Left Foot First

Well, it’s been a while, that I have started my internship at Gulshan-2. Gulshan basically is an area where most businesses are settled, like Siemens, Unilever or Banglalink. Banglalink is one of the biggest mobile phone operators in Bangladesh and one of the top 20 players worldwide. And the Gulshan area is the diplomatic zone of Dhaka, that’s why I frequently pass the American, Korean and Dutch Embassies.

My uncle works for Banglalink and gives me a ride each morning to work. His office is at Gulshan-1 and I take the Rickshaw from there to Gulshan-2. It is quite relaxing to have these 10 minutes for myself through this quiet and quite wealthy neighborhood, where there is little traffic.

The ride after work is a little more exhausting. Taking the Rickshaw home during rush hour is not a good idea. It’s more comfortable than a bus or CNG but just not safe, since you can easily be trapped between busses or the tire can be hooked on a bus and you’re dragged along the way. [A free ride, woohoow!]

At times I get a ride back home with my uncle but basically I take the small local bus. Do you remember that picture of a pickup truck with around 45 people sitting on it? Well, it’s not like that in Bangladesh... but it gets close. Still it’s safer to take the bus. You might sweat a little bit more, since we have crossed the 30° C already, but you get to hear lots of fun conversations. Ever since during the Cricket World Cup, you could have started a conversation with anyone on cricket. All of a sudden even women were all into analyzing players and providing statistics.
People stare at me and want to conversate and I just quietly listen and nod. Every now and then I drop a few words, like “that was pretty harsh” or “the damn government, all thieves”.

And then sometimes busses get so close, that you can shake hands with people from the other bus or enjoy the music they are playing for a long time, since traffic jam is always the major factor, why your 15 minute ride (according to German standards) takes 45 to 90 minutes.

What bothers me though is the situation when it gets too crowded and you have to get off. The “booty contact meter” soars and reaches its peak and you just have the feeling, that getting sooo close to guys is sooo wrong.

Anyways. There are no destined areas where busses stop, but the stations are set. So when getting off, I might get off at the sidewalk or even in the middle of the road. Before getting off, the bus guy yells “bam pa prothom, bam pa prothom”, which means “left foot first”. In case you trip on the street when literally jumping out of the moving bus like a monkey, you have the stronger right foot to get yourself adjusted.

Bangladesh 101: Left Foot First

Rickshaw fare from Gulshan-1 to Gulshan-2: 15 Taka if you are good in bargaining, else 20 Taka.

Rickshaw fare from Gulshan-2 to Khilgaon Chowdhury Para: between 50 and 70 Taka, depending on the time.

Bus fare from Gulshan-2 to Khilgaon Chowdhury Para: 8 Taka.



Inside the bus after work