Bangladesh, a country located on the South Asian subcontinent, is only 90 kilometers away from us on the map, but it is out of reach due to the Himalayas. From a transportation point of view, our trade route with Bangladesh requires a detour of the western Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Malacca into the Indian Ocean, making the two countries close together distant.
1. Bangladesh, a country with a total area of 147,000 square kilometers, is slightly smaller than our Shandong Province, but has a population of up to 170 million. What does this mean? Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated regions in the world, with a staggering 1,100 people per square kilometre. In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the crowds are crowded, and the air is mixed with the smell of sweat and curry, making people feel dizzy.
2. The climate in Bangladesh is extreme, with temperatures as low as 4 degrees in winter and as high as 45 degrees in summer. In such high temperatures, air conditioning is not widespread, and only wealthy families can enjoy this modern convenience. Summer in Bangladesh can be a miserable time for many foreign tourists. In addition, the city's drainage system is seriously problematic, and during the rainy season, the city is flooded, and the rain often reaches above the knees.
3. As soon as I got out of the car, I was surrounded by a group of children, all of them beggars, thin and naked, with only a sheet draped over their bodies. It is said that in Dhaka alone, there are tens of thousands of beggars. Many of them are professional beggars who specialize in scamming foreign tourists. The best thing to do when you meet these beggars on the street is not to give money, otherwise it will attract more onlookers and entanglement.
4. Bangladesh's infrastructure construction lags behind other countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia that I have visited. Things are slightly better in Dhaka's new district, which is a wealthy area with modern buildings and cleaner streets. Barbed wire fences have been drawn up over the walls of the mansions here, cutting them off from the outside world. The wealthy live in luxury villas with garages and swimming pools, and even have bodyguards and nannies.
However, there are still many aspects of Bangladesh that are not satisfactory! Even the expensive hotels are not able to compare with the accommodation in our third- and fourth-tier cities in China!
There are few traffic lights on the streets, and there is a mixture of vehicles and pedestrians, which makes it seem a bit chaotic. In the hotel, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: the waiters were mostly men. It turns out that Bangladeshi women have a relatively low social status, rarely work in public places, and are vulnerable to harassment. Therefore, in order to protect women, local hotels often give preference to male waiters. These waiters usually ask for tips when they help customers carry their luggage.
5. The old city of Dhaka, which gives me the impression that it is still in the initial stage of development, has a completely different scene from modernization! The buildings are low and dull, the open power lines are disorderly, and the equipment is dilapidated. Walking down the street, you'll see shabby and dirty billboards, as well as small goods and fruit stalls everywhere.
The streets are filled with colorful crowds, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and rickshaws, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere! People here are Xi to carry things over their heads rather than using poles or other tools. This may be the true face of Dhaka, which belongs to most people!
On the main road in Dhaka, although there are asphalt roads, they are dusty and covered with loess, making the roads blurry. What's even more surprising is that the sanitation of most of the roads is staggering!
6. Along the railway line in Dhaka, there is almost no vacant land, most of which are low-rise houses and more shacks. For families with slightly better conditions, their shacks are built under residential buildings. Less advantaged families live in shacks made of bamboo, miscellaneous wood and coarse cloth.
The stove inside is made of earth, the fuel is scrap wood planks and broken paper shells, and the floor is covered with woven bags for beds. They seem to have Xi the hygiene inside and outside the house.
Housing conditions and sanitation conditions are extremely poor next to the railway, not just in Dhaka, but in Bangladesh. Even in the vicinity of commercial buildings in the city center, there are many brick houses, sewage flowing at the door, domestic garbage everywhere, and rats scurrying around!
7. Bangladesh's rivers are seriously polluted! The color of the river here is almost black, which is due to the dismantling and recycling of industrial parts in developed countries as an important pillar industry in Bangladesh, resulting in engine oil seeping into the soil, coupled with the backward garbage disposal system, resulting in serious pollution of the environment and water sources.
