Bangladesh - thoughts and advice from my recent trip

TimMakins

I have just returned from a 3 week trip to Bangladesh. I had a great time, and would really recommend the country as an interesting destination in its own right, or as a side-trip from India. I could have spent longer there, but May is not the ideal time to visit, with the increasing heat and imminent monsoon. The country is so flat in the south, and floods so easily, you would be crazy to go once the monsoon has actually started.

BEFORE YOU GO
A good guide book is essential. I bought a pirated copy of the Lonely Planet Guide in Dhaka's 'New Market'. I never saw a genuine copy for sale. The online site http://www.discoverybangladesh.com/index.html has plenty of useful information. Bangladesh Railways have an online timetable and route map here: http://www.railway.gov.bd/ and the Bangladesh High Commission http://www.bangladeshhighcommission.o rg.uk/ has visa information.

VISAS
I was in Agartala, the capital of Tripura state, when I decided to visit Bangladesh. Agartala has a Bangladesh Consulate at Ananya Complex, Budhya Mandir, and getting a 30 day visa there was quite easy, and took about 2 hours, including a trip to the bank to pay the fee to their account. The cost, for a British passport-holder, was US$ 64-30c. Other visas are available, at different costs. My only recommendation is to get to the Consulate just before the 0900 opening time, to avoid the rush from locals wanting transit visas to Kolkata. Important: the visa has the entry and exit points for Bangladesh entered on it, so you must decide in advance which of the crossing points you wish to use, as they can't be changed later.

BORDER CROSSINGS
I entered Bangladesh by bus from Agartala to Dhaka. It took 6.5 hours for the full journey, and cost 232rs. The BRTC bus starts in Agartala, passes through the border, and continues on to Dhaka - note the difference from the Benapole/Bongaon crossing (see later) where two buses are used. The border crossing point, not far from Agartala, was a small affair that rarely sees foreigners. The exit from India went smoothly, apart from laborious form filling as usual. The Bangladesh customs guys checked all hand luggage, but didn't bother looking at the main luggage, which stayed on the bus. As the only foreigner on the bus, I was a natural target for the Bangladesh customs guys, who wanted money from me. They started by asking if I had dollars cash, which most Indians have to take with them. When I said that I didn't have any, just travellers cheques, they wanted to know how many Indian rupees I had left - in my case about 10000, which was a mistake. They initially wanted me to just give them 10%, which I refused; they then insisted that I changed some into Bangladesh takas, with no receipt: I lost about 600rs on the deal! My advice to anyone else crossing this border is not to admit to having any dollars/pounds/euros in cash, and to say you've only got a couple of hundred rupees on you. The Bangladesh immigration guys, on the other hand, were all friendliness and welcoming. They spoke good English, and apologised that they had no suitable accomodation for me to stay in.

I left Bangladesh by taking the bus from Dhaka to Kolkata, which cost 600 taka and departs at 0700, taking about 11 hours. The bus is booked at the BRTC office, near to Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka, and is a daily service. There is also a daily night bus that leaves Dhaka at 2200 - it is popular with Indians who take a through trip from Agartala to Kolkata on a transit visa, changing buses in Dhaka, to save the long haul through Assam. The border crossing on this journey is between the towns of Benapole and Bongaon. The bus from Dhaka stops about 1km short of the border, and the remaining distance, with your luggage, has to be made on flat-topped bicycle rickshaws (10 taka). At the border, you are required to pay 300 taka government charge, and 100 taka immigration fee, so make sure you still have some takas left as you leave the country. You'll also need extra for rickshaws, and tips to the various useful small boys who guide people from one office to the next, and are well worth the tips they get. The last small boy gets whatever you have left, as you are not allowed to take taka out of the country. Once again, as a foreigner, I was the only one on the bus hassled for money at the border - this time it was the Bangladesh immigration guys, who tried to make out that my Indian visa was faulty as it 'had not got the entry routes marked on it' - of course, it never does! I called their bluff and in the end, after their threatening bravado and shouting, they gave me my exit stamp anyway. Their manner could have been quite initimidating to someone not experienced in the ways of border-officers - you have been warned! My baggage was not checked at all. Once out of Bangladesh, and into 'no-mans land' another small boy takes over and guides you to the different Indian offices. They didn't check my bags either as the small boy rushed me past before they had time to consider stopping me. The Indian immigration point has a separate office for foreigners: they didn't raise any problems with my multiple-entry Indian visa, and all went well, apart from the time is always takes to enter details first on the computer, and then by hand into the paper ledgers. I was then conducted to a new bus for the final leg of the route: after a final passport check by the military, we were officially in India, and the remaining bus journey went without any problems, dropping us in Kolkata at the New Market, not far from Sudder Street.

THOUGHTS ON BANGLADESH
Bangladesh is quite similar in lots of ways to West Bengal, though there are some differences. It is even cheaper than India, and for my 3 week trip I averaged UK pounds 6-50 per day, even staying in some nice hotels. There is a lot less English spoken in Bangldesh than India, and hardly any English signs or direction boards, which can be difficult. I found sufficient English speakers, though; at all the necessary places like stations, bus stands, hotels, etc.

Bangladesh has very few tourists: in my 3 weeks to all the major tourist areas, I didn't see another one! Consequently, I found the people I met very curious about me, but very friendly and welcoming. 'What is your country?' is a question that gets asked 100 times per day! I never had hassles or nasty moments, apart from at the border as mentioned above.

Bangladesh seems cleaner at times than India; I think that this is because it is poorer, and hence the scavengers pick up every last bit of anything that can be sold for recyling. There seems to be about the same number of beggars as in India.

