My travel route map:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/Bangladeshtripmap1.jpg

After that enjoyable first trip, I decided to return again to Bangladesh. It has always been my favourite country- its near, fun, affordable, very welcoming, and I have a deep interest in Bengali culture. :cheers:

Now with cheap airline Air Asia flying between KL and Dhaka, I can afford flying to Bangladesh every 3-4 months. I flew by Thai Airways on my first trip, which was pretty hefty and costed 4 times than what I paid for Air Asia tickets for the this trip.

Bangladesh to me is one of the most underrated countries in the world- I found that nearly all people around me have false impression of Bangladesh . Media seems to be 100% negative on Bangladesh with the same boring coverage of political matters, natural disaster and so on. Abit personal, but considering how immature and terribly biased all world media are at current point, I am never a supporter of unauthorized free media... which fails to promote the positive side, or at least any cultural or natural attractions of Bangladesh.

The reality as I found was, Bangladesh is a country of very welcoming people with extremely respectable personalities , fast-growing middle class, and one thing that was clearly noticeable in BD was that financial poverty exists here and there but "material poverty" is rare. As a relatively new country, with heavy population of nearly 160 million and limited natural resources, it has been a good accomplishment for Bangladesh to have good road system, reducing poverty rate at fast speed That said, I must admit that there are things which tourists should take care of, for example always avoid "lesser-known" bus companies without proper driving standard when travelling by bus and avoid overcrowded ferry/launch at all cost. Then, I believe everything would be fine :)

Bangladesh as I see it.... is a very peaceful country with vast plains and dense forest and it's extremely hard to believe that it's the most densely-populated "large" nation in entire world, with more than 1000 people living in each square km. :cheers:

This second trip is more into an " adventurous" and culture-learning trip with little coverage on city life as presented on the first trip report.

My itinerary:

Nov 26- KL --> Dhaka
Nov 27- Dhaka--> Bhola Island ( 14 hrs by ferry "launch" ). Overnight in Bhola
Nov 28- Bhola Island.. then return to Dhaka by overnight ferry
Nov 29 - Dhaka --> Gazipur --> Dhaka
Nov 30- Dhaka--> KL

Looking forward to the rest :)

Wondering if this involves food torture, as in the past...

Day 1

I started from home around 10, then arrived at KL's LCC terminal at about 13:10.. the flight that would take me to Dhaka was shcheduled at 14:10, but still the check-in lines were quite long. The flight was very eventful with great scenery over Malaysia, Andaman Sea, before entering Myanmar, finally flying right over Cox's Bazaar which could be very clearly seen from top ,before descending into Dhaka. I was seated next to two Bangladeshi ladies coming over from Australia with their family members to celebrate Eid in Bangladesh. We had almost nonstop chatting from beginning to end of the flight, except when we went asleep during mid-air.

Zia Airport.. was fine and ordered, my only complaints being very soft public announcement and the notoriously high airport tax . My BD friend Mr Murad was waiting at Information Centre of Terminal 1. From there we traveled 10 minutes by car along the main road to Uttara ... and my only impression during that journey was that so many crowds on the road ! But that is due to the coincidal rush hour time at my point of arrival and Eid break by which many Dhakaians returned to their homeland and the streets saw a sudden increase of activities, from street sales to cow markets.. We spent a few hours in Uttara We visited Mr Murad's office in Uttara before taking rickshaw deep further from the main Dhaka-Uttara road, 20 mins towards his house which is located in a lesser-developed area called " Chalaband" . The whole of Chalaband feels so rural though it's still within Dhaka city limit. We could not start our journey to Bhola that night because both of us were extremely tired, so we decided to take long sleep instead and save the journey to the next day. As I strolled around Chalaband area and meeting different people I noticed that despite financial poverty, the vast majority of people there live in proper solid homes, reminds me alot of Indonesia and smaller Gulf countries which have far more prosperous lifestyles than what their GDP per capita figures would ever suggest ^^ . Many homes seem unbrushed from outside, but when entering inside..... the totally different story.


Nothing much for the first day... I was just very happy to be back again in Bangladesh, let the pics explain the rest.

Lining up for check in, the Dhaka flight that day was full.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0012.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0020.jpg

Lining up at departure gate :cheers:


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0022.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0024.jpg

My ticket

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0032.jpg


After 3 hrs on the plane.. right over Cox's Bazaar and based on shape I think that is Kutubtia Island :cheers:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0038.jpg

The weather was foggy was we approached Dhaka


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0051.jpg



http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0052.jpg

My own landing video into Dhaka :cheers:

Wm-uOF-89gM

Landing into Dhaka, the huge metropolis of almost 15 million.. Everything looks so small and close to each other , reminds me of Japan and Taiwan.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0053.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0054.jpg


Plains around Dhaka

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0055.jpg

Zia International Airport

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0057.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0058.jpg

Disembarking

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0060.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0061.jpg

Flight display in Zia, that came in Bengali language though I was supposed to take the English display one

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0063.jpg


Inside Zia Int'l Airport

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0064.jpg

Thank you, yes I feel extremely welcomed to Bangladesh !

