Telephone code 02

Love it or loathe it, the capital city is an essential ingredient of the Bangladesh travel experience. As the nation’s heart and soul, the city has the best (great restaurants and extensive shopping) and the worst (prolific poverty and horrendous pollution) of everything. As much as some travelers – and even bideshi (Bangladeshi locals) – would like to pass it by, Dhaka is Bangladesh at its most raw and emotive.

Days begin with the morning ahsan, which, depending on how close you are to a mosque, may wake you well before dawn. Despite the early prayer call, most of the city’s 12 million people stay in bed and even like to sleep in late. So, if you’re touring Old Dhaka, moving before 08.00 is wisest (and coolest, temperature-wise, if it’s a humid summer day in the capital). The morning is a great time to walk in a park, find a favorite tea stall and enjoy what is the most peaceful hour in Dhaka. Post-08.30, the city streets become an intense mosh pit of activity and they are not for the timid. Thundering buses, colorful rickshaws, smoking, tempos and even horse-drawn carts vie for every inch of available asphalt, which makes getting around the city a nerve-rattling and toxic experience (never schedule too much in a day as the traffic tends to ooze, especially in the afternoon, plus take plenty of tea stops and you’ll find it flows much more smoothly).

Bangladesh: The Bradt Travel Guide Book Launch party, 1 Oct, Dhaka, click poster to see full size

After many months of research, photography, writing and editing, Bangladesh: The Bradt Travel Guide is finally ready to be released! Books are now on their way to Dhaka for a big launch bash, held on 1 Oct at the Australian High Commission Recreation Centre, otherwise known as the Aussie club.

We hope you can join us for this special launch event, which will also double as the normal Aussie BBQ and fundraising evening. Authors Mikey Leung and Belinda Meggitt will both be present at the event: this is your chance to meet the authors and take home a signed copy of the new guide.

We are also raising funds for our friends at Jaago, who operate a school for disadvantaged children in Dhaka and also run a hospitality training course for young adults.

Finally, we are much indebted to the Australian High Commission for allowing us to host this event using their facility.

Details
The event is open to all expat club card holders and members of the general public.

Non-club card holders MUST e-mail the Australian High Commission to register their attendance in advance at ahc.dhaka [at] dfat.gov.au.

Costs
BBQ: Tk900 (you don’t have to eat to attend); Children Tk400; Tk100 will be donated to JAAGO from adult cost.
Book Cost: Tk1,800

Questions?
mobile: 01711 591 211 // 01918 931 803
e-mail: joybangla.info [at] gmail.com

~story by Mikey Leung~

Stuck for some restaurant recommendations while living in Dhaka? Here are our top seven recommendations straight from the upcoming guidebook. The following choices were made on ‘value,’ which really means value for money. Price was definitely a consideration but not the deciding factor in this list.

1. Dhaba Hse 100, Rd 11, Block C, Banani; tel: 989 0136; 4/F Rifles Sq, Dhanmondi; MM Ali Road, CDA Ave, Dampara, Chittagong; The author’s personal favourite in Dhaka and Chittagong, squarely for its special phuchkas. The ‘dahi’ (yogurt) variety, which is topped with yogurt and freshly chopped tomatoes, onions and chaat, is healthy, vegetarian and delicious. $$

2. Chaat Street Hse 10, Rd 23, Gulshan 1; tel: 01720 106164; With an open air courtyard and your choice between several restaurants, this is one of Gulshan’s most unique eating venues. You can choose dosas from Chaat Street itself, or choose basic Thai, Indonesian or Mexican meals from one of the other shops surrounding the courtyard. Great value. $$

3. Shad Tehari Ghar 2/4 Block C, Lalmatia; tel: 02 911 8695, 01195 057 002; Still Bangladesh’s best chicken reshmi kebab and a real hidden secret in Dhanmondi area. Also serves tasty chatpoti and garlic naans. $$

4. Koreana Hse 5, Rd 136, Gulshan 1; tel: 882 4044, 989 9827; Beer, soju, barbeque and good prices make this Gulshan’s best Korean restaurant. Definitely a place to make the meat eaters happy. $$$

