For a little country tucked away in the corner of South Asia, Bangladesh holds many more surprises and delights than visitors usually expect. Given the country’s disposition towards natural calamity in the form of devastating cyclones or vast floods, it is with great relief that most people learn that Bangladesh actually offers a bumper of positive stories for those who dare to look behind the headlines.
First and foremost among these surprises are the extraordinary kindnesses and hospitality of Bangladeshi people. The culture is one overwhelmingly favouring the respectful treatment of guests, as is dictated by not only Muslim hospitality but also the giving nature of Bangladeshi people. Everywhere you travel in Bangladesh there is a talkative person willing to sit down and exchange ideas with you, learn about your homeland and ask you why you’ve travelled to a country where few others go. The hospitality is such that even if you were to travel these lands alone and by foot, the local people would you would give you their own beds each night and create meals well beyond their capacity, simply for the honour of hosting you as their guest. Nowhere else in the world does this extraordinary spirit of giving exist towards foreign guests.
The second most unique feature of Bangladesh is unquestionably its dominant rivers. As these meandering ribbons have shaped the landscape of Bangladesh, so too have they shaped the destinies of its people. As the annual monsoons unleash their pregnant skies in sporadic bursts over the landscape, the rivers swell to enormous proportions. God-like, they restore much-needed nutrients to Bangladesh’s heavily farmed lands, while simultaneously taking lives or livelihoods when their wrath cannot be controlled by human means. During the dry season, these rivers are best enjoyed from the deck of a restored historic sailboat. Beautiful arrays of sky blues, tropical greens and earthen browns merge over the landscape, blurring the distinctions between them all.
While Bangladesh doesn’t offer tourists ‘sights’ in the classic sense of the word, (i.e. think Taj Mahal or Angkor Wat), it does have some premium draw-cards that offer guests unique and unforgettable experiences.
First among these draw-cards is the Sunderbans. Meaning ‘beautiful forest’ in Bengali, the Sunderbans is Bangladesh’s most pristine wilderness, a giant 10,000 square kilometre tract of forest, where hundreds of Royal Bengal Tigers roam the jungles, sometimes stalking people as their prey.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts is our second personal favourite for its varied geography and distinct ethnic background. The best way to explore this region is to trek, meandering through hillside villages and interacting with local Buddhist people. Journeys here blow apart the stereotype that Bangladesh is a Muslim nation – in fact its diversity of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian cultures help make it just as diverse as anywhere else in South Asia.
The tea growing regions of the Sylhet region make it Bangladesh’s own ‘little Darjeeling’, perfect for two-wheeled explorations on a motorcycle or bicycle, great for the simple weekend escapes or for the more adventurous traveller seeking tranquil retreats from Bangladesh’s three throbbing cities (Sylhet, Chittagong and Dhaka).
Finally, some mention must be made of the fact that Bangladesh is a far from programmed experience. Within its borders there are so many human stories: these range from unending cycles of misery rooted in systemic poverty, to uplifting tales of human resilience and emotion. It’s the kind of place where only the true travellers test their mettle, as the country’s tourism infrastructure is ‘embryonic,’ to put it kindly. For those willing to adventure into the unknown, Bangladesh and its people will offer a helping hand at every turn, and it is that simple and plain fact that makes this country so special among its neighbours.
Geography
Primarily flatland alluvial topography: In plain English, this means it’s as flat as pancake and criss-crossed with braided rivers. The one exception is the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where rolling hills gently climb away from the inland coast right up to the border with Northeast India and Myanmar. While in the flatlands, exploring by river is best, but when in the hills its best to get your boots on. Forest cover is minimal except in the Sunderbans, where multi-day boat tours allow visitors a taste of calm of respite from the intense nature of Bangladeshi cities.
Climate
Although the Bangladeshis name six seasons over their landscape, these are more easily grouped into three seasons: the monsoon, the winter and the summer. The steamy monsoon season (June to September) is perhaps the prettiest and most romantic of the three seasons but also the least predictable for travel for its occasional bouts of torrential downpour that bring life to an absolute standstill for brief periods. The winter (October to early March) is the best time to travel for those more accustomed to temperate climates and there is little chance of having a rain day but the monsoon’s moody clouds and spectacular lightning storms remain backstage. Finally, the hot season (late March to June) is best avoided if possible, although delicious fruit (succulent lychees, abundant mangoes and perfumed pineapples) tend to hit the markets during May and June.
