Sunday November 16, 2025
Today we visited the key attractions
in Old and New Dhaka. We started with an outside view of the National
Assembly Building.
We stopped at a fort and were unable
to visit since they are closed on Monday. That seemed to be a surprise to the
guide.
From there we went to Dhakeshwari
Temple which is a Hindu temple and the name means "Goddess of Dhaka".
Bangladesh is the only Muslim majority country in the world to have a National
Hindu Temple.
Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque was our
next stop. It was locked but Piku had it unlocked for us. (after greasing some
palms)
After that we boarded paddle rickshaws
to experience the local culture and get around easier.
We stopped at Star Mosque which has striking
mosaic décor that dates from the early 18th century, although it has been
radically altered from when it was originally built in the typical Mughal
style, with four corner towers. Around 50 years ago a local businessman
financed its redecoration with Japanese and English porcelain tiles, and the
addition of a new verandah, hence the tiles with pictures of Mt Fuji. We should
have worn scarves (we had them in the van) but we hadn’t needed any prior, so we
didn’t carry them. Piku should have told us to bring them with us today.
Our next stop was the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection. In 1781 the now-famous Armenian Church was built on Armenian Street in Armanitola, then a thriving business district. The site was an Armenian graveyard before the church was built, and the tombstones that have survived serve as a chronicle of Armenian life in the area.
After the Church we went for lunch, and
both had chicken biryanis. I must have been slipping as I took no photos.
We then took a walking tour of Hindu
Street, the center of Hindu Culture and community in Old Dhaka. It was crowded
with people and chock full of jewelry shops, local musical instrument shops,
Hindu Bridal shops, kite shops, cookery shops, temples, rickshaws. We walked
through the crowded streets and unfortunately, we raced past everything trying
to keep up with Piku who didn’t seem interested in letting us shop. We feared
if we stopped, we’d get lost if he got too far ahead of us. It was all we could
do to dodge the people, broken sidewalks/streets, trash, rickshaws, men
spitting, the occasional rat, and whatever else came our way. The locals seemed
excited to see western tourists and were very friendly. Many asking where we
were from and many kids practicing their English and wanting to shake our
hands. (and get photos) One young guy was watching me, and I was deep in
thought, and watching my feet while dodging everything and he caught my eye and
smiled. I came back to reality and smiled back.
Our next stop was to visit Ahsan
Manzil, aka the Pink Palace. It was formerly the residence and seat of the
Nawab of Dhaka and has been designated an Old Dhaka Heritage Site and now
serves as a museum. No photos allowed in most areas inside.
Our last stop was for a boat ride on
Dhaka's busy river, the Buriganga. I must confess I didn’t picture the type of boat
this would entail. When we walked past all the really nice boats, we came to a
steep boat launch to a small rowboat similar to the one we were in yesterday
only without the shade cover. We considered opting out of it since it entailed
sitting on the floor of the boat again. Piku just said, “it’s easy”. I want him
to remember that 50 years from now when he’s our age. LOL. Anyway, I figured we
could suck it up and he said he would pile life vests on the floor for us to
sit on. He also got a second boat so we wouldn’t have to cram together in
there. (a couple of us really can’t sit cross-legged) Other than being
uncomfortable it was a nice boat ride. When I emailed the tour company after we
returned home to let him know how much we enjoyed our time in Bangladesh, I
said we wished he would have rented the ones with wooden boxes to sit on and
his response was “they all have motors, so we don’t use them”. We saw plenty of
rowing those boats with wooden benches (like a big block). We would gladly pay
more to be comfortable if that was the issue.
It was an interesting day, and I said
it was like India on steroids. (without the charm). At one point we were in a “bus
sandwich”, and it took someone with a laser pointer to get us out. (similar to
our pickup at the airport) Piku is a sweet young man but we noticed he speaks
in sound bites at the sites. Honestly, that is fine by us, but some people
might want more information. We prefer guides that speak to us in a more
conversational way.
I don’t remember what we skipped due
to possible protests (I don’t think it was on our schedule anyway). We just
happened to be there when the trial of their Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina was
going on. She fled to India and continues to live in exile.
In a nutshell, protests in 2024 erupted
across Bangladesh against a controversial civil service quota system. The
protests quickly escalated into a mass uprising against Hasina's long-standing,
increasingly authoritarian government and they were violently suppressed. The
UN human rights office estimates that as many as 1,400 people were killed and
thousands injured during the crackdown. We did pass some peaceful protests
during the day.
We drove back to the hotel after
searching for a grocery store for snacks and drinks for the houseboat. The
hotel had a craft market and some entertainment and foods highlighting Bengali
culture. We just went up to the executive lounge for dinner and drinks.
Tomorrow, we have an early start at
7:00 to Khulna with a stop at Bagerhat.
Photo album: Dhaka City Tour https://photos.app.goo.gl/NJuUA3gLPgwNo87p8
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