A Peep into Sonadia through My Eyes

I have planned so many trips, but only one has so far come to life. The start of this year was different from what I imagined it would be. I expected it to be a regular and boring semester break that I would spend. Things took a different turn as I chose to take a trip to Sonadia Island. Before taking the trip, a few reels about the place appeared on my feed. However, I did not keep any expectations, as this was going to be my first camping experience.

It was a 3-day trip, and we were a group of 18 people. We started our journey as we boarded the bus for Cox’s Bazar from Komlapur Bus Stand on a chilling December night. After a few years' bus journey, the salty breeze of Cox’s Bazar touched my face; I felt in my heart something different as we got down.

We had to choose a spot to set up our tent. I found for it a place from where we could see the sea. Soon after our tents were set up, we were called for lunch. The lunch was plain, and the food was regular, everyday food. But the interesting twist was the local touch to it. They were offering a local fish fry with their food, which we all enjoyed a lot. By the time we had finished our lunch, it was already afternoon. A few of us took a nap, while others prepared the bonfire. As the evening fell upon us, we were offered chicken barbecue and bread (roti) as evening snacks. We spent the next 2-3 hours singing and chatting. At night, we even walked to the beach and enjoyed the roar of the waves under the shining moon.

Soon, it was time for dinner, and we ended the night with some amazing crab cooked in local spices. As the night fell, I realised the temperature was falling, and soon I found myself shivering as the cool breeze was blowing mercilessly. The next morning, I woke up as the sun was up, and my tent was filled with light. I could hear the ocean waves and felt like I could live on Sonadia Island forever. Within a few minutes, someone from the campsite came and called us for breakfast. We had khichuri, egg, etc. for breakfast. I headed towards the only ‘Tong’ to have a cup of tea. I enjoyed the tea but was annoyed at the fact that although there was a designated place to dispose of discarded things, I could see paper cups, chip packets, cigarette butts, etc. were directly thrown into the sand. Such activities are surely unfriendly for the island’s environment.

We took a bath in the saltwater before lunch. The beach is a sanctuary to small creatures like the red crabs. We spent some time playing with the water and the crabs. In the evening, we were offered a ‘Koral’ fish barbecue for our snacks. After we were done with our snacks, we planned to create another bonfire which would stay lit up to midnight, as we were going to have a new start to the year.

We created a bonfire and spent our time singing and dancing. Immediately after the clock hit 11:30 pm, we all got prepared with our sky lanterns and went back to the beach. We lit the sky lanterns at 12 am exactly to give a new start to the year. This will always be one of my favourite moments in life. The next morning, we had to pack up our things. It was our last day at Sonadia. So I took a small walk around the campsite and said goodbye to the cats I had met there.