Bangladesh will always be one of my favorite countries to visit, which is why I decided to return there. Perhaps it could be the chaos of the big cities, the colorful clothes of the people and their friendliness, or perhaps it is the amazing landscapes. One thing is for certain is that this country will always remain one of my favorites.
I once again traveled with my friends Mr. Azim and Mr. Shohag and with my friend Kevin that I taught with in Egypt. I kept pretty much the same itinerary as last time to ensure that I would see some of the same places and also how much they have changed if any. I added a few more different sites and stayed in some places for longer to explore the area. One thing for certain is that there is not any shortage of villages to see or markets to see in this country. The life on the roads is one of the greatest characteristics of this country, but so is the life inside the small back roads villages.
The capital Dhaka is a crazy bustling city filled with motor bikes, tuktvuks, cars and rickshaws. Navigating around the city is not for the faint of heart as at anytime there could be traffic jams or thousands of cars. It is divided into New Dhaka and Old Dhaka. The life along the roads is what makes this city so alive as well as the markets and the life along the waterfront where big boats load and unload people as well as small boats carrying people from one bank to the other.
Photos of Dhaka
Leaving Dhaka we headed to one of the other bigger cities in the country Rajshahi. This other bustling city is located just miles from India on the banks of the Padma River. It is a major educational center in Bangladesh. It has been ruled by the Dutch, British, and of course Bangladesh in present times. The city has a major center to it flowing with shops selling everything from clothes to watches to any items that you could want. The road there was the most amazing part as you get to see life outside urban Bangladesh and into rural/smaller city areas. People go about their daily lives of jute farming or walking their goats or tending to their herds of pigs (see pictures). The most interesting thing to see in this area is of course the Goats in Coats which as it is so cold outside, the locals dress the goats in old clothes!!!
Road to Rajashai
Leaving Rajshahi we went to the maze of a market with people selling everything from fresh produce from the country side to Goats, Fish, Beef, Chicken and of course my favorite- DRIED MANGO (The Bangladesh version of Fruit Roll Up). This was one of the best days for photography as we stopped by an old Hindu Shrine in Pushtia, followed by the surprise visits to a Hindu Village with a guy that makes Buffalo Cart wheels by hand, to an old pottery village. Even with the sun not quite peaking through the clouds most of the day, I was able to get some amazing shots of village people (some who have not met westerners before) as well as GOATS IN COATS!!! We continued on the road to Kushtia for a night stop.
Road to Kushtia
Leaving Kushtia in the morning, we were able to stop by the shrine of Lalon Shah which is one of the most prominent humanists of this region, and still has many followers. We stopped at the market, stopped into a state school to speak to the students and had a marvelous day stopping at different places such as the cattle market. We also got to see one of our many stops at the brick making plants where laborers were busily at work making bricks. This was a splendid day as the scenery started changing the more down south we got.
Road to Khulna
What can i say about Sunderban! It is the largest Mangrove forest in the world and split between India and Bangladesh with Bangladesh holding more of the area. We stayed on a boat for two nights to try and keep deep into the forest to see what we can spot. Crocodiles, King Fishers, Orioles, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Porcupine Otters, Crab Eating Macaques, and various other flora and fauna were just a few of the animals that we spotted. One of the highlight spots we saw was the very rare bird Masked Finfoot, however the photos are not clear of it as it was off in the distance. We were able to go out before daylight on a paddle boat to try and see some of the animals and it was amazing. We followed many different tiger tracks on the beach in order to try and see where they went but we had missed them by a few hours!!! I would love to spend at least a week just cruising around here as there is so much to explore!
Sunderban NP
Leaving Sunderban after a few days on the boat and not really realizing it was Christmas, we headed north to Barisal which is a good sized city in Bangladesh. Along the way we stopped a few villages to see how they lived life as well going to Begharat which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (one of 3) in Bangladesh. Unfortunately there were many people out taking photos so we just stopped in to admire the beauty of these several mosques built during the Bengal Sultanate.
Road to Barisal
There is not much to do in the Barisal area but nearby a few hours away there is a plethora of stuff to see. The Ganges River obviously is one of the most well known rivers in the world and life along here is very interesting. People rely on the river for everything form fishing, growing food, washing clothes and their bodies and of course the floating vegetable and rice market!!! This is one of the most interesting days as we were able to walk through different villages and see different types of people including gypsy boats and a small Hindu Village on the banks. It is very interesting to see the way these people use the river to live life and for some of them this is the only life they know!!
Gangetic River Life
The Road back to Dhaka was an interesting one as we stopped off at a very small Christian Village about an hour outside of Barisal. We were greeted with breakfast and got to walk around for about an hour to check things out. It was a very simple but very nice looking village. As we continued on the road we were able to see the scenery changing again as we jumped on a ferry that took us down the river. As we neared Dhaka we went to another brick making factory with females and males working, as well as seeing the world famous city trains with people piled on top of them!!!
Road to Dhaka
Leaving Dhaka once more we headed to Sreemongal. On the way we stopped at the old medieval capital of Bengal- Panam Nagar. The most interesting place to visit here is Sonarnagon which is a single row street with houses of wealthy Hindu merchants who fled after the partition. We then went through the industrial district where you will find many fabric factories. On our way we stopped a few places to see the local life including rice villages with families living there and drying and getting the rice ready for shipment. Our day ended when we got the the Sreemongal area which is where the tea plantations are from British time and we able to see the tea ladies at work along with a small village…
Road to Sreemongal
The Sreemongal area filled with tea farms and forests is one of the most interesting parts of Bangladesh. We walked through the forests of Lawachara National Park to try and find the Gibbon monkey which is one of the hardest monkeys to spots. They have a distinct calling which everyone can hear, but trying to find them can be tough. Fortunately for us we found one albeit high up in the tree!!! We also saw the stub tail Macaque which is my first time stopping these and overall had a great walk through the forest. We ended up on the outside in a small village which children greeted us with singing. Our overnight would be in a small guesthouse in the middle of rice fields which was even more beautiful…
Sreemongal Area
The Gibbon and Short Tailed Macaque
After almost two weeks of traveling along the crazy Bangladesh roads, we headed back to Dhaka from Sreemongal the same way we came in. What is interesting is the life is so fast moving and vibrant here that it is a new treat every time you drive around. This trip to Bangladesh certainly was one of my favorites and I am already scheduled to return for two weeks in April. This is defiantly one of the best countries for photography that I have ever been to and will continue to be one of the best!!!!
Road to Dhaka
3 responses to “Bangladesh- The Return”
A lovely article! Thanks so much and I’ll be sure to check in on your travels in the future. I’m just starting my tenure as a researcher at the University of Dhaka for the coming year (I’m British-Irish) and so I look forward to recreating much of what you’ve written. I’ve only been here for 5 weeks and certainly Bangladesh meets each one of your criteria for travels, not least of which is the friendliness of its people. Have a good one!
Hi Danny,
I love to hear of your adventures and how the pictures come to life as you describe them.
Very happy that you are so adventurous and seek out.
Always your friend
Roseanna
Daniel,
Wow, you reminded me how wonderful Bangladesh is and has been to the Meisner family. And I totally agree–photogenic as anything. Let us know when you return.
Craig Meisner