As a result of the inclement weather, we arrived from the Sundarbans
tour a few hours early and I decided to catch a bus to Barisal rather
than endure any further time in Mongla. Was fortunate to find a seat
after transferring at the T junction near Bagerhat and made it to
Barisal in about four hours, slowed by a driving rain and a ferry
crossing. Barisal is sorely lacking in good, mid-range accommodation
and I took an $8 room in what is supposedly the best hotel in town, the
Athena International. For my $8, I got a very clean room that smelled
of cat piss. Exhausted as I was, it didn't really matter and a big plus
was that the room was within walking distance of the launch ghat, where
I caught the 6AM ferry for Moju Chowdary Hat, where I was able to catch
a bus to Chittagong, the second largest city in BD, with a population
of close to 3,000,000. The exhausting trip took almost five hours on
the ferry and another 5 hours on the most terrifying bus ride of my
life. The Dhaka-Chittagong highway is known as the most dangerous in
BD. Despite the huge volume of truck and bus traffic, it's a narrow two
lane road and our driver passed on blind curves, ran CNGs and cycle
rickshaws onto the shoulder and beyond, and drove on dirt sections of
the highway under construction (it's slowly being widened to four
lanes). I was in the front seat and after awhile, couldn't help but
laugh at how crazily this guy was driving (maybe it's the valium I've
been taking for sleep). Arrived at the excellent Asian SR hotel and
while it's the priciest hotel of the trip ($31/night), I've got a high
floor room with little street noise, a real plus in a city of this size.
Had the country's standard meal of mutton biryani (and that mutton can
be old) and went to bed early.
 |
| Sonny Bono Did NOT Produce This Film |
After arriving exhausted, I fully expected to hate what is considered
the most polluted city in the country. In fact, Chittagong turned out
to be a pleasant surprise, with lots of interesting food and clothing
markets. The main reason to stop here was to pick up the mandatory
Chittagong Hill Tracts permit for trekking and it turned out to be an
almost pain free experience, thanks to a kind gentleman who led me
through the rabbit's warren of offices at the old British High Court
Building. Prior to encountering this kind man, I got into a shouting
match with an attorney who accused me of blocking his way while I was
trying to get directions from a couple of other barristers. I
congratulated him on being the least polite Bengali I had met on the
trip and, being a lawyer, he refused me the last word and we both
continued shouting at one another as he ascended the stairs and I left
the building. After leaving the building with my permit, I picked up a
Bengali flag and since I lost my trusty sun hat while being rushed off
the bus on the way to Barisal, I found this gem of a hat.
 |
| Not Sure What Sport They Play, But I'll Bet It's Contested In Back Alleys |
Travelers Notes:
For the permit process, head to the old British High
Court Building just off Station Road. Ignore the newer buildings and
look for the old brick portico. From there head to the extreme left
hand side of the building and go up one flight of stairs where you'll
see an incorrectly spelled English sign which reads: Division Office To
(instead of two). Your contact will be Mr Sharif, phone number
017770330066. This is a different place than is listed in the most
current Lonely Planet (2012). At this time, the application process has
been greatly simplified. While it was once necessary to account for
practically every minute of your stay and the hotels you would be using
(a Scot friend of mine was actually hauled out of a hotel by the police
and made to stay at the hotel he listed on the application). At this
time, just be prepared to list the places you intend to visit and
remember that the local police have the authority to dis-allow visits to
places the district commissioner has approved. I got approval for
Mowdok Taung and, if allowed, I would be only the 3rd foreigner to hike
to the top. Note that I wasn't forced to add a lot of the info
regarding arrival and departure dates.
Source: http://bruce3404bangladesh.blogspot.com/2014/02/mongla-to-chittagong.html
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