Before the tourists come

Ok – let´s put this country into perspective. Bangladesh is 57 times smaller than Australia. And yet, it has seven times the population. That´s right – I have bumped into a few people while wandering the streets of the world´s second dirtiest city. The pollution would be fit for chewing if you were really hungry, apart from the fact it contains extreme amounts of fatal air pollutants, including lead.

I should have guessed the male domination of this country when my full flight had only nine women on it, and seven of them were the hostesses.

80% of the population earns under $2 per day.

You´ll be lucky to blow out 60 candles if you live here.

Literacy is at about 40%, and even if you have a Masters, you end up working in the Movenpick icecream bar.

Today I travelled 9km. It took me one and a half hours. And the fare cost me $2.50. You never make appointments and never think about the precious hours spent sitting and waiting.

Most people when they buy a new car take out full insurance for three years. But then they don´t bother. Why would you when every vehicle has more evidence of accidents than I have of stability.

Beggars line the streets. Horns are constant. And apart from the fact that I look pretty good in my turquoise and pink salor kamis (three piece), all those stares are starting to give me a complex.

I was sitting in a cafe today and spied the Tourism Bangladesh slogan: Visit Bangladesh…. Before the tourists come. Apparently it´s a few years old, but I don´t think they need get rid of it too soon – I´ve seen three foreigners the entire time I´ve been here and they are more than likely embassy or NGO staff given my location in the upmarket Gulshan diplomatic area.

I´m one of those bad travellers who never really reads much about the destination before they go somewhere new. I truly believe that travel is what you make of it. I like to make my own mind up and not be swayed by other´s experiences. I want to go out there and find my own.

So in Bangladesh I arrive. 1.00am in the morning is not the best time to arrive anywhere, but at least I only got stuck in two traffic jams as the night time bus/truck rush snaked its way through the main streets of Dhaka.

As I watched from my balcony as the shroud of smog lifted after early morning rain, I knew that it wasn´t going to be a peaceful stay in Dhaka. I was up for one hell of a ride inside a kaleidoscope, filled with colour, movement and quite a few shakes. You know, when you pick one up and want to give it a really good shake and see what changes at the other end. It´s just what I wanted to do. I didn´t want to block it out – I wanted to be a part of the chaos and see what it´s like for the locals every day of their lives.

After 40 pages of notes from only six days, there´s plenty of chaos to share in future reports. We only ever hear the bad news about life in Bangladesh – floods, cyclone, disaster relief and my country highlights above. It is the reality of this country. But the sun always comes out after rain, and along with it, the smiles, hospitality and appreciation of those whose lives have been changed thanks to a wonderful NGO, Tarango. So stay with me.

Visit Bangladesh. And not just before the tourists come. Not only is it the world´s most densely populated country with the privilege of Bangla hospitality from 150 million new friends awaiting to be experienced. But visually, physically and emotionally, you are guaranteed of a journey densely crammed with nothing but life – in its brightest kaleidoscopic form.

Visit Bangladesh. Shake it.