5. Spaghetti Jazz 2/F Alam Arcade, 43 Gulshan Av (On Rd 91); tel: 882 2062; Authentic Italian cuisine served in comfortable atmosphere. Sizzling steaks and pizza consistently good, albeit up the price scale. Recommended. $$$$

6. Roll Express Café Hse 34, Rd 21, Banani; tel: 01720 100016; Great paratha rolls and a wide range of chaats and phuchka. Reminiscent of Kolkata street snacks but definitely nicer décor. Recommended for lunch and/or snacks. $$

7. Bengal Café Ltd Hse 275/F, Rd 16 (new), Dhanmondi; tel: 812 3115; Great value restaurant attached to the Bengal Gallery. Décor is relaxed and the food not bad. $$

Price codes:
$ – Dirt cheap, with the emphasis on dirt
$$ – Great value for money
$$$ – Nice to try out for a change but too expensive to make it a regular thing
$$$$ – Great for special nights out but definitely upscale

~story and photos by Mikey Leung~

Barry Ison likes to get things done.

“So what?” you might say. But Ison’s choice of where to get things done might strike you as confusing, perhaps even crazy. The notion of creating new hospitality businesses in Bangladesh, one of the world’s least-travelled, disaster-prone countries might elicit such a response. But Ison, a self-proclaimed optimist, believes that Bangladesh’s redeeming qualities make it just the right place to operate.

“What I’m doing is not totally unique,” he says. “There are many Bangladeshis and expatriates who have given years of their lives in an effort to try and change things. My motivation is probably similar to theirs: somebody has to do something to help.”

Help Bangladesh. It is a notion that for the last 30 years has defined the country’s world image as a broken country. Beset with floods, cyclones, poverty and corruption, it has now become the country with the most number of non-government organisations in the world, with some estimating that over 20,000 such groups now work to better the lives of the poor. But Ison is critical of these organisations, saying that they haven’t always achieved the results they set out to accomplish.

“I’m an optimist,” he says. “To me Bangladesh presents a lot of positives, positive potentials. It has had a very unfortunate period of bad leadership and bad role models, bad developments where a lot of money has been thrown at problems without a lot of thought, and with the seeming feelings that money will solve the problems.”

Despite these problems, Ison has stuck to his guns. In opening Ideas Manzil, he is attempting to revive traditions that today have been discarded in favour of modern development. His guesthouse is Bangladesh’s first ‘heritage’ property, a place where Bangladesh culture is celebrated in the form of intricate handicrafts, personal hospitality and old world comfort.

“When we look at the products I’ve been trying to revive, they have been a revival of old skills and previous traditions,” says Ison. “Same thing goes for a lot of the other leather products, wooden products. What we’re trying to do through Ideas Manzil is step back and look at what the country was like several years ago, or even a previous era.”

A tour of his guesthouse does indeed give guests a taste of that old world Bangladeshi charm. Ideas Manzil is located in a quiet neighbourhood of Gulshan, the main area that houses all of Dhaka’s foreign missions and international NGO offices. Ison has refitted an old house of the neighbourhood with four guest rooms, rooftop restaurant, handicrafts boutique and quiet courtyards (hopefully it will be even more quiet when nearby construction is finished).

Each of the four guestrooms (except one) has a sitting room decorated with rare antiques such as ancient terracottas and silverware, while each bedroom features an antique wardrobe and king-size four-poster bed. Modern bathrooms complement the design, while Mughal-style doors and carvings decorate the entire property. In short, the Manzil (Abaric term for ‘house’) feels like a kind of living museum, a place where guests can experience a taste of the way that Bengal’s Mughal lords used to live.

Heritage properties like Ison’s are now common in India, where old buildings are frequently restored and often converted to guesthouses in an effort to both preserve cultural heritage and create successful tourism businesses. In Bangladesh, Ison’s property is one of the first to restore and celebrate this form of hospitality in a way that is uniquely ‘Bangladeshi.’ He believes that if this business is successful, the potential of its impact will be realised when others steal—that’s right, steal—his idea.

