Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 11:23 pm Post subject: Bangladesh
So few people visit Bangladesh, that it is unlikely that anyone here will go there.
I had several trips there a few years back, and the following light-hearted report was written on the flight home after my first visit.
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Depending upon which report one reads, Bangladesh is either the 2nd or the 6th poorest country in the world.
Another report, rates it as the worlds 4th most corrupt nation.
One might easily infer a connection between the two.
What is certain is that it is absolutely chaotic, very overcrowded, and has a very long way to go to reach the
standards that we in many other countries consider normal.
Think of all the basics that you take for granted, then go there and revise your thoughts
Language. About 75% of women and nearly half of the men are illiterate. The books say that many people
speak English, but I would guess that many learned it at the "Best Mostest English Speak Training Accadomy"
which we saw.
Airport.
This is the first shock. Not the general crowding, nor the one hour delay to unload the baggage.
The shock is to see that there are crowds of rickshaw drivers crowding through the main doors into the arrivals
area, until a crowd of Security Guards pull out long sticks (about 3 ft long and 1 inch thick) and start beating
then about the head and face to force them out of the building, so that they can lock the doors.
There was not too much blood so I guess it was not very serious (???).
All remains (relatively) quiet until one of the passengers unlocked the doors to get out, whereupon the rickshaw
drivers started moving in, and the whole process started again.
Then came the journey into central Dhaka.
That wasted almost 3 hours, but, after all, it is 8 miles!
Our first stop was a 5 star hotel.
Now, I don't object to unbridled luxury, especially when someone else is paying! Luxurious it certainly was, but
I have some reservations. Can one justify $220 per night in a country where many people earn about $1 per day.
(Yes, that is one Dollar!)
And why are the additional expenses at all of this type of hotel devised by the same comedian?
Do people really pay $5 for a small can of Coca-Cola?
Why pay more for laundering your shirt than the shops in the hotel lobby are charging for new ones?
It is taking too long to travel to and from where we are working each day, and so we move to a much closer (and
cheaper) place. On inspection it appears to be OK, which just shows how deceptive appearances can be!
Talking of traffic, never again will I complain about Manila, Bangkok, or anywhere else. (Well, not until the next time!)
In Bangladesh they drive on the left...and on the right, and in the middle, or on the pavement, or anywhere else
they feel like driving.
Assume you are driving along a dual-carriageway and come to a roundabout, and your lane is completely
blocked round the roundabout and as far ahead as you can see. No problem. Just go the wrong way
round the roundabout and drive up the wrong carriageway. Easy really! Of course, by the time you and a few
thousand other drivers have blocked the road for the oncoming traffic it does delay them and cause a
monumental traffic jam, but at least you are a few hundred yards nearer your destination.
The police just stand and watch this happening with resigned expressions!
One day our regular driver did not arrive.
It transpired that the previous evening a truck had crashed into him wrecking "our" car and putting him in
hospital. Of course, the locals said, the driver did not stop, but it would have made no difference if he had as
almost no one has any insurance anyway.
Each day we saw 3/4 accidents, some major, so the driving standards leave a lot to be desired.
Physical contact between vehicles is common and no one takes any notice of someone scraping along the side of
a car as they overtake.
In between all the cars, trucks and buses are rickshaws and 3 wheeled motor-scooters, all of whom dart between
the larger and faster vehicles with a blind disregard for any rules, or their own safety. Many of the rickshaws
and scooters are so heavily loaded that their manoeuvrability, visibility and even their
survival is in grave doubt. The loads are often at the limit of what the mechanism will withstand, and
sometimes, above it, as is evidenced by the broken ones which one frequently sees.
The worst traffic offenders and most dangerous vehicles by far must be the buses.
One senior official stated that most of the bus drivers are on drugs.
Their driving tends to support this assertion.
Oh! And the noise! The usual way of travel includes frequent and prolonged sounding of the horn. far, far worse
than Manila or, for example, Bangkok.
With the number of accidents, how on earth is the population over 125 million? The traffic alone should be a
good method of reducing the population.
Now we have to travel to a town some miles from Dhaka. 125 miles actually. Although I am now becoming
accustomed to the lengths of time that travel takes, even I am surprised to discover
that it is a 9 hour journey.
The journey includes crossing a river about 8 miles wide, and this is the cause of much of the delay.
The approach to the ferry is down a 150 yd long road which soon becomes filled with traffic waiting to board
the ferry. As does the actual loading dock. So full, that the incoming ferry cannot lower the loading ramp to
disembark the incoming vehicles. So everyone shouts at everyone else and gives orders that are ignored by all.
This continues for about 45 minutes until a crowd of guys from the ferry come ashore with iron bars which they
use to beat against the cars, trucks and buses, until eventually a few decide that the only way to prevent their
vehicle from being turned into wrecks is to move back, and so, eventually the incoming vehicles unload, and
we can all enjoy(?) a mad scramble to get on board.
Now, I have said "ferry" which may lead you to believe that there is some resemblance to the similarly-named
objects which we have in the West. Any such resemblance is only superficial!
