Let’s face it. Reliable independent travel information about Bangladesh doesn’t flow quite as freely as it does for some other nearby countries in south Asia.

And even when you get in country, information can be hard to come by: ask five people a question and you're likely to get ten answers.

But persevere and show your curiosity and you’ll find that Bangladesh actually offers more diversity in sights and experiences that you might first expect, from UNESCO pre-Moghul mosques to cycling through tea estates to tracking tigers in mangrove forests. But perhaps more distinct are the human interactions that make visiting Bangladesh such a unique experience.

More than five weeks in Bangladesh? Is there really enough to do there?

— A typical response when we shared our Bangladesh travel plans.

Next time you wonder what there is to do and see in Bangladesh, take a look at the list below for inspiration. Seek it out, understand that things don’t always go as planned, and enjoy the journey.

Cox’s Bazar Spoiler: We're prepared for flak from Bangladeshis regarding the fact that Cox’s Bazar does not appear on our list. Cox's Bazar, home of the longest continuous stretch of beach in the world didn't make the cut during our visit. We'd spent plenty of time on beaches in Thailand before visiting Bangladesh, and frankly we were having too much fun in the Bangladesh countryside to up and make our way to the beach.

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s sprawling, crazy capital city

Make your way to old town Dhaka (Puran Dhaka) and Shakari Bazaar for interaction with some of the friendliest and most energetic people in the world. Go early in the morning or on a holiday so that you have a chance to see it all and engage with the crowds before things become too hot or busy. Take a rickshaw ride through the narrow old town streets. Wild, fun, human. Our favorite part of Dhaka by far.

Also recommended is the walking tour of old Dhaka by the Urban Study Group working to protect Dhaka’s historical buildings (ask for Taimur). Our tour happened to coincide with the Hindu holiday of Holi so our walks through the Hindu parts of town were in full festival and color mode. A fulfilling, educational experience all around.

The easiest way to get to the old town is by CNG (compressed natural gas auto rickshaw ) – ask to use the meter. Traffic in Dhaka is horrible, so plan your way around the city wisely or risk spending hours stuck in traffic that may leave you never wanting to exit your hotel again.

View more photos: Dhaka

Rocket Steamer: River Travel

While the rocket steamer may not be one of the fastest ways to travel, but it is one of the most pleasant. Bangladesh is a country of rivers; you have to travel them to get a feel for the country. The Rocket Steamer is a great way to do this.

Although we’re usually cheapskates when it comes to transport, we do recommend splurging for an overnight first class cabin (around $25 total for the two of us). On the route from Dhaka to Khulna, this allowed us access to the front of the boat along with a handful – as opposed to hundreds – of other people.

Pull up a chair outside and watch Dhaka disappear in the rear view as the river opens wide with fishermen, villages and the occasional brickfield (brick-making operation). We will never forget drinking tea after sunset on the front deck as we exited Dhaka's orbit and made our way into wider, more silent waterways. Epic and soothing.

Because water levels were low, we chose to exit the boat at Pirojpur. From there, we took a bus the remainder of the way to Khulna (about 2 hours). In Khulna, we met up with our Sundarban tour boat the following day.

A note on safety: You might be asking, “Is it really safe to take a boat in Bangladesh? I keep hearing reports of boats sinking.” The Rocket Steamer does indeed have a good safety record. However, be aware that other public river ferry transport options may not be as safe due to overcrowding and spotty maintenance.

Buying tickets: The Rocket Steamer departs around 6 PM from Sadarghat in old Dhaka. Although touts may suggest otherwise, you cannot buy tickets for the Rocket Steamer at Sadarghat in Dhaka. We advise going directly to the BIWTC (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport) office at 5 Dilkusha. Call ahead to confirm that boats are running. Schedules are subject to change based on water levels and repairs: +88-02-9559779. You can also buy Rocket Steamer tickets through local travel agent for a fee that will include a commission.

View More Photos: Rocket Steamer from Dhaka

Sundarbans: Tiger tracking in mangrove forests.

The Sundarbans, the largest tidal mangrove forests in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a big attraction in Bangladesh. A Sundarbans tour is usually among the first items on a visitor's Bangladesh travel itinerary. The Sundarbans feature mangrove forests, visits to the Bay of Bengal, and an often unsuccessful search for tigers.

Most journeys to the Sundarbans depart from Khulna and travel south and east along various rivers and streams towards the Bay of Bengal. Within a few hours of leaving Khulna, industry, towns, fishermen and villages fade in favor of virtually uninhabited mangrove forests. Birds, deer, crocodiles, and wild boar become your new companions. Oh, and tigers — whether or not you get a chance to see them, they will likely see you.

Sundarban tours include a few landings to walk through the thick mud of the mangrove forests in search of the shy Bengal tiger. Although it’s unlikely you’ll actually see a tiger (there’s an estimated 400 of them remaining in this vast land mass), this is still a recommended trip to get yourself into the middle mangrove forests, see some different animals, and just enjoy nature and its silence.

Booking a Sundarbans Tour:

We went with Bengal Tours. The boat, food, and staff were all great. A standard tour for two nights/three days is around $150. If we had known in advance, we would have better timed our visit to coincide with the honey harvest season (April) and booked a “honey-hunting tour.”

Honey-hunting tiger tours run at the very end of the Sundarbans tour season, as the dry season becomes full-blown. This special tour follows villagers in the northwest reaches of the Sundarbans and includes as they harvest honey, a rather dangerous undertaking because of the apparent relative profusion of curious tigers in the area.

The Guide Tours also runs Sundarbans tours. Although we didn’t travel with them, one of our close friends did and he recommended them. Rupantar Eco-Tourism, was also recommended to us, but there were no tours running at the time of our visit.

View More : Sundarbans Photos

Bagarhat: Pre-Moghul Mosques and Crocodiles

While Shait Gumbad Masjid (Sixty Dome Mosque) in Bagerhat, Bangladesh might qualify as one of more remote and foreigner-free UNESCO sites we've come across in our travels, it's certainly not a lonely place.

