A blunt, frosty night hugged me as I went out of the wooden cottage at Shayla, one of the beautiful tiny hamlets on the slopes of Mansiri Himal.

It felt so peaceful! It was too early even for the roosters to break the tranquility of Khemchong Para, an indigenous neighbourhood in Ali Kadam, Bandarban.

Some encounters and experiences are humbling and mind-altering. They serve as a reminder of our insignificance on the scale of the vast entities, the universe. Shattering our deluded belief of superiority, these experiences tell us that we humans are merely a minuscule part of Mother Earth.

The Sundarbans, with all her magical ambience and rich biodiversity, never fails to nourish your weary senses and soul. She never disappoints you. Every time you visit there, she keeps more surprises for you at every corner you go.

Sarmin Shahariath and Rejaul Bahar, married since 2005, are avid travellers. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Bahar moved to the USA in

Was it real? Those mysterious blinding-white landscapes, the ethereal silence, the pristine nature relatively untouched by us – humans!

Sarmin Shahariath and Rejaul Bahar, married since 2005, are avid travellers. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Bahar moved to the USA in 1999 and now lives in Connecticut.

Those mysterious blinding-white landscapes, the ethereal silence, the pristine nature relatively untouched by us – humans!