“Bangladeshis do like to copy,” says Ison. “If I set up a ‘heritage’ establishment that reflects the traditions and culture and nature of what I feel is the true Bangladesh, then perhaps other people will copy me. And I can have an impact on a relatively large number of people.”

Perhaps Ison is on to something, as it would be good if others also stole some of his behind-the-scenes practices, as his notion of helping Bangladesh goes beyond preserving its culture in his guesthouse. He is also making a very conscious decision about who to hire for work at Ideas Manzil.

“What I’m trying to do is give training to people from lower income levels, people who come from the village, who have perhaps grade five to grade eight education,” he says.
“I give them in house training, I take them travelling around the region and show them what food and hospitality is like in those parts. With this cumulative experience, we work together try to create food, service, menus and tables that reflects the tremendous hospitality that has been the tradition of Bangladesh for a long, long time.”

On those fronts, Ison is doing a decent job at Ideas Manzil. It’s very friendly, prompt and unobtrusive at the same time. Unlike many other guesthouses, where service staff often barge into unlocked rooms without even knocking first, Ison’s staff are polite, helpful and seem empowered to think and act on their own.

The food and hospitality scores well too. Ison’s particular focus is on freshly prepared food, and to that end orders need to be placed in advanced or you can trust in the fixed menu that offered by staff. His restaurant serves home-style versions of Indian, Thai and Bangladeshi cuisine. They are home-style in the sense they aren’t totally authentic versions of the above cuisines, but they certainly are tasty and most importantly, fresh. Ison is also teaching his staff to prepare western deserts, which is a real treat and somewhat hard to find in Bangladesh.

And finally, one last question that had to be asked: What does Ison truly think about the tourism potential of Bangladesh?

“So many countries you go to you to, you live in environments that have been totally artificially reproduced,” he says. “In Bangladesh what you see is what you get. It is totally authentic. You want poverty? It’s here. You want beauty? It’s here. I have never seen so many greens in my life as in Bangladesh. You want warmth and hospitality and friendship? It is here.”

“Bangladesh has done something for them, in terms of their experiences, particularly in terms of relating to people, Bangladeshi or expatriate from different parts of the world. You can do so many things here that are unique and new, which in other countries have already been done. That kind of challenge is attractive to people who like to get things done.”

A special message from non-profit handicrafts organisation in Gulshan:

“Greetings from Folk International. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to inform you that as per tradition, Folk International has started its CHRISTMAS SEASON from 1 Oct 2008.

Our Christmas products are already on display, including hand crafted Christmas decorations, table runners, table cloths, cushion cover, Christmas greeting gards, gifts etc. which have been made by our artisans over the last few months.

We believe that you are not only a customer but also a supporter and a partner of this non-profit organization. Only because of your continuous support, Folk International is celebrating its 10th year of handicraft activities. The 3,000 rural artisans who are now involved with Folk International highly appreciate your support in the future as well.

Folk International is located at Hse 19, Rd 108, Gulshan; tel: 988 0784; e-mail: folkbd.leo2[AT]gmail.com. open everyday: 09.30-20.00.

~story by Mikey Leung~

Originally aired at Asia Calling on 11 Oct 2008.

This week, Hindu people across South Asia celebrated Durga Puja, the biggest celebration of their cultural heritage.

Michael Leung covers this debate from Dhaka.

“I’m just standing inside a tented area of Shakhari Bazaar, There is a holy man making prayers from an ancient text in front of a Durga Idol. There are dozen of sweets boxes, fruits and flowers scattered around. This is a sacred time for the people here.”

Hindu artisans, musicians, and craftsmen have lived for generations in this Bazaar. Some of the houses are more than 300 years old. Their way of life, like their houses, has barely changed for centuries. Local Architect Taimur Islam says because of this the area must be preserved.

“Shakhari Bazaar is the oldest living neighborhood in Dhaka. We are celebrating Dhaka’s 400th anniversary this year. This is the anniversary of Dhaka’s founding as the eastern capital of the Mughal Empire.”

