REINGKHYONG LAKE TOUR, CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS, BANGLADESH: 22-28 DECEMBER, 2011

Raja Devasish Roy

supported by:
Suggestions from Jhuma Dewan
Statistical Advice from Protul Dewan
&
Marma Language advice from Kong Chai Prue Marma

About 35 of us – including six women and about 10 local men porters – took a seven-day trek from Farua village within Farua Union (“For-ua” in Tanchangya), Bileisori sub-district of Rangamati hill district to Bethuni Para, Ruma sub-district, Bandarban hill district, all within the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in southeastern Bangladesh, from 22 to 28 December, 2011. The team included former Farua Union Parishad (UP) member, Jacob Tripura, incumbent Farua UP member Athoi Mong (partly), officials of the UNDP-CHTDF project led by Biplab Chakma (all CHT residents), staff of the local NGO, Taungya, governmental Health Department staff, staff of the Chakma Raj Office, and a few other development and environment activists. UNDP-CHTDF and Taungya administer a number of development projects in the area.

MAJOR CHALLENGES

Although some of us have some experience in trekking in the Hill Tracts, and were guided along by experienced locals, some of us had little or no experience of trekking through such difficult country. Two governmental Health Department workers accompanied us, but no physicians. The area has no hospitals or Health Centres, no roads or navigable waterways, nor electricity. Cellphone connectivity is absent in the greater part of the area. The UNDP’s satellite-linked walkie-talkie sets, carried by the accompanying UNDP-CHTDF staff (all of whom hail from the CHT), helped out. We needed a constant supply of boiled water, although several of the local guides and some of the trekkers drank stream water, when supplies were scarce, and survived without any disorders. Negotiating parts of the difficult terrain was a challenge even for the most experienced trekkers. Climbing up and down the sharper slopes and narrow ridge-tops and ledges had its dangers, and thrills. Climbing up was a strain for the spine, and back, thigh and calf muscles. Climbing down for long spells inevitably strained the knee joints. A fall at places could catapult one hundreds of metres below, to sure death. Much of the route took us across streams (many of us wore shorts), hundreds of times. At other times, we went along a stream or river, upstream or downstream. One had to negotiate between and among rocks, stones, pebbles and boulders strewn along the streams, often mossy and slippery, occasionally exacerbated by the dung of domesticated bison, which used the same route. We had to choose between slush, mud, stone, pebble and water, sometimes indistinguishable, especially at nighttime (large parts of our treks were after nightfall). One had to carefully and quickly calculate where to place the right and the left foot, and our trekking sticks (mostly home-made, with bamboo or wood branches). Such manouvres occasionally led us to swerve almost 180 degrees, without realizing it, having to changing direction again. This easily depleted our energy levels. Slipping in gushing water had the risk of being swept downstream by the current. Slipping on the hard surface of rocks could also provide serious injuries. Hardly any of us could avoid slipping. Thankfully, no major injuries were sustained, not counting the numerous cuts, bruises, burns and sprains that we collectively accumulated.