There's Green in Them Hills: Vacationing in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Katrina and I visited Bandarban (late November) and Rangamati (late December) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Here's documentation and comparison of our experiences:

Katrina and I came to Rangamati, a town on the shores of Lake Kaptai for 2 nights and 3 days. Mr. Tipu brought us here and picked us up for 5,000 taka ($60). He is an excellent driver with a contagious laugh. It sure beat the bus and all sorts of delays.

We stayed at Parjartan Hotel—run by the Bangladesh Tourism Organization. Reservations are written by hand in a notebook; there are no computers. The hotel itself is a blast to the past. And I don’t mean that in a good way. The furniture and accessories have managed to survive since the 70’s—although they are showing their age.

Our room the first night was basic--no a/c and no hot water (800 taka or $11). (We didn’t need the a/c—but it’s supposed to be an indicator of quality in rooms). We had agreed ahead of time to move rooms the second night to an a/c room. (Supposedly the hotel was full and this was the only way they could accommodate us. We haven’t really seen that many people, so who knows). For 1700 taka ($22) we had hot water. Kat says this has been worth the extra money (even though the a/c room looks the same as the other room). Our porch view is much better on the 2nd floor--it beats the corner room overlooking a tourist parking lot.

Our first day here we walked down to the “hanging bridge” (more like a suspension bridge) and felt like celebrities getting attacked by the paparazzi. (I understand sometimes why Britney Spears and those other crazies lose it with all those cameras being stuck in their face). I realize that I should enjoy this status—and should respond favorably to being asked 30 times in a day to have my picture taken with complete strangers. I guess I have just gotten really tired of it and would like to be anonymous for a while. Wait—I’m in Bangladesh—even the geckos in the private hotel rooms stare.

After a greasy lunch that left me feeling quesy (as always), I read My Antonia while Kat napped. I enjoyed sitting on our little hotel porch, sunning my toes, and listening to the crows. Wait—I didn’t actually enjoy any of the noises—the crows’ racket or the tourist parking lots’ screaming children and hooting teenage boys. (The teenage boys in this country are generally worst when travelling in packs. Who knows what they are yelling at us, but I’m pretty sure it’s not flattering). When Kat awoke from her catnap, we went into town to go shop. I soon tired of looking at the same indigenous weavings (I’m pretty sure there’s a machine operating somewhere) in 10 different stores. We settled on some unique pieces of cloth that we had managed to find and headed back to the hotel.

Dinner was, as expected, less than to be desired. I don’t like eating soup that comes from a packet! I know it when I taste it. Following this disappointment, I finished reading my book on our hotel porch—and got a beautiful shock when the power went out and I could see the sky covered in stars!

We had arranged to take the Parjatan’s boat on a sightseeing trip our second day for 1,500 taka ($21). Of course we didn’t leave at 10 am as we had agreed--five people were busy trying to figure out our reservation, which police were escorting us, how much we owed, and other logistical matters. When we finally got on the boat, it turned out that our waiter from lunch the day before was our boat driver!

The boat trip was very enjoyable—especially since Kat didn’t get sick and puke the whole time. Kaptai Lake is quite large. It was so comforting to see water and green, hilly land. Of course, even out on a boat in the middle of a huge lake, we were still the subject of curious onlookers and “Banglarazzi.”

We stopped at a waterfall that had no water (God must have turned it off in conservation efforts), briefly saw a Chakma village (complete with weaving lady and textiles at twice the price of what we’d paid yesterday), and then ate lunch at Peda Ting Ting (“Full Stomach”). Everyone who comes to Kaptai swears by this little joint—and it is a beautiful little place to have a restaurant. The bamboo chicken is famous and it is good. (It still had oil in it—and this made it lose points for me. I have a severe allergy to oil in Bangladesh—the inability to maintain an appetite upon tasting it and uncomfortable digestive processes that follow).

Arriving back on the mainland, we headed into town to the Tribal Cultural Institute Museum. Eleven indigenous tribes inhabit the Chittagong Hill Tracts area, and the museum features baskets, jewelry, and clothing. The weaving was of foremost interest for Katrina and me--we couldn’t help but notice how we have seen almost identical designs in our travels: me with the Ixoq aj Kemool Guatemalan women’s weaving cooperative and Katrina in China. It is a small world!

After some shopping and a really gross dinner (sweet and sour chicken—blech), we read, I did some writing, and we enjoyed snacking on coconut cream coated peanuts (from Thailand—not really local).

Upon reflection, Katrina and I agree that we preferred our Bandarban experience to Rangamati. We stayed in Bandarban with Sangita and Varuni during the second Eid (last November). The most popular place in Bandarban—the Hillside—was booked, so we stayed at Sakura Resort, a newer place down the hill. The rooms were a bit on the expensive side (3,000 taka, $36), but we had the place to ourselves. We spent most of our time sitting on the front porch of our cabin gossiping and calling to ask about our coffee. The food was not cheap (considering how much it costs in Bangladesh), but it was good.

The hotel manager, Tahasin, was a super attentive and quick fellow. He put up with Sangita’s never ending stream of questions and needs. (Sangita—you know I love you! But how many times did you have to ask if we were going to eat dinner with the owner???). He was also able to arrange a jeep ride for us for one afternoon (1,700 taka), which allowed us to check out a very sad waterfall and a very cool Golden Temple. We also visited the Chakma King’s house—which was very awkward and involved a dirty sheep hissing at us (I’m not kidding—the thing was tied to a palm tree and charged at us).

We took a trip down the river our second day in a long boat, complete with a visit to an indigenous village, coconut milk, and haggling with the boatsmen even after we pre-negotiated the price (250 taka). We hiked back from the river bank up to our hotel. Sangita insisted on taking the jungle route “because it was less steep.” You can only imagine the sarcastic remarks after that one! It was beautiful all the same, hiking up steep hills with only green and the sky surrounding you. Never mind the sweat dripping down your body and the bushes smacking you in the face.

All in all, Bandarban felt less touristy than Rangamati. We didn’t deal with the Banglarazzi’s attention as much in the “dam of monkey’s” as we did in the Kaptai Lake area. Our stay in Bandarban involved long hours of lazing on our bungalow’s porch, contemplating what to eat next. This was NOT the case in Rangamati: although our porch in Rangamati was nice, the food was terrible. Overall, if you’re looking to quit the dust and din of Chittagong, both Bandarban and Rangamati offer natural beauty and a quick escape.