![\"dhaka.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/dhaka.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDhaka is more than just a city, it is a giant whirlpool that sucks in anything and anyone foolish enough to come within its furious grasp. Around and around it sends them, like some wildly spinning fairground ride bursting with energy. Millions of individual pursuits constantly…<\/p>\n
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Dhaka is more than just a city, it is a giant whirlpool that sucks in anything and anyone foolish enough to come within its furious grasp. Around and around it sends them, like some wildly spinning fairground ride bursting with energy. Millions of individual pursuits constantly churn together into a frenzy of collective activity \u2013 it is an urban melting pot bubbling over. Nothing seems to stand still. Even the art moves, paraded on the back of the city\u2019s sea of 600, 000-plus rickshaws, which throb with color and restlessness even when gridlocked.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t matter how many times you experience this city, the sensation of being utterly overwhelmed is always the same. Sights and experiences come at you so thick and fast that it would take a lifetime to know this mega-city\u2019s every mood. A day spent alternating between the filthy riverbanks of Old Dhaka and the swish restaurants of Gulshan is a day spent seeing the haves and have-nots of the world in crystal clarity. We can\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll fall for Dhaka\u2019s many charms, but sooner or later you will start to move to its beat and when that happens Dhaka stops being a terrifying ride and starts becoming a cauldron of art and intellect, passion and poverty, love and hate. Whatever happens, this is one fairground ride you\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n
Climate
\nDhaka experiences a hot, wet and humid tropical climate. The city is within the monsoon climate zone, with an annual average temperature of 25 \u00b0C (77 \u00b0F) and monthly means varying between 18 \u00b0C (64 \u00b0F) in January and 29 \u00b0C (84 \u00b0F) in August. Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of 1,854 millimeters (73 in) occurs between May and September. caused by the city’s rapid expansion, congestion and industrial activities. Increasing air and water pollution emanating from traffic congestion and industrial waste are serious problems affecting public health and the quality of life in the city. Water bodies and wetlands around Dhaka are facing extinction as these are being filled up to construct multi-storied buildings and other real estate developments. Coupled with pollution, such erosion of natural habitats threatens to destroy much of the regional biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Getting there & away
\nLand
\nBus
\nThe bus \u2018system\u2019 in Bangladesh teeters between mind-bogglingly chaotic and surprisingly organized. When you arrive at a bus station, you will be swamped by panic-stricken men shouting like auctioneers. When you so much as mutter your intended destination, you will be frantically shunted onto a bus as if it\u2019s going to leave at any second, only to have to then wait for it to leave in its own sweet time. For your own safety and sanity, take the train if it\u2019s possible.
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\nThe government Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC; DIT Ave) buses leave from Kamlapur station. It\u2019s best forgotten as the service is far inferior to that of the private lines.<\/p>\n
Train
\nDhaka\u2019s main train station is Kamlapur station in Motijheel. Many trains also stop at the smaller Banani and Airport train stations, both of which are more convenient if you\u2019re staying in Gulshan area. Buying tickets is easy and there\u2019s a large timetable in English. Double-check it for accuracy because the schedules change slightly in the summer and the board may not reflect this. The inquiry counter, which is open until 11pm, and the chief inspector are both helpful. The table below shows some examples of express trains from Dhaka. If you\u2019ve just arrived from India, you will be in for a shock when you see how comparatively organized everything is here.<\/p>\n
Boat
\nBook 1st- and 2nd-class Rocket (paddle-wheel) tickets at the Bangladesh Inland Waterway Transport Corporation office (BIWTC; 955 9779, 891 4771; Sun-Wed to 5pm, Thu to 2pm, closed Fri & Sat) in Motijheel, a block east of Dilkusha Circle I. You may be told that only 1st-class tickets can be booked from this office. A smile and some persistence should change this policy.<\/p>\n
The Rocket departs from Sadarghat and, on rare occasions, from Badam Tole boat terminal, 1km north of Sadarghat. Get there in plenty of time. The trip to Khulna takes from 27 to 30 hours. Fares to Khulna are roughly Tk 1010\/610\/150 for 1st\/2nd\/deck class, depending on which Rocket you catch. Prices are sequentially less, depending on where you want to jump off along the way. For an explanation of classes see p175.
