CAIRO – 4 May 2018: Dhaka, Bangladesh’s bustling capital is a city that never sleeps. Working as a cabin crew for six years, made me fortunate enough to be able to visit almost every major city in the world. I was lucky enough to get numerous opportunities to learn about new cultures, many of which differ vastly from one another.
Dhaka generally has two major seasons throughout the year; summer and monsoon season. Summer time extends from March until May, and the weather is scorching hot.
In May, the monsoon season starts and the rain falls viciously for days and days continuously with no mercy. This could go on for two to three months non-stop, and the city becomes drowned.
The streets of Dhaka are extremely dirty and unorganized. It is severely crowded, with an obvious traffic problem. Cars, scooters, tuk tuks, horse-carts and people are all crushed together sharing the terrible streets of the city. Rubbish is everywhere.
Yet Dhaka is famous for a few things. Many Western businessmen travel there for the very special handicrafts made in Bangladesh. Filigree, embroidery and shell carving are just a few things people from Bangladesh excel in. Merchants interested in such items travel to Dhaka to make deals and sell such items back home in their native countries.
Handicraft training workshop in Bangladeshi village women in 2015- CC via Wikimedia
Dhaka is also considered as a meat haven for meat enthusiasts. The cattle there is raised with special care to produce some of the world’s best meat and dairy products.
Scenes in and around Dhaka, Bangladesh- CC via Wikimedia
Pharmacies there are notorious for selling benzodiazepines and sleeping medications, that strictly require a doctor’s prescription, cheaply for tourists, without the need to show any prescriptions.
Several branded clothes brands are being manufactured in Dhaka, Bangladesh, because of cost-cutting by major companies. Cost cutting can be achieved by hiring cheap labor. This means that, most branded clothes customers buy from malls worldwide are generally often hand woven in Dhaka, and other cities and villages in Bangladesh, unfortunately, often by children. It is said that the common salary for a worker in Dhaka is equivalent to $1 a day.
A large percentage of the country’s labor comes from children, which is illegal practice. There are many markets where such branded clothing is sold extremely cheap near the university district.
Dhaka is also very famous for its confectionaries. Anybody with a sweet tooth would love to try some of Dhaka’s desserts and chocolates.
Bengali Jullab Dessert- CC via Flickr - ikon
Even though Dhaka was once part of India, it gained independence on March 26, 1971. It is a unique country with a very friendly society. Most people in the city are poor, and would leap to serve a foreigner for a small reward in return. It is not recommended for ladies, especially foreigners, to go out alone, especially after 6 p.m. when the sun sets, as the streets become more hectic at night.
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