History
Bangladesh is a young country. Formed only after the bloody Liberation War from Pakistan in 1971, the country has had just less than four decades of existence. Upon visiting the country it’s obvious that its growing pains are still painfully visible in the form of naked poverty and a nearly unintelligible system of governance and politics. Nevertheless, Bangladeshis are proud that they fought for and earned their freedom and now possess a country to their own name. The struggle for freedom had several faces, but the most common is the spectacled visage of Sheikh Mujib Rahman, whose proud portrait graces every brick-coloured 500 taka note in the country. Today, his daughter Sheikh Hasina is serving as Bangladesh’s democratically elected Prime Minister.
Government
While Bangladesh is nominally a parliamentary democracy, it’s extremely difficult to say that the government represents its people in a democratic way. For a country that was born in blood and ruled by the military for almost half of its 38-year life, it is understandable why government institutions are not yet strong in Bangladesh and corruption still remains a big issue. There are however some progressive signs: the fact that two female prime ministers have ruled the country is widely held as being forward, even though it was their husbands or fathers who were first in charge and then assassinated. Also, there was an election held in late 2008 that was widely held to be free and fair, thus stabilising the political system for the next few years. Currently, the Awami League will be in power until their term expires at the end of 2013.
People
Put simply, there are lots of Bangladeshi people. Current population estimates put the total at over 150 million people, making this country the most densely populated nation on earth (if you don’t include city states like Hong Kong or Singapore). The great majority of the people are Muslim (90%), followed by Hindu (8%), Buddhists and then Christians (everybody else). The population is also overwhelmingly young, with fully 1/3 of these people have not yet reached puberty (15 years or older). If you don’t like crowds of people then you should definitely stay away. But if you’re someone who enjoys the company of others, you will find the company of talkative Bangladeshis quite provocative and enjoyable. The country’s intellectual ranks are just as well-informed and forward thinking as their counterparts anywhere else in the world; where as the ‘sons of the soil’ are the most ingenious handymen South Asia has to offer.
Bangladeshi food is best enjoyed at the homes of friends and colleagues, and the best part is that foreign visitors will rarely be stuck for invitations to enjoy meals in this way. In Dhaka, there are plenty of international cuisine choices ranging from Japanese (Samdado is best) to Korean (Koreana is recommended) to Indian (Khazana kicks ass!). For the bestphuchka (savoury & spicy tamarind-based juice in wheatflour parcels) anywhere in South Asia, the Dhaba wins, hands down. Outside of the main cities, good restaurants are hard to find, with the great majority becoming oily slop shops where the hygiene is sometimes suspect (although there are a few pleasant surprises, the exception rather than the rule). In the home, however, it is a different story. Plentiful plates of meat dishes (fish or chicken is best and beef is rather popular), tastydhals (lentils) and curried vegetables are heaped on hungry guests, and the closer to home these meals are taken, the better they become. Drink-wise, tea is the preferred drink of Bangladeshi people and tea stalls—sometimes 20 in a row! – are literally around every corner of the country. It’s often consumed with a heap of condensed milk and several teaspoons of sugar, which probably explains the abundance of diabetes in the country. Despite the excruciating sweetness, it’s the ritual of roadside tea drinking and the associated conversation that helps you tap into the culinary soul of the country.
For a supposedly ‘poor’ country, Bangladesh has a smorgasbord of literary and culture traditions that tap directly into the region’s history. As the former homeland for generations of Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim kingdoms, the country has a lot of influences on its culture. Each of these traditions has had its place in moulding the arts and culture of Bangladeshi people. From the Buddhist and Hindu traditions comes a tradition of tolerance and spirituality. Throughout the countryside, one meets a gentle, open-hearted people with the purest of intentions and a hard-working nature. From the Hindu traditions comes the intellectual prowess of Bengali people, expressed most clearly by the Hindu and Muslim scholars of Bengali people throughout Bangladesh and West Bengal. Since the 14th and 15th centuries, Bengal was also a stronghold of Muslim power and its enormous agricultural production supported the Mughal centre further west in historic India and eventually the seat of the British East India Company at its South Asia base in Kolkata.
It is thus quite difficult to say exactly what Bangladeshi culture is, except that it is made up from the influences of those who have come before it. Today, the artistic traditions of Bangladesh are most visible at the galleries and museums of Dhaka; their growth is only limited by a lack of financial capacity; certainly Bangladeshi people do not lack in terms of capacity to express themselves artistically. For example, the nation’s most prominent poets (e.g. Kazi Nazrul Islam, Jibananda Das) remain revered by most people.
