Beautiful Bangladesh

Beautiful Bangladesh

Visiting Bangladesh: ( Tips for Foreigners )

Welcome to you for Visiting our country.  Come and see………

At the airport:

At the airport, there are taxis and aot-rickshaws called babi-taxis, but you have to bargain for the fare. They demand three or four times more than the usual fare, even more when they see foreigners, especially Europeans. Taxicab services have been introduced but many taxis do not use meters and therefore you may be overcharged.

Driving:

It is difficult to drive in Bangladesh if you have no experience of driving here. Drivers change lanes frequently. As a foreigner you might find lane-changing without signals quite distressing. Many people do not follow traffic signals. Rickshaws and babi-taxis move in and out in zigzag course and try to push through wherever they find some space.
Moreover, pedestrians cross over whenever and wherever they wish. All these make driving in Bangladesh a nightmare experience.

A Few Basic Stats……              Area: About 144,000 sq. km. (About the size of Wisconsin)
              Population: 130 million (till we lost count...)
             Capital City: Dhaka (pop: 8 million and sprouting)
             People: 95% Bengali, 2% Bihari, 3% Indigenous
             Languages: Bengali, English (Binglish) & several tribal languages
             Religion: 85% Islam, 12% Hindu, 2% Buddhist and 1% Christian & Animist
             Government: Constitutional Republic
             Time: GMT/UTC plus six hours
             Electricity: 220 volts, 50Hz
             Weights & Measures: Metric

Friendliness:

Hospitality has long been a part of our culture in Bangladesh. Although many other things are changing now, people are still quite polite and friendly towards foreigners. They like speaking to foreigners even if they have not been introduced. It is quite common for Bangladeshis to ask personal questions about family, job and income which visitors from overseas might find awkward. However it should be understood that no harm is meant by such questions- on the other hand, they express a genuine interest in the foreigner’s state of affairs!

Shoping:

            There are shops in most localities of  small and big towns which sell both lacal and imported goods. There are some modern shopping centers with large department stores in the big cities while some air-conditioned, self-service shops have also appeared. In the local markets, traditional haggling is still rampant. However, if you are a foreigner, you do not stand a chance to win. Even if you have managed to reduce half the asking price and are feeling very pleased with yourself, chances are that you have probably paid double the normal price.

Transport system:

            The whole country has a fairly good communication network now. Anybody can travel to most places now by bus or train. The major cities have air links too. Some ciries have regular flights, in most cases more than one flight, from and to Dhaka. However time schedules are not often maintained strictly and there may be disruptions due to unforeseen causes.

E-mail and internet services:

             Cybercafés have opened up in the major cities which provides internet services  including e-mail quite cheaply to everyone including overseas visitors. Internet services have also allowed some of Dhaka’s daily newspapers to reach readers around the world.

            So, please come in our country (Bangladesh) and enjoy your life peacefully and more happily…. Thank you….