\nBoats depart for Khulna every day (except Friday) at 6pm sharp.<\/p>\n
Those traveling deck classes (good luck convincing someone to sell you a deck-class ticket) may want to stake a place before the hordes arrive. You could pay a local to occupy a place for you, sitting all day for a fee of around Tk 50.<\/p>\n
Private launches operate up and down the major rivers but most head south. Short-distance destinations reached by services from Dhaka include Bandura (30km west), Munshiganj (25km southeast) and Srinigar (20km southwest). Long-distance destinations include Barisal (110km south), Bhola (110km south), Chandpur (60km southeast), Madaripur (60km southwest) and Patuakali (40km south).<\/p>\n
Short-distance launches travel during the day. The large long-distance launches travel at night, arriving at Sadarghat in the morning and remaining there all day, until departing at around 6pm or 7pm. Tickets are usually sold on board on the day of departure and require some bargaining.<\/p>\n
Getting around
\nCar & motorcycle
\nCar
\nUnless you have an International Driver\u2019s License, self-driving isn\u2019t an option (ironic when you consider how bad some of the locals are at driving!). Even if you do have a license, hiring a self-drive car for cruising Dhaka (or anywhere else in Bangladesh for that matter) has got to be the silliest idea in the world. However, hiring a car or van with a driver can make a lot of sense.<\/p>\n
There are numerous car\/driver-hire places scattered around Dhaka. One is Dhaka Tours Rent-A-Car Association (861 1313), with an office opposite the Sheraton, just off Kazi Nazrul Islam Ave. If you venture out of Dhaka you will have to pay extra each day for the driver\u2019s food and accommodation. When you are negotiating with any company, make sure you are clear on what is included in the price.
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\nThe more up market option is to approach one of the big tour companies such as Bengal Tours (883 4716; www.bengaltours.com; Block A, Banani) or Guide Tours (988 6983; www.guidetours.com; 1st fl, Darpan Complex, DIT II Circle, Gulshan), who both charge around Tk 4500 (including fuel and driver\u2019s expenses) depending on what you want to do.<\/p>\n
Bus & tram
\nBus
\nCheaper than cheap, local buses have no English signs, and their numbering is in Bengali. They are always overcrowded, so boarding between major bus stops is virtually impossible. Fares vary, but around Dhaka you won\u2019t pay much more than Tk 8. Foreigners almost never use the local buses.<\/p>\n
Local transport
\nRickshaw
\nYou will find rickshaws (which in Bangladesh means cycle-rickshaws) everywhere, and when the streets are crowded (as they usually are) they\u2019re not much slower than anything else that moves. Aim for a basic fare of about Tk 6 for the first kilometer and Tk 5 per kilometer after that, and make your own judgment with regard to baksheesh (tip). The fantastically decked-out cycle-rickshaws of Dhaka are a tourist attraction in their own right and you should go for a spin at least once.<\/p>\n
Taxi
\nThere are two types of taxis on the roads of Dhaka. The yellow taxis are more spacious, have air-con and are usually cleaner than their black counterparts, but you pay for the difference. Meters in yellow taxis clock more quickly and at a higher rate than the black taxis, but this is often irrelevant because, as with baby taxis, most drivers are reluctant to use the meters.<\/p>\n
History
\nDhaka’s history starts in the 1st millennium AD, but it did not rise to prominence until the 17th century, when it served as the Mughal capital of Bengal province from 1608 until 1639 and later again from 1660 until 1704. It was the centre of a flourishing sea trade, attracting English, French, and Dutch traders.<\/p>\n
Historic buildings of the Muslim period include Lal Bagh fort (1678) and its tomb of Bibi Pari (1684), wife of a governor of Bengal; the Bara Katra (great caravansary; 1664); the Chhota Katra (small caravansary; 1663); and Husayni Dalan (a religious monument of the Shi’ite sect; 1642). Other 17th-century buildings include the Hindu Dhakeswari temple and Tejgaon church, built by the Portuguese. The more than 700 mosques, including Bayt ul-Mukarram, date back to the 15th century.<\/p>\n
With the removal of the provincial capital in 1704 to Murshidabad and the decline of the muslin industry, Dhaka entered a period of decline. It passed under British control in 1765, was constituted a municipality in 1864, but continued to decay until it was designated capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam province (1905-1912). During the early 20th century Dhaka served as a commercial centre and seat of learning. In 1947 it became the capital of East Bengal province and in 1956 of East Pakistan. Dhaka suffered heavy damage during the war of independence in 1971 but emerged as the capital of Bangladesh. The population in 1991 was 3,397,190.<\/p>\n