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0065.jpg



http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0066.jpg

It was already dark when I hit the road outside the terminal, so I could not take any pics .....

Mr Murad whom I met on my previous BD trip has the same backpacker mentality as me. and he agreed to be my host and guide during my stay there.

Was so hungry and we went straight to a small restaurant in Uttara for light dinner
Here the food torture starts....

The small and compact restaurant where we had light dinner son after my arrival....we had " Hallim" :eat:


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0069.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0070.jpg

...and also some fried chicken

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0068.jpg

Then we went to Mr Murad's office in Uttara... he's kinda co-manager of a real estate company

His office
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0072.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0075.jpg

The entrance to the office

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0076.jpg

Then we went down the streets of Uttara to see the cow markets..... many cows are on display to be sold due to the Eid celebration, at different prices based on weight, quality and so on, too many crowds on those markets which are in total contradiction to Malaysia where the later Eid is not celebrated in such scale

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0079.jpg


Me & the cow

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0083.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0082.jpg

Then we went to have drink in this nearby drink shop

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0090.jpg


Anyway sorry for quality of pics, it was at night so I could not take many good pics on the first day

Then we took rickshaw from Dhaka- Uttara main road 20 mins deep into Mr Murad's home in Chalaband

This is the house where I stayed

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0091.jpg

An angle taken inside the house

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0093.jpg

Great pics Skyprince! They keep on getting better by every post!

Great start, as is typical...

Love the landing video, though the parts of town you are flying over are not the city center (as per commentary)...most likely that was Uttara, on the northern edge of town adjacent to the airport. The guy next to you is saying Mirpur...not sure if he is right...Mirpur is to the west, normally when I have landed in Dhaka it was from the north.

Great pics Skyprince! They keep on getting better by every post!

Pics on the first day are limited due to darkness sicne I arrived right after sunset. Pics on the following days will be more interesting.

Great start, as is typical...

Love the landing video, though the parts of town you are flying over are not the city center (as per commentary)...most likely that was Uttara, on the northern edge of town adjacent to the airport. The guy next to you is saying Mirpur...not sure if he is right...Mirpur is to the west, normally when I have landed in Dhaka it was from the north.

The cluster of buildings just before landing was amazing, must be dubbed an architectural masterpiece indeed :cheers: ( so as you mentioned, is that really in Uttara ? )

I got confused too with Dhaka and still fail to remember most parts of it :( All my friends live in northern parts of the city and added to little street signage I have little idea on where's where in Dhaka.

Another friend coming to join us in the house

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0094.jpg

Mr Murad's house is actually a 5-storey building shared among his siblings, I have never found such home and the culture of staying with such huge family , back home.

In the next morning I went up to the roof top of that building and here are views from there towards nearby Chalaband neighborhood

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0097.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0096.jpg

View from the rooftop of Mr Murad's building

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0095.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0098.jpg

( so as you mentioned, is that really in Uttara ? ).

One of our Aviation guys could probably better tell you, but I am pretty sure that's the case. ZIA runway is in a diagonal from northwest to southeast. I think you approached from the north (I think all approaches to ZIA are from the north, but I could be wrong). From a northern approach, you could see Uttara from the left window, and Mirpur a little ways off from the right window. Uttara is also much closer to the airport than Mirpur.

"Leetlegirl" on flickr posted a series of pics of a similar landing...I posted 4 of them in the current Dhaka Cityscapes thread, post 384 - 385 on the page linked below:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=915818&page=20

^^ I always thought the landing took place from the south but when I was thinking back of direction of landing and the direction we took towards Uttara upon arrival it's true you said, the area with loads of low-rise blocks should be Uttara.

Day 2

So I woke up early that day, getting refreshed, with hot water provided by my host, which was poured separately into the baldi :D with cold water , packed our things and ready for long journey to Bhola Island. Only me & Mr. Murad would make this trip, my previous host Mr Faruk, Mr Mobasher and our new friend could not join since they have to celebrate Eid with their respective families back in their hometowns.

Alot of my BD friends were puzzled on why I picked Bhola, well....... I chose Bhola Island because I heard alot about it- remember that famous Bhola Cyclone ? That killed nearly half a million people. It's the largest island in Bangladesh and lately there had been coverage by Aljazeera and several other news channels about the impact of climate change on Bhola, which lost more than half of its size since the past 30 years , from more than 3000 sq kms to just above 1,400 sq kms currently. Another reason: it's located in Barisal division which I was eager to cover in order to complete all the 6 divisions of BD.

We started off from Chalaband to the main road by rickshaw, before we took city bus to Gulistan ( around 1 hr ), then took rickshaw to Sadar Ghat which is the main ferry terminal of Dhaka. The whole area from where we got down the bus in Gulistan to Sadar Ghat was jam-packed with people waiting for their buses to reach their hometown. Never seen such crowds before.... Sadar Ghat is very extreme too with tens of thousands waiting for their ferries ( called " launch" in Bangladesh ) to get home for Eid celebration. The flow was extreemly slow from the terminal main entrance to reach our ferry that would take us to Bhola Island.


