I was going through my newsfeed on Monday, October 30, 2023. Plenty of breathtaking images of Kanchenjunga appeared on my screen. Situated in the Himalayas, Kangchenjunga is regarded as one of the world’s top 5 picks. It is located near the Indian and Nepali borders. From Bangladesh, the Kangchenjungha’s pick is visible in the late winter (probably about February) and early winter (last weeks of October to first weeks of November). However, to do this, you must be extremely fortunate and physically present on Tetulia, Ponchogor.

India is a regular destination for my travels. Sometimes, I feel like I visited this country more than I ever stepped foot into the house my father painstakingly built in Savar, Dhaka. This 2023, I found myself coming back here once more, probably not for the last time, either.

This was my second visit to Chattogram. After the end of my final exams for the 7th semester— I found myself with two options in hand. My first option was to join my cousin’s post-wedding celebration, and the second one was to book a few train tickets and hop on a ride to Chattogram with my friend Sadat. I wasn’t able to attend the wedding itself thanks to my finals, so I decided to opt for the Chattogram visit.

Let me take you all back to the year 2021, when the globe was still in the middle of its battle against COVID-19. I was about to wrap up my second semester at IUT with the final exams. The day after our finals ended, my friends and I decided on a plan over discord to embark on an adventure in the Saint Martin Island and Bandorban. Our plan was rather straightforward— we would go trekking through some hilly spots in Bandorban, and head to Saint Martin Island right after. Those who weren’t interested in going trekking would join us on the Island.

September was nearing its end, and the midterms of my 7th Semester of university, scheduled for the first week of October, was approaching at breakneck speed. Stress from my academics and side hustles was piling up, and managing my time wisely was adding to that stress. I wasn’t feeling well being cooped up in my dormitory room, yearning to take a breath of fresh air.