Thursday, September 12, 2013

Travelling to Bangladesh?

Did you know?

Bangladesh is sometimes called “the playground of seasons” because it has six – not four – separate seasons, which it calls grismo (summer), barsha (rainy), sharat (autumn), hemanto (cool), sheet (winter), and bashonto (spring).

The Royal Bengal Tiger is Bangladesh’s national animal. This majestic creature has a roar that can be heard up to 3 kilometers away. Unfortunately, it is now an endangered species.


More than half of Bangladesh’s population is composed of farmers.
Despite the prevalence of farmers in Bangladesh, its export earnings come mainly from the garments industry.

To make sure that your stay is going to be pleasant and that you won’t experience cyclones and other disastrous weather disturbances, it is best that you 
time your visit to Bangladesh during the cold season, from the months of December to March.

What to do in Bangladesh

Go on a safari adventure
Get your fill of the safari experience at the Chittagong Hill districts and within the vicinity of Sundarbans. Many tourists in the country would want to see the Royal Bengal Tiger, which can now only be found in a few countries, one of which is Bangladesh.

Experience the thrill of getting up close and personal with animals in their natural habitats, not in man-made animal houses, behind a zoo’s iron bars.

Check out eco-attractions

Rather than going to Bangladesh’s touristy sites, why not visit the parts of Bangladesh that not even the Bengalis themselves frequent?

Check out the tea plantations in Sylhet, the three hill districts in Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the Sundarbans with the largest mangrove forest in the world. Bangladesh has lots of rivers and rivulets, islands, wildlife, and forests for you to visit.

If you’re lucky, you might even meet some locals in the rural areas of the country. That would be a good chance to see firsthand how the Bengali people truly live.

Ride in an auto rickshaw

The auto rickshaw is a famous Asian mode of transport that is also very prominent in Bangladesh. Your experience of touring the country will not be complete if you don’t get to ride in one.

 There are two kinds of auto rickshaw that are used in the country: The first one is the classic yellow type, which is usually modified with musical chimes and flashing lights, which serve as decorations for the vehicle.

The other type of auto rickshaw is the fourstroke auto rickshaw, which is bigger than the first kind. This type of auto rickshaw usually comes in the color of mucky green.

Attend fairs and festivals


The people in this country love fairs and festivals, and understandably so. These are frequently colorful events, feasts for the eyes.

The biggest non-religious festival in the country happens during the first day of the Bengali New Year. This is called the Pahela Boishakh. This festival is celebrated not only in Bangladesh but also in West Bengal and communities such as Tripura and Assam. The observance of this festivity is now very popular in many cities. It starts early in the morning, with people gathering along the bank of a lake to be able to watch the sun as it rises. As the sky brightens, artists render songs to welcome the coming of the new year.

The event is a colorful one because the locals like to wear their traditional Bengali attire when they attend it. For young women, the attire is composed of white saris with red-colored borders. They wear accessories such as flowers and bangles. For men, they wear white pants and tunics.

New Dhaka Jamatkhana seen as a symbol of confidence in Bangladesh


With a history spanning more than six decades in Bangladesh, the Ismaili community sees the new Jamatkhana as a symbol of renewed hope and confidence in the future of their country. It will be “a place of peace and tranquility, filled with a spirit of humility and prayer,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam at the building’s foundation stone laying ceremony in May 2008, “a place where men and women in this pluralist country can help strengthen those common bonds which reflect our common challenges and which will shape our common destiny.” Read more

An evening view of the Dhaka Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre, with a lighted marble stairway leading to the main entrance. Photo: Ayeleen Ajanee Saleh

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