The ferry we boarded to Bhola was packed with crowds- according to Mr Murad there were estimated 1500 on board, which was 3 times more than its maximum capasity. The ferry had 4 decks. There is no fixed seating on our ferry; almost everybody lies on the floor. The ordinary ferry ticket for this 14-hr Dhaka- Bhola journey ( 220 km ) is actually 200 Taka ( $ 3 one-way ) but after negotiating we we allowed into security cabin by paying double the price ( $ 6 ), which in return, comes with comfortable mattress for us to sleep and relax during the whole journey. As we went further south from Dhaka the more quiet the surrounding scenes became, with less economic activities. It was very hard to believe that Bangladesh is a country of 160 million !! Even as we left Dhaka the surrounding suburbs seemed pretty quiet .


Anyway, let the pics sum up the rest

Before we left Bhola I managed to snap some pics of the house

The living

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0110.jpg


My room

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0111.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0114.jpg

Then, we started the journey,

This is Chalaband area as we walked to find out rickshaw

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0115.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0116.jpg

We took rickshaw from Chalaband to the main road...very bumpy ride

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0117.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0118.jpg

Chalaband to Uttara main road

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0119.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0120.jpg

Chalaband to Uttara Main street

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0121.jpg


What does it mean hmm.. As I can read many Bengali words, the second word means " Cosmetics" ?

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0122.jpg

Approaching the main road

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0123.jpg


Then we took the bus from Uttara to Gulistan

Scene from the bus

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0128.jpg

Scene from the bus: Uttara to Gulistan

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0129.jpg



Scene from the rickshaw: Gulistan area to Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0130.jpg

On the way from Gulistan to Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal by rickshaw

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0131.jpg



http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0132.jpg

Rickshaw ride to Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0133.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0134.jpg

Rickshaw ride to Sdar Ghat Ferry Terminal

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0135.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0136.jpg

Hmm I wonder why the quality of pics aren't that good this time.

Will try to fix them, if possible. But probably my camera is aging

I hope you guys don't mind. But one thing for sure is this second trip was more than enjoyable, just like the first one.
Let me see it and I will continue posting tomorrow.

^^ The pics seem fine to me...I also have some problems with my camera (picture graininess - I think I dropped it one too many times)...but there are other times when the image on my PC is fine but loses resolution with uploading.

excellent... looking forward to see more picture of bhola and rest :)

I will be going to bd in march. lets see how many pictures i can take :D

Okay lets continue ;)

@ Tanzir - I am still using the same camera that I used for the 1st Bangladeshi trip.

a video taken by me during the rickshaw ride from Gulistan bus halt to Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal

q-n2YOMuOtQ

Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal

The super crowded main ferry terminal of Dhaka
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0146.jpg



Ferry schedule display- basically there are 4 departures a day from Dhaka to Bhola and all depart at night , but since this is Eid season, there are additional services during daytime. Our ferry departed at 10:00

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0148-1.jpg

Sahar Ghat Ferry Terminal

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0147.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0149.jpg

Among the ferries

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0150.jpg



http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0151.jpg

Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0152.jpg


That's our Dhaka-Bhola ferry....... "Lali"

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0154.jpg

2 ferries

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0155.jpg

And that's me in front of our "Lali" :cheers:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0157.jpg

The view from the first floor of ferry

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0153.jpg


Actually, we were supposed to stay outside, but Mr Murad managed to negiate with security officials on board to let us into their cabin by paying double the price. And here's me leaning inside our cabin :cheers:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0161.jpg

Having chanachur

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0163.jpg


In the upper deck of ferry with crowds and Burigangga river

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0164.jpg

View from Upper deck of ferry

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0165.jpg


Still in Sadar Ghat actually, the ferry hasn't moved yet

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0166.jpg

Incredible view over Burigangga River as we leave Sadar Ghat

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0168.jpg



http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0169.jpg

Dhaka's southern suburbs

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0172.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0173.jpg

Dhaka's southern outskirts

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0174.jpg


Thats me among the crowds

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0176.jpg

Dhaka's southern suburbs.. getting more quiet and less bustling as we left Dhaka

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0177.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0178.jpg

Just south of Dhaka

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0180.jpg


Thats me,

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0183.jpg

In the upper deck

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0184.jpg



Bangladesh is a country of chimneys !! ( for bricks industry ? ) :cheers: Such chimneys are virtually everywhere in this country !!

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0191.jpg

Chanachur sold on board

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0194.jpg




View of rural Bangladesh.. probably near Chandpur

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0195.jpg

Actually that's it for Day 2, since the skies started to get dark and we arrived at Bhola late at night. We spent the whole day inside ferry sleeping, enjoying the surrounding view, chatting with other passengers ( though, almost nobody spoke English inside the boat ), including one local Engineer who explains abit about Bhola to me - he's originally from Bhola but working in Dhaka . The ferry was moving at very slow speed of around 20 km/h. The food inside wasn't reccomendable at all, according to Mr. Murad, so we refrained from having any meals until we reached Bhola that night.