8. In Bangladesh, the living conditions of workers are difficult. Workers in garment factories earn only about 800 yuan a month, and tricycle drivers earn even less, around 600 yuan. In Chittagong, quarrymen carry boulders with their heads for less than 50 yuan a day. In the small brick factory, the workers worked in a terrible way, with men carrying 12 bricks, women 10, and even children as young as 12 or 3 years old. At the landfill, children hunt for plastic bottles and scrap metal in hopes of selling them for a few bucks!
9. In contrast, the high-income population in Bangladesh is mainly well-educated people who work in scientific research, technology or business. Professions such as doctors, professors, corporate executives, and financial analysts can earn 6,000 to 20,000 yuan per month, which is the high-income class in Bangladesh.
10. In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, prices are lower than those for foreign tourists. You can buy a house for less than 100,000 yuan, a five-kilometer drive, a tricycle ride costs only 5 yuan, a taxi starts at 4 yuan, and each additional kilometer only needs to be charged 2 yuan.
You can eat enough for 5 yuan for breakfast, and the price of fruits such as pineapple, lychee, and mango is even lower, so you can eat as much as you want. In the centre of Dhaka, renting a house for a month costs only 300 to 400 RMB.
In Dhaka's bazaars, prices are even cheaper. Beans are 0.8 yuan a catty, green beans are 1.2 yuan a catty, carrots are 0.6 yuan a catty, pumpkin is 0.4 yuan a catty, bananas are 0.3 yuan, and pineapples can be bought for 2 yuan for 3 catties. The price of meat is also relatively cheap, 12 yuan a pound for mutton and 23 yuan a pound for beef. Thanks to Bangladesh's vast alluvial plains and fertile land, a variety of vegetables and fruits are largely self-sufficient, so the prices are very affordable.
In Bangladesh, cigarettes can be purchased individually. After being paid, men often go to buy cigarettes, and they are willing to throw away a cigarette until they have smoked it to the fullest, and sometimes even several people smoke one together.
Despite low prices, life in Bangladesh is still difficult. Many families have at least two or three children and are burdened with a heavy burden of living. Bangladesh, though poor, as a country, is unusually low-key and peaceful, attracting little attention from the outside world.
11. Geographically, Bangladesh is bordered only by India and Myanmar. India helped Bangladesh gain independence from Pakistan, so the two countries have a special relationship. This relationship has affected the importance that Bangladesh attaches to military construction. Currently, Bangladesh has an army of 140,000, including 120,000 in the army, 10,000 in the navy and 10,000 in the air force. In terms of diplomacy, Bangladesh pursues a moderate foreign policy and maintains friendly relations with other countries, but this also makes its "presence" in the international community weak.
12. In terms of Xi, Bangladesh practices a "polygamy" system. A man can marry up to four wives, subject to the corresponding "wife tax". Marrying a second wife costs 10,000 taka (about 788 yuan), a third wife needs to pay 30,000 taka (about 2,364 yuan), and a fourth wife needs 40,000 taka (about 3,152 yuan).
In Bangladesh, marriages are mostly arranged by parents or matchmakers. Once the parents think that the conditions are suitable, they will arrange a blind date, and if the two parties see each other in the right eye, they will start to talk about marriage. At the time of the wedding, the woman's parents prepare a dowry for their daughter, which usually includes items such as furniture, while the man is required to provide housing. In this relatively conservative society, dating between men and women is usually limited to holding hands.
However, the physical characteristics of Bengalis are not considered a typical standard of beauty internationally. The Bangladeshi ethnic group is the main ethnic group, and their skin is darker and their facial features are not delicate, so it is difficult to see Bangladeshi women as representatives of international beauty.
13. In Bangladesh, Muslims make up about 80% of the total population. Every June, the biggest festival in the region, Hari Raya, is as important to them as our Chinese New Year, when locals enjoy a half-month holiday.
14. Bangladeshi residents are more enthusiastic about foreigners! They are often keen to take pictures with foreign tourists, and there may be a trace of inferiority behind this behavior, which may be due to the poverty of the country. They were so proud of having foreign friends that they even invited a foreign guest to speak on stage at a factory worker's wedding, and the warmth and respect were flattering.