It is made from steel, much of which has turned to rust, and is liberally perforated with holes in places that
would not normally have holes. I have seen colanders with more solid metal in them! The length has been
reduced by some 10 ft since it was built, as the bows are curled back in a sort of modern-art style. Quite artistic,
but I am sure that the original was better. The number of dents in every surface indicates that driving the ferries
is also a contact-sport. (I ponder the possibility of the ferry Captains being redundant bus drivers, but such
speculation is inadvisable whilst actually onboard, so we go for a walk round).
We decide to forego the pleasure of the onboard catering when we see the plates being washed in the river. The river in which we can see numerous bodies of dead animals floating by. (Subsequently I am told that it is not unusual to spot human remains as well.)
Eventually we gravitate to the highest deck, perhaps in an effort to distance ourselves from water in the event of a
sinking, an event which we are told happens frequently. We are invited into, what the sign says is "The Whele
Hose" (Obviously written by a graduate of "the Best Mostest English Speak Training Accadomy"), where we
can observe a variety of bare wires hanging down everywhere, and a general and pervasive air of neglect. Those
of us with a little knowledge of boats engage in a game to guess what piece of essential equipment is missing
from all the gaps. Such luxuries as lifebelts, compass, radar, radio, and almost everything else. There is a wheel,
a voice-pipe down to the engine room reminiscent of WW2 movies, and a hand-operated klaxon which the
captain uses to send signals to the deck crew. At least, we think this is the idea as he starts to shout at them when
the klaxon noise is ignored. When his shouts are also ignored he loses his temper and walks round kicking
everything. We leave.
(Two weeks later this particular ferry sinks, with the loss of about 80 lives.)
Eventually we arrive at the best hotel in the city, which is rated as 4 Star.
By someone.
Possibly the owner.
It is clean, and fairly tidy, and the only choice, so we check-in, and then go out for a meal having been told
previously about the best restaurant in town. The food is good but half the menu is not available, and they have
run out of coffee.
Back to the hotel and we are just in the lobby when there is a power cut. There we in pitch darkness because the
man who starts the generator has forgotten where he has put his torch so cannot see to start up the emergency
system. (I make no comment on this, so I must be getting use to the country). The next morning I am down at
reception and notice several emergency lights over all the exits. I ask the manager why they had not worked the
night before and he looks at me as if I am insane and tells me that it is because the power is off. Silly me. I
should have guessed.
Religion.
Being a Muslim country brings about some differences from what (most of us) are used to.
No alcohol is available, unless one pays around $40 per bottle, when the situation changes. Many of the local
businessmen will ask foreigners to buy booze for them. Of course, getting the money from them for it
afterwards is another problem!
No pig-meat, so therefore no bacon sandwiches. (A major dietary deficiency as far as I am concerned). One can
get beef-bacon, but shall I just say that this must be an acquired taste, which after my first testing, I decided not
to acquire.
Also, no women. Now, I am not talking about the availability of women as generally perceived in the
Philippines, it is just that one rarely sees women and almost never talks to them. The tradition is that the women
shall be hidden in the home and have no contact with other males except for their husband.
Few women work, and those that do are often in occupations where they do not come into contact with males.
All the hotel staff and the majority of office staff are male. (The men think that hotel work is beneath their
dignity so try to do as little of it as possible, and give appallingly bad service.)
With four of us there for nearly three weeks, the collective total was that we spoke to two women, with such
enlightening conversations as "can you tell MR. X that I am here".
The most devout adherent of their religion stop whatever they are doing, get out their prayer-mats, face Mecca,
and pray 5 times a day. Even in the middle of the road. Or in the office during a meeting. Or anywhere else.
( I just hope that the pilot on the homeward journey is not Muslim.)
Earlier I mentioned our change of hotel. We had not realised that it was close to a Mosque, and we soon get
used to the 5-times-a-day call to prayer issuing from a bank of speakers at a sound level that guarantees it can be
heard several miles away. Which we are not.
The service in this place is non-existent. The staff have this delightful habit of appearing to understand
everything you say, and then ignoring it. We consider another move, but some of the European we meet tell us
that we will probably find that other places are as bad, so decide to tolerate it.
I am not particularly fussy, but this depends upon the price one is paying. This place costs $50 per night, and for
this I would expect towels to be changed more than once per week.
Conversation in hotel dining room. Two of us are the only people there. "Waiter, please can I have two orange
juice". "You want two orange?". "Yes, two orange juice please". Waiter goes away and returns some 15 minutes
later saying, "Here, one orange, one mango, what you order".
Whilst three of us accept it, one of our group decides he will not, and ends up having a shouted argument with
one of the staff. (Not particularly effective when both are speaking different languages, but both seem to be
enjoying themselves so the rest of us look on.) He returns to our table and explains to us that he has put this guy
in his place and the service he receives in the future will be better. Well, it is certainly different, if not better. We
do not see this waiter again. At all. And our colleague gets no food. It transpires that the waiter is so annoyed
that he walked out of the hotel, and the other staff would not serve this particular guest in case he shouted at
them as well. From them onwards, one of us had to speak to the staff on his behalf as they all ignored him.
Food.
Talking of food, the local dishes are similar to what one will find in India, with plenty of Thai and Chinese and a
few Italian restaurants.
