Stow on the Wold

By Jeni Smith

In 2003 my son had been working in Singapore and became interested in where my uncle was buried. He had found his name on the war memorial there but discovered that no one actually knew where his grave was. My uncle had been flying Hurricanes down on the Arakan Peninsula in 1943 when he crashed somewhere near the Burmese border in, what was then, India. Having found some GPS co-ordinates my son had the bright idea of trying to find the spot, which appeared to be somewhere near the village of Mowdok.

How on earth were we to get there? Bangladesh Ecotours provided the answer. No one else considered it even possible to attempt the trip but Didar, along with Mustapha, reckoned it might be doable. Four of us landed in Chittagong, my son, his partner, my husband and I and we travelled up the Sangu River staying in villager’s huts en route. I can only say that Didar organised things brilliantly, even getting permission from the army which was necessary then to enter that territory, as it was a closed military zone.

It was quite an adventure, and one with a happy ending in that we not only found where my uncle had been buried but, with Didar’s help, managed to get the grave repaired and the promise of continuing upkeep, and we even found the actual Hurricane deep in the jungle. Pieces of which we took back as mementoes particularly for my parents, then in their late eighties.

Anyone wishing to travel in Bangladesh should take this as testament of the capabilities and expertise of Bangladesh Ecotours You couldn’t be in safer hands! I’m delighted to say that Didar managed to visit us in England and we are still very much in touch on Facebook. Happy travels in a wonderful and unusual country.