Bhola is a huge island measuring 1,400 sq km, which is more than twice the size of Singapore, and the main Bhola town is located in the northern part of the island. As we reached Bhola's main ferry terminal, we had our dinner in Bhola town before taking long 40-min journey by rickshaw to a guesthouse which is located near Bhola's main bus terminal. That's where we had our overnight stay.

Day 3

We woke up to hear the news about the sinking ferry that caused "3 deaths" with many injured and to adding our shock, the ferry left Dhaka few minutes before us on its way from Dhaka to southern part of Bhola.

It is Eid day so we spent the whole morning in that area ( forgot its name ) in which Bhola bus terminal is located. Mr Murad has a friend who lives in the middle part of Bhola called Borhanuddin so after we finished breakfast and prayer we headed to Borhanuddin by bus. About 30 taka and the bus took 30 mins to reach Borhanuddin town via other main towns i.e. Bangla Bazaar etc. The only main road which connects Bhola town in the north to the southern towns goes in the middle of the island, so we could not see any coast all along the way. Bhola is largely agricultural and living standard is decent, with almost no poverty visible. Income may be low but homes are solid and comfortable. I talked to one person in the guesthouse regarding the impact of climate change on Bhola, and he said most of the impact can only be felt in the southern part of Bhola which lost many of its land to the mightly sea, and many of its population had to move out to the rest parts of Bhola and to the capital in order to earn income.

Paddy fields dot almost every single corner of Bhola, and just like the rest of Bangladesh, there are so many ponds in the island ! And since it's Eid day, there are many gatherings for " cow-cutting" in virtualy everywhere. When we took rickshaw from Borhanuddin town to our friend's house which is 4 km away, we saw "cow-cutting" gatherings for 7- 8 times, which translates into every 500-600 metres from one another.


We were greeted by our very hospitable host and we spent the whole day watching cow-cutting , visiting the whole village, having coconuts etc. what I was impressed with was that many young teens in the village spoke excellent English despite being grown in such an isolated place. Reminds me of the place where I stayed in Chapai Nawabganj with many teens spoke in perfect English and could explain incessantly from A to Z about any current world issues, which is very sadly, something that is almost non-existent among teens in Malaysia ( and most of SE and East Asian countries that I visited ), even in urban centres !


We really had great time in Bhola and in the evening, we left for ferry terminal to get our ferry back to Dhaka. Again, pics will tell the rest of the story.

Me with Mr Murad and the person at our guesthouse in Bhola

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0203-1.jpg


In the area near Bhola bus station
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0208.jpg

Walking in Bhola

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Taking rickshaw

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There are many such ponds in Bangladesh

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http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0213.jpg


This is the only main road connecting north and south Bhola

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0215.jpg

Bhola- north

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The town where central Bhola bus terminal is located

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the town in Bhola

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me walking in the town

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Walking in the town

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0219-1.jpg


Then we went for breakfast.. just plain roti with dhal + bhaji

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Enjoying the breakfast after serious hunger the day before

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After that we went to Bhola main Bus Terminal to look for our bus to Borhanuddin

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0223.jpg

Bhola Main Bus Terminal- with frequent buses to points in Bhola including Borhanuddin, Bangla Bazaar, Lal Mohan etc.

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Bhola Main Bus Terminal- the ticket counter

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0226.jpg


The bus we took

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Taken during the bus ride

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Borhanuddin town

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Borhanuddin town

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Paddy fields on our way from Borhanuddin town to our friend's house

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Me in front of our friend's house...

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And that's our friend Mr. Rabiul

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Our brunch.. Noodle and sweets

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Only ferry trip I took in BD was a short pleasure cruise on the Buriganga near Dhaka...having traveled by rail, air, or road...but back when my parents were younger ferry rides were the only practical option in many cases. Great stuff Skyprince...in your two trips you have already seen facets and places of BD that I never did :)

Only ferry trip I took in BD was a short pleasure cruise on the Buriganga near Dhaka...having traveled by rail, air, or road...but back when my parents were younger ferry rides were the only practical option in many cases. Great stuff Skyprince...in your two trips you have already seen facets and places of BD that I never did :)

One thing I was shocked that most Bangladeshis do not travel much. The country is small and public transport is generally good and extensive, but until now except for a friend of mine none of BDshis that I knew of have covered all six districts of Bangladesh. My host Mr. Murad who is also an adventurer only been to five... he missed out Khulna.

I have many pics taken during cow-cutting gathering which I attended but due to sensitivity I prefer not to display them here, except this one at the end of the event

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0274.jpg


Another brunch

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0268.jpg

We strolled in the village, meeting local villagers many of whom spoke excellent English and enjoying great signature food of Bangladesh like kichori, shekoi, etc.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0269.jpg


Me with Mr Murad

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0270.jpg

....and enjoying great signature food of Bangladesh like kichori, shekoi, etc.