To get an idea of both the state of the economy and the severe deprivation of the people, Bangladesh is the
largest country in the world that does NOT have a McDonalds! Imagine 120 million people without a
BigMac between them!!
Bargains.
There are certainly some bargains, but you need to have a Bangladeshi to haggle for the best price, which will
be less than a quarter of what a westerner will be asked.
There are very few indigenous goods but those that are available are of pretty good quality, and C-H-E-A-P.
Leather shoes (around $10 per pair), a very limited range of craft products, some fabulous fabrics, and that is
about the limit of local manufacture.
Oh, and bricks. Very cheap but they ruin your suitcase and the excess baggage charge is horrendous!
Miscellaneous.
The guy in the airport gets a $5 tip for collecting four cases and wheeling them to the exit, and complains vociferously that it is not enough. That is the only occasion that we give money to anyone!
There are far fewer beggars than one gets in Manila, but they are more persistent. One local guy in our vehicle gives one woman 5 Taka (a rickshaw driver often earns less than 50Taka per day). She argues with him that it is not enough and then spits at him! None of the rest of us give anything to any of the beggars after seeing this.
Initiative.
One of the greatest differences between Bangladesh and India, Thailand, or The Philippines, is that the
people do not appear to have any drive or desire to try to improve their lot. In fact, most of them appear to have
raised apathy to an art form. On several occasions two or more of us walked round the local market, and not
once did anyone try to engage us in conversation, try to sell to us, or make any other contact whatsoever. If one
walks up and tries to buy from them, most are friendly enough, (and will quote a price several times higher than
you would pay in London or New York) but even then, there is no attempt to actually sell.
Overall.
With that catalogue of disasters, misfortunes, and tribulations, what was my overall impression? Well, strange to
say, I enjoyed it. (Possibly fortunate as I have to go back in a few weeks time.) A few of the people we did get
to know were great company and the scenery is superb. Give it a few years, and hopefully things will improve.
Modernisation might attract more business, and it might also reach the point where it is a reasonable tourist destination for those other than the types who like back-packing in rough conditions.
I have been there a number of times on business, not been there since the 70s, but IMHO, it is probibly the worst shit hole I was ever in and I would not return for any amount of money except for a very pressing business reason and for sure, never as a tourist, or as a reason to just look around.
But Alan, your observations on traffic procedures sounds just like Thailand today,, I see just such things daily without ever leaving home.
Kevin, En route to / from Dhaka I stayed in Bangkok for a few days as relief from Bangladesh. Easier flight routing too.
Alhough I havent been to BKK for almost 18 months, in my view, it is nowhere hear as bad as Dhaka.
I do agre that it is not a tourist destination except for those who really want to experience something totally different. _________________ The Middle Eastern states aren't nations; they're quarrels with borders.- P. J. O'Rourke
Alan; Well the driving is the same all over Thailand,,I never go to BKK either unless I have to,,and I got my last extension in CMX so will not go back to BKK for some more years,,but no matter, the driving is just the same no mattrer if BKK or Tak, Chiang Rai or Pattaya,,Nong Khai seems to be the best drivers in Thailand, if so then they must have some cops that try to enforce written law, I asked a cop in a conversation why people stop in a traffic lane to turn cross safety zones at the ends of divided sections of hyways where it goes from 4 to 2 lanes, and cause numerous deaths and wrecks, and he said "Oh we don't enforce that law",,don't know why he didn't say "we don't enforce any law unless it's money in our pockets"
I can say that the driving habits of bangkokians has improved over the years. the concept of staying in one lane has slowly caught on. Albeit the wrong lane _________________ Asia Expats Forum Expat Friends Dating
I enjoyed reading that Alan, thanks for sharing. I've been thinking about going there in December so I certainly winced a few times as I read through
You said that you were often quoted astronomical prices for different things. Did you have much luck when you haggled or did you find that they were rigid? Just curious....
Booze is rarely available and if you find it, EXPENSIVE. Way over UK prices even with our tax.
Food etc, you cant usually haggle, neither can you for hotel prices. (but then you wouldnt want to, The shortage of decent hotels means you accept a room in any of the better ones, irrespetive of price.
Boat parts are very cheap in Chittagong, but the prices are inflated in the few "tourist traps" in Dhaka that also stock them. (All come form the scrapped ships they break up.)
Craft items have two prices. One for locals, one for tourists. One can bargain for them.
At the same time, bargaining is easier in rural areas than in Dhaka, as most foreigners never leave the capital.
Spectacles are cheap, as are, for example, hammocks.
Oh, and bricks, and more bricks....... lol
Overall, there isnt many things that tourists want, so the choices are limited. _________________ The Middle Eastern states aren't nations; they're quarrels with borders.- P. J. O'Rourke
As there are few tourists, the market to supply them is poorly developed.
If you have a big family, your could struggle to find enough items to give each of them something different.
As for food, I didnt have any trouble with it, but I kept to the more conventional, plus I have been to so many places that I am fairly resistant to many ailments. _________________ The Middle Eastern states aren't nations; they're quarrels with borders.- P. J. O'Rourke
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