Dangers Annoyances
Make no mistake about this - foreign women cannot swim or sunbathe in swimsuits and we dread to think about the levels of harassment you would endure if you were to try. Bangladeshi women who swim do so in their salwar kameez long, dress-like tunic worn over baggy trousers and you'd be very wise to do the same. Even foreign men are unlikely to enjoy the experience of swimming here and as for sunbathing, well that is a massive no, no for both sexes. The northern end of the beach next to the...
HOLIDAYS Public Holidays
The following holidays are observed nationally, and government offices, banks and most businesses are closed. Birthday of the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birthday 17 March Independence Day 26 March May Day 1 May Bank Holiday 30 June National Mourning Day Anniversary of the death of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 15 August National Revolution Day 7 November Biganj Dibash Victory Day 16 December Christmas Day 25 December. Known as Bara Din Big Day . Churches are adorned with lights and...
th century AD
In the 4th century AD, northern India comes under the imperial rule of the Guptas during their reign Buddhism reaches its zenith. The Guptas succumb to a wave of White Hun invasions. The Muslims storm into Bengal and quickly convert the region. The Mameluk sultanate is established, until the Tughlaq dynasty overthrows it in 1320. The Tughlaqs are defeated by another wave of Muslim invaders in 1398. Under the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, a distinct Bengali identity begins to form. The city of Gaud...
Desserts
firni paish fglfe ftup rice pudding cooked with milk, sugar, flavouring and nuts, popular at Eid celebrations halua qlmut common dessert made with carrot or pumpkin, butter, milk Lonely Planet Publications FOOD amp DRINK Eat Your Words 45 jorda Sict yellow sweet-rice with saffron, almonds and cinnamon kalojam Ltm Sj fried milk-and-flour balls, soaked in syrup kheer Mil rice pudding with thick milk dessert similar to halua pitha ft blanket term for all kinds of cakes or pastries, including...
Dhanbari Nawab Palace
Some 15km north of the town of Madhupur is the old Dhanbari Nawab Palace. It was originally owned by a Hindu, Dhanwar Khan, but it fell into the hands of Muslims, which explains the presence of a mosque. The interior of the elegant three-domed mosque, renovated in 1901, is marvellous - the inner walls are covered from floor to ceiling with mural decorations made from broken china pieces. To get here from the town of Madhupur, take the tarred road north towards Jamalpur and after about 15km...
Madhupur National Park
Home of the beautiful capped langur monkey, wild boar, barking deer and a galaxy of bird species the Madhupur mode-uh-poor National Park, covering around 8500 hectares, is one of the last remaining patches of old-growth Sal forest left in the country. In addition to it's abundant wildlife, the park also provides a home to the Mandi tribal peoples see p78 whom you are almost certain to encounter. This area was once famous for tigers, unfortunately this was during the days when it was thought...
Burimari
Burimari is a major crossing point into India, though it's hardly busy. The customs office at the border is open from 8am to 6pm. It should take about 20 minutes to have your passport processed, but all the socialising and cha-drinking will slow you down. There is nowhere to change money on the Bangladeshi side of the border, so make sure that before you leave India you grab enough taka to get you to your next destination. If you arrive late at night at Burimari, you can stay at Mahoroma Hotel...
Muktagacha
The little village of Muktagacha, situated 12km west of Mymensingh on the old Tangail-Dhaka Hwy, has two tourist draws - one cultural and the other dentist-inviting. The cultural draw is a decaying 300-year-old rajbari. Spread over 10 acres, this is a special estate, even in disrepair, bedecked with Corinthian columns, high parapets and floral scrolls in plaster. Inside you'll find a former treasury with the last of 50 safes - a room that the caretaker quaintly describes as the 'finishing...
CHARS OF THE BRAHMAPUTRA Bruno De Cordier
An adventurous side trip, and a good way to see how rivers affect people's livelihoods, is to visit one of the chars in the Brahmaputra River. Chars are large sandbank islands that once belonged to the mainland. There are literally hundreds of chars, but their number and position change with the process of silting and erosion. There are estimated to be 230,000 char-dwellers in northern Bangladesh. They scratch out a living from agriculture, livestock and seasonal labour in towns on the...
Getting There Away Nha
Getting to Burimari is a slow process. First take a bus from Rangpur to the dusty town of Lalmonirhat Tk 45, every hour on the other side of the Tista River and from there take another to Burimari Tk 40 . Once you arrive in Burimari, catch a three-wheeler to the customs office Tk 10 . Start early in the day if you are hoping to get to anywhere of significance in India before nightfall. On the Indian side, at the town of Chengrabandha, there are no direct buses to Siliguri so you will have to go...
Baby Taxi 1
In Bangladesh three-wheeled auto-rickshaws are called baby taxis. As with the rickshaw- wallahs, baby-taxi drivers almost never own their vehicles. They're owned by powerful fleet-owners called mohajons, who rent them out on an eight-hour basis. Also like rickshaws, they're designed to take two or three people, but entire families can and do fit. In Dhaka and Chittagong baby taxis are everywhere - most people use these instead of regular taxis. Faster and more comfortable than rickshaws on most...
Ghuradia
Are you scared of snakes If so give Ghuradia a wide birth because it's in this little village on the banks of the Dhaleshwari River a few kilometres from Savar that your worst nightmares will come true. There are slippery serpents everywhere, but don't worry because the human inhabitants of the village are rumoured to have magical powers that allow them to handle deadly cobras without fear. The Badhi river gypsies are famous throughout the region for their skill as snake charmers, but are also...
Chitmorong
The Buddhist hamlet of Chitmorong, approximately 4km from Kaptai on the Chittagong Rd, is draped in peace and spirituality. Built around a large modern Buddhist monastery and a much older, wooden monastery, the village is a centre for the Marma tribe, most of whom have resisted the recent push of Islam and Christianity and stuck to their Buddhist beliefs. Very few foreigners visit so the reception is certain to be warm and a monk is likely to take you gently by the hand and lead you around the...