My theory remains as before...that the guy in the pics is not you...the real Skyprince must weigh approx. 385.25 lbs

A disaster relief centre nearby

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Climbing up the coconut tree. I never know that coconuts can grow in such cool climate !

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http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0289.jpg

One thing I was shocked that most Bangladeshis do not travel much.

This is true...though in my case, I lived in BD when I was younger and was still dependent on my parents. If I was living there today, I would explore more widely, for sure. At the same time, immigrating to a foreign land has increased my interest (and by extension, knowledge) of places in BD...plus having high speed internet access has also helped to this end (I might not have had if I'd stayed in BD).

My theory remains as before...that the guy in the pics is not you...the real Skyprince must weigh approx. 385.25 lbs

hahah.. well a foodie does not mean a huge eater.

This is true...though in my case, I lived in BD when I was younger and was still dependent on my parents. If I was living there today, I would explore more widely, for sure. At the same time, immigrating to a foreign land has increased my interest (and by extension, knowledge) of places in BD...plus having high speed internet access has also helped to this end (I might not have had if I'd stayed in BD).

Just for my interest, do you have any long term plan to return and serve in Bangladesh ?

Not sure about overall net speed but I used the connection from mr Murad's office in Uttara and it was really fine.

I was very impressed on how "smart and brilliant" many Bangladeshis are, they have high level of curiosity towards everything and very well-informed about whatever happening all around the world. That itself, one of the biggest reasons why I love BD where I can make many friends and having interesting discussions. I hope you understand what I mean.

I am learning Bengali now, btw :)

Having coconuts :cheers:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0292.jpg


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Small patch of grassland in Bhola

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With our new friends in Bhola.. actaully it was an abandoned governor's office of Borhanuddin

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0311.jpg

Climbing up the coconut tree. I never know that coconuts can grow in such cool climate !


Cool climate? Bangladesh? :eek2:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0313.jpg


According to my BD friends, the government of BD has installed many of this tube well recently in most villages in BD to provide extremely clean water to folks.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0320.jpg


Paddy fields are everywhere in Bhola

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0327.jpg

Only ferry trip I took in BD was a short pleasure cruise on the Buriganga near Dhaka...

The trip that Sky Prince took was technically a launch trip in BD since only passengers were taken on board. A ferry trip would be one which would take cars, buses and trucks on board while crossing the river

Cool climate? Bangladesh? :eek2:

It's "winter " season isn't it ? And it's Bhola which is heavily forested. Certainly cool to my tropical standards.

Yes its winter now. But come during summer/monsoon. Boy is it sticky and tropical!

Just for my interest, do you have any long term plan to return and serve in Bangladesh ?

I don't plan on living in BD...my parents moved with me and my sister here during high school, and most of our property there is sold off or given away to relatives, plus Mrs Tanzirian though Bangladeshi ethnically has never actually lived there, having spent youth in Mid East and later life like me in US. Besides which, I lived a sheltered life in BD, being educated primarily in English at a rich kids' school (though I was more middle class, son of professors...my parents were always spending extra for our education)...so I never really learnt the ins and outs of Bangladeshi society all that well. And BD can be a tough place to live if you don't know the complexities of the professional / legal system there. That all being said, once I am more settled in my profession here in the US, I may do medical volunteer work in BD if there is the right opportunity.

I am learning Bengali now, btw :)

You are doing a good job. For instance you correctly read "cosmetics" a page or two back. I'm impressed!

The trip that Sky Prince took was technically a launch trip in BD since only passengers were taken on board. A ferry trip would be one which would take cars, buses and trucks on board while crossing the river

You are right, I stand corrected :) I meant launch.

Yes its winter now. But come during summer/monsoon. Boy is it sticky and tropical!

I know its kinda extreme there, alot of BD friends said while winter is mild, summer in BD is very hot and humid :)

Actually instead of taking launch on our way back from Bhola to Dhaka, we initially planned to take "sea truck" ( according to Mr. Murad ) from Bhola to Noakhali, then all the way by bus to Dhaka. Probably that "sea truck" is what you meant by the ferry that carries vehicles on it, correct ?

I don't plan on living in BD...my parents moved with me and my sister here during high school, and most of our property there is sold off or given away to relatives, plus Mrs Tanzirian though Bangladeshi ethnically has never actually lived there, having spent youth in Mid East and later life like me in US. Besides which, I lived a sheltered life in BD, being educated primarily in English at a rich kids' school (though I was more middle class, son of professors...my parents were always spending extra for our education)...so I never really learnt the ins and outs of Bangladeshi society all that well. And BD can be a tough place to live if you don't know the complexities of the professional / legal system there. That all being said, once I am more settled in my profession here in the US, I may do medical volunteer work in BD if there is the right opportunity.



You are doing a good job. For instance you correctly read "cosmetics" a page or two back. I'm impressed!

t

That's good insights and I didnt know you're married.