From the moment we stepped foot on the grounds of this 15th century pre-Mughal-era mosque, we were approached by playful school girls, elderly Imams, extended families, shutter-happy teenagers and everyone in between. Like all their Bangladeshi countrymen and women, they are a curious and friendly lot and will pay you oodles of attention, as this site currently does not get many foreign visitors.

Conversations went in and out of Bangla and English about Bangladesh, United States, Islam, crocodiles, cricket, Facebook and more. At every turn, mobile phones clicked with photos of us.

And although the grounds of the mosque teem with people and activity, the interior is impressive with its dozens of columns, pre-Moghul architecture, and faded wall decor wiped out by heavy-handed plastering. However, what we enjoyed most was that the mosque is not a museum, but is still actively used by the local community.

If you have more time, take a rickshaw to Khan Jahan Ali Mazar where you’ll find a pond full of well-fed crocodiles and the Nine-Domed Mosque a short walk away. Keep an eye out for this friendly Imam who will take you around the 15th century building.

There isn’t really a place to sleep here, so visiting Bagerhat is best done as a day trip from Khulna. For a taste of beautiful peaceful brick-lined village lanes, a visit here is an absolute must.

Khulna Hotel: We enjoyed staying at Hotel Jalico on #77 Lower Jessore Road. Around $14 for a double room with A/C, including breakfast served in your room. Request a local breakfast – the “western breakfast” includes soggy eggs and toast.

More Photos from Bagerhat

Rajshahi and Puthia: University town and Hindu Temples

Take the early morning train from Khulna to Rajshahi for one of the most pleasant rides in the country through villages and rice fields. Besides offering an absolutely beautiful journey, this train seems to run on time. Purchasing a ticket at the Khulna train station is fairly easy. Foreigners will likely be directed around the back of the building to make their visit even easier. 1st class cabin tickets run about $3-$4/piece. Among the world's greatest train ticket values.

At dusk, go down to the Ganges/Patma river front: kids play cricket, families gather around food carts, and boats carry people back and forth towards the Indian border. You’ll soon be surrounded by Rajshahi’s students; curious, outgoing, and sporting good English. A good sign if these are the future leaders of their country.

Nearby Puthia is worth a stop to walk around, see the Hindu temples, and chat with the temple caretakers and other locals. You can see the town’s former prominence in the Hindu Temples and Palace. We particularly enjoyed the Govinda Temple with its exterior of carved terracotta tiles.

Note that the representative from the Puthia archeological association can be a bit overbearing and ultimately hijack your visit and your sanity, so be firm in expressing your wishes.

More Photos: Rajshahi and Puthia Photos

Paharpur Monastery: Tantric Buddhist Monastery

Another UNESCO World Heritage site in Bangladesh: the 8th century Paharpur Monastery in northwestern Bangladesh is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries south of the Himalayas. Today, much of the site is in ruins but it’s still worth a visit. Fascinating to imagine how this university-style “dorms” where Buddhism and Buddhist monks thrived for several centuries under in what was once Buddhist Bangladesh.

If you visit Paharpur, we recommend spending the night in Joypurhat and taking an electric or auto rickshaw to the the site.

Paharpur Hotel: We stayed in a great guest room at an NGO called DMSS for around $11/double room. Our host, Aburpa, was wonderful and the money from your stay goes to support DMSS' work with indigenous people in the region. He can also arrange a rickshaw to the ruins. Contact the organization in advance to see if they have availability. A great place to stay.

More Photos: Paharpur Buddhist Monastery

Rural Homestay in a Bangladesh Village Exploration

Bangladesh’s cities are busy, harried and full of people, traffic and commotion. From our perspective, an absolute must in Bangladesh: spending time in rural Bangladesh to get a completely different perspective. One of the highlights of our trip was a two-day village homestay in the village of Hatiandha outside of the city of Natore.

In the village, we stayed with a local family for two nights and enjoyed delicious home-cooked Bangladeshi food. We also had an opportunity to visit rural schools, walk around the village and fields to learn about agriculture, see a pottery village, various aspects of harvesting, puffing rice with hot sand and enjoying the pace of Bangladesh village life.

Arranging a Bangladesh home stay

The home stay program we used is a new initiative from Eco Connexion, the rural tourism arm of the NGO ESDO.

Srimongal: Tea Estates and Long Bike Rides

From our perspectives, another must see during a visit to Bangladesh. The aim: to get out of town and enjoy the countryside; tea estates, ethnic villages, national parks, lakes and greenery. You can hire a car, or as we did, rent bicycles and cycle your way through the teaberry flavored air of tea plantations, take up a local or two on their invitation for tea (or a birthday party). Go, enjoy the outdoors and let your days unfold by themselves.

Our suggestion: rent bikes and head out to Madhabpur Lake, not so much to see the actual lake but for the adventure on the way there and back. Beautiful scenery, villages and people. The fragrance of tea bushes in the fresh air of early morning is like nothing you'll experience in life.

The tea gardens surrounding Srimongal are remnants from the British Empire; workers were brought from other parts of the country and also from India. Today, this area is home to several different ethnic groups. Although working conditions are exceptionally difficult for the tea pickers, we found them incredibly friendly and welcoming.

It’s possible to arrange visits to indigenous Garo, Manipuri, and Khashia villages. Our suggestion is to go with a guide who is from that indigenous group and village so that you have a more personal experience. You can contact Nishorgo Network or Community EcoTour to arrange village visits. Don't miss a visit to Nilkantha for a taste of 7-layer tea. There's also an unassuming stand that serves up puchka. Makes for a perfect late-afternoon snack.

To rent bikes, contact Sablu at Classic Tours and Travels in Srimongal. He's a really nice guy who can arrange other tours. He also knows where to find a get a good shave.

READ MORE: The Destination Is Everything, The Destination Is Nothing

Chittagong Hill Tracts: Bandarban and Rangamati

This little sliver of land in the southeastern corner of the country can be a bit tricky to get to, but it's all worth the effort. More than a dozen ethnic groups share this region; it’s like a journey through Southeast and South Asia in one swoop.

