Why Bangladesh ?

Nick-H

There is not much plastic on the streets here, it gets scavenged. But ourr streets are still dirtier.

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IndiaMike Mod Team (The Grumpy One)

HowieUK

If its a "thermoplastic" as opposed to a "Thermosetting plastic" it can be
re-melted and re-used many times!!

Re-cycling becoming a reality?

Howie

TimMakins

Is Bangladesh very poorer? Not very, just a little poorer than India, in my personal opinon. Yes, I have been to poorer countries than Bangladesh, but it is very hard to compare one against another, as often the mentality is different. Bangladesh and India were once one, and hence the people have a very similar way of looking at things, and I think it is valid to compare one against the other. In some very poor countries that I have seen, like parts of South America or Africa, the poor just kind of 'give up' the will to make an effort in their personal surroundings, and leave huge amounts of rubbish lying around. I remember similar sights in Yugoslavia, in the 1980s. South Asian people just do not do this.

Singapore - that's a weird place. Big brother is well and truly in charge, and cleanliness is taken to extremes! You could almost eat your dinner off the highways! Its not a place I want to go back to - give me India or Bangladesh any day!

Tim in Ireland.

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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

TimMakins

I think the answer is quite obvious, though no one likes to say it: Pakistan and Bangladesh are mainly Muslim countries. The media in the West is dominated by people who don't like Muslims, and so the idea, the background feeling, call it what you like, gets around that Muslim countries are not nice places to visit, maybe dangerous in some way. Lots of other places to go in the world, so why bother going there???

What a stupid idea this is. I have been to a number of Muslim countries, including Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and others. I have always found the people there to be most friendly, welcoming, hospitable, and cooperative. I would go back to any of these tomorrow, if I had the funds to do so.

Tim in Ireland.

lotus blossom

i think that you've hit the nail on the head. as an american, i see this in the media, etc. ad nauseum since 9.11. it disgusts me.

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iwanttogoback

yes, that is what i was thinking too.
to me, it seems that if the three countries were originally one, and you love india, then you would probably want to visit bangladesh and pakistan as well.

and i agree with you about singapore. coming from oz we spent a day in singapore on the way to mumbai - what a wild contrast that was. from one extreme to the other. but it is india that i want to go back to, not singapore.

sirensongs

Hi Mahmud, I would consider going to Bangladesh to do my visa, but I understand the entry visa for Americans is very expensive. Know anything about this?

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mahmud

Sorry for late reply. Actualy, it is not possible to get entry visa of Bangladesh. You have to take visa from Washington. The visa fee is USD 100 for US citizens.

mahbub1876

Dear Mahmud,

Nice Post. Thanks for this.

Do u know what are the best ways to take permission for visiting arunachal from shilong? i m moving there tomorrow. one tour operator of India offered me to arrange the permission for the cost of 200 USD. and a 9 days package costs near 50,000 Rs. that is too expensive. i m searching for something much more cheaper. i tried hare but no one gave me the right answers that i need. do u know anything about it?

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mahmud

Sorry mahbub vai, I do not kno anything about this matter. Please go India, I think you will find many ways.

Maz

What is the procedure for getting a visa from UK or Ireland then?

Is it known for white single women to travel around Bangladesh? Is it safe?

THanks

M

Shiver me Timbers

as i understand it, Irish nationals get visas for free, and in very quick time at the embassy in Calcutta. I have no idea why this arrangement exists. According to my 'Asia Overland' book from 1997, we didn't even need a visa back then!

TimMakins

When I was there for a month, I didn't see a single white female, and only 2 white males, obviously from an embassy. So you can be sure you will get plenty of friendly attention. Is it safe for you to go? - well I suppose I'd have to ask if you felt safe visiting India, especially the Muslim areas? If you did, then you'd probably be OK in Bangladesh too, but you must appreciate that it is a slightly stricter society than India. Not as strict as Pakistan, though, I would say.

The key, of course, is how you dress and how you conduct yourself. I would think that it would be a good idea in Bangladesh to wear a Shalwar Kameez in Bangladesh, like the women there do. You could have one made up very quickly and cheaply when you get there. Certainly you should aim to have shoulders and above the knees covered at all times. A scarf will be useful for visiting mosques. Ask the local women what they think. Perhaps Mahmud's wife would like to comment here?

I was by myself in Bangladesh, but my experience of travelling with white women in Pakistan was that they felt much more relaxed and comfortable in local clothes, though being Western they couldn't help causing a sensation wherever they went. Apparently it was a big let-down going home again and wondering 'Why is no one staring at me?!'

Tim in Ireland

mahmud

Yes, Tim is right. In bangladesh, you are safe enough. Just do what you did in India.

TimMakins

Mahmud - please can your wife comment on what Western women should be wearing in Bangladesh? Please make sure she says what she really feels, and what Bangladesh society all over the country is really comfortable with, not just what she thinks Westerners might like to hear.

These comments should be made bearing in mind that travellers might visit any part of Bangladesh, including country areas, not just Dhaka with its more modern outlook.

I think it is important for Westerners to have an understanding of how Bangladeshi society really feels in this matter - it is SO easy to offend common sensibilities without realising it, and at the end of the day, it is the incorrectly-dressed foreigner who suffers in their travelling experience.

Tim in Ireland