Cox's Bazar Travel Day-3:
Today, on the 3rd day, we will go south. That is, towards Himchhari Teknaf. For very few passengers, private autos or CNG can travel a lot of the way. For 10 or more passengers, jeeps are also called Chader Garhi. If you are single, you can go there by double-decker bus or open top bus.
This bus will cover the entire 80 km Marine Drive road in Cox's Bazar and will stop at 5 tourist spots along this road for sightseeing. There are two types of such buses in Cox's Bazar. One is the tourist bus operated by the district administration, and the other is the Aquaholic tourist caravan.
Let's first know the difference between them.
1. The appearance and inner decoration of the Aquaholic Tourist Caravan are beautiful. And the tourist bus is normal, just a BRTC double-decker bus.
2. Tourist bus tickets can be purchased from the Kalatali Sugandha Laboni Point counter. Aquaholic tickets can be purchased from Motel Upal, or online. Local autos from Kalatali Sugandha to Motel Upal will cost 10 taka.
3. The starting point of the tourist bus is in front of Laboni Beach. And the starting point of Aquaholic is Sonar Para Beach. Which is 15 kilometers south of Dolphin More. Himchhari, crossing Reju Canal. However, from Motel Upal, you will be taken there by jeep.
4. Tourist buse will go to Himchhari, Inani Beach, Sabrang Zero Point, Patuartek Beach, Darya Nagar Beach. Aquaholic will not go to Himchhari, Inani Beach and Darya Nagar Beach.
5. Aquaholic has washrooms which are not available on tourist buse.
6. Aquaholic will provide three meals a day, there is no food on the tourist bus. Lunch break will be given at Patuartek Beach. You can eat at the restaurant. Or you can take it with you.
7. The fare for the upper deck at Aquaholic is 2299 taka and for the lower deck 2099 taka. The fare for the upper deck on the tourist bus is only 700 taka and for the lower deck 600 taka.
Now it's up to you which bus you want to take. I booked a tourist bus ticket keeping in mind the tour and the hassle. I bought the ticket from Sugandha Point the other day.
Himchari
National Park
If you want to see mountains, sea, and waterfalls all at once, you should definitely come to Himchhari. Himchhari is located in Ramu Upazila.
As you enter, there is a waterfall on the right and a path straight up the mountain.
The stairs are quite steep. It will be a bit difficult to climb. Of course, you should bring water with you. On the way there are benches here to sit on. You can take a little rest if you want. If you want, you can come in the afternoon and watch the sunset at Last Point. There are food stalls upstairs. And a little further down this side, there is a canopy where you can sit and take pictures. You won't have any trouble getting down. Even then, you have to be a little careful. Since the stairs are steep, it's better to go down slowly rather than rushing. You have to be more careful especially on rainy days.
After getting down, go to the fountain.
How to go: If you are single and not coming by bus, you can take a local auto from Dolphin intersection on the southern road. But in that case, the waiting time will be longer. And you may have to break down. It is best to rent a reserve auto for several spots at once.
Watch the complete guide video on Himchhari and Open Top Buses.
Innani Beach
Beach
There are no good places to eat at Inani Beach. You have to have lunch at a normal shop. The quality of the food is normal and the prices are reasonable.
As soon as you enter, there are shops on both sides.
There are ATV rides. The full meaning of ATV is all-terrain vehicle. That is, they can run on snow and sand in addition to roads. Because they run on low tire pressure. The first four-wheeled vehicle in the style of the modern ATV was made by the Royal Enfield company in 1893. This vehicle, made from bicycle parts, was designed for road use only. In 1961, the first ATV was the Jiger, which was a six-wheeled amphibious ATV, or AATV. Amphibious means amphibious, meaning they could run on land and on water. Jiger production ceased in 1968. After that, many companies made them, but they could not catch on to the market. One of the many reasons is the production of three-wheeled ATVs. In 1967, John Plessinger first designed a three-wheeled ATV and in 1968, he sold his design to a company that commercially manufactured ATVs. But in 1969, Honda Company made a three-wheeler ATV, which was a 1970 model and it got the market. They were called "All Terrain Cycle" or ATC. ATC became popular for the 1971 James Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever" and some TV serials. Adventure Vehicles Company made the first quad ATV in 1980, which is a four-wheel ATV, whose model is Avenger 400.
Anyway, you can ride ATVs at Inani Beach. The rent is 200 taka for short distance and 400 taka for long distance. You can have fun here.
There is a horse ride. The cost is 200 taka for short distance and 400 taka for long distance. You can also have fun here.
One thing that is unique about Inani Beach is that it extends a little to the west, which is why there are beaches like this on its northern side as well.
Another thing that makes Inani Beach unique is that it is a slightly rocky beach. This means that there are a few sharp coral rocks scattered around this beach. However, they are only visible during low tide. If you want to see the rocky Inani Beach, you have to come during low tide. It is high tide time so all the rocks are submerged.
There are rows of beach bed chairs. You can rent a double chair for 60 taka per hour.