Try to plan your visit around the weekly market in Bandarban and Rangamati on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In scenes like this one at the indigenous market in the town of Bandarban, it's easy to forget which country we're visiting.

Bandarban is part of an area known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). CHT's rolling hills in southeastern Bangladesh are home to over fifteen indigenous groups, many of which have their origins in far eastern India, Burma and Southeast Asia.

While the market had some unusual features for one in Bangladesh — a monitor lizard butchered to bits at the river's edge, a huge pig sawed in half mid-market, massive sting rays hanging on hooks, and sacks jumping with plump frogs — something else stood out. Women.

Women were everywhere – as vendors, buyers, connoisseurs of cigars, and among the out and about. While the presence of women may not sound terribly profound, their absence from other markets and many facets of public life here in Bangladesh has been noticeable. And we've missed it.

So at the Sunday episode of the Bandarban indigenous market we enjoyed the opportunity to sit with vendors (men and women), throw around a few words in Bangla (didn't really help), use charades to communicate some more, learn the local names of vegetables, and share a few smiles.

Also highly recommended is hiring a guide for half a day in Bandarban to go through villages and take a boat ride down Shangu river. We arranged for this through Guide Tours Bandarban Hill Resort (about $8-$10) and it was a fantastic experience. Our guide, Royel, was a Baum man from the surrounding villages and knew everyone, everything.

Another site to see near Bandarban is Bangladesh's largest active Buddhist temple, Buddha Dhatu Jadi or Golden Temple — a peaceful little place tucked into the hills above the town. You might be thinking, “Buddhism in Bangladesh?” Once upon a time, Buddhism was the prominent religion across the land that is now Bangladesh.

Although Buddhists only make up around 1% of the population today, you can find pockets of of Marma, Chakma and other ethnic communities practicing in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh. There are even a few Bengali Buddhists about.

Our visit to Rangamati overlapped with both local Buddhist water festival and Bangla new years; we were adopted by a local Chakma man and visited about ten groups of family and friends, each with outrageous amounts of rice wine and food. Let’s just say we didn’t do a lot more than that during our two days there.

Permits to CHT:

It’s necessary to get a permit to enter the CHT. Most travel agents or hotels can arrange this for you for free or for a small fee. They will submit your passport details to the authorities so that your name appears on an approved list.

Bandarban Hotel

We stayed at Hotel Purbani on the main road in Bandarban town. Around $8 for a double room (fan) with some of the most attentive staff in the world. To enjoy the hills and countryside outside of town, take a look at the Bandarban Hillside Resort run by Guide Tours. We hired a guide from here and the facilities looked nice.

Rangamati Hotel

Banarupa Tourists Inn is on the outskirts of town. We were there during a big holiday, so rooms were hard to find. A double room cost around $18-$20.

Of course, there is much more to do in Bangladesh than what is on this list. Our aim is to provide you a starting point to inspire your thinking, planning, and preparation for Bangladesh. Independent travel in Bangladesh is intense, so be sure to plan in enough down time; try to get out of the big cities. Once you do, you are sure to set yourself up for some unforgettably unique experiences.

If you're interested in more information on travel to Bangladesh, be sure to listen to our Bangladesh podcast interview with Chris Christensen from the Amateur Traveler.

The post Bangladesh Travel: A Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Uncornered Market.

What is Bangladesh food? Or more correctly, Bangladeshi food? Which dishes should you seek out and what sort of flavors and spices might you find when you visit the country? This Bangladesh Food Guide shares some of our favorite Bangladeshi dishes, meals and experiences from traveling around Bangladesh for almost six weeks and trying all different kinds of Bangladeshi foods on the street, in tea stalls, canteens, restaurants and in village homes.

Although you may not have realized it, it’s quite possible you’ve eaten Bangaldeshi food. Many of the restaurants along London's famed Brick Lane are actually Bangladeshi in origin. The same can probably be said for other “Indian” restaurants throughout the world. After all, Indian food has much better branding. So after having traveled through India and upon arriving in Bangladesh, we thought its food might just be the same.

Well, not quite.

Here is what we found as we explored Bangladesh and its food scene.

Bangladeshi food in a home is the best – it’s cooked with the care and love of a woman’s hands. In restaurants, food is cooked by men for quantity.

— A Bangladeshi friend captures the crux of Bangladeshi food.

Bangladeshi Food: Approach, Ingredients and Tools

Bangladesh shares a common Bengali culture, language and history with its neighbors in the nearby Indian state of West Bengal. This shared culture also carries over to its food – many dishes are shared across borders and are commonly referred to as Bengali cuisine.

Bangladeshi cuisine is decidedly South Asian in nature. However, it's unique in its abundant use of fish and its employment of a variety of often fiery pastes made from ground roots, spices and chilies. So fiery they are, we're told, that even some visiting Indians can’t handle the heat.

Fish

Bangladesh is a country of rivers so perhaps it’s no surprise that fish is a staple of Bangladeshi food. There’s a common saying: “Fish and rice make a Bengali” (Machh-e-bhat-e-Bangali). Often fish is fried in spice paste to enable the flavors to settle in.

For Bangladeshis, not any fish will do. A river fish, be it from fresh or salt water, is the most highly valued. To Bangladeshis, sea fish just don’t offer the same flavor.

Ground pastes

Bangladeshi cuisine incorporates the use of pastes – spices and roots ground smooth. Green chili peppers are ubiquitous in Bangladeshi cuisine. Other common pastes include a combination of any of the following: ginger, garlic, red chili peppers, turmeric, onion, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, or mustard seed. (South Asian cuisine aficionados will note the use of popped spices as a foundation of Indian dishes as distinctly different from that of Bangladeshi cuisine.)

Mustard oil

Traditional Bengali cuisine makes frequent use of mustard oil which imparts an inimitable bitterness. You can definitely taste this in bhorta, uniquely Bangladeshi balls of mashed vegetables. Although mustard oil is still commonly used throughout Bangladesh, people are making the switch to more neutral vegetable oils.

Traditional stove

Who says you need fancy kitchen equipment to cook well?