I bought a Bengali language guidebook at just 200 Tk from a bookstore in Uttara and now almost 10% of syllabus has been covered. Today I came to the "boro" "choto" part which I realized just recently been discussed by Manazir and Zeehan in Spontaneous discussions thread. :lol: Now I know what they exactly meant.

Lets continue.

Still in Bhola and this was our lunch prepared by Mr. Rabiul's family :eat: I got a serious trouble to eat hilsa fish since the past visit, but finally I didn;t face that trouble anymore after Mr Murad taught me how to eat Hilsa in the correct way. Just bite everything ( except for some boney parts ) until they all get into stomach /

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0331.jpg


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Eating again..

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Then we played badminton outside.. didnt know badminton is popular in BD

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0347.jpg

Family photo.. its really great that I can return anytime to their home once am in Bhola

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0354.jpg


We had to return to Bhola town to catch our launch back to Dhaka, ETD 20:00
We made a stop in a fish market selling hilsa fish

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0362.jpg

In Bhola town, it's a very bustling small town with loads of rickshaws and CNGs . I have no idea of how many people live in that town, but the whole of Bhola island has 1.4 mil inhabitants.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0363.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0366.jpg


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In Bhola town

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Heading towards our launch

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The launch that took us to Dhaka that night was......... very empty ! And its 100% cabin-oriented, at amazingly affordable price. We paid 800 Tk for this double-bedded cabin and we had an extremely comfortable night until we reached Dhaka. There are cabins for single use too, but they charge 700 Tk

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/Bangladesh%20trip/IMG_0374.jpg


Me inside our cabin
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We had this dinner on board.. tasted nice !

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We reached Dhaka finally.. and the weather was quite foggy

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Arrival in Dhaka's Sadar Ghat

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With our launch

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^^
wow didnt know the cabins would have a TV :D

btw, i would never prefer to travel in ferries / launch, dont feel safe at all!

Another option for you in future, Skyprince, is the "Rocket" (launch) line which I think goes from Dhaka to Barisal (not far from Bhola). This line is now well known among the few western tourists who go to Bangladesh. It might work well if you want to check out some of the attraction in the southeast of the country on a future trip, like Sundarbans, Bagerhat, or Kuakata beach.

^^
wow didnt know the cabins would have a TV :D

btw, i would never prefer to travel in ferries / launch, dont feel safe at all!

The prices are so cheap, I was willing to pay double for such great, clean & comfortable cabin with friendly staff at least they could cover up the costs instead of Tk 800. I think things would be almost safe if we avoid hypercrowded launches.

Another option for you in future, Skyprince, is the "Rocket" (launch) line which I think goes from Dhaka to Barisal (not far from Bhola). This line is now well known among the few western tourists who go to Bangladesh. It might work well if you want to check out some of the attraction in the southeast of the country on a future trip, like Sundarbans, Bagerhat, or Kuakata beach.

Never heard of rockets before. Barisal city and Kuakata were actually in our plan, but due to Eid season we could not go anywhere else. Will keep it for next trip- I can visit BD quite frequently from now on, like every 3-4 months.

Day 4

Our ferry arrived in Dhaka, and it took about 20 minutes until we could get down due to long queue of launches arriving at that time. We actually had to hop from one launches to another, until we finally reached the land. We headed to a muzeum close to Sadhar Ghat ( am not sure its name , have to ask Mr Murad again ), its impressive red-coloured building but closed due to Eid break.

We soon tried to make our way to Gazipur. We walked along different streets of the nearby Old Dhaka. After having breakfast, we managed to get a bus that took us to Tungi, where we switched to minivan towards Gazipur. The road stretch from Tungi to Gazipur is heavily under construction so it was a really bumpy ride. Again, the journey gave the impression of an underpopulated country with vast plains and little human habitation. If not for huge pools of Bangladeshi residents living outside, I would seriously doubt the real population data of BD.

We got down from our minivan and switched to tempo for another 1-hr ride from the main road towards the area ( Hazidebpur ? ) where another friend's ( Mr Pavel ) farmhouse is located. His dad is a politician and supposedly, the chief of that area where we went to. Along the narrow path from the main road, I found that living standard is decent in most parts of rural Bangladesh. The salary may be lower, but homes are generally spacious and comfortable. Certainly does not give an impression of a country with GDP PPP per capita of under $ 2000. I have been to a country with 4 times the PPP per capita income of Bangladesh, but BD cities, towns and general living condition is far better and far more organized compared to that country ( which I will not name it )

Ok, that's it, pics will tell the rest. :cheers:

Leaving our launch and heading to the entrance of Sadar Ghat Ferry Terminal

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At the entrance of Sadar Ghat

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Nearby stall on the same road

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In front of the famous red muzeum/palace near Sadar Ghat.. forgot its name..

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Having "matha" ( Bangladeshi yoghurt drink )

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That's matha and the seller

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Old Dhaka

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A Hindu temple in Old Dhaka

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A shop at Old Dhaka

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My simple breakfast @ Old Dhaka.. ruti + bhaji.. It's hard to find restaurants that serve meat in the morning.

