A Delightful Surprise

Both Chad and I were blown away as we stepped onto the tarmac at the Dhaka International Airport. The wind was not the cause, but rather the conditions of the country. The hedges were well trimmed, the roads were paved and painted, the people were friendly, the cars were modern. We had heard that Bangladesh was one of the poorest countries in the world and were expecting something worse than scout camp with filled up latrines and a moss covered lake. Now don't get me wrong, Bangladesh is no Singapore, the streets still had dirt and the people are still poor, but our expectations were easily eclipsed.

Having no idea what to do or where to go, we were half-forced and half-swindled into a taxi ride with a pair of singing, money-hungry, disoriented Bengalis. We went around the city in circles for a couple hours. It took us about one loop around to realize what was happening, but since it was already dark and we did not know our way around, we were a helpless. We could picture the cogs in the hooligan-driver's head computing how much money he would get out of us. Before long we learned the only words he understood in English were "dollars" and "taxi". Finally we got off the joy ride and found a place to stay. The driver wanted 1500 takas for wasting all of our time and taking us to an overpriced, giant-cockroach infested hotel!! We ended up giving him half of that, but he still left with a smirk on his face, knowing he was making off like a bandit.

The stay in Dhaka was uneventful, especially since there isn't much to do. We decided to leave the country on a bus in order to catch a glimpse of the countryside. Climbing onto that bus in Dhaka was like climbing into a brand new Escalade with everything. The coach had plush seats, special beverage holders and best of all--air conditioning. The back of the bus was entirely empty, so we found space to stretch out and get some well-deserved rest for some hard-working travellers. Unfortunately the roads in Bangledesh are not so even and just as we were falling asleep we would hit another pot hole or bump, which would abruptly bring back consciousness.

The monsoon season is just beginning in Bangledesh, so much of the country is already underwater. This, of course, created a problem for our unamphibious bus, but thanks to the ferry system, we were able to cross large, seasonal lakes and rivers. On one crossing we had to drive through about a foot of water to reach the ramp of the ferry, but some how the bus slipped into deeper water. The water went up the tail pipe and almost into the luggage compartment. The back end of the bus was sinking fast, but thanks to our experienced driver and front wheel drive, we surged out of the water and onto the boat. The rest of the ride to the border went by without a glitch.

Although our trip to Bangladesh was short, it was more than we ever expected and deservedly gets an 7 of 10.