By Air: Because Bangladesh doesn’t receive a lot of air traffic, the country lacks competition among major carriers. As a result, the connections that do exist tend to be rather expensive due to a lack of critical mass and only one discount airline flies to Bangladesh. While this may change with the entrance of several new local airlines, it may be a few years yet before the connections and their prices improve. Major hubs servicing Dhaka include Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Kolkata, Delhi, and Kathmandu. Further afield, Middle East connections via Dubai, Doha and Bahrain are good.
By Land: Bangladesh is almost wholly surrounded by India and while there has been talk over the years of a road connecting the region to China via Myanmar, no political will has yet to materialise on this front.
Major crossings into India are at Benapole/Bangaon, Burimari/Chengrabandha, Tamabil/Dawkhi and Akhuara/Agartala. They are major in the sense that they are well used by travellers and have regular transit services between Dhaka and the next major city, and also have facilities for vehicular traffic, should you be wishing to drive into Bangladesh with your own vehicle. Bus service via Kolkata is the most common overland route.
By Train: When the new Maitree Express service (Kolkata–Dhaka) began on 14 April 2008 (Bengali New Year), there was a great deal of fanfare – travellers could now travel from London to Dhaka entirely by train if they so chose. However, complaints of extreme delays at the border crossing means that the service isn’t selling well, but will likely remain in service.
By Air: The airline market in Bangladesh has just seen a few new competitors setting up shop, which at first was very good for local travellers but prices have since increased to the point where some might think twice before flying, especially because bus travel is just so cheap in comparison. At the time of research, routes were changing frequently to reflect the growing airline business in Bangladesh. Currently there are services between Dhaka and the major divisional cities (Rajshahi, Jessore, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazaar; and with less frequency Barisal and Saidpur).
By River: Compared with all other forms of transport, river journeys are the most ‘Bangladeshi’ way to travel, a type of journey you really can’t experience anywhere else. Given the fact that the country lies at the mouth of the Ganges – Brahmaputra river basin, the world’s largest delta, any journey to Bangladesh should include time spent on the water, whether that be a multi-day excursion to the Sunderbans, a cross-country journey on the Rocket paddle steamer or a day outside Dhaka on the Sitalakhaya. These trips allow for some real insight into the country and its inner workings, with the rivers serving as the arteries of the nation, the lifelines by which the remotest corners of an unexplored country can be reached.
By Road: By far the cheapest and definitely the slowest form of transport is the public bus, which vary greatly in terms of comfort and price. This form of transport is probably the most accessible and has experienced the greatest growth in terms of luxury services as there are almost a half-dozen companies offering coaches with reclining leather seats, air-conditioned interiors, and in some cases, massaging chairs, at a cost that barely qualifies as splurging. Unfortunately safety can be a major issue here – as a rule of thumb it is best to buy the most expensive ticket you can afford.
By Train: The aging train system of the former East Bengal feels like it stopped being upgraded when the British left Kolkata in the first decade of the 1900s and moved the capital to Delhi. Were it not for the presence of a few new rail cars circa 2007, this assumption would probably not be far off the mark. Despite their age, the accumulated dirt and the noisiness of a rail car, Bangladeshi train journeys can still be preferable to hair-raising bus rides, especially if you manage to get your hands on sleeper tickets including air conditioning, something of an accomplishment in itself.
If you benefit from being able to choose exactly when to visit Bangladesh, then you should go in November or December, when the humid and heavy heat of summer finally begins to ebb away. Late December to March brings even cooler temperatures and mild weather. If November is the best month, April and May are the worst. A nearly intolerable heat pervades everything, to the point where air conditioners can no longer hold it back and inconsistent power supply makes everyone dream of the upcoming downpours. When the first rains of June come, everyone breathes a sigh of relief and the land explodes with life. Contrary to popular expectation it does not rain all day every day; in fact it usually only rains in the afternoons. August and September are the typical flood seasons in Bangladesh, although a late deluge can sometimes cause problems all the way into October. During these late monsoon months, the weather is inconsistent and moody, with drenching downpours in some places but staying completely dry just a few kilometres away.
Visas
Each Bangladesh consular office applies the rules and regulations slightly differently, so if you’re ever in doubt, call the relevant office directly and ask for directions or check the relevant websites (none of which is particularly well organised or even functional) to get yourself as informed as possible.