A traditional Bangladeshi stove is made from mud or dug into the ground. It includes a place for fire (usually heated by wood, sometimes wrapped in cow dung so it burns slower) with an impression or opening in which to place the pan.

Boti (Knife)

A traditional Bangladeshi carving utensil that consists of a curved blade on a shaft that you must secure between your feet. Bangladeshi women use it with lightening speed to cut onions, vegetables, fish — just about anything, no matter how small.

Eating with the right hand: As in other parts of South Asia, food is eaten with the right hand. Bangladeshis appreciated the attempt we made to eat “local style” – one restaurant manager even came up to us and thanked us for it.

Also, as our host mother in the village of Hatiandha told us, “Food tastes better when you eat it with your hands.”

No argument here. When in Bangladesh, eat with your hands.

Eating in a Bangladeshi Village

Not surprisingly, the best food we ate in Bangladesh was served in a family home during a village homestay. We are told that Mrs. Ali, our host mother in Hatiandha is known for her cooking skills. She really went all out for us during our stay.

Please note these dishes are not always eaten every day; some may be considered “special occasion” meals.

Awesome sabzi (mixed vegetables)

Ok, the real name for this did not include “awesome” but we were so impressed by this dish that we felt it an appropriate name. Sabzi is common throughout Bangladesh, but Mrs. Ali took it to a whole new level.

In addition to ground ginger, garlic, onion, cumin, and chili pepper pastes, this dish also included fenugreek, fennel seed, black cumin, ajwain, and methi. Add to this carrots, potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower and whatever other vegetables you have hanging around and you've got something special.

Maach Bhuna (Fish Bhuna)

Bhuna is a style of cooking where spice pastes – red chili, ginger, cinnamon, onion, and garlic – are heated in oil and then cooked with fish, meat or vegetable slices. Add a little water to thin out the sauce. The result is something aromatic, flavorful, and spicy. One of our favorites.

Bhendi Bhaji (Fried Okra): Simple and so delicious. Green chilies, ground onion paste and okra fried together in oil.

Begun Bhaja (Fried Eggplant)

Pan-fried sliced eggplant with turmeric and salt.

Chicken Curry

A Bangladeshi garam masala-based curry that features chicken and potatoes. The masala — including cinnamon sticks, big brown cardamom, and small green cardamom — really shines through.

Dal (lentils)

Another staple of the Bangladeshi table. Sauteed spices, onions and garlic stewed to creaminess. If there exists nothing else at breakfast time, you'll be sure to find dal and rounds of paratha bread.

Pulao

A rice that uses the small, fine grain of rice (more expensive). It's typically cooked with bay leaf, cinnamon sticks and topped with crispy dried onion. Delicious. You know you are considered someone special when the finer grained pulao comes out.

Bangladesh Restaurant Eating

Unless you’re going to a fancy hotel restaurant or a high-end eating establishment, don’t expect to receive a menu when dining at local canteens, cafeterias or restaurants. You don’t choose curry types; instead you choose chicken, fish or beef. Preparation is the choice of the man in the kitchen that day. It’s as if the restaurant is saying: “This is what we (collective we, like a family) are eating today.”

In this case, the selection is limited, but there’s something oddly binding in everyone sharing the same meal.

Meals are prepared –- and are therefore most fresh — around regular eating times. If you get off-cycle in your eating, you won’t go hungry but your food may have been hanging around for a while. Take note.

Bangladeshi Snacks and Breads:

Singara

Much like samosas, singara (the round items above) are spiced potato and vegetable mixture pockets wrapped in a thin dough and fried. What distinguishes a good singara is the flaky texture, almost as if it's made with savory pie crust. Singara are really tasty and inexpensive snack (as cheap as 24 for $1) that you can find almost anywhere in Bangladesh.

Samosa

In India, samosas are usually stuffed with potatoes and spices. Bangladeshi samosas tend to be triangular, filled with cabbage and other vegetables, and are more heavily fried and crunchier than either singara or their Indian samosa cousins.

Paratha

A thin fried flat bread that can be found everywhere throughout the country. Most often eaten at breakfast.

Fried roti stuffed with egg & onions

Once night hits in Khulna, many of the streetside restaurants were frying up a thin dough filled with egg, onions and spices. It was folded up like a square. More filling than it looks.

Roti Kalai

A thick flat bread made from lentil flour. When we found this on the streets of Rajshahi, women were serving it with freshly cut onions and green chili sauce. More like a meal than a snack since the lentil flour makes it very heavy.

Chana chaat

Chickpeas mixed with chopped onions, tomatoes, and spices often topped with popped rice and fried vegetables. Incredibly addictive snack food.

Naan

Although naan (flat bread cooked in a tandoor oven) is not as common in Bangladesh as it is in India, it is still possible to find it in some restaurants and street stands. In contrast to paratha, you'll find naan more readily available at night.

Pitha

A fried snack – almost like small pancakes – made from rice flour. Can either be eaten straight or covered with ghur (syrup made from the sap of date trees) for breakfast.

Bangladesh Meals

Bangladesh Breakfast

Our first meal of the day usually consisted of some combination of sabzi (mixed vegetables), dal (lentils), paratha (fried flat bread), omelette and milk tea. Hearty, filling reliable, good. Also incredibly cheap – we usually paid less than $1 for the two of us. We learned that tea is often eaten after the meal, not with the breakfast so you have to make a special request if you want your cup of tea to arrive with your meal.

Bhorta

Mashed potatoes (or other vegetables) often mixed with shrimp or fish. Usually made with onion, green chili peppers, cilantro and mustard oil — lending it an intense flavor. The restaurant at Western Inn International in Khulna serves up some delicious shrimp and fish bhorta.

Biryani

Spiced rice served with some sort of meat or chicken, sometimes mixed in and other times served on top of the rice. Maybe we just chose poorly, but we never really had a great biryani meal during our trip.

Egg curry

Hard boiled eggs served up in a creamy curry sauce looked a bit odd to us at first, but the taste: remarkably good. Served with crispy onions on top.

