I came back from Venice, Barisal, Bengal. Those who want to make use of 1 day weekly vacation can definitely come back. In this one tour you can visit Barisal, Jhalokati and Patuakhali.
Route:
Sadarghat> Barisal> Banripara> Atghar> Kuriana> Bhimruli Bazar> Gutia Mosque> Durga Sagar> Bibi Pond> Barisal Launch Ghat> Sadarghat
On the night of 30th April, 4 of us left for Barisal. I had booked Survi-9 ticket 2 days ago due to big holiday. We bought an AC double cabin for 4 people for 2000 rupees. The launch was scheduled to depart at 8.30 am, but the launch departed at 9.45am. After crossing the Buriganga, when the launch was moving forward, it seemed that the wind would blow everything away. There were light waves and the launch was crashing on the waves one after the other. Many times I went to sleep enjoying the beauty of the river because the next day I have a day trip.
The launch reached Barisal at 4.30 pm. But we got off the launch at about 8 o'clock. Then I started looking for restaurants to have breakfast as usual but all the shops were closed due to May Day. Then I started looking for CNG / Mahendra but I couldn't find it to go to Banripara. All types of vehicles have been directed to be stopped till 2 pm. I got a CNG and he agreed to go. After going to Barisal bus stand, the transport workers dropped us off because they would not let any vehicle run.
A bus was going from the bus stand to Goria. I got on the bus and went to the shores of Goriya, then I went there and had breakfast. Then I fixed an auto which dropped us off at Guthia Bridge. From there I took a van to Banripara Trawler Ghat. Since the road was empty, I was able to enjoy the beauty of both sides of the road.
At 9.30 we reached Bandripara. Going there, I rented a large trawler for 1200 rupees. Atghar, Kuriana, Sarupkathi, Bhimruli Bazar will bring us back to Banripara. This agreement is with Majhi.
We started our journey at 9.45 am with some dry food and water. Rivers, ponds and canals can be seen in this trawler tour. The trawler will cross the river and enter the canal then go to the narrow canal. The beauty of the two sides of the canal will fascinate you. As far as the eye can see, there are empty guava orchards, mango orchards and drinking gardens. The trawler moves so slowly that you feel like you are lost in the green of a deep forest. As much as I was taking pictures, this natural beauty was getting dirty in the pictures. So I was enjoying the beauty with two eyes.
Around 12 o'clock we reached Bhimruli Guava Bazaar. After having tea at the floating Baudi hotel there, I ordered lunch and went to bathe in the river. When you go by trawler on either side of the market you will feel like you are in Venice, Italy. A lot of anxious feeling comes when you see the warehouses of the storekeepers sitting on both sides. We stopped the boat and chatted for a while sitting on the platform.
Since we didn't go in the season, the market was empty. And it will still take a month and a half for the guava to grow. The best time to visit Guava Garden and Guava Market is from late June to early September.
We really liked the place for lunch. There is a wooden platform on the river and greenery all around. Lunch was cooked in a clay oven which tasted like nectar. We ate mashed potatoes and shrimp, eggs, river fish, fried eggplant and pulses. I ate a total of 6 people including the middleman. The bill was 1200 rupees. They don't cook because there is no market now. They only cooked for us after we ordered.
At 5 pm we came back to Banripara. Although we were supposed to turn around at 2 o'clock, Kaka turned around until 5 o'clock. Uncle is an impossibly good man, though he gets a little angry. His name is Faraji Kaka, he couldn't give us the number because he didn't have a phone that day.
We left Banripara and went to Guthia Mosque and offered Asr prayers. It is one of the largest Jame Mosque in Asia. Within a huge area of 14 acres, there is a mosque, a beautiful minaret, an Eidgah with a capacity of 20,000 people, a post bungalow, an orphanage, a pond and a flower garden.
I went out of the mosque to see Durgasagar. After buying a ticket for 20 rupees, I went out with a whirl and went to the launch ghat after Maghrib prayers. Then covered in night launch.
Some suggestions
Food:
We ate dinner at the launch twice on the way back and forth.
Cow's milk tea and raw milk sweets are available in Banripara market and are good to eat.
Cost:
In terms of personal expenses, our per capita expenditure was 2600 rupees.
As always, I found that we were all a little indifferent to the beauty of the river. Let us all refrain from dumping garbage in the river and encourage others not to dump garbage.
