The Land of Cinnamon

by Tasmim jahan Sathi (Bangladesh)

A leap into the unknown Bangladesh

The destination for my first solo trip was decided to be the Land of Cinnamon, the only coral island of Bangladesh. Saint Martin a small island in the midst of the vast Bay of Bengal, about 120 kilometers far from Cox’s Bazar city. Locally it’s named as Narikel Jinjira meaning the garden of coconut or Daruchini Dwip meaning the Cinnamon Island. The shape of the island is just like a Cinnamon stick. My route was simple, Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar by bus, then to Saint Martin from Teknaf by ship. Teknaf is the southernmost point of our mainland from where ships and local boats known as Shampan departs for Saint Martin. The jetty stands on the river Naf which acts as the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. I reached there in the morning, had some light breakfast and then waited for my ship which was scheduled to start at about 0930 hrs. Ships on this route make round trips to and from Saint Martin daily— leaves Teknaf in the morning and returns in the afternoon. My ship ‘Rustom’ was just on time. It started sailing through the messy water of the Naf to fall on the Bay of Bengal. We could see the foreign lands very close from us. This was the first time I was travelling alone and I was feeling like a bird. Maybe there were hundreds of seagulls started flying around the ship just to coincide with my feelings. I had some chips with me. I threw them to the birds and they caught them in the air. Those white aquatic birds accompanied us up to the sea. When the Naf merged with the sea, they circled above us once or twice and then left. We had a two hours long journey through the rough surface of the bay. The island seemed like a junction of the sky and the sea where all the blues of the world fused together. The jetty was full of boats colored with different varieties. The gentle breeze combined with the sound of the waves falling on the shore made me feel like reaching the unknown heaven on this earth. I was lucky to get my hotel room just at the western shore of the island. It was already lunch hour and so the resting period was brief. I started rambling around the local market. There were hundreds of types of colorful sea fish displayed in front of each of the shops. All you need is to select the fish and they will fry them as per your instruction within a few moments. I was driven crazy seeing all these varieties of fish though my appetite couldn’t compete with my excitement. I tried Tuna, Koral and Rupchanda. The afternoon was pleasant with a bicycle ride. This is a must try activity in the scenic beauty of the island. All my weariness was washed away when I let myself float with the tide before sunset. I felt like flying in the sky although I was under the salty clean water of Saint Martin. There was more surprise waiting for me. I was astounded by the silver plate rising from the eastern sky. It was a full moon and I without knowing the lunar calendar, luckily got there on the right time. Saint Martin didn’t have any electric facilities and at that moment there was no need for that actually. The moon did her job to enlighten the ancient struggling life of the island. Usually the island gets deserted at nightfall. But I had an exceptional experience just for the moon shining at her brightest state above us. There were some university students playing guitars on the beach, I joined them. And we all sang like there was no tomorrow. Next morning, I, along with other tourists, visited Chheradwip, a tiny land attached to the main island at the southernmost part. It disappears during high tide. No one lives at that part of the island. So, there was a tomorrow in real. ‘Rustom’ came back to take us to our usual life once again. I collected some souvenirs, had some new fish for lunch and journeyed back to the city following the reverse route.