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Published: November 26th 2009
THE ROCKET - KHULNA TO DHAKA
After we were helped by Major Russell in Bagerhat to book our Rocket tickets we boarded the P.S. Ostrich (First class) to take us from Khula north to Dhaka. Now will probably be a good time to mention that Bangladesh is probably one of the cheapest countries in the world so our minimum budget in India was non-applicable here. We lived in the midrange bracket!!!! Food is cheap, hotels are cheaper (as long as you don’t mind blood stains on the sheets) and transport is stupidly cheap.
Average meal: 60p
1 hr on public bus: 30p
Midrange Hotel: 5.00p
Pack of cigarettes: 65p
1 litre Bottle of water: 17p
1 Banana: 1p
As we were welcomed aboard and shown to our cabin, one of the cabin staff mentioned that this was the boat that Michael Palin boarded in his epic Himalayas series on the BBC. Ol’ Mikey is a hero of ours and it just added to how special the 27 hr voyage would be. We then went out to the First Class deck (smaller version of something out of Titanic - see picture). Two Bangladeshis were out there talking and as
they introduced themselves it turned out to be Mr Assam (The brother of Major Russell) and a policeman. We were invited to sit down with them and chat while Mr Assam ordered biscuits and drink. It turns out Mr Assam was well connected and a member of every political party in Bangladesh. Local people around him acted accordingly and one guy brought him gifts (he may have been a member of the Mustan - Bangladesh mafia). After this we went to bed as it was midnight and the boat didn’t leave until around 3 am. The boat was built in 1920 and has a capacity of 150 people although Vanessa was told during Muslim holidays it can hold up to 3000. YIKES. The boat is powered by steam which drives the large paddles on either side. Apparently there are only a few places in the world that have these boats and they were made by the good old Brits in Kolkata. The entire journey was so relaxing and the views from the narrower parts of the river were amazing with the occasional dolphin thrown in for good measure.
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DHAKA AND THE DHAKA DIVISION
Dhaka was a mad house to
sum it up. Nothing can quite prepare you for how busy and intense it is. For us it was much crazier than anywhere we have been so far in India or Bangladesh. Because of our limited visa duration of 2 weeks we decided to try and extend it to enjoy more of the country. The passport and visa office was a nightmare and so frustrating. It turned out it would cost around 200 USD to extend both our visas which was more than the cost to enter the country in the first place. Hardly worth it! This meant we had very limited time in Dhaka and barley saw anything except rushing around trying to book bus tickets and find decent restaurants. A real shame! We did however find time to visit a couple of small towns. Ghuradia, which was fall of gypsy snake charmers and Sonagaon, where there were some amazing old ruins. On our journey to Sonagaon the local bus we were on had a minor dispute with a bus in the next lane and proceeded to try and force it off the bridge we were on. Metal smashed metal and the next thing you hear is smashing glass.
Somehow our bus knocked a couple of the other buses windows out! Traffic was brought to a stand still while both drivers and bus passengers exchanged words and then the bus continued on its merry way. WHAT THE HELL!?
BOGRA
As things were turning a little sour in Dhaka we jumped on a bus and headed to the state of Rajshahi (Indiana Jones territory). We rocked up in Bogra and checked into the dirtiest room in Bangladesh, if not the world. We counted at least five species of wildlife here (mice, cockroaches, mosquitoes, termites and spiders). The sheets were so stained it was hard to work out what colour they were, the carpet was brown poo colour, the amount of rubbish left under our beds was unrecognizable and the toilet looked like something out of the film Trainspotting. BUT, the TV had movie channels, Nat Geo and more with perfect picture quality… so we didn’t care.
BULL INCIDENT
In Bogra we experienced the most frightening thing on our trip so far. We were walking down the street at night time after dinner. We hear some commotion and look up to see a bull running down the middle of
a very busy street with two men frantically try to hold onto a rope that was attached to this things head. We were on the pavement and the bull was in the middle of the road running full sprint smashing anything in its path (rickshaws, people, street stalls you name it). If you have never seen a bull run full speed then believe me then a fast and powerful and scary. It ran straight passed us and into a group of parked rickshaws knocking them flying. It then turned around and ran directly for us - and all the people around us. We literally ran for our lives. In that second the only thing I could think of was to try and scale 9 foot fence and try and drag Vanessa up with me to safety but luckily VV saw a parked car and ran for cover shouting at me “behind the car! behind the f#$ing car!” which I did promptly. In all honesty I think that decision saved us the pleasure of being stamped on by a bull that would have been more at home in the Spanish bull running festival. It was a total adrenaline rush and we
will never be able to relax with cows walking down the street again. Vanessa was shaking for the next hour afterwards. Only in Bangladesh!
From Bogra we managed 2 small excursions. One to a place called Puthia - full of fascinating temples and buildings with the usual backdrop of beautiful Bangladesh. The other, to a place called Natore with a Rajbari (Palace/Mansion) and a museum full of old Bangladesh folk art. We then took a day trip to Pahapur which has a massive Buddhist monastery complex and is considered to be the best archeological site in Bangladesh. It was very impressive and such a strange feeling to be there and not have to share it with any other tourists.
One massive discovery for us in Bogra was a lovely sweet pudding called Doi. It comes in a terracotta pot that you take home with you and is made from milk, caramelized sugar and yogurt. It’s amazing! Like regular yoghurt but slightly chocolaty and the consistency is more mousey. If you’re interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishti_doi DO(I) IT!
RANGPUR
Our final stop in Bangladesh was Rangpur. We just relaxed here and went round the markets and stayed in a nice hotel.
We did bump into a cow that was being used in medieval ways to crush mustard seeds (see picture) which was rather interesting and I also found 2 of the coolest pairs of flip flops and sandals likely to exist on this planet. Rangpur was the final town before heading back to the border which concluded our stay in Bangladesh.
If that’s what we managed in a couple of weeks in Bangladesh then a month of it we imagine would be amazing. To sum up, as soon as you are half an hour out of a city or a town you come face to face with incredible countryside that looks a cross between Vietnam and India. The local sweets are out of this world. Musilm people were very welcoming and polite and respectful. The fact that there are very few tourists enhances your experiences.
If you planning to trip to Bangladesh:
1. Never discuss the price of a rickshaw journey. Just pay the reasonable amount and if they get greedy and demand more just walk away with a smile on your face - the locals will back you up.
2. If you in a rush never use
an old rickshaw driver
3. If you get a bus make sure you pay the rates outlined in the guidebook you are using. They will ALWAYS try and charge you more.
4. Get the longest visa possible.
5. Plan for at least 3 days in Dhaka - one for admin stuff (email etc), one to get your bearings, one to enjoy
6. Don’t pay baksheesh (tips) if you don’t want to - you’ll always be asked to
7. Just take whatever food is offered at restaurants - it’s usually good and usually all they’ve got!
8. Smile lots and try to relax - when you get cranky they laugh at you
One last stop in India then on to Nepal! Stay tuned
VV + T
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ashik
non-member comment
humour and tension?
Seems you both have funny and scaring memory in BD, something you would not had in your country. Cool, isn't it? I am sure when you go back you will miss the chaos, noise and crowd.