Islam is campaigning to have the buildings declared a heritage site. But he faces an uphill battle. Dozens of people shuffle inside one of these old houses. It’s a plastered brick building, three stories high.

With European-style columns, the building shows the influence of Bangladesh’s colonial past. Today, the people are admiring a colorful statue of the goddess Durga statue built for the holiday in the courtyard of Bishwajit Bhulu’s home.

His house is believed to be 80 years old, although there are some that are almost 300 years old on this street. While a group conservationists and architects like Islam would like to see them preserved, Bhulu has other ideas for his property.

“I want to redevelop my house and make a better place to live. The people of Shakhari Bazaar already live in difficult, crowded conditions. If my house is declared a heritage site, I will not agree. I think it is illegal for them to tell the owners of the houses what to do.”

As the owner of the property, Bhulu wants to make more money redeveloping it. He says he could build shops and facilities improving the community, instead of being stuck with what he calls an old crumbling house.

“It’s my house and my source of income. If you can provide me compensation then you can call it heritage. Why do you call it heritage? Otherwise I cannot provide for myself and my family. If it is declared then I deserve benefits.”

The debate over Bangladesh’s heritage buildings isn’t limited to just Shakhari Bazaar. Many of its old temples, Hindu or Muslim, are being left to decay around the country. In Bangladesh, there simply aren’t enough resources to provide for the people whose jobs it is to take care of the temples.

Bina Rai is one such temple caretaker. She lives in a dark, cramped space behind another Hindu temple of the city with her daughter.

“I’m facing many difficulties here. My living quarters aren’t even decent enough. The roof leaks when it rains and I have no running water or electricity.”

While the debate rages on in the media and amongst the people of Shakhari Bazaar, buildings are still coming down. Just a few weeks ago, the Hindu Jagannath Temple was torn down.

“I’m just standing at a construction site. Around me there are dozens of workers putting up corrugated tin and stacks of bricks from a formerly old building in this area of Shakhari Bazaar. There’s no trace of history here anymore and on each side I’m surrounded by new apartment buildings.”

Islam says that without government or private money, preservation work can’t proceed.

“How much money are we talking to do a restoration? For the courtyard we are probably looking at something like 5,000 dollars, but if we tried to do the whole building, it would be 20,000 to 25,000 dollars.”

25 thousand US dollars just to fix up one building. Multiply that by the approximately 90 buildings in Shakhari Bazaar and that’s well over 2 million dollars. For a country for whom the majority live on less than two US Dollars per day, that’s a tall order.

Just on the edge of the old city lies the Dhaka City Corporation building.

From Sirjaul Islam’s 11th floor office, there is a commanding view over the old city. He’s the city’s Chief Town Planner. He says a committee is now deciding the fate of Dhaka’s heritage buildings, including the crumbling buildings inside Shakhari Bazaar.

“Because once we have declared it is heritage, nobody can demolish these buildings and after our proposal, the committee will be deciding whether to preserve or retrofit the buildings. Maybe the government or some organization will finance it. But yet not decided.”

Without heritage funding, conservation efforts cannot proceed and inevitably, Shakhari Bazaar’s modernization will continue unabated.

Groove Therapy is Dhaka’s latest sensation in jazzy entertainment—the group has been playing clubs and restaurants for the last several months. We at Joybangla haven’t had a chance to catch a show yet, but this might be a good time to enjoy Le Saigon’s fab food, and catch some great music at the same time. Price includes the show, starters, soft drinks and a buffet dinner. Details as follows:

Le Saigon presents: “A Night of Blues and Jazz” featuring Groove Therapy
Friday, 26th September, 2008 at 9 pm
Le Saigon, 54 Gulshan Avenue , Gulshan 2, Dhaka
Tel: 9892122/8820523
PRICE : Tk1100/person incl. taxes
INCLUDES : Show, starters, buffet dinner and all soft drinks & ice

Contact Shammu on 01912003001 for more details.

