Chor Kukri-mukri

Sunday, 21 December 2014

This is the continuation of the Day-2 of the trip. If you have missed that part then kindly follow the link.

It was our last day from the three days trip and we all have waked up too early at the morning. The lavatory system of the guesthouse wasn’t usable as the reconstruction was going on. So without doing that we have finished our breakfast from the bazaar. Last night we have ordered our foods on that hotel and informed that we would be moving too early. And that guy has arranged everything as per the instruction. Also our boatman was waiting for us on the canal beside the bazaar. We were in a hurry and doing everything hastily. That’s why we have paid additional 500 Taka to that hotel guy due to the miss calculation (and we have realized at the night when we were at the ferry!). Lucky guy!

Anyway, we were disappointed after seeing the boat. It was a smaller one and very poor in condition. But we had to use that as we didn’t have any alternatives. But later the misery of the boat continued as it had lot of holes on the bottom. The name of the boatman was Hanif (হানিফ), and the helping hand of him is a 8-10 yrs kid. That kid had to be very busy with removing the water from the bottom of the boat.

Our today’s destination was a place that is locally known as Narkel Bagan (নারকেল বাগান). It resides inside the Char patila (চর পাতিলা) which is just beside the Char kukri-mukri (চর কুকরি-মুকরি) and separated by only a narrow canal. Most of the tourists use to pay a visit on that place and few of them also pitch the tent for the night staying. So we have decided to visit that place and our boatman was guiding our boat to that direction through the canal that we have been using for last two days!

People from the village uses to get very early at the morning. We have seen lot of them were out and going to the workplace. Few of them were walking (beside the canal) or on the boat to pursue the objective. In fact few have already started working and we have observed them from the boat. Farmers were busy with their fields, and the fishermen were busy with setting the nets on river or canal banks.

Few initial part of the journey was through a medium sized canal. During that journey I have observed several birds. I have seen a large group of Cattle egrets (probably 200-300 birds). I have never seen such number of Cattle egrets before. Apart from those, the Eurasian curlew, Common sandpiper, Common redshank, Black headed ibis, etc birds were very plenty on our way. As a new bird I have seen the Pied avocet bird. It was a black and white bird but extremely beautiful for the color orientation.

After that our boat has chosen a narrow canal. I have never seen such a narrow canal before. It is something like that can hold only a single boat. And due to the low tide, the water level on the canal was very poor (probably one and half a foot). We were afraid to get stuck on that mud anytime. But our boatman has assured that nothing would gonna happen, and he was right indeed.

At one stage another boat was coming from the other direction. Now it was exciting. We were thinking what would gonna happen next. And to surprise us, those two guys from the boat just jumped out from the boat and dragged that small boat at the bank and made a path for us. We have never seen such a funny thing before and we all were laughing. But the practice is very common on that particular area and they are habituated with that.

After crossing that narrow canal our boat again has joined into a wider canal. This particular canal was the best of our boat journey. Both sides of the canal was filled with carpet like grasses which use to go under water during the high tide. It was the low tide and lot of domestic animals were grazing around. And the canal was full with lot of birds specially the waders and plovers. It was a lovely seen to watch such birds were flying in a group. They were only moving away from us for the engine’s sound, but not leaving the place completely.

I have seen the Collared kingfisher bird at the first day and didn’t see later. Today I have seen this bird and took few photos from the far sight. During the course of the journey I have also seen the Golden plover, Barn swallow, etc. The boat was moving slowly, but the time was running fast. We have reached at the Narkel bagan (নারকেল বাগান) and anchored our boat there.

The place is very calm and quiet. Only few boats were there (probably they do some kind of works on there). As I have mentioned earlier that we have a lavatory problem on that guest house, so I have decided to resolve that issue on the jungle. After the started exploring the area.

This place is beside a channel and the local chairman planted few coconut trees there and wanted to establish a tourist spot on there. For those coconut trees the local people know this place as Narkel Bagan (নারকেল বাগান). And to be more precise the place resides under the Chor patila (চর পাতিলা). The area has a very long sandy beach that is really really beautiful. It has lot of mangrove trees at the bay which provides a very pleasant shed. Anyone can sit under the trees to avoid the sun rays. I have loved that place.

During this short walking I have seen the Common hoopoe, Eurasian collared dove, Indian golden oriole, Asian koyel, etc birds. And also I have found a new flower from the jungle that is some kind of morning glory, but I don’t know the exact species name. I’ll try for the name when I’ll be free.

