Book Charubala Homestay in Sylhet, Bangladesh - a Community-Based Stay for Events & Activities

Summary: Staying with Sawon and his family was not only the highlight of my trip but also one of my most cherished experiences—not only in Bangladesh, but also during my wider travels. Even though when I contacted him it was quite last minute and didn’t leave him lots of time to organise, he still got back to me super quickly and we met up a few hours later. He showed me around and we went to the Hindu temple together and ate some food there. We then went to his place in Sylhet—which was super nice, comfortable and well decorated—before heading to his hometown of Juri. To go there we took the train; thankfully he was able to help out with arranging the train ticket (as it is not so straightforward to book train tickets in BD as a foreigner). I really enjoyed the train ride and found the scenery to be quite beautiful. Once in Juri he showed me my room which was quiet, clean and tidy (and had a mosquito net so I was sure to sleep soundly). I really loved being in his home—with its beautiful garden and all the animals—and being around his lovely family. On one of the days we were joined by Sawon’s girlfriend, Shammu, and her friend, Saika, and we went on an excursion together on the water-lily lake by boat and visited the scenic place of Jaflong at the border with India. Some of the other things we did included: -Visiting Madhabkunda eco-park & waterfall. We then went to visit a remote Christian village in the forest with the nicest people and met with some betel leaf harvesters. -Going out on his motorbike driving through the wetlands and plantations. Had the most amazing experience at sunset witnessing thousands of birds flying and setting up camp for the night in the trees. Being with Sawon pretty much felt like hanging out with an old friend and the communication was easy and comfortable. I think he had a really good intuitive sense of my mood and energy levels. I felt like he gave me a lot of space and was supportive when I was feeling tired or overwhelmed and he always took the time to make sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed. As a result I always felt super safe in his company and could relax knowing that he had my back and was looking out for me. I have the most fond memories of my time spent with Sawon. I couldn’t recommend this experience more to you and I wish him all the best for his future.