From Ric of Groove Therapy:

The show is a celebration of the “Rhythm & Blues” from Chicago to St. Louis, from the French Quarter to the Deep South, Groove therapy pulls your heart strings while you shed tears over lost love onto your beers to stomping your feet to “Blues Boogie” Boom, boom, boom , boom, gonna shoot you right down, take you home with me , take you to ma hou , ahaa ahaa ahaa ahaa….,.

Groove Therapy is:

• Ric Wasserman on guitar and vocals
• Hilary syme on harmonica and vocals
• Nam Nai on bass
• Peter Lawson on drums

After many delays, interruptions, disagreements and a fence, the train ride between Kolkata and Dhaka will begin running again on 14 April.

The ride will no doubt become one of the great journeys you can take connecting the two countries, one that we will definitely be taking in the coming months.

From India’s Business Standard magazine:

Maitree Express to be flagged off from Kolkata to Dhaka on April 14.

After nearly half a century, passenger trains will start plying between India and Bangladesh again. Train services, which had stopped because of the 1965 Indo-Pak war when Bangladesh was still a part of Pakistan, are all set to resume again.

Please let us know if you do end up riding the train and telling us how it went!

~story by Mikey Leung~

Dhaka is a safe place, when you know how to play by its rules.

Nonetheless, there have been a incidences of muggings and robberies, and bag snatching among the expatriate community, particularly in the Gulshan and Mohammadpur areas.

I hate to sound patronizing, but single females, moving around at night (usually but not always after 10pm), seem to be the biggest target. I have heard of far too many incidences now where a single expatriate female was riding a rickshaw, only to fall victim to drive-by bag snatchings. Some of these women have been pulled off the rickshaw entirely and dragged for several meters. I have noticed that several of these occurrences have occurred at night, on quiet or busy roads, but there is one common thread between them all: a single female is often the target victim.

After a few months of keeping tabs of the incidents, I would like to make a few security recommendations here. Once again, I do believe Dhaka is a safe place when you know how to play by its rules. Of course, these suggestions apply to both women and men, but women are more often the target victims, according to what I’ve heard and kept track of.

Here are my suggestions:

• Solo females should NOT travel around at night, by rickshaw, after 9-10pm. If they must travel, it is best to go in groups.
• Be vigilant while travelling/walking and keep aware of your surroundings. An alert-looking person, whose head is up and is watching the environment around them, presents less of a target than someone who is lost in their own world.
• Bags should be kept off the shoulder, so that if a bag snatching does occur, there is no risk of being dragged, which has actually caused the more serious injury in these incidences.
• A common myth is that poverty spawns these crimes, but in reality that bag snatching crimes are often committed by people with vehicles, which people in poverty cannot afford. It is theorized that it is actually young men, some of whom may be addicted to drugs, commit these crimes and have the means (i.e. a vehicle) to do so.
• If travelling out of the city at night, it is best not to accept food or drinks from strangers at train stations or bus stands, unless you see the drink being made or the food being prepared. In a recent theft, we heard of a drugging that knocked a single female unconscious. It would be a mistake to proclaim that all hospitality offered by strangers is malicious, especially in Bangladesh. But, by being aware of where a drink or food comes from, you can protect yourself.

The Canadian Travel Report for Bangladesh provides some decent advice on the same issue:

Pickpocketing, purse snatching, and mugging are common, especially in areas frequented by tourists and when travelling by rickshaw or baby taxi (motorized pedicabs). Unaccompanied women face the highest risk. Physical and verbal harassment of women can be a problem.

Do not walk alone after dark. Victims of crime should contact the High Commission of Canada in Dhaka for assistance before filing a police report. Women should not go to police stations alone.

Do you have any security suggestions to share? Please post your comments.

After a fair amount of blood, sweat, mosquito bites and a tear, I’m proud to finally proclaim this website “ready to go!”—but unfortunately Bel and I are heading back to Canada in a few days! Ooops!

So that means no real posting until the 17 November, but who knows, we might start rolling out the writing even from Canada. In the meantime, you’ve come to this site because you’re probably a contact or a friend of Mikey Leung. If that’s the case (or even not the case really), we’re interested in having people contribute photographs and/or writing to this project. Just click on the “Contribute” link to learn more.

The research will officially begin once we return.