Travel In Dhaka City

               Dhaka City

Dhaka is a booming, bright and heaving metropolitan area of some 18 million people, and rising increasingly. Given the number and density of people that live there, Dhaka is one of the most distracted places on Earth. The streets and rivers are overflowing with vibrant chaos. It also plays host to the maximum number of rickshaws in any city, accumulation around 400,000; you definitely won't miss them. Experiencing the city for the first time can often seem overpowering.

According to recorded history it was founded in 1608 A.D. as the seat of the imposing Mughal viceroy of Bengal. Dhaka has been developing fast as a up to date city and is the country's center of industrial, commercial, cultural, educational and political activity. The space between rich and poor is widening all over the country but it's at its most painfully obvious here. Depending on where you start from, a thirty minute rickshaw ride can take you from impossibly crowded shantytowns near Old Dhaka to the glitzy high-class neighborhood of Gulshan and Banani where a meal costs more than most people make in a week.

Motijheel is the main commercial area of the city. Dhaka's main riverside, Sadarghat, is on the banks of the river Buriganga in Old Dhaka and is crowded with various ferries, yachts, paddle steamers, fisherman's boats and balanced dhabas all busy with activity.

The weather is stifling hot and very moist during the monsoon season (April-August) and drier and cooler in the winter (October-March). Visitors from colder countries might want to visit in the winter when temperatures are around 20C and damp is low (around 60-70%).

Visa extensions are obtainable at the Immigration and Passport Office on Agargaon Rd in Central Dhaka. Most drivers know where it is. An auto-rickshaw from Old Dhaka will cost about Taka (BDT)150. Su-Th 10AM-1PM receiving applications, 3-5PM delivery.

Given the superfluity of all forms of convey, if you're having problem getting a polite charge with a driver walk a few feet to the next one. Not all are out to scrape you, so improved to find the honest ones and give them your business. Infrequently a driver will require more money on appearance - the best way to deal with this is to hand over the decided tariff/metered fare and walk away. Make certain from the start that the driver knows where you're head (unless you can direct him yourself) - they often have incomplete local knowledge, but will always SAY that they know where wherever is and take you round the whole city incisive even as the meter ticks. Make confident that you take a card with your hotel or hostel on it so that you can really get home - many of the drivers do not even know where the additional touristy sites are let alone the hotels so they will have to ask people at the side of the road. Having a card for the hotel with the actual address makes this a whole lot easier.

Cycle-rickshaws are the most well-liked form of convey, and good for short distance  mainly on side streets. They make up the bulk of the cities terrible traffic, and charge around BDT.5 per kilometer. Negotiating a fare in advance is essential as a foreigner. Cycle-rickshaws in affluent areas such as Banani and Gulshan often must pay confined mafia men for the freedom of servicing the high-price areas. Additionally, foreigners should also be warned that cycle-rickshaws will sometimes begin the travel with a field to sell drugs or prostitutes. One or two simple, but firm, declines will generally solve the situation. If you're a woman it's predominantly unwise to ride around alone in cycle-rickshaws after dark  you're a slow-moving purpose asking for trouble from thugs and muggers. 

Auto-rickshaws (also known as 'CNG') are also plentiful and have meters, which drivers can sometimes be convinced to use. They're the cheapest way to cover longer distances - an 8km ride from Old Dhaka to Gulshan should cost around Tk 70. The meters start at Tk 13.50, but for shorter distance you'll expected have to bargain a fare as an alternative. The city does become very crowded at times so allow plenty of time for getting around.

Taxis also ply the roads, some yellow and some black, all with meters. Black taxis start the meter at Tk 15 while yellow taxis are a little nicer and start at Tk 20. Black taxis are naturally in infamously poor situation and lack air conditioning. Yellow taxis are required to have air conditioning, (they consist of Toyota Corollas mostly, Mitsubishis or Hondas even). They are also considered far safer by the local Dhaka elite. (when compared to black taxis and auto-rickshaws).

Buses run routes on the main roads, but are dreadfully swarming and loud, signed only in Bengali and aren't likely to be of much use to travelers. Save yourself a annoyance and take a rickshaw or if you go to far distance, take a contented, comfortable A/C bus or a train!!

If you feel the need to flight and take a break from the chaos of Dhaka, Songargon, about 29 km. from Dhaka offers you the opportunity to do just that. The town has a few valuable sights that are alienated from one another and even as going from sight to sight, you have the chance experience rural life and take in the less disordered environment.

Sonargaon is one of the oldest capitals of Bengal. It was the place of Deva Dynasty until the 13th century. From then forward till the arrival of the Mughals, Sonargaon was a auxiliary capital of the Sultanate of Bengal. The main places of attention in Sonargaon are the ruins of Panam Nagar, the local craft museum or the Lok Shilpa Jadughar (charges an entrance fee), the grave of Sultan Ghiyasuddin, the Goaldi Mosque, and the shrine of Panjpir and Shah Abdul Alia. The first two lie on one side of the Dhaka-Chittgong Highway and the relax lie on the other side. Once at Mograpara, a rickshaw may be hired for sightseeing. It is best to hire the same rickshaw for a permanent amount (BDT 200-250) to visit all the places in Sonargaon. Most rickshaw pullers identify the more popular destination like Panam Nagar, the Lok Shilpa Jadughar, etc. Some may not know of the tomb of Sultan Ghiyasuddin or the Goaldi Mosque and the shrines. Usually rickshaw drivers who are locals from the village know all of these places.

 

Common bus services to Sonargaon function from Gulistan, Saidabad and other bus stands in Dhaka. Tickets may be bought on wayside counters. Mention your purpose as Mograpara as you might end up at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in its place. The price of the ticket from Gulistan bus stand is Tk 35.

Hajiganj is another place of historical attention, located about 10 kms from Mograpara bus stand. However, the over mentioned places naturally take up most of the day and it is best to return to Dhaka before evening. Sonargaon and Hajiganj may be collective into a single day if one sets off very early from Dhaka.

Eat

Dhaka has an massive variety of food cookery to all budgets. Old Dhaka is spilling over with despicable Bangladeshi food where a meal can be had from Tk 50 ($0.70), while in the expensive neighborhood like Gulshan and Banani you can find just about any type of cooking you can imagine - Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Mexican, and franchises such as Pizza Hut, KFC are copious - at prices that the preponderance can't afford. Reservations are typically not necessary in most restaurant. A lot of the Buffet-style restaurants in this locality have Taka: 250 to 400, fixed price menu.

Local sweets like rasgullah and gulab jamun are exceptional. To the inexperienced these are bite-sized soft milk curd balls hollow (drenched) in syrup, coming in white and red varieties. Shops all through the town (and especially near Gulshan) sell imported condiments from the U.S., Dubai and Malaysia at a premium. Imported chocolate is especially expensive - and usually not in the best situation as it gets melted and re-solidified daily in the tropical heat. Fresh is better.

Be careful when buying food from street vendors as health and cleanliness standard are not always superior. Unlike Bangkok -- street food in Dhaka is only for locals. Foreigners should stick to larger, organized (and unfortunately a little expensive) food outlets.