We have had a seat under the trees and enjoyed the sheds. It was a really cooler one and the trees were providing lot of bench likes structures to put our butts on there. It had more trees on this beach before but it had to go under a devastating cyclone named Aila during 2009. Even at these days we could see the uprooted plants on the bay a lot.

To add some spice with our adventure, three of us have decided to explore the jungle for a bit. It is a mangrove forest, and with no tigers. So no risk (which we could have at Sundarbans). But it wasn’t that easy as we have thought before. The forest with very dense bushes of the Hargoja (হারগজা) plant that is full with plenty of thorns. And also the plants are having lot of air roots like a typical mangrove trees. So it was really difficult to push forward by ignoring the immense hindrance from those.

But still we have tried our best. We were looking for the birds, and in fact we were chasing a bird that was making very loud call. And we have reached very near to that bird as well. But it moved away from us for our noise. It was a huge bird, probably some sort of Eagle. A canal was in between us and the bird. So we couldn’t move further to trace that bird. We were really upset by that.

The returning wasn’t very easy for us as we have moved slightly deep inside the forest. We had to struggle for a bit to come out from there. We were moving towards the sound of the ocean and finally we could see the sun out there. Others from the team were waiting for us as it was near 12:00pm at the day. We had a launch to catch in front. But even within that hurry, one of use had a swim from the water of the canal. I wanted to join with him as well, but changing dress and putting back those again thwarted me to doing so!

As I have mentioned earlier that the boat was a miserable one and so did the boatman. Guess what! The engine wasn’t starting no matte how hard the boatman was trying and whatever slang he have used. Initially it was a fun for us, but when around half an hour have passed and the boat didn’t start, then we all started to get jumpy.

Suddenly a boat was coming and that was going to the our direction. I was thinking about to go with that boat. So have expressed my wish with my friends and they have accepted that idea. And we asked our boatman to adjust the payment. So he convinced that boat for 500 Taka and we have paid our boatman 700 Taka. It was a larger boat, and a fishing boat may be. It was carrying the fish to the Kochchopia (কচ্ছপিয়া).

This boat was a bit faster one, but the only problem was that we didn’t have much spaces for the movement. I was standing on the boat most of the times and enjoyed the beauty around. The canal was the narrow one but with plenty of green trees around. Sometimes those trees were brushing us. During this journey we have seen an Otter was having a sunbath. But he had to move away when we were passing him. I have never seen Otter in wildlife before.

Also, the canal was having lot of common and uncommon birds around. The boat was making lot of noises and those birds were flying away from us. That’s why it was really hard for us to snap any clear shot from that moving boat. But still I have tried few, such as the Changeable hawak.

After leaving behind the Char kukri-mukri (চর কুকরি-মুকরি) island, everything was a boring journey through a vast channel. After crossing that one quickly we have reached at the Kochchopia ghat (কচ্ছপিয়া ঘাট). We have phoned a local vehicle (that we have used at day-1) and that picked us from there. After reaching at the launch ghat, we have boarded into the launch and I had a quick nap on there. We were around one hour before the departure. Few of us had the lunch to utilize the time, but I didn’t find anything interesting on that. Our boat started around at 4:00pm at afternoon.

I always like the sunset, and watching the sunset from a moving ferries like this is also beautiful. I was waiting for that moment and came out from the room during the happening. It was again a red ball shaped sunset and the ambient was too much colorful and mysterious due to the winter. We all together have enjoyed that sunset from the corridor of the ferry.

During the night we have played the cards as always. In between the playing we have had our dinner with the same menu that we have used at the first day, Poa machh. We have gone to the bed a bit early as few us had an office at next day. The launch has arrived at the Dhaka timely and we left the launch for our home. It was a nice three remarkable days!

It was a three days trip at the most Southern part of our Bangladesh. At day-1 we have done some camping at Sonar chor (সোনার চর) of Patuakhali (পটুয়াখালী). At day-2 we have returned back to Kukrimukri (কুকুরি-মুকরি) and stayed there at Union Parishad (ইউনিয়ন পরিষদ) facility. At day-3 we have explored some part of Kukrimukri (কুকুরি-মুকরি) island and return back to the ferry for Dhaka by afternoon.

Chor Kukri-mukri (চর কুকরি-মুকরি),
Upazela: Chorfasson (চরফ্যাসন উপজেলা),
District: Bhola (ভোলা জেলা),
Country: Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ),
GPS coordinate (21°55’37.53″N, 90°40’13.28″E)

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://alonelytraveler.com/