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On our way from Gulistan to Tungi

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Thats a market in between Uttara and Tungi, I think

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A petrol station near Tungi

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Inside our minivan from Tungi to Gazipur

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Bangladesh- a peaceful country with dense forest and vast plains. More than 1000 people living in each sq km ? Think again :)

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On our way to a town in Gazipur

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After 1-hr ride by tempo from main street, we reached this small town. I couldnt snap any photos inside tempo because it was very packed.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0432.jpg

I didnt know why I had to do this !

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The village in Hazidebpur, ( sp ?)

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A street in the village

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Me in the farmhouse

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The farmhouse in Gazipur where we spent the whole day

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With the family at the farmhouse ( with their permission )

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Home-made shekoi , shamai, fulpita :eat:

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http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0449.jpg

I met two of Mr. Pavel's relatives who work in KL, and they spoke Malay very fluently :applause:, so we had some interesting chat. Here is one of them.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0451.jpg


Then we took motorbike from the farmhouse to an area in Shitalaka river. There is an islan in the middle of the river. We went to that island by boat. but I couldnt snap pics because battery suddenly dried up.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0456.jpg

Thats me with Jewel.. our friend Mr Pavel's younger bro who took us there by his bike

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0454.jpg


The boat that took us to the middle island

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http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0458.jpg


Leaving the shore

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Never heard of rockets before..

I think "Rocket" is the name of the boat, or of that particular line...if somebody here knows, they might be able to clarify...

I like the area around Gazipur...one of the nicest countrysides close to Dhaka is between Gazipur and SAvar. Also I think that area is flood free - a rarity in Bangladesh (the Savar to Gazipur area, not the banks of the Sitalakhya, which I am sure must flood).

Inside our boat

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http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0471.jpg

Then on that early evening we returned to Dhaka by bus... and on the way the bus stopped for refuelling... by natural gas ! Anybody can read this ?

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0473.jpg

And upon arrival in Dhaka ( Tungi ) , Mirzazeehan and his bro were waiting for us by their car... :cheers: Anyway, I will post our pic ( only one pic ) in Spontaneous discussions, if he agrees . He is the fourth person in SSC that I met face-to-face so far ( after forumer Nazrey in Hadyai, Bentown in Phuket and alsen ... who, suprisingly was my own classmate in pre-college......... maybe samaruf will be the fifth person, due next week )

After having great shake and chit-chatting in Radisson Dhaka we headed straight to my previous host's ( Mr Mobasher ) house .. he is now married and living in this comfortable apartment.

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0482.jpg


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It's Day 5 but I won't write any narration since its just a short day before my departure back. We didn't do much on Day 5 , just meeting few friends before I headed for Zia

A friend's house that we visited that day

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And this is the lunch that they prepared

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Terrific food !

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http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0492.jpg

Roaming around Uttarkhan neighborhood... I think King Nothing must be familiar with this place ?

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0493.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0494.jpg

I got terribly sick that day so here we headed to... " Ahmed Pharmacy" ?

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0497.jpg


A famous textile company in Uttara neighborhood.. Mr Murad's house is just few blocks away from there

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0499.jpg

And upon arrival in Dhaka ( Tungi ) , Mirzazeehan and his bro were waiting for us by their car... :cheers: Anyway, I will post our pic ( only one pic ) in Spontaneous discussions, if he agrees.

As Mirza's official agent, I give you authorization on his behalf... :D

Also, check the Spontaneous Discussions thread, Skyprince. Samaruf bhai has had some problems with his flight...don't know if this affects your meeting plans, or not.

Haha okay then here's our pic that night in Radisson Dhaka..

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0474.jpg

I know about Samaruf's flight technical glitch issue that he had to wait an extra day to catch his flight to Dhaka. I hope this does not affect his plan for next week.

Then back to Mr. Pavel's house where he prepared my last meal

Actually Mr Pavel, Mr Murad and another person came over to Malaysia for trip, 2 months ago and I became their host ( though, they stayed in hotel/another place )

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0500.jpg


With Pavel and Faruk ( remember him ? He was my previous host last time..... but now he is married so he could not spend much time with us )

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0501.jpg

On the way to ZIA .. we stopped to get my souvenier.. chanachur

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0505.jpg


near ZIA

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0506.jpg

A QR bus in ZIA

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0507.jpg


I didnt notice two separate terminals in my previous visit ?

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0508.jpg

ZIA

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0509.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0510.jpg


This brand ( Pran ) seems extremely popular in BD

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0511.jpg

There is net station installed by Grameenphone

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0512.jpg


Emirates bound for Dubai

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0513.jpg

The plane that took me back to KL..

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0514.jpg


http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/IMG_0515.jpg

That's the end......... Well I understand that this report is rather short ( only 5-day trip instead of 10 days for previous one ) , with mostly "leisurely" pics of mine instead of roads, highways, mall images of BD, but I hope you guys understand that most of the journeys were made at night and I could not manage front seats to snap road images which is partly due to crowded Eid season , and I became extremely sick on my last 2 days due to chilly weather, thus less active in snapping pics.

