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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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The
Friendliest Country in the World? To most people Bangladesh conjures up thoughts of flooding, disease and death. It generally only makes the news in Britain when extremely inclement weather hits it hard; typhoon or monsoon; and flooding brings widespread loss of life, or if an overloaded boat capsizes leading to a large death toll. Why would anyone wish to go there? If you are after history, you’ll be disappointed. Wildlife, there’s some. Bengal tigers in the Sunderbans for instance, though almost impossible to find (they’re more likely to find you!) The weather can be very pleasant from October to February, the best time to visit, but not really a justification for flying so far. So why go? That’s easy; the people. My main memory of Bangladesh is of smiling faces, often en masse, even in Dhaka, the capital. The journey started on the Rocket; a paddle steamer (as used by Michael Palin at the end of his recent Himalayan trip) that most certainly does not live up to its name. A very gentle form of travel, and a great chance to sample river life. The final
destination, after 24 hours, was Mongla (close to the Sunderbans, but
no tigers) and our first chance to be surrounded by smiles as three of
us wandered around town. With evening entertainment at a premium, we took
in a film and the local fleapit (not exaggeration). A Banglawood movie!
Suggestive movements, fully clothed and farcical chases. The scratches
hinted at overuse. Chittagong
is known mainly from its role in World War II; there is a large, well
maintained cemetery containing Commonwealth victims of the conflict; but
has recently become famous for its ship breaking yard. A nearby beach
contains various ships, beached (what else), some in pieces, others largely
intact. Another misconception about Bangladesh is that it is all low lying and little more than a river delta. East and south of Chittagong lies hill country (the highest point in Bangladesh is higher than Ben Nevis!) This region is largely peopled by non-Muslim, Mongoloid tribes. Rangamata is situated astride a large lake created by a hydroelectric dam. Islands resulting from this are peopled by various hill tribes. We visited some, the pupils in the village school had obviously seen few Europeans judging by our welcome. To be allowed onto the lake an armed guard had to be hired from the Bangladesh Army. Insurgents threaten to kidnap tourists for a nice little earner (and plum posting) depending on your point of view. Bangladeshis visit Rangamata on holiday; many were keen to have a European in their holiday snaps – “me with large European” is a real coup apparently! Further into
hill country is Banderban. In this region the hill tribes live in basic
villages, inevitably littered with young children. The highlight was a
visit to the Sunday morning market. Pipe smoking Marma women are an unusual
sight. This was followed by a trip along the local river, which almost
turned into disaster as our boat started to sink mid-stream. Our guide,
in the bow, had panicked when he realised he was sitting on an ants’
nest. This rocked the boat, literally! Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries on Earth, yet their welcome is one of the richest. As a general rule I find the poorer the people, the more generous the hospitality. Visit soon. Europeans may start visiting for winter sunshine; the hotel proprietors of Cox’s Bazaar hope this might happen, however, I think Bangladesh will require a makeover to entice fussy Germans or English lager louts…especially as it’s a largely dry country. First published in VISA issue 62 (August 2005) |