Teknaf Upazila Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
St. Martin's Island Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
A Paradise Found: Saint Martin's Island
Saint Martin's Island West Beach is a hidden gem, beckoning travelers with its pristine beauty and laid-back charm. Unlike the busier beaches on the island, the West Beach offers a tranquil escape, where the sound of gentle waves and rustling palm trees create a symphony of serenity.
Immerse yourself in the beauty:
Imagine soft, golden sand stretching as far as the eye can see, meeting the turquoise waters of the Bay of Bengal in a breathtaking embrace. Take a stroll along the shoreline, feeling the warm sand beneath your feet and the cool breeze caressing your skin. Let the worries of the world melt away as you witness the sun dip below the horizon, painting the sky in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Embrace the local charm:
Dotted along the beach are charming shacks offering fresh seafood delicacies caught just hours before. Savor the bounty of the sea, the taste infused with the essence of this unique island paradise. For a truly local experience, rent a bicycle and explore the nearby villages, where friendly smiles and warm hospitality await you.
Tips for an unforgettable experience:
Plan your trip: The best time to visit Saint Martin's Island is between November and March, when the weather is pleasant and sunny.
Pack essentials: Don't forget sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and comfortable walking shoes.
Respect the environment: Be mindful of your surroundings and avoid littering.
Support the locals: Choose to stay at locally-owned guesthouses and patronize small, family-run restaurants.
This hidden gem stole a piece of my heart, and I'm sure it will steal yours too. Come experience the magic of Saint Martin's Island West Beach for yourself!
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Off-season Wintering | Napping and watching the sea on a forgotten island
Wake up at noon, ask clearly the return time of the boat back to Teknaf is at three o'clock in the afternoon from the pier, and then start walking around the island. It takes about 4 hours to walk around the island. St. Martin's Island is very narrow and long, with an area of only about 8 square kilometers. The north is a inverted triangle, there is a very narrow connection in the middle, and the south is a long irregular land. The southernmost cape is called Chera Dip, which is isolated from the main island when the tide rises and can only be passed when the tide recedes.
This only coral reef island in Bangladesh was originally discovered by Arab sailors. During the British rule, it was renamed St. Martin's Island. It also has a local name - 'Coconut Island', because the island is rich in coconuts, which are very cheap. When you are thirsty, just drink coconut! The beaches of St. Martin's Island hardly have any sand. After the tide recedes, it is a soft hard ground. The locals directly play football on the beach. When they are tired, they soak in the sea to cool down. It is really comfortable.
Walking to the northwest of the island, you will soon see the coral reefs that are endless after the tide recedes, densely covering the beach, becoming the hiding place for billions of small crabs. In the nearby small bay, fishing boats are full. Rows of coconut trees and mangroves on the coastline can effectively prevent waves and wind. The residents on the west side of the island are obviously much less than those near the pier on the east side, and tourists are basically invisible. The real charm of this forgotten island begins to emerge - an overseas island that is almost undisturbed by the outside world. Sitting on the root system of a mangrove to rest and blow the sea breeze, the huge and lush branches and leaves temporarily hide the scorching sun and pervasive heat wave. Because it is far away from the mainland, only 5 hours of electricity is supplied here every day. All kinds of electrical appliances in modern society are in a dispensable position here. Local people may prefer to take a nap in a hammock during the interval of fishing.
For travelers, if you are not in a hurry, or if you want to find a place to escape from the world one day, this is really a good place that has been forgotten.
The idyllic paradise of coconut trees and rice fields | Farming work on a small island
On St. Martin's Island, you can nap in a hammock, drink extremely cheap coconuts and watch the blue sea, forgotten by time and the world. Of course, you can also be more special, such as walking around the island. If you walk around the island, it is recommended to cross the island from the center in addition to walking around the island, where the rural scenery is also very beautiful.
After walking along the west coastline of the island, I accidentally broke into the barrier of coconut trees and mangroves, and found a vibrant rice field inside the island. The towering coconut trees are the boundaries of the rice fields, and some thatched farmhouses are scattered among them. The main economic source of the island is of course fishing, but there are also many people who plant rice in the gaps of fishing. However, in general, materials are very scarce, most of them can only rely on the mainland supply, it will become very dangerous to go out to sea in the monsoon season, and the life of the island residents will also become very difficult.
When walking through the small road in the middle of the island, I passed some local villagers' houses. Because it was the slaughter festival, I could occasionally see the festive scene of slaughtering cattle. Children with henna painted hands were holding beef and running happily in the fields. In addition to the lonely and beautiful sea view on St. Martin's Island, the life picture of the locals is also full of attraction for me, a foreign traveler.
Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
The return journey from the lonely island in the Indian Ocean | Flashback of a sunlit dream
LONELY PLANET described St. Martin's Island with the phrase 'tomorrow never come', but for the average traveler, tomorrow will eventually come, and farewells are inevitable.
Because it was Eid al-Adha, the owner of the hotel we stayed at invited all the guests to have curry beef. After the meal, it was about time to pack up and head to the pier to take the cruise back to Teknaf. The Keari Sindbad company's ship looked like a steel beast. The cruise ship departed from the pier on time at three o'clock, and St. Martin's Island gradually turned into a silhouette under the intense sunlight, just like when we arrived. The stability of the ship gave a strong sense of security, and I quickly fell asleep under the cool sea breeze.
