Getting Around Bangladesh

Bangladesh may not be your final destination, but to get a nearly-free visit to the country, you may organise a few days' transit stop here on the way out of your home country.
Good transit routes would be via Dhaka to Kathmandu, Rangoon, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Colombo, various places in India and the Middle East and London.
It is less convenient on your way home, as your suitcase is probably already full and heavy and you may be tired of travelling. That's definitely not the time and occasion to visit Bangladesh...
Thai Airways probably has an Orchid package in B'desh, too, but for the most part you will have to carve out your transit days by yourself.
Last I checked, Biman as well as GMG, the upstart private airlines also have vacation packages. In fact, the GMG packages out of Bangladesh seemd to be good value as they include flights.

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The Padma, known upstream in India as the Brahmaputra, is a vast river bisecting Bangladesh from north to south.

When we turned up at the busy ferry port of Mawa en route from Dhaka to Khulna we could not see the other side of the river such was the width of this major waterway.

At Mawa there were several points at which vehicles could embark on to the low lying ferries but eventually we took the same route as most of the other buses. Waiting for our vehicle to find a space on board was a perfect opportunity for people watching. It was great to just absorb the hustle and bustle of folk on bikes, rickshaws and tuc tucs; buses loaded on board and on top, huge lorries with logs struggling to get up the slope of the river bank and aided by young men slamming wedges underneath the back wheels to prevent back sliding as the lorries inched their way forwards. There were traders and market stalls where you could buy sustenance or top ups for your cell phone.

Once on board we made our way to the rest area up near the bridge. This gave us a good view of the loading process including the man who fell in. He made it safely to the bank despite being ineptly aided by men who threw him a rope only to chuck the other end in as well when he reached the side!

For me the ferry boat ride was a wonderful experience in getting nearer to everyday life in this fascinating country. If you get the chance on your visit to Bangladesh do try to cross the river by boat. Further north the impressive Jamuna bridge provides fast links between east and west but I bet it's nowhere near as exciting as the ferry.

Bangladesh is a huge country in terms of population, but less so in terms of business and industry. There is almost no tourism. Many of the flights thus reflect migrant workers travel patterns and links to neighbouring countries. Cheap flights often include many stops and a long travel in terms of time, or not-so-good airlines. Some reknown airlines also feature tickets to Dhaka, and often these involve a plane and airlines change in Delhi or Calutta, just giving you loads of trouble in transit. Avoid them. I have flown Biman, Gulf and Indian Airlines into Bangladesh. Good ones that fly there include Thai (expensive), Jet (from India), Emirates and Qatar. I have good experiences with Qatar and would probably consider them next time. BA used to fly there but no more.

Here you find some very useful links:
http://www.ticketstobangladesh.co.uk/
http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/homepage.html

It seems very tempting to cross into Tripura and the other eastern areas of India across the Agartala border crossing point.
For locals this crossing can be undertaken, but for most tourists of other nationalities it is apparently not possible. What a pity, because this must be some of the most interesting points in India. When the Indian border is thus closed, it generally indicates unrest, riots, violence and guerilla activities. Good guess in this case, I believe.
To get into India and of a nationality that needs a visa you will probably still need a specialparmit applicable for in Delhi og at the Indian embassy in your home country.

When you travel by rail you travel right along the border between Akhaura and Comilla, the check post facilities and border markings and Indian guard posts are clearly visible. So near yet so distant!

On the main routes between cities in Bangladesh there are good private buses running. There is space for your luggage and legs aboard, there is climate control and some companies even supply snacks and bottled drinking water. If you are prepared to pay a little more, you can travel in style in Bangladesh.

I found travelling by train in Bangladesh delightful. But you have to look at is as entertainment, not purely transportation from a to b. And you have to be well prepared. Get somebody to organize tickets, seat reservation etc, bring some food for the journey unless you travel in a train with a restaurant car, a good book, a map. lean back and enjoy!
The travel between Dhaka and Chittagong is especially good: scenic, variations, good trains (choose 1st class) and the travel is suitably long to call it a journey.
On Seat 61 I found the train table, see web site.

Dhaka is one of the most busy cities in the world. It's very difficult to move with out a car. For travellers, in my opinion, best way to move in the city is the BUS. There are plenty of companies running city bus. Be carefull when u choose one. Make sure u get into a sitting service. I use BRTC Volvo, CITY BUS, RAJDHANI EXPRESS, PREMIUM (A/C), FALGUN etc. There are agents sitting beside the footpath. Buy tickets from them. It's the safest and cheapest way to travel around the city.

May be not travel-related, but certainly communications-related: The Bangladeshi postal system works very well and you can send postcards and letters around and in and out of Bangladesh with great confidence and good success rate.
It is probably one of the key government structures and services of the country that keeps the place together more than anything else. The remittance economy (workers sending money home from overseas) is crucial for Bangladesh, and the post is essential for this system.
What is a bit hopeless at times is to manage to reach to the counter - and the correct one! -and order and actually get what you want of stamps and other things. Try patience and persistance as medicines.