Bangladeshi Desserts

The one segment of Bangladeshi cuisine that most resembles Indian cuisine: desserts.

Mishti Doi

Sweet curd served in ceramic bowls. Our suggestion is to go for the semi-sweet variety. The best doi we found comes from a chain of shops called “Rosh” in Dhaka. We frequented the Gulshan 2 outpost, just on the circle. Go early: Rosh sells out of the semi-sweet doi very quickly.

Ras Malai

A heavy sweet made from balls of paneer (pressed Indian-style cottage cheese) served with sweetened clotted cream and topped with ground nuts and/or sweet spices like cardamom.

Rasgulla

Another heavy sweet made from balls of local cottage cheese mixed with semolina flower and cooked in a sugar syrup. The syrup absorbs into the ball. Intensely sweet.

Drinks in Bangladesh

Local Bangladeshi restaurants typically don’t offer a wide array of drinks. While tap water is available for free on tables, choices are usually limited to bottled water (a wise choice for visitors' tummies) and basic soft drinks (e.g., Sprite, Coke). Alcohol is forbidden.

Cha (tea)

Bangladeshis are a tea drinking people. You’ll find little tea stands throughout the country with a few people sitting and drinking a small cup, perhaps with some snacks. Tea drinking and tea stands offer a great way to engage with and meet people. Most tea is black tea served with condensed milk and sugar, but you can also request “red” tea which is without milk.

7-Layer Tea

The famous 7-layer tea can only be found at Nilkhantha Tea Cabin outside of Srimongal (beware of imitations in the nearby village). The recipe is a secret, but combines three varieties of black tea and one green tea. Condensed milk and various spices (cinnamon, cloves), perhaps a dash of lemon and a hint of asafoetida make up the other flavor layers.

Lime juice and sugar cane juice

You can find juice stands on the streets of Old Dhaka and other big cities. Just be careful that you’re just getting the juice and not a mixture with local water. Otherwise, Bangla belly might come to haunt you.

How to Avoid Bangla Belly, Getting Sick in Bangladesh

With all of our eating at local and street restaurants throughout Bangladesh, we never once got a case of “Bangla belly.” Use common sense when eating and be careful of freshly cut (and uncooked) vegetables and fruit. Don’t take your chances on local tap water – buy bottled water or sterilize tap water yourself (e.g., SteriPen or tablets). And be sure to use wash your hands before and after meals.

Restaurants in Bangladesh

We generally ate very well (and very inexpensively) while traveling throughout Bangladesh. If the food is being made fresh and it looks good, and there are a lot of customers creating a high turnover, then you will probably be OK.

Dhaka Restaurants

Although we didn't eat out frequently while in Dhaka, everyone agrees that some of the best food around is in Old Dhaka. As you walk the streets around Shakari Bazaar, keep your eye out for streetside restaurants and guys like this serving up freshly cooked meals, paratha, singara and more.

Tasty. Friendly. You won't be disappointed.

Khulna Resturants: The streets come alive at night along Upper Jessore Road with men cooking up fresh roti, naan, meat kebabs and more. For our money and experience, this is the place to go. For a higher end meal, try Western Inn International for fish bhuna and tasty bhorta.

Srimongal Restaurants: There are several good eating options along Station Road, but Kutum Bari became our favorite. It’s a bit more expensive than other restaurants (i.e., $5 for two people), but it offers a wider selection than most and serves up delicious Indian and Bangladeshi favorites in a pleasant, unstuffy atmosphere. Staff are exceptionally friendly and are not afraid to explain and recommend dishes. Our favorites: the chicken tikka masala and fish bhuna.

For a regular local canteen, try Gram Bangla Restaurant on Station Road. Great breakfasts, traditional cuisine (dal and sabzi) and singara.

Eating in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT): Traditional food in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is another experience, entirely. For the most part, you will find traditional Bangladeshi or Bengali style food. However, in ethnic homes and restaurants in CHT, you will find cuisine that more closely resembles Burmese end of Southeast Asian food.

The post Bangladesh Food: A Culinary Travel Guide appeared first on Uncornered Market.

This is the story of a homestay experience in rural Bangladesh — and a young woman who hopes to be Prime Minister one day.

There I was in a traditional courtyard kitchen in a village in Bangladesh. Dirt floor, earthen oven. Mrs. Ali, our host mother, stoked the fire and minded several hot pans. It was time to slice the onions and my turn was up.

I held a small one between my hands. To avoid cutting my fingers off with the blade of a curved knife-edge secured between my feet, I'd narrowed my focus. Mrs. Ali and her college-aged daughter, Asmani, were curious. Nervous too. They had good reason to be. I’d cut many an onion before in my life, but never quite in this way.

Slowly, I pushed the onion through the blade, almost to the end. Then I turned it to cut the other way. My fingers remained intact and the onion was sliced — not finely or perfectly, but cut. Mrs. Ali threw the onions into a hot frying pan, added dabs of a few of her spice pastes, and continued to stoke the fire just so.

I think I passed the test; a bowl of okra appeared next for me to cut.

Bangladeshi Village Life: A Taste

Bangladeshi cities may be bustling, crowded, and jammed with activity, but the soul of Bangladesh is in its villages and along its rivers. Villages that surprise with their calm, their order and their relative peace. Sure there's activity — in the fields, homes, schools, mosques and temples, but there’s a different pace to it all than you'll find in a Bangladeshi city. In the words of a friend working in development, “When I go to the Bangladesh countryside, it gives me a sense of hope.”

Our first afternoon walk through the village of Hatiandha outside of Natore was our initial taste of this: villagers harvesting crops and planting fields anew, flocks of animals gathering, and gaggles of geese scrabbling about . Kids played after school cricket, and families spent time winding up their day. Of course, they took a break to catch a glimpse of the visitors, or even to get a handshake.

From Stranger to Guest

When we returned to our home stay home for the evening, we got to know our family — and they got to know us — a little better over dinner. The awkwardness of being the center of attention faded as we chatted and asked questions to get closer to understanding one another.

Asmani was studying Political Science at a college in nearby Natore.

