Anyone desiring to get a good feel for the breadth of fiction writing in Bangladesh would do well to pick up a copy of the outstanding anthology From the Delta: English fiction from Bangladesh (2010, ISBN 978 984 506 004 2), edited by Niaz Zaman. This is one of the best fiction collections we here […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Bangladesh' Category
WoWasis book review: ‘Invisible Lines’ by Ruby Zaman from Bangladesh
The setting is revolutionary-era Bangladesh, and political players include Pakistan, India, Bengali revolutionaries, and perhaps the central focus of the book, the Biharis. Bangladeshi author Ruby Zaman’s Invisible Lines (2011, ISBN 978-93-5029-071-2) weaves a thrilling tapestry of intrigue, war, and romance in this thriller, but Western audiences are advised to consult an encyclopaedia to understand […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘The Good Muslim’ by Tahmima Anam from Bangladesh
Bangladeshi author Tahmima Anam’s novel, The Good Muslim (2011, ISBN 978 984 8765 90 6) isn’t all that easy to suss out, if you’re neither conversant in Islamic theory nor recent Bangladeshi history. A little background information, such as an understanding of the struggle that carved Bangladesh out of East Pakistan, is helpful. So is […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Who Needs a Road? The Longest and Last Motor Journey Around the World’ by Harold Stephens and Albert Podell
Back in 1999, we here at WoWasis drove 4000 km through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. We broke down in soft sand up to our axels in the bush with lions nearby, got an accidental fill-up of diesel 200 km from the nearest Kalahari town, and did it all while driving solo in a […]
Read the rest of this entry »Welcome to Bangladesh: an introduction
Welcome to Bangladesh! Here, braving the challenges of a country that doesn’t have much of a travel infrastructure for the westerner does have significant rewards. You’ll see things most people you know haven’t, like the wonderful historical temples and mosques outside of Rajshahi and Bagerhat, outside of Khulna. The Sundarbans National Park consists of the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bangladesh pollution, air, land, and hygienic, still daunting to visitors
You first notice it from the air, about 100 miles out from the capital of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The air below you has suddenly turned yellow, created by plumes of smoke coming from industrial chimneys that you later learn are from brick factories. In Dhaka city, despite the fact that many vehicles now run […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Bagerhat’s exceptional historical temples and mosques near Khulna, Bangladesh
Historical mosques and temples in Bagerhat, Bangladesh are an easy drive from the city of Khulna
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis travels Bangladesh’s Sundarbans National Park, the world’s largest tiger-infested mangrove forest
The world’s largest mangrove forest, actually. It’s amazing to many Westerners that people still get eaten by lions and tigers. We here at WoWasis remember when we were at Namibia’s Etosha National Park when it happened. A German visitor had slept on a bench outside a watering hole, protected by a barbed-wire fence. An old […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis travels transportation in Bangladesh
Transportation in Bangladesh consists chiefly of train, car & driver for hire, auto-rickshaw, and pedal-rickshaw. Train: Bangladesh’s train stations have virtually no signage in English, nor English-speaking information counters (exception: Rajshahi train station). Read the WoWasis post on how to deal with this. When you do get a first class ticket, the trains are relatively […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis introduces the colorful street stall vendors of Bangladesh
A poor country by economic standards, Bangladesh is rich in both the color and breadth of its internal commercial enterprises. It’s never more apparent than when visiting street stalls, with riots of color at every turn. It could be bread, fruit, textiles, or tools, but Bangladeshis have an eye for design and color as they […]
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