Tourist visas are the easiest to obtain. Depending on the office you’re dealing with, they can be issued for periods of up to two months, and whatever the length of your stay it is suggested that you apply for the maximum amount of time permitted, or at least specify a date that is a few days earlier than your expected arrival and at least a few days later than your expected departure. Most consular offices will request a letter of invitation along with the visa; this could be a letter from the tour operator or the contact that you may be visiting.
Currency
For most travellers, money withdrawn via bank debit card is the easiest and most convenient way to get cash, as there are now ATMs in almost every major city of Bangladesh (this includes all the divisional capitals and most of the third-tier cities listed in this guide but not all, so do check ahead as there are some notable exceptions among the tourist destinations, like Srimongol or the Chittagong Hill Tracts). US dollars in cash is the next easiest option, although carrying large amounts of cash around, say US$500 or more, is discouraged. There are only facilities to change travellers’ cheques in Dhaka and Chittagong (HSBC is best) and in this case it is best to stick with US dollars.
Health
As is the case anywhere in the world, your local travel doctor should be your first point of call before your visit to Bangladesh and this is best done a few months in advance so you can get the required immunisations and advice. Road accidents are very common in Bangladesh so be aware and do what you can to reduce risks: try to travel during daylight hours and try to wear a seatbelt (although these are seldom available). Noise pollution is another major problem in Dhaka and Chittagong, so if you have sensitive ears bring a pair of earplugs.
Take out comprehensive medical and travel insurance. This should cover medical treatment and evacuation, accidents, cancelled flights and stolen cash, credit cards, passport and luggage. You should check any exclusion, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.
Security
Bangladesh’s security situation can be viewed from two perspectives. If you’re at all an adventurous person who likes the unexplored and unknown, then Bangladesh can be a perfectly safe place to travel when taking local advice, and even female travellers have braved the country solo. But if you’re the person responsible for writing government travel advisories, which will likely affect the decisions of thousands of potential visitors, you will find no shortage of fodder to help you describe Bangladesh as a security nightmare. For travellers, the bottom line is that Bangladesh is a safe country in which to travel, with a caveat: take local advice if unsure. Dhaka is a safe place, when you know how to play by its rules. Nonetheless, there have been incidences of muggings and robberies, and bag snatching among the expatriate community, particularly in the Gulshan and Mohammadpur areas, and particularly towards single females, moving around at night.
Travelling families would certainly find no shortage of interaction with local people, as children of foreign travellers will draw an extraordinary amount of attention, especially infants or young children. While families might enjoy some of the adventures provided by a stay in Bangladesh, the lack of tourist infrastructure means that families are best off sticking to Bangladesh’s well-travelled routes. Journeys to the Sunderbans or Srimongol should top the list, as there are enough services and things to do that either destination will provide for an interesting and safe stay.
In Bangladesh there is no standard for giving gratuities, but here are some rough guidelines. In most cases you can view a tip as a way of saying thank you, especially if the food, service or experience has met or exceeded your expectations. Usually 5% is enough, although more will not go unnoticed or unappreciated, especially if you become a regular customer at certain venues.
As you will be perceived as a wealthy foreigner no matter what your status, expect to be asked for ‘boksheesh’ (tip) more often than you should provide. The term is an all-encompassing one, and includes alms for the poor, tips for waiters, or bonuses for household or apartment staff. When to give and how much is a judgement call, and a personal decision on your part.
Western visitors will quickly find that while in Bangladesh, they are in fact the tourist attraction – for the local people, that is. For a country that still has so few foreign visitors and so many people, travellers will quickly become that camera-toting, oddly dressed westerner who does stand out in a crowd of millions. If you’re a normally private person, leave that side of you at home. The unbridled curiosity and friendliness of Bangladeshi people shows up when dealing with the endless barrage of the same set of questions. At first this intense interrogation is both interesting and vigorous, but towards the end of a day it can be awfully tiring.
Local clothing is not only comfortable but also demonstrates some cultural awareness. For men, new panjabis (local pyjamas) are almost always worn on holidays or religious events. The thigh-length shirt is typically white, although stylish or wealthy men usually diversify their colour choices. On the whole, female travellers often have a tougher time in Bangladesh because of the conservative values of Islam. Often, it is less easy (but not impossible of course) for women to travel independently in the country, with the main annoyance being an overwhelming amount of personal attention and some isolated incidents of sexual harassment or groping in crowded places. Dressing conservatively is the simplest way to decrease (but never completely avoid) the amount of attention received. Local women often wear asalwar kameez, a long, loose-fitting shirt matched with a pair of baggy pants, all of which is meant to disguise the curvy parts of a woman’s body.
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