Coconut was once the wonder of Inani Beach. A large-sized coconut could be found for 50 taka. But now, like all of Dhaka, the price for that large coconut is 200 taka. And the normal sizes are 150 taka.
How to go: If you are single, there is no problem. CNG comes directly from Dolphin intersection. The fare is 100 taka per person. If you want, you can talk to the mini bus going to Teknaf. If you come in CNG, you must sit on the left side. In front or behind. With a total of 5 passengers, the CNG will leave. So the waiting time may be a little longer. There is a CNG station on the other side of Inani. These go to Dolphin Junction. The waiting time may be 1 hour.
Sabrang Zero Point
We have reached Zero Point, Sabrang. This is the end of the 80-kilometer-long Marine Drive road. This road is the longest marine drive in the world. It was inaugurated on May 6, 2017. A clock has been built at the end point. However, this is in the south, not the end of Bangladesh. After Zero Point is "Shah Parir Dweep".
Teknaf Beach in the west
Watch the complete guide video on Inani Beach and Sabrang Zero Point.
Patuartek Beach
Beach
They have made a wooden bridge to go down to the beach. You can take selfies here. The feature of Patuartek Beach is that it is a rocky beach. So we will walk near the rocks. You will also get ATV rides, horse rides on this beach. You will get photographers for photo shoots. They will ask for 5 taka for 1 photo. They will bargain and get a beach bed chair.
Patuartek is coral beach. Coral stone are a bit sharp. So step carefully.
The stones you see on the beach are coral stones.
Coral:
Coral means "Probal" in Bengali. What exactly is coral stone? Although coral stones look like ordinary stones, they still have some differences. How do you recognize coral stones?
Ordinary stones of the same size are heavy. And coral stones are light. Ordinary stones are solid. Coral stones are porous like a sponge.
If you pour a little vinegar on a coral stone, it will make some bubbles.
Ordinary stones are made of various minerals such as granite, limestone or basalt. Sometimes they are also made from volcanic lava. But an interesting fact is that coral stones are made by a marine invertebrate animal. They are called coral polyps. A coral polyp is usually 1 to 3 millimeters in size, about the size of a sugar grain or sesame seed. Yet they can form huge coral reefs, visible from space. Coral reefs are called coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, is made entirely of coral polyps and is the largest living structure on Earth, larger than the Great Wall of China!
But how do such small creatures create such large rocks?
A coral polyp can live from 2 to 100 years or more. When coral eggs hatch, the tiny baby polyps float in the water.
Coral polyps always need a hard surface to build a reef. After a few days, the polyp finds a hard surface such as: rocks or dead coral reef, shipwrecks or artificial reefs. Once the polyp is attached, it does not move an inch.
Each coral polyp has two important parts to its body: Tentacles - which capture food. And the lower part.
The polyp's body has a special thin layer called the calicoblastic layer. This layer absorbs calcium and carbon dioxide from the seawater. The polyp then rises slightly, creating space underneath. Every night, the polyp secretes a small amount of calcium carbonate from the underside of its body. Which fills the empty space. This calcium carbonate turns into hard limestone rock, which forms a hard skeleton and forms the reef. A polyp can only secrete 1-10 grams of calcium carbonate per year! This is why it takes thousands of years for a reef to grow.
At the same time, a polyp, through reproduction, creates clones of itself. It creates thousands of identical copies that continue to grow their group. All together, they secrete calcium carbonate and continue to clone to create even larger groups.
A coral reef is built by thousands to millions of individual polyps working together over long periods of time.
Large reefs like the Great Barrier Reef began as a single polyp attached to a rock 20,000 years ago.
Corals are generally divided into two main groups: hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals are the reef builders, which is what we are looking at here. There are different types of them such as Branching Corals, Massive Corals, Plate Corals, Brain Corals, Mushroom Corals.
Soft corals do not form hard skeletons and are flexible.
Why are coral reefs important?
Corals are very important for the following reasons:
1. They serve as habitat, shelter and breeding grounds for about 25% of marine life.
2. Coral reefs help protect our coastlines by acting as natural barriers against waves, storms, and coastal erosion.
3. Coral polyps help mitigate climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, removing excess carbon from the atmosphere.
4. Research is underway to see if drugs can be made from coral polyps to treat diseases such as cancer, arthritis and infections.
The coral rocks you see on the beach now are dead coral. They break off and wash up on the beach with the waves. If you see a piece of white coral on the beach, you will know that it is hundreds of years old.
How to go: If you want to come directly to Patuartek Beach at a lower cost, you can take a mini bus bound for Teknaf or a CNG bound for Shyamalapur from Dolphin More. The fare will be 150 Taka.
Daria Nagar Presidency Beach
Beach
You will also get ATV rides, horse rides on this beach. You will get a photographer for photo shoots. You will get beach bed chairs. But there is one extra thing on this beach, which is parasailing.
How to go: It is about 4 km south of Dolphin Junction. So if you want, you can come here in a local auto. The fare is 20 taka.
Watch the complete guide video on Patuartek Beach and Daria Nagar Beach.
Hope this post will help you. Write your comment below and please share it with your friends.
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