THINGS TO SEE
I won't spend a lot of time talking about the different things to see in Bangladesh - a copy of the Lonely Planet guide will serve you much better. Suffice to say that there are plenty of interesting things to see, both in the cities, at archeological sites, and in the countryside. The highlight of the trip for me was the Rocket Steamer from Dhaka to Khulna, which at only about UK pounds 8-00 for a first class cabin on the 27 hour trip was excellent value indeed. Other highlights included the various Buddhist sites, the Kantanagar Temple, an assortment of mosques, the tea estates in the north, the old city and river in Dhaka, and the ship-breaking yards near Chittagong. For photos of all these, check out my blog site.

FOOD
Food is very difficult if you are a vegetarian, as there is so much meat eaten, and meat finds its way into most snacks, and even the dhal at times! There is generally only one mixed vegetable dish available at most restaurants, so whilst you won't starve, it does get very monotonous. Meat eaters will have no problems - you can even get beef! Soft drinks, such as Pepsi or Coke come in 250ml bottles, and cost 10 taka. A tip of 5 or 10 taka is welcomed by any waiter, and brings special service when you next go there.

ACCOMMODATION
There is a wide range of accommadation available, from 100 taka per night for a basic single room with private bath and fan, to 1000+ for luxury A/C. In the 300-400 range, there are some excellent bargains to be had. In Dhaka, I stayed at the Al Faruque Hotel, just around the corner from where the Agartala bus gets in, and near to the main Kamalapur railway station. It offers excellent value at 275 taka for a single (that's only just over 2 UK pounds per night!!). The rooms are clean and safe, with modern furniture; the staff are friendly, and the next door restaurant is good value and hygenic. A meal of 2 parathas, mixed vegetables, dhal, and a cucumber salad costs less than 30 pence in UK money. I finished with 2 bananas from a stall nearby, and couldn't eat another thing!

TRANSPORT
Bangladesh transport is very good value, with frequent buses everywhere, and a reasonable rail network, though the rolling stock is very old. Bicycle rickshaws are everywhere, and charge about 10 taka per kilometre. At these prices, its hardly worth walking! The auto-rickshaws in Bangladesh are called 'Baby Taxis', and typically charge twice the rate of the bicycle rickshaws. Because there are so few tourists, the rickshaw guys don't seem to have cottoned on to the concept of charging foreigners more, which is nice, but some of the baby-taxis drivers do, and frequently 'forget' to use the meter, or claim it is broken. There are also standard taxis, but I didn't use any so can't comment about them.

Tim Makins
See my Online Diary for text and photos:

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Quote:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

Kanbe

thanks for sharing
very helpful post

mahmud

Thanks a lot.

NeoAsimov

Thank a lot for this post.


I'll try to go there next winter as a side trip to India

It's kind from you to share this valuable information with us.


Salutations,


Fred

haji

Hallo Tim,
I 've appreciated Your useful report and I have one more question : what about malaria ? Did you take any pills or pre-caution during your long stay ?
Thank for your help.

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iyou

Excllent post, really makes me want to go there now, even though I'm a vegetarian!

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--May a moody baby doom a yam.

TimMakins

Yes, I certainly do. Most, if not all of Bangladesh is below the cut-off height where malaria stops being a problem. A lot of hotels I stayed in provided mosquito nets, but I prefer to use my own. I would recommend that anyone planning to go to Bangladesh or India consults their local Tropical Medicine Advisory Centre, and takes the full course of malaria pills recommended to them by the professionals.

Tim Makins

See by diary site's 'Packing List' page for thoughts about malaria nets:

mahmud

Tim, can I post this message in other travel sites?

TimMakins

Yes of course, as long as you mention the source.

Tim in Ireland

mahmud

Thanks a lot & definitely, I will publish the source.

Maz

Many Thanks Tim, I found this really helpful. I would really love to go to Bangladesh. I've heard a lot of people say that it should be considered when going to Asia and India.

Was in India for the first time at Christmas and cant stop thinking about going back.

M

Percy

Ta muchly for your post. I also enjoy visiting your website - fun to read, great pics, as well as informative.

Am planning my first trip in India later on the year. A side trip to Bangladesh sounds like a great detour to avoid the Christmas/New Year crowds - it's either this or trekking along the Himilayan foothills, hoping Santa will drop my Christmas present right outside the door step of a gompa...

MeCasa

Good post, I was debating crossing Bangladesh while returning from the Sisters, after reading your post I have added this to my itinerary.

I read your statement about having to know the entry and exit ports and I've ordered a map so I’ll have that information when the time comes. The advice on claiming money is also helpful, however I often wonder what the repercussions are if they find your money belt and it has greenbacks in it, but I believe the chance is worth taking

Thanks for a good post

PS Do you think that the fact I'll be riding a motorcycle will affect the border crossings?

TimMakins

Sorry, I don't know about attitudes to motor cycles. I am sure the consulate in Agartala would be happy to advise you.

Re cash - well, no one made any type of personal body searches. If you don't bring attention to your money belt, they won't know about it. I repeat that I was the only westerner on the bus, and was the only person asked for money and bribes. I guess they thought a westerner would be a soft touch. If you only have TCs they can't do anything about it. There are no money changing facilities on the Eastern border.

Tim in Ireland

TulsaisntFar

Well ill be doing what i shouldnt be, going to bangladesh in june when i think the monsoon will just be starting. Should i just stick to the north or what? Does anyone have any tips?