15. In Bangladesh, the concept of time is not strong. It is common to see people rushing to work at 10 o'clock in the morning, and the work efficiency is relatively low. If you have a date to eat, being forced to wait an hour or two is the norm. On the streets, many people like to wear flip-flops, and some even walk barefoot, and their hard soles are admirable.
16. Bangladeshis have their own peculiarities in their communication Xi: shaking their head to the left means approval, respect or approval, while nodding their head means disagreeing.
17. In terms of education, Bangladesh is relatively backward, and its literacy rate is lower than that of many other countries. The school system is divided into five years of primary school, seven years of secondary school, and four years of university, but most children start to help their families with farm work or work outside the home by the end of secondary school.
18. The people of Bangladesh have a good impression of products made in China and think that they are of high quality and low price. Most of their daily necessities are imported from China, and most of the machines in the factories are also from China. In the big city commercial street of Bangladesh, there are many mobile phone stores of our domestic brands.
19. In terms of food, Bangladesh has its own style characteristics. At the roadside breakfast stalls, pancakes are baked in a cart pan with a unique sauce, which may seem humble but is a favorite of the locals, who love to eat pilaf and charred grilled meat. Braised rice is also a local delicacy, and the rice grains are long and distinct, and they go well with the gravy, making it difficult to grasp with your hands, but it is delicious. Since the Bengali make up the majority of the population and maintain Islamic Xi, pork is less common in the market and is mostly purchased by outsiders.
20. Bangladesh's transportation system and infrastructure are even more magical by comparison. In Dhaka, the city is staggering in traffic congestion, especially during rush hour. The streets are crowded with vehicles such as rickshaws and tuk-tuks, sometimes as little as 1 kilometre and as long as 30 minutes.
In other parts of Bangladesh, things are slightly better, but the noise and chaos of taxi drivers speeding down the road, scrambling to honk their horns, and the whole street is immersed in the honking of car horns and motors. Most of the private cars on the street are second-hand, mainly Japanese cars, especially the Toyota series. Most of these buses and private cars are used cars that have been eliminated in Japan, and they have been put into use with simple modifications.
The most common means of transport used by local residents is tricycles, the kind with sheds, separated by barbed wire between the driver and passengers. Known as the "tricycle capital", Dhaka is home to millions of tricycles, some used to carry passengers, and some without sheds used to haul goods. Seeing it with your own eyes, you can't help but be "breathtaking".
At the bus station in Dhaka, the large bus station surprisingly has no public toilets and lacks waiting seats, so the back of the ticket office has become a makeshift public toilet. Bangladesh has no end-of-life system, and the buses on the streets are dilapidated, peeling, rusty, and uneven, like crumpled paper. Many people stand at the door of the bus, as if hanging on the bus, which is really a unique phenomenon of "hanging up". To my surprise, I saw a double-decker bus on the street.
The idea that Indian trains are "hanging people" was actually a matter of many years ago and has now been banned. The relevant pictures circulating on the Internet are more from Bangladesh. I asked a Bangladeshi college student on the train, and he told me that not all trains allow climbing on the roof, only one called Kornafully does.
In Bangladesh, people are very skilled at "climbing trains". If a carriage has a standard capacity of 98 passengers, it can accommodate 300 people in Bangladesh. Many people choose to hang on the outside of the carriage, which is commonly known locally as "hanging tickets", and the ticket price is much cheaper than the normal fare. As for the safety of hanging on the outside of the train, the train in Bangladesh actually travels very slowly, only about 20 km/h, which is much slower than the green train in the country.
For those who are planning to travel to Bangladesh, there are a few suggestions worth noting. First of all, bring plenty of medicines, especially for diarrhea, to deal with any discomfort that may be caused by the local diet and water sources. Secondly, mosquito repellent toilet water is a must-have, and the number of mosquitoes in Bangladesh is unexpected. In addition, cool oil and wind oil essence are also good choices, and the locals are interested in these items and can be given as gifts to local friends.