Solo traveler Towhid Joshi recently walked across Bangladesh in 33 days. He shared his experience of walking from Tentulia to Teknaf during an interview with Dhaka Tribune.
“When people saw me walking alone, some were getting suspicious. A person asked whether it was my job. When I answered no, he whispered in my ear to know whether I was part of an intelligence agency or not,” said Towhid Joshi.
Joshi said he created a slogan for the solo tour—“Protect the environment and nature for the next generation, and walk regularly to stay healthy.”
Joshi’s plan for such a country tour on foot began in his school life. He was a Boy Scout. One day, he and one of his friends decided to walk from Khulna to Bagerhat. When they were walking on the route, the seeds of a cross-country hike were planted in Joshi’s mind.
Asked about the reason behind choosing walking as a means of drawing attention to the environment, Joshi replied: “The main reason is when we use transport to travel, we cannot talk to people. But when we walk, we can meet and chat with people and explore the land by inches.”
Joshi has had various experiences during his journey.
At first, he used to cover 30 to 40 kilometres a day. On day five, his feet were swollen. Luckily, he was staying the night at a doctor’s house who suggested that Joshi reduce his per day travelling distance.
According to Joshi, he tried to avoid any medication during his tour. Before going out for a walk every morning, Joshi prepared himself by pouring cold water on his feet and massaging them with mustard oil with garlic at night.
Joshi said: “During my journey, I walked till the sun went down.”
After that, he used to stop his tracker and used some kind of transportation to go to the place of his host for the day. The next morning, he used to come back to the exact place and restart his tracker.
During his walk on the Sonargaon road near Dhaka, Joshi had an accident.
An autorickshaw coming from the other side hit him.
“I felt blank for a moment. When I got to my senses, I thought my journey was over,” he said.
“Fortunately, the X-ray came out well, but my muscles were heavily bruised. The doctor advised me to take two weeks off, but I rested for four days,” he added.
Even during the treatment, Joshi used to walk for ten kilometers per day to keep his legs ready for the extensive walk a few days later.
Joshi said a young shopkeeper in Banshkhali Bazar, Chittagong, recognized him from YouTube. Joshi said the excitement in the boy’s eyes inspired him to continue the journey.
The only part where Joshi had to use transport during his cross-country walk was while crossing the Jamuna Bridge. He said it was too narrow, and it did not have a sidewalk.
On the last stretch of his journey at the Cox’s Bazar marine drive, Joshi was tense about his safety. However, he crossed the distance in two days.
As Joshi reached the final point of Shapuree Dwip, marking the end of his 33-day journey, he didn’t feel the triumph.
"I felt sad," he admitted. "Because the journey was over. To me, the journey is always more important than the destination," he said.