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 April 30, 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 TK. The launch was scheduled to depart at 8.30 am but left at 9.45 am. 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 I have a day trip the next day.

The launch reached Barisal at 4.30 pm. But we got off the launch at around 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 instructed to be closed till 2 pm. I got a CNG and he agreed to go. After going to the 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 and then I had breakfast there. Then I fixed an auto that dropped us off at Guthia Bridge. From there I took a van to Bandaripara 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 fairly large trawler for 1200 rupees. Atghar, Kuriana, Sarupkathi, Bhimruli Bazar will bring us back to Banripara. This agreement is with Majhi.

We started the 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 and 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. Running the trawler very slowly will make you feel like you are lost in the green inside a deep forest. As much as I was taking pictures, this natural beauty was getting dirty in the pictures. So I was fascinated by the beauty in both 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 both sides 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 the Guava Garden and Guava Market is from late June to early September.

We really liked the place for lunch. Wooden scaffolding right 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, fried eggplant, 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 a little annoyed. His name is Faraji Kaka, he couldn’t give us the number as he didn’t have a phone that day.

We left Banripara and went to Guthia Mosque to offer Asr prayers. It is one of the largest Jame mosques in Asia. Inside the huge 14-acre site is a mosque, a lovely minaret, a 20,000-seat Eidgah, a post bungalow, an orphanage, a pond and a flower garden.

I went out of the mosque to see Durgasagar. I bought a ticket for 20 rupees and went out with a whirl inside and went to the launch ghat after Maghrib prayers. Then covered in night launch.

Some suggestions:
1. Those who want to visit these places with family can take family if they want.
2. You must pay the rent of the trawler. At first he wants 2000 rupees.
3. You must keep more water with you when turning the trawler. And when selecting a trawler, take a trawler that has a cloth tent on top because a lot of the way is to eat the heat of the sun.
4. It is better to book the cabin at the launch in advance.

Food:
We ate dinner at the launch twice on the way back and forth. Rupchanda, shrimp mash, eggplant, pulses and rice cost 270 rupees.
Cow’s milk tea and raw milk sweets are available in Banaripara market and are good to eat.

Cost:
In terms of personal expenditure, our per capita expenditure was Rs.

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.