, so if you can return before sunset, you are mentally and physically ready for the next day's trail. The setting of the sun in the mountains means that the familiar trail becomes unfamiliar, the hard trail becomes hell.”
Although we didn't find any plastic or other litter on the entire trail, we did find some packets of biscuits at the top of Jotlang which we brought on arrival. Even while on the boat I got many packets of Biryani in Sangu River which is very boring. We should have so much knowledge that we are ruining such a beautiful place and we are talking about pollution every few days. So we request everyone to refrain from these actions.
A very long post, so thank you all for taking the trouble to read. And if there is any mistake, you will look at it with an eye of forgiveness.
