Fun things to do in Bangladesh

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is a national holiday on Feb. 21 to celebrate the initial students' demonstrations in 1952, a movement which lead to the recognition of Bengali language in this part of former Pakistan. It was the start of nationalist movements which finally resulted in Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan.

People venture to Shaheed Minar, a national monument near Dhaka University. Join the crowds at the large street party, it is a great opportunity to watch people, try local food and get your face painted with the national flag or Shaheed Minar for free.
Expect a lot of pictures been taken with you and a Bangladeshi, you will be asked more often than the other way round.

Old Dhaka is described in every guidebook and worth a visit. It does not make sense to go on a Friday, since most of the shops are closed then.
Hidden behind small entrances (when closed the entrances look like shops closed with roller shutters) are small alleyways where goldsmiths work. It is interesting to watch them and they are very friendly.

This is a local market near the riverside off Station Road, close to Khulna Junction train station.
And that is all there is too it: Nice location, nice local market alleys, relaxed atmosphere - for all lovers of locas markets.

Bangladesh has a large brick production industrie, you see the chimneys throughout the country. The bicks are for domestic use.
Since there is water literally everywhere in the country, bricks are transported by boat whenever possible. Along the riverside near the prison you can see workers unload the bricks from the boats. It is amazing that they do not fall off the small gangway with the pile on their heads!

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We had a free afternoon between workshops and so took the opportunity to travel about 30kms from Khulna to Mongla from where we picked up a small passenger boat that took us to Karamjol, a gateway to the Sunderbans National Park. Entrance permits for foreign visitors were 200Taka but for Bangladeshi residents it was free.

Our arrival in Karamjol was accompanied by hordes of other trippers all pouring off boats at the same time so we were all escorted rather noisily down the board walk into the Mangrove forest. Fortunately we could wander off along a quieter path through the trees and explore without the chattering of the youngsters who were lovely but we had wanted to experience the forest for itself rather than along with hundreds of others.

Down one little path we came across a creek from where we could see bright flashes of crimson and blues belonging to sunbirds and kingfishers. Further on I managed to glimpse the tail and legs of some Rhesus monkeys but spotting wildlife in quite dense woodland is never easy - the trees get in the way!

Making our way back to the small settlement of Karamjol ( and we really hadn't gone very far) we came across an enclosure with a saltwater crocodile and next to it was a separate paddock with a small herd of the Spotted deer. The closest we got to a tiger was the mounted skeleton reportedly of a tiger that had succumbed to a disease a few years earlier.

We hung about on the riverside for a while watching the day trippers depart until it was our turn to head back to Mongla.

Our brief journey back was magical. As the sun began to sink, watching the scenery unfold to my delight I spotted, for a fleeting moment, the arched back of something pinkish grey that broke the surface only once. I like to think it was a Shukla - the Ganges River Dolphin. I shall never know but am satisfied that it was a perfect end to an exciting afternoon experiencing a small taste of what the Sunderbans could offer. I'd love to go back and explore it properly.

Ever know which is the rickshaw capital of the world? Yes, its Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Despite the sophistication, more than 3,00,000 rickshaws brightly-painted and decorated run in its streets adding to the traffic jam.

Cox Bazar is said to be the world's longest (120 kilometers) natural sand beach. It is the greatest tourist attraction in the country and definitely worthy of a visit. There is also good sea-food here. It is located at a distance of 152 km. from Chittagong, the leading seaport of Bangladesh. It is well connected both by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong. There are also some very old wooden Buddhist temples a few kilometers from Cox Bazar.

The Central Shahid Minar in Dhaka is a monument in honour of the language martyrs of 1952. On February 21, 1952, many students and political activists were killed as Pakistani police force opened fire on some protesters who were demanding equal status to their mothe tongue, Bengali. The place was near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka. The minar has five pillas made of pure marble stone upon a 14 feet high stage. The bounday on both sides contains lines from poems of famous poets engaved in iron letters.