“She wants to be Prime Minister,” her brother Bappy piped in.

“Is it true?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Can I have your autograph?” Dan inquired. We all believed in the possibility, really. Asmani blushed.

Dan pushed a piece of paper in front of her. She signed it.

“One day, I can say I knew you when…”

Dinner was ready. Mrs. Ali had cooked us a multi-course feast. We had been told beforehand that the best Bangladeshi food is in a village home. As I scooped into my mouth the first finger-full of fish curry and spicy vegetable sabzi, I nodded in satisfied agreement.

School Visit

The following morning, we struck further out in the countryside to visit a couple of village schools. At our first school, we were besieged by hundreds of schoolgirls pouring out of their classrooms to greet us in their courtyard. The energy, curiosity and spirit — if only we could bottle it.

Initially, we felt bad that we were disturbing classes, disrupting learning. But the students' interest wasn't to avoid class as much as it was to see and greet someone new, to ask questions. Each student we spoke to made us promise to visit their classroom — there were dozens across the two levels of buildings ringing the courtyard. Doorways and windows burst with anxious onlookers, poised to pull us in as we walked by. Teachers welcomed us, too. It was convenient that half the classes were studying English that day, lending to our visit an educational pretense.

We answered questions, we asked questions. Everyone we met flattered us by thinking we were much younger than we are. We embarrassed them by asking them their names and their favorite subjects in school. We talked cricket and took predictions on who would win the World Cup. Everyone had fun. Very honestly, we could have stayed all day.

Pottery and Puffed Rice: A Lesson

Next up was a pottery village and seeing how puffed rice was made. When we agreed to this side trip, we'd imagined something a la tourist village presentation. Instead, we got another glimpse of ordinary yet fascinating village life whose pace didn't skip a beat for our visit.

Take the pottery. Throughout our visits to South Asia, we'd become big fans of doi, a sweet curd snack usually served in terra cotta containers, no matter how small the portion. Firm sweet yogurt and its bacteria tucked into little ceramic bowls — a surprisingly delicious blend.

When we arrived at the pottery village, we realized where all those doi pots had come from. Every manner of bowl, pot and container, including the very smallest were thrown by hand. This village was home to a unique Hindu caste that specialized in pottery. Master potters are able to churn out hundreds — if not thousands — of yogurt cups, pitchers and water pots in a single day.

One man formed and softened the clay, the potter threw it on a wheel, and a woman attached bottoms with sand. Others managed the sun-drying process and organized the finished product from good to trash.

On the way back to our home village, we stopped off at a family courtyard thick in the throes of sorting harvested garlic and making hot puffed rice. How to make puffed rice? Shockingly simple and enlightening. In this courtyard, it happened in two steps.

First, one woman stirred rice kernels with hot sand in a ceramic pot atop a hot fire. When the kernels reached peak temperature and began to pop, she'd pour the sand and kernels into another ceramic container with holes just big enough to let the sand out yet small enough to trap the popped rice inside. As she did this, the remaining rice puffed just so.

Ingenious and fascinating. A fine balance. I'd love to know who first discovered this (I'm guessing it's not the Quaker brand people or the founders of Rice Krispies).

Mehndi (Henna) Night

During our last night in the village, the girls of the house took over and put on a mehndi (henna) party in our room. My hands were soon transformed into a canvas of flowers and designs with the help Asmani and her cousin. Soon, the room was filled with the entire extended family.

The father and son took an interest in learning how to take photos with our camera. At first, they were overwhelmed. Then, they were downright addicted. Grandma, too, took an interest — in convincing Dan to let Asmani mendhi his hands (he finally succumbed to allowing a single pinkytip).

Grandma covered my head with my scarf and joked, “Now you are a Bangladeshi woman.”

An approving smile from grandma: another vote of confidence.

——

Life in a Bangladeshi village. In just a few days, I'd seen family, education, life, agriculture and industry up close.

And I met a young woman from the village who embodies its hope. She believes she can be Prime Minister. That's her dream.

As she makes her way, I'll be sure to keep her autograph.

——

Slideshow: Bangladesh Village Homestay

If you don’t have a high-speed connection or want to read the captions, you can view the Bangladesh Village Homestay photo essay.

Arranging a Bangladesh Homestay with Eco Connexion

This rural homestay program in Hathiandha in northwestern Bangladesh near the town of Natore is a new program run by Eco Connexion. Although the program is new, the parent NGO (ESDO) has been operating in the village for years and has developed relationships with the community. The goal of the program is to provide an opportunity of exchange between travelers and members of the community, as well as to promote the economic benefits of rural tourism development. Spending time in a Bangladeshi village with a family — to live village life for a few days, to meet people, to observe, to ask questions and to learn — is the one of the best firsthand tools to begin to understand this country.

Eco Connexion is also working with a village outside of Dhaka and has plans for other programs throughout Bangladesh. If you're planning a trip to Bangladesh, consider arranging a village homestay with Eco Connexion. You won't be disappointed.

The post Bangladesh Village Homestay: Becoming One of the Family appeared first on Uncornered Market.

What comes to mind when you hear the word Bangladesh?

For good reason.

People don’t know what to make of Bangladesh. They know the name, but often only because they’ve caught a short blip news cycle item like a natural disaster.

Here, we take a different tack, a cue from the game show Jeopardy to introduce another side of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Travel Jeopardy

(Hint: The answer to every question below is “What is Bangladesh?”)

Country where ordinary visitors are most likely to feel like rock stars

Feeling under-appreciated? Starved of attention? Then Bangladesh is the place for you.

And bam! You are the main attraction. Oh, and the questions Bangladeshis ask.

During our five-week visit to Bangladesh, we ran into a grand total of five tourists. One a week by our count.

Home to the city with the world's worst traffic

“Dhaka has the worst traffic in the world,” our friend told us definitively when we first arrived.

“Worse than Bangkok?” we asked, memories of jams dislodged.

“No comparison.”

We figured he'd gone soft. Then we tried to get across Dhaka during a low traffic holiday.

