Home ----TRIP: Bangladesh & West Bengal 2009

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Following our pre-trip in Hong Kong (linked on home page) we began in the seldom travelled country of Bangladesh then moved up into the northern east states of India including Sikkim, at the foothills of the Himalayas, and West Bengal bordering Bhutan. This trip is made up of three sections, this one (Bangladesh and West Bengal), Bhutan and Kolkata in a separate album, and our pre and post trips to Hong Kong and Bangkok in a third album. We hope you enjoy this trip as much as we did!
2 George Harrison performing "Bangladesh" during the concert for Bangladesh in 1971, Madison Square Garden. George Harrisons ashes were distributed in the Ganges River. We pray you will hear it through - It is the song of Bandgladesh and the message from our hearts.
3 The first night into Dhaka, Bangladesh was a terror. No taxis at the airport when we arrived at 2 a.m., but we did find a kid with a busted out windshield and broken drivers seat who said he could find our hotel. It took him over an hour through road blocks with heavily armed militia and soldiers to some very dark streets and dangerous looking armed private guards on every corner who were not helpful. That said, we finally found the hotel, got to sleep, and woke up the next morning to find we were on this very nice little street in a quaint hotel. What a relief!
4 We could not help but notice that the infrastructure needed a little help and reminded me a lot of India.
5 First day out on the town (Dhaka) and we do a lot of walking and make use of these rickshaws. They are cheap and plentiful and offer the local people a way to make a living.
6 It seemed like everybody we met was very interested in us. It was like they had not seen Westerners, then we realized that we do not see any tourists here in Dhaka and we do stand out like a sore thumb!
7 In our first days journey we come across many fruit stands and markets of various kinds. Including street vendors.
8 Absolutely nothing goes to waste in this country. Once the trash is thrown out it is picked through by the first wave of trash pickers, then a second and third wave follow until little is left.
9 Literally everything is for sale on the street from small vendors. Large markets and stores are rare finds.
10 We take a pedicab into the streets of Gulshan, a suburb of Dhaka, and notice there is a large city of twelve million people around us.
11 That evening we have our first meeting with Jake, our tour guide extrodinaire, and fellow travellers for a briefing.
12 Following our tour guides meeting we spend more time on the streets meeting people.
13 And riding pedicabs.
14 This morning we start our first adventure on the tour which will take us to the Buriganga River. On the way we pass these workers making small rocks out of big rocks for road construction.
15 Our first glimpse of the river.
16 We board our boat at Jettypagla.
17 Our boat has the head of a peacock at both ends. It makes it very unique.
18 The river is teaming with commerce of all kinds including numerous ferries carrying people back and forth.
19 In Bangladesh this river is known as the Buriganga which means Old Ganges in Bengla. In the distant past, a course of the Ganges river used to reach the Bay of Bengal through the Dhaleshwari river. This course gradually shifted and ultimately lost its link with the main channel of the Ganges and was renamed as the Buriganga. It is said that the water levels during high and low tides in this river astonished the Mughals.The water tables even is very astonishing due to pollution of polythenes deposited beneath water. The materials from breaking of buildings of the river banks also add hazardous substances in the river.
20 The Buriganga is economically very important to Dhaka. Launches and Country Boats provide connection to the other parts of Bangladesh, a largely riverine country. Due to siltation, large steamers can no longer go through the river channel in the dry season. In 1989, a bridge (the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge) was built over the river for vehicles and pedestrians. In 2001, a second bridge over the river was built at Babubazar for vehicles and pedestrians.