The sea breeze lulled people to sleep, and the short rest invigorated the spirit. The ship sailed right in the middle of the Naaf River, and the coastline of Myanmar could be clearly seen from the opposite side. The golden coast, tall coconut groves, distant mountains, Buddhist golden pagodas with their spires poking out, and incongruously, a series of white cement pillars forming a barbed wire fence stretched along the entire coastline, with a watchtower every kilometer or two, displaying an attitude starkly different from its neighbor. Then I saw the long pier of Shahparirdwip, like a dream under the sunlight, which remained in my memory for many years to come.
In the evening, the mangrove island Jaliadwip appeared in sight, and the pier opposite, Teknaf Ship Jetty, was the final destination.
Waiting for a boat that may or may not come to the depths of the Indian Ocean
I originally thought that when I arrived at the Shahparirdwip pier, I could easily find a boat to St. Martin's Island, but the fact proved that when traveling in a country like Bangladesh, there is never easy, and there is no certainty.
When I arrived at the pier, it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was almost mad, and the Bangladeshi border guards on the coast were hiding in the shadows under the corridor chatting with the locals. I asked him if there was a boat to St. Martin's Island, he said no. Based on my understanding of the unreliability of the locals, I decided to ask others. The long pier leading to the middle of the river reminded me of a movie, but I couldn't remember the name. There were only three fishing uncles on the pier. They said no at first, and then they said yes, but they had to wait for three hours. Communication is completed with the few local language words I know and body language, so I still can't confirm. After waiting for about half an hour, the locals came and called to find a local person who knew him to communicate with him in the local language. The reply was to wait for two or three hours, not on time, and there were boats coming from Teknaf Ship Jetty. I really want to scold someone in my heart, thinking that I can just wait for the boat in Teknaf, why should I run to this remote corner of the sea. Later, some locals came and said that they were going to take things to the island, and I was a little bit bottomed out. Then there were several waves of locals, some said there were boats, some said there were no boats, some asked me to wait patiently, and some urged me to hurry back to Teknaf. Perhaps the greatest charm of travel lies in this uncertainty. I can also let time pass in the light and shadow without doing anything, so I just waited. Until the sky gradually darkened, a few locals with large and small packages came. When I was sure that they were the islanders of St. Martin's Island and they were going home for the festival, I was sure there would be a boat.
That afternoon, I just lay on the exposed cement floor of the pier, immersed in the bright sunshine and deep blue sea and sky, at the geographical end of this country, doing nothing, as if I had escaped from the magic hand of time, waiting for a boat that may or may not come to the small island in the depths of the Indian Ocean. When the sunset at dusk sprinkled the afterglow, the world was plated with a layer of gold foil. The east of Myanmar fell into the night first, and the west of Bangladesh, the gold dissipated, and the sun still used the last energy to draw a shocking visual evening scene after sinking into the earth-a five-color sunset sky.
The locals who boarded the ship together pointed to a dim black spot in the distance and said that the boat was coming. Under the last ray of daylight, a black spot that rolled bigger and bigger became a real boat, but when the boat approached, it was really stunned. This is a traditional Bangladeshi wooden boat about 8 meters long and about three meters wide. The boat is full of various goods, chickens and ducks, and everyone can only sit on the side of the boat, and some people lie directly on the bow. This is much worse than the boat I imagined would come, too crowded, and finally found a big butt position on the side of a cage of chickens.
The small boat sailed south into the depths of the Indian Ocean under the quiet night. This night was calm and calm, and I could see the dark coastline of Myanmar on the left, and the endless sea in front and on the right. The white moonlight sprinkled on the sea, and this picture will flash back in my mind many years later. After bumping on the sea for nearly an hour and a half, the first impression of St. Martin's Island was a lighthouse flashing red light, a black silhouette on the sea, and the joy of being alive.
The power shortage of St. Martin's Island hanging overseas, there is only electricity from 6 pm to 11 pm every day. Sitting on the balcony of the inn smoking, looking at the dark sea, the night on the small island in the distant Indian Ocean, hot and humid.
Saint Martin, Bangladesh Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Saint Martin best place Bangladesh
beach, sand beach, natural beauty
Teknaf Port Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Backpackers on the difficult journey | Short journey with various modes of transport
There is no public transportation from Teknaf Port to Shahparirdwip, the southernmost fishing village on the mainland of Bangladesh, only CNG (tuk-tuk) can be taken. I thought it would be an easy journey, but I didn't expect that the fishy sea breeze was very comfortable, but the unobstructed sun made people hot. I didn't expect that the bumpy road was still good. Walking and walking, the bridge in front collapsed into the river. Two old men were fishing at both ends of the river, and they could only cross the river by the sampan parked in the river. After breaking through the butcher's plate of the boatman, I paid the same price as the locals to cross the river surface of the broken bridge, and continued to walk through a puddle-filled tidal flat, and finally reached the normal asphalt road, and found another CNG to Shahparirdwip's breakwater. A long cement corridor extends five or six hundred meters to the Naaf River, and the end is the stubborn and lonely pier that looks.
I thought I had walked the hardest part of the road, but I didn't expect that the pier that afternoon really looked as stubborn and lonely as it did, and staged a good show of people on the difficult journey.
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