But one thing for sure, I really enjoyed BD this time :cheers:

^^
loved it much xD ...... hw tall is mirza i wonder, he looks taller than u :D .........and tht terminal section board at ZIA is outdated i guess, there is no more RAK Airways or Air Slovakia flying to DAC, and in addition, China Southern Airline should be there

nice addition to the airport, the Grameenphone internet thingy, atleast they got something now :)

^^
loved it much xD ...... hw tall is mirza i wonder, he looks taller than u :D .........and tht terminal section board at ZIA is outdated i guess, there is no more RAK Airways or Air Slovakia flying to DAC, and in addition, China Southern Airline should be there

Yesterday you asked me the same question via Yahoo Messenger and left me puzzled lol .

CZ and even AK were not there on the board

Thanks a lot for the pictures Skyprince! They are awesome!

Glad to see some shops coming up inside ZIA!

Great TR as always, Skyprince. Am glad that you might be going back to BD more often...so we can get more like this one :)

skyprince bro, good to see u met Nazrey aswell, the malaysian related threads in SSC r full of his posts lol :)

nice journey skyprince.

SkyPrince, very nice trip report. I have sent you a PM.

thanks for sharing your trip photos skyprince! you photos make me more excited to my BD trip in July. it will be just five days but i will try to maximize my stay. it will be a nostalgic trip for since BD is the first country i visited 16 years ago. i know july is not the perfect time to visit BD but i am still hoping that i will have a great time, especially meeting some friends there and a friend on his birthday. cant wait to be see Dhaka again.

btw, im from the philippines and im flying air asia via KUL.

^^ Have fun.

Excellent thread Skyprince, really enjoyed following the pics. great videos as well. I am hoping to go to BD sylhet next year with the my mum, mrs and my child cant wait.:)

By the way has anybody had tea from the vending machine in Dhaka airport? It is the best tea ever. I loved it, i wonder if it still there. That was in 2004 last time i travelled to BD

The interiors of bangla looks very poor..... or is it just the photographer who shoots only the poor areas??

^^
haha he's been into a "town" called Bhola, which is far away from the city area lol, so u expect it tht way

guys ... as a delhite (india) i always dreamt of visiting my neighbouring countries especially bhutan and bangladesh...I have been living in dubai for the past 4 years and had good experience with people from bangla.. The young eneration really love india mainly because of bollywood and india's emergence globally. One of my friend who is from bangladesh recently told me that most of the yougsters love india a lot but the oldies doesnt as they do have a soft corner towards the pakis....Is that the reality??? what do u guys think?

The interiors of bangla looks very poor..... or is it just the photographer who shoots only the poor areas??

What are you talking about? I dont see any poverty in the pics that he posted. Infact take a look at his description. He says he didnt see much poverty in the places he visited: Bhola, Gazipur, Dhaka.

thanks for sharing your trip photos skyprince! you photos make me more excited to my BD trip in July. it will be just five days but i will try to maximize my stay. it will be a nostalgic trip for since BD is the first country i visited 16 years ago. i know july is not the perfect time to visit BD but i am still hoping that i will have a great time, especially meeting some friends there and a friend on his birthday. cant wait to be see Dhaka again.

btw, im from the philippines and im flying air asia via KUL.


Excellent thread Skyprince, really enjoyed following the pics. great videos as well. I am hoping to go to BD sylhet next year with the my mum, mrs and my child cant wait.:)

By the way has anybody had tea from the vending machine in Dhaka airport? It is the best tea ever. I loved it, i wonder if it still there. That was in 2004 last time i travelled to BD


I really don't understand why most people have this obsession with modernity, popularity and technology when deciding places to travel. You made a brilliant decision to visit Bangladesh, it's home to very welcoming, hospitable, extremely smart & relatively global-thinking people with big hearts which to me, the most attractive thing a country could offer. Plus, things are cheap and travelling around is very affordable with my moderate income level in Malaysia.

What are you talking about? I dont see any poverty in the pics that he posted. Infact take a look at his description. He says he didnt see much poverty in the places he visited: Bhola, Gazipur, Dhaka.

I actually doubt that he has anything to do with India, based on his " unnatural"-sounded posts.

I actually doubt that he has anything to do with India, based on his " unnatural"-sounded posts.

All his posts in this subforum are of that nature. He should acquaint himself with our subforum rules (linked below):

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=667196

Hes another dean jones.

I.... plus Mrs Tanzirian though Bangladeshi ethnically ......

Say, that's news! Didn't Tan is married. Yet he appears to be float about everywhere without the Mrs (or so it seems in the pictures)! What's your secret, Tan? :)

What's your secret, Tan? :)

:) Due to work, the missus and I are living a few thousand miles apart till June, but we get to see each other once or twice a month on average till then.

:) Due to work, the missus and I are living a few thousand miles apart till June, but we get to see each other once or twice a month on average till then.

:cry:
But then, June is just five months away. Chin up. :lol:

Nice writeup Skyprice.

Cool stuff mate - thanks for sharing! :)