Each time we returned from a cross-Dhaka trip, hard liquor was in order. And we swore we'd never leave the house again.

Birthplace of Microfinance

Occasional darling topic of the development world, the concept of microfinance was not dreamed up by Economics and Development PhDs at Harvard or Yale. Instead (and very arguably) it was hatched in the mid-1970s in the villages outside of the town of Chittagong, Bangladesh when Muhammad Yunus began experimenting by providing small loans (originally with his own money) to rural women.

The country with the cheapest shave and haircut

The cost of a haircut, shave, and head and shoulder massage, facial mask/scrub in the “fancy” barber shop (not pictured below)? $1.20

Most Densely Populated Country in the World

We know, you've heard this from us before. But 150 million people tucked into a country the size of Wisconsin. The magnitude of this reality bears repeating, often.

Put it another way, given the same population density, India would have over three billion people. And the United States? Over 11 billion.

Take a few turns of the ol' wheels for this to sink in.

Birthplace of Tantric Buddhism

Buddhism and Bangladesh? Bet you weren’t expecting to see this here.

Today, Bangladesh is predominantly Muslim (over 90%), but if you go back over a thousand years you will find that it was in fact the birthplace of Tantric Buddhism.

World’s cheapest breakfast

A typical Bangladeshi breakfast for around $1 for the two of us: four paratha (fried flat bread), sabzi (mixed vegetables), dal (lentils) and tea. A hearty and filling way to start the day often meant that we didn’t have to eat again until dinner. (More on Bangladeshi food here.)

Most Harrowing Road Trip

To loosen up all that wonderful food that you've eaten, hop a local or regional bus. Bangladesh road trips make overnight bus trips on Andean cliffside mountain roads look like walks in the park.

To keep from losing it on bus and road trips, we read books and became fatalists.

Our advice? If you can, take the train.

Driest country (in South Asia, at least)

While you might find some alcohol in the big cities in expat and diplomatic circles, it remains illegal for Bangladeshi citizens to consume it.

So if you fancy a drink in Bangladesh, good luck finding one. There are exceptions, however. No wonder the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) were full of Bangladeshis who'd come in search of a drink of rice wine and to sing and party to their hearts' content for the new year. Outside of a new year celebration, we were offered beer once — under the breath of a waiter who later returned with something warm and appalling at $5/can.

No plastic bags

The first few times we received our street food in cups and bags made of stapled and folded old newspapers, we thought, “Recycling. Isn't that neat.”

But it isn't just neat; it's the law. Plastic bags are banned in Bangladesh. And while we cannot speak for the overall impact of this ban on the environment, it sure is nice not to see plastic bag bushes across the Bangladesh countryside.

Have questions about traveling to Bangladesh? Ask away or check out our Bangladesh Travel Beginner's Guide.

The post Travel Jeopardy: What Is Bangladesh? appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Oh, Bangladesh. To unpack this country is the stuff of lifetimes. But let’s begin with this: Bangladeshis are a curious lot. And there are a lot of them, as in 150 million or so, all living in a country the size of the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin!

Bangladesh doesn't get many foreign visitors, either. So if you do drop in and take a walk just about anywhere, chances are that you’ll be swamped in humanity. (God forbid that you actually stop moving, for you might not be able to move again.)

And people will ask many questions — that help them learn about us and that we believe say much about their culture. So we offer images of a few of the people we’ve met, the questions they’ve asked, and the way they’ve asked them.

1. Your country? Japan?

The Bangladesh version of “Where are you from?” echoes from rickshaws to shop fronts, from juice stands to lean-tos.

It took a while to get used to the drive-by nature of this question. People would emerge from out of nowhere, ask “Your country?” and disappear into the crowds even before they’d gotten an answer.

Bangladeshis would also often guess or offer “Japan?”

To which I wonder: Does this mean I'm turning Japanese?

Or maybe I just take a lot of photos?

2. What is your name?

“Audrey” confounds. A struggle for all to absorb and repeat her name. To make life easier next time in Bangladesh, she’s “Asmani.”

“Daniel” is also subject to occasional mangling, but is usually easy enough to yield sighs of relief.

Note to future parents: If you’d like to know whether the name you're considering for your child is travel-friendly, we're here to help.

3. What is your academic qualification?

Another result of British-dominated formal English instruction.

In a country like Bangladesh where education is highly valued and pieces of paper with acronym-laden distinctions are prized, this is an important “I'm trying to figure you out” data point. What you study and whether and where you go to university in Bangladesh (and often times around the world) sets a path for the rest of your life.

Our degrees in economics seem to be widely accepted as a “good degrees.”

4. What is your occupation?

Yikes. Good question even for the native English speaker.

Things like “blogger, writer, photographer, website developer” get blank stares.

After all this, we’ve realized that most Bangladeshis don’t really want to know what we actually do, but rather in which category we do it: NGO, government, military, teaching, business. Having said that, I’m still not certain in which occupation box we belong.

“Business,” however, gets nods of approval all ‘round and moves the conversation on.

5. What is your relation?

Husband. Wife. Married.

Looks of surprise. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that – particularly to Bangladeshis – we do look a bit alike. However, we suspect this has more to do with how we interact with one another and how we engage with people somewhat equally. In the local context – a conservative and predominantly Muslim one – we do not behave in public as a typical Bangladeshi married couple might.

While most people are excited and often relieved to hear that we're married, I’ve noticed more than a few disappointed faces amongst guys when they find out Audrey is not available.

6. Do you have children? How long have you been married?

Oy, vey. Can we just skip this one? What a tangled web we’ve woven here.

When Bangladeshis hear, “No children,” they’ll follow it up by asking the length of our marriage. In response to this, we’ve been reduced to fibs, shrinking our married life from over ten years to one or two years.

The reason?

When people hear ten years married and without children, we become the object of their pity. A line of questions suggesting “Who is the problem?” follows, along with advice regarding fertility testing, impotence, home remedies and even surgical procedures.

In Bangladesh, the concept of choosing to wait to have children or choosing not to have children at all does not compute. In this, our white lie saves a bit of discomfort and confusion – that is, until someone shouts “Honeymoon!”

