Archive for the 'Destinations' category
Full Moon Beach Parties at Cox’s Bazaar
June 25, 2008 10:58 am~story by Mikey Leung~
Full Moon Beach Parties in Bangladesh? Just last year, most travellers wouldn’t have dreamed of it.
But the reality is that they are now a monthly occurrence, drawing anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred people to the beachside at Cox’s Bazaar every month.
The parties are an initiative of Alien Shohagh and Samiha Alam Bristy–the co-owning couple who have created Mermaid Cafe—a place that offers something quite different from the mass tourism experience offered by the rest of the venues at Cox’s.
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Touring Old Dhaka? Talk to the Urban Study Group
April 14, 2008 2:54 pm
Homaira and Taimur of Dhaka’s Urban Study Group have started offering guided explorations of Old Dhaka, on both the weekends and weekdays, in an effort to see some of the older buildings preserved and restored. Here’s a quote from their recent mailings regarding the preservation work they’re attempting to do:
While our documentation of the other mohallahs of Ward 72 are going on, we have started documenting the Sutrapur and Farashganj area also . At present we are trying to start actual restoration work on few small-scale projects in Shakhari Bazaar and Tati Bazaar which we hope will have a snowball effect; we’ll soon send out detailed information on the projects.
Today’s update is about another heritage building at risk. A grand mansion is being demolished in Farashganj for redevelopment by the owners. USG has already documented the building and trying to negotiate with the owners with conservation proposal with the half that is still standing and is also trying to persuade the goverment officials regarding the possible modification of the current building construction rules to facilitate conservation while protecting the economic interest of the owners/developers.
Want to find out more information? Send an e-mail to friendsofsb [AT] gmail.com.
The Rocket: a misnomer of sloth-sized proportion
March 28, 2008 8:45 amNazimgarh Resort: A taste of Bengali luxury
March 2, 2008 2:24 pm
~story by Mikey Leung~
There are some rare moments as a guidebook writer that I am given a chance to enjoy the peace and serenity offered to me by the natural beauty of Bangladesh, and I try to seek out these experiences whenever possible.
One of these rare moments came as I sat on the terrace outside my room at the Nazimgarh Resort. The highway traffic hummed from a distance, but my attention remain fixed on the sound of a dozen different birds chattering away in the trees, most of whom were winter migrants like my Canadian self. I had just taken a stroll around the well-tended grounds of the resort. The sun broke through the winter morning clouds, painting the nearby mango trees in a golden hue.
In short, I felt my soul replenishing.
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Nazim Kamran Chowdhury -- Introduction [10:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (238) Nazim Kamran Chowdhury -- reflections on responsible tourism development [9:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (211)Things you should know about Bandarban, before you go
February 27, 2008 1:06 am~story by Mikey Leung~
At the Guide Tours’ Hillside Resort, you awake to a stunning view of hills poking out from the clouds. See more photos of Bandarban here.
It’s absolutely outrageous to say this, but be prepared to be followed by the police where ever you go while visiting one of Bangladesh’s most attractive destinations, second only to the Sundarbans.
It happened to a group of us last week (all foreign tourists). Before we even knew it, we were being followed by three uniformed police officers carrying aging rifles. They were not aggressive or overbearing, in fact they were usually quite kind and curious like all Bangladeshis are, and they were simply doing their job. Nonetheless, we didn’t formally request their presence, but we got it whether we wanted it or not. It did sour our experience of Bandarban—I felt bad mostly for my group.
The bottom line:
We do not want to scare anyone with this article, as Bandarban is one of Bangladesh’s must-see destinations. We simply want intrepid travellers to be prepared for what they will encounter.
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Mushrooming Hotel Trade on St Martin’s Island
February 21, 2008 11:46 pm~story and photo by Belinda Meggitt~
Originally published in the New Age, Feb. 13, 2008. More photos available here.
For a country that blossoms with national pride, the majority of Bangladeshis fail to respect the country’s natural wonders.
St Martin’s Island, where once thousands of migratory birds sought refuge, turtles laid eggs and coral grew, now bustles with migratory tourists and growing piles of plastic. Economic development drives tourism, but what tourists and hotel owners fail to acknowledge is their impact. The gold rush of tourism to St Martin’s Island will be short-lived unless changes are made immediately.
Only a few years ago, the island was an ecological refuge. ‘It was the best place for turtle nesting and even schoolchildren protected the nests,’ recalls Elisabeth Mansur, Chief Executive Officer of Guide Tours. ‘The biodiversity was truly amazing.’
Tourists were still able to visit, but it was a form of adventure tourism. The rocky journey – via a country boat crammed with the islands supplies – limited the number of tourists, as did the one beach hut. But the tourists that came were rewarded by natural beauty, an experience that didn’t resemble a Thai beach Mecca. Now, four large vessels ply the crossing daily during high season. Most tourists stay anywhere from three hours to a little over 24. It’s not hard to imagine why the island is disappearing in a state of disrepair.
Mansur says eco-tourism was discussed at length before the hotel explosion in 2005. There was a plan to maintain St Martin’s biodiversity.
‘Private industry sat for many months making a good development plan of how soft-ecotourism and responsible travel could develop,’ says Mansur. ‘But that’s when the government went ahead and opened the land rights for people from the mainland.’
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While the beach at Cox’s Bazaar becomes more and more crowded with people this tourist season, very few know visitors know that there is a refugee camp not far from Bangladesh’s much-heralded beach paradise.
And the people at this camp need help. World Food Programme Volunteer Lindy Hogan writes:
As most of you know, I work with Burmese refugees who are living in
two camps near the Bangladesh-Burma border (approx 27,000 refugees). Recently a library has been established in each camp but the problem is that they hardly have any books in them!So I’m writing to request for book donations. Any type of material would be useful - kids books, novels, educational materials, textbooks, magazines etc - so long as it is culturally appropriate.
English or Bengali, new or second hand is fine.
Thought I’d get this out as I know a few of you are coming down this way in the next couple of months - so you can leave books with me then.
Thanks for your help on this everyone.
Cheers,
LindyVIDA Volunteer
World Food Programme
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
To contact Lindy, please write to her by e-mail letting her know of your visit: lindymay [AT] gmail.com.
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