A JOURNEY BY BOAT

The journey is always a source of enjoyment for me, and I am fond of traveling. It is safe to say that it is my favorite hobby. Whenever I get free from my busy student life, I try my level best to make a memorable journey.  At the end of last year (2013), I along with some of my best friends, made a wonderful boat journey.

As far as I can remember, it was December 18, 2022. First, we started for the Jumuna Resort early in the morning, which was 6:00 a.m. We reached the Jomuna Resort by 10 a.m. in my private car. Reaching the resort, we had our breakfast and took a short rest. My father booked a portion of the resort’s advance for us. The Jamula River flows by the resort.

Then we hired a boat to cruise on the Jomuna River. We all got into the boat and asked the boatman to start our so-desired journey. It was really our first ride on a boat, and it is true to say that we all did not know how to swim. That was the very reason we were afraid that the boat would sink. We were all so excited as well as so scared. The boatman was enjoying watching our pale faces. The boatman was rowing very slowly, and we were enjoying the riverside. The entire natural scenery seemed like a wonderful painted picture to us.

Think about the storm, we were also so afraid, but by the mercy of Allah, there was no adverse situation to face. When we just entered two-thirds of the river, we started reciting the verses of the Quran, and we requested the boatman to get back to land. The boatman quickly changed the boat’s direction and started to come back to land. The boatman suggested all of us learn to swim. And we promised ourselves that after returning to our home, we would learn to swim. But it is sorrowful to say that I still do not know how to swim. By the way, we got back to the land by afternoon and returned to our resort. We had our lunch and started preparing to return home.

We left the resort at 5 p.m. and reached Dhaka at 8 p.m. We all gossiped about our journey throughout the return journey. And we all thanked Allah that we were all alive. Really, that day was a day of excitement and fear of death. No more journeys by boat until I learn how to swim.