I don’t even want to think what they’d have in store for that.

7. Have you been to Cox's Bazar?

Cox’s Bazar, the site of the longest continuous natural stretch of beach in the world (120 km), is the premier vacation spot for Bangladeshis. Even Bangladeshis who've never been demand that we go.

If Bangladeshi people could put the same energy and focus into road safety that they put into promoting Cox's Bazar, perhaps I wouldn’t fear my own death on a road trip there.

8. What is your mother-in-law like?

Shanta, a woman who befriended us on a cross-country train trip, asked Audrey this one. It was one of the first questions she asked and she delivered it with a measure of urgency.

Shanta was relieved (as was I) when Audrey responded that her mother-in-law was very nice and that they got along well.

Why is any of this important in Bangladesh?

It remains common practice that newly married couples move into the husband's family home. The mother-in-law is like the queen of the house. She wields some power over the newlywed couple, including over some critical aspects of her new daughter-in-law’s life.

In this context, a woman’s relationship with her mother-in-law can be make or break.

An example of the power a mother-in-law can have: Audrey asked Shanta whether she planned to work after attending university and getting married. Shanta's response: “I hope so. It depends on my future mother-in-law. She decides. But I am lucky because she is kind. I think she will allow me to work.”

9. Do you have corruption in your country?

Asked rather naïvely by a young judge we met on the train.

We do have corruption in the U.S., it's just branded a bit differently and it's not quite as debilitating as the Bangladeshi variety.

To say that corruption is rife and possibly the single greatest issue affecting – and holding back – Bangladesh is not only our opinion, but also that of a wide swathe of people from across the socioeconomic spectrum. On this topic, Bangladeshis certainly seemed in agreement.

10. Are you Muslim?

Also a popular question. Approximately 90% of Bangladesh is Muslim. So Islam is one of the primary cultural influences on Bangladeshi society and culture.

Audrey was caught off-guard the first time she was asked by an older man dressed in traditional Muslim attire: “Are you Muslim?”

She answered, “No.”

“Oh, that’s OK,” He responded.

Refreshingly open: That anyone could be Muslim, and that someone in Bangladesh could also not be Muslim.

And that this was all OK.

—–

What are some of the more unusual questions you've been asked in your travels?

The post Bangladesh Faces: Frequently Asked Questions and the People Who Ask Them appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Have you ever set off for a destination not really caring whether you actually arrive?

The other morning, we hopped on rented single speed bikes (they looked like racing bikes, but rode like penny farthings) and headed off into the tea plantation hills of eastern Bangladesh. Our destination: Madhabpur Lake, 25 kilometers outside of our base of Srimongal.

We thought the lake would be nice, but figured the bicycle journey there and back would offer some interesting experiences and a new perspective on the people who lived in the villages and amongst the tea plantations.

As often happens, getting to the lake was far more interesting than the lake itself. And this got me to thinking: What was the purpose of the lake – the destination — in the first place?

The Destination Is Everything?

When I travel, one of my primary goals is to interact with ordinary people from different walks of life so that I may get a glimpse of their lives and better understand their perspective.

So how does having a destination — but one that you aren’t terribly attached to – for a day’s journey accomplish this?

1. A destination provides you an excuse to interact.

When approaching complete strangers, it sometimes helps to have a purpose to get the conversation started. Having a destination provides an easy context in which to interact with just about anyone.

The beauty of asking directions to a destination is that you don’t need to speak the local language to engage. Often, just pronouncing the name of the place and doing charades is enough. People will point you in the right direction, but you may also end up with an invitation for tea or to see someone’s house, or a smile and a shared moment.

2. Having a destination gives others a chance to interact with you…and a context in which they can help.

In general, people around the world love to help. When you’re a foreigner looking lost, knowing your destination (but not necessarily how to get there) gives locals a chance to help.

And when you’re in a country without signs, this means stopping in almost every village to be sure you’re headed in the right direction.

The upside: sometimes you learn of short cuts through villages, which in turn unearth more interesting experiences.

The downside: sometimes a person’s eagerness to help outstrips his directional ability (even in one’s own village!) and he makes you even more lost than when the conversation began.

It’s all part of the adventure, isn’t it?

3. Destination propels you when you need it.

While having a destination gives you an excuse to stop and interact, it can also help move you along when you feel the need to politely wind things up. Even the best of interactions can sometimes reach limitations due to language and culture. In this case, a destination (and the need to reach it in reasonable time) can offer a polite avenue to exit.

4. Destination detachment allows the freedom to detour and abandon.

When the destination is secondary to the journey, you are free to experiment. Perhaps you are invited into someone’s house and you’d like to spend the day in that village, or maybe someone suggests another destination altogether.

Destination Is Nothing? The Lake vs. The Journey

It was no contest. The lake was nice enough – water lilies, footpaths and all, but the other experiences ruled the day:

Stopping at a roadside village market yields an invitation to a local home for tea and biscuits. This natural village visit (i.e., not part of a tour) provided us additional perspective and context regarding family life in rural Bangladesh. (Note: If you are planning to travel through Bangladesh, brush up on your cricket teams and player knowledge – it’s a great way to connect with kids.)

Each inquiry for directions sent us down another village road shortcut past rice fields, water buffalo, ever more villages and fantastically curious kids.

On our return, we dropped by one last village for information about an eco-cottage. Instead of information, we received an invitation to a big riverside birthday bash complete with sari-bedecked women, birthday cake, live music and “pass the microphone” where we all had to sing (Dan saved me by singing for the two of us). The eco-cottage will be there, but how often do you get to crash a Bangladeshi birthday party?

Therein lies the hidden beauty of straying from your destination.

The Destination-Journey Balance

So next time you set off for your destination, let it guide you to your next interaction and adventure. But also realize that whether or not you actually make it there may not matter.

It’s the people you meet and the experiences you have that do.

———

Do you usually travel with a destination in mind? Do you always arrive?

The post The Destination Is Everything, The Destination Is Nothing appeared first on Uncornered Market.