Planning a Trip to Bangladesh

A very important must when visiting Dhaka is to take time to visit one of the many cloth markets. Best way to travell is by righa bike. Or, if you are out of the city then renting a moterbike to have a look at the country side is fab. I would try to keep 'crossing a street' to the minimum, and I would definatly not attempt to drive inside the city on my own, just hire a quilified driver. The traffic in Dhaka is the most complex system ever to have been invented and it is only for people with a MA degree in Bangladeshi driving. And prepere for very loud traffic noise 24/7. There is beauteful landscape once your out of the city. The city itself is very dirty though. But the people are very friendly, I would bring lots of small gifts so you can give people somthing back once they start to shower you with gifts. A wonderful adventure is to go on a boat ride that will take you down one of Bangladeshis many rivers to the country side and visit one of the small villeges. Just remember to bring your mosquito net. And if you go to the beach straigh away from bikinies. They don´t go down well with the locals. So all in all a fantastic place for adventures people.

The best time of year to visit Bangladesh is easily between the months of November to March. The weather is fair, the skies are clear and calm, and the sunsets spectacular. If you don't mind hot and rainy weather and want to know what the monsoon feels like, then the other months are just fine. But if you're a westerner who isn't used to tropical weather you might find it very difficult.

This may seem pretty funny, at first, but seriously, make sure you bring your own toilet paper. There are very few "American" styled toilets in Bangladesh, that I have found. And, no toilet paper what so ever. I managed to aquire a stomach virus from an entree of curried goat, and found out the hard way about the serious lack of "TP" there.

Bangladesh is the shiz, and it's all happening in this crazy capital dead centre in the middle of the country. If you love exploring your dark alleyways forget the Hutongs of Beijing or the Medina of Marrakech or the Roji of Edo (old Tokyo) - Dhaka is where it's at.
Every moment is a new discovery, a new friend, a fresh invitation to visit someones home and drink tea. Ask where the toilet is and you'll be taken through dirty back streets, up stairs and down a hallway with no lights to be presented with the cleanest toilet you can imagine. 
With only seedy bars, which are amusing in their own right, the local pastime generally follows the following pattern. Greet, chat, eat, have tea, take rest and repeat. If you're lucky enough to be in Bangladesh during the holy month of Ramadan be sure to bring a large stomach - fasting during the day just means you eat more when the sun goes down. 
Dhaka and Bangladesh is not for everyone, but with an open mind and a sense of adventure it is a fantastic place to be. Everyone wants to help, easy smiles follow you everywhere and local transport, once you figure it out, will take you anywhere in the country within the same day. 
Love every minute.

This may seem pretty funny, at first, but seriously, make sure you bring your own toilet paper. There are very few "American" styled toilets in Bangladesh, that I have found. And, no toilet paper what so ever. I managed to aquire a stomach virus from an entree of curried goat, and found out the hard way about the serious lack of "TP" there.

The traffic is terrible, but the locals know how to get about. Use the rickshas whenever possbile - and remember to use your right hand when paying! The left hand is used for wiping the sh*t off your *ss , and is considered "unclean" .

Bring any old clothes or pencils/exercise books to donate to orphanages as the people are so poor - it's tragic. Try to visit the "Dhaka project", a charity set up by an amazing girl that works for Emirates.

Don't get ANYTHING pierced in Dhaka...

The longest beach in the world so I'm told and virtually no-one there! A great place to relax, and one of the few areas in Bangladesh where you can buy a beer. The Burmese Buddhist Temples in the town are pretty interesting too.