The Normal and Extraordinary Places of Bangladesh - My Family Travels

The Normal and Extraordinary Places of Bangladesh

Article By: MFT, Honorable Mention

Author at Cox's Bazaar

Crowded streets. Cars honking. Burning sun. Tall buildings block much of the sky. Dhaka City, Bangladesh. This may be a typical city. But furthermore, Bangladesh is known as a developing country to much of the world. So to understand a significant and different side of this country, let’s consider a side attraction: the mall.

The malls at Bangladesh are very sophisticated; not one that a person would expect from a developing country. One mall even had about 10 floors! These malls offer various things, from food to clothes to electronics to even services. One mall, Computer City, is specialized for electronics. There are about three floors, full of electronic hardware and media –computer hardware, computer games, and even DVD sets. I love this mall a lot, as I am an electronics fan. So techies and media fans should check this mall out. But now it is time to get some fresh air!

Here we are, far from Computer City, at the outdoor Mirpur market after walking alongside the heavy traffic jam, and on a concrete road for the first 10 miles or so, and then on dirt road. You are surrounded by open market stores. I suppose it can be surprising that most of the products are sold in the open air. But you can expect a lot of great foods in some of these markets – many types of candy, ice cream, and traditional foods are sold here. More importantly, many people depend on these markets for everyday goods such as soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste – malls could provide these, but they would be more expensive. But Bangladesh does have an open side from the crowd – in the country.

Let’s drive to the village-side! Look out the window, you can see how there are barely any buildings, except for the occasional farm. Well, it’s going to be a long drive, but it’ll be worth it! Now we’re here, at the village-side! No pavement, only dirt roads. Rather than tall buildings in Dhaka, you see that people live in actual houses. Though some are pretty worn down, they’re still houses. There is much nature around you as compared to Dhaka City – like other cities, nature is present in the form of a row of individual trees down a road, or flowers, but in the village side, trees look like they grow all around. But the ride and walking all over the village seems to have tuckered you out – let’s take one last ride to another place.

Waves crashing on a wet, sandy shore. The sounds of people all around. We’re at the Cox’s Bazaar Beach. There is a resting place at the Kollol Hotel. There is great room service and really good food – both traditional and from the West. Now let’s sleep… Morning! It’s a great day to play on the beach! The sand is so spacious, but also wet –your feet will get muddy! Let’s jump in the water, one step at a time – but not too deep! It may drag you in with the tide! But come on and be careful! If you look around, you can see something interesting: people don’t were swimsuits, but rather, their own clothes – salargamis for women, or pants and shirts. This shows the Islamic influence on Bangladesh, as Islam promotes modesty. Now let’s go back after a relaxing walk through the various tourist shops. One shop sells custom shells that people can carve your name in – other shops include selling Cox’s Bazaar T-Shirts, some toys, and even clothes. But tomorrow we are leaving back home – I hope you remember Bangladesh’s interesting places.

This picture is me at Cox’s Bazaar, in the ocean – where I had the most fun in my life

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