Looking for Pir Shah Jalal
May 23, 2009
We were in Sylhet as a part of an office retreat in a job I had some time back. On that particular afternoon there were four of us in the car: our office driver Helal, myself and two of my co-workers, Minhaz and Shafik. We were on our way back from Sylhet university where our team had gone on a work-related visit. While the others had gone ahead to the resort in a separate van we had decided to check out the city markets.“I definitely want some Satkara aachar,” said Shafik. Read more
The Marvelous City [Rio De Janeiro]
May 16, 2009
The local people have admiringly given Rio de Janeiro a nickname, in Portuguese -A Cidade Maravilhosa, or “The Marvelous City.” Commonly known as just Rio, it truly deserved the name. With our friend, Abul Siddique, we left the colourful springtime of Washington with pink cherries, white and copper-tone dogwoods and delicately purple plum trees in full bloom and arrived in an autumnal Rio, thus jumping the hot and humid summer season of Washington. Read more
Panama; Panama City
May 7, 2009
Panama is the southern most country in Central America bordered by Costa Rica to the north and Columbia to the south. It is an S-shaped country that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by means of the Panama Canal, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century. The canal isn’t just a waterway. It consists of a strip of land above sea level that has been isolated by dams and locks and flooded. Giant ships are lifted up through a series of chambers, are let into the canal from the Pacific or Atlantic, navigate the 50-mile canal and then are lowered down to the other ocean. Ships pay upwards of $150,000 for passage through the canal. Read more
Jaflong – A Stone’s Throw from Eden
May 3, 2009
Jaflong is a place of rare natural beauty. Not long ago visitors to this remote area would be confronted by a glorious triad of river, hills and brilliant blue sky that could have come straight out of an artist’s canvas. But this idyllic picture has been ruined by the careless and unregulated extraction of stone that has been going on for decades under the very noses of the administration. Commercial greed is ripping the heart out of Jaflong. Read more
Nightmare journey to Kuakata
April 25, 2009
Tourists are turning away from Kuakata sea beach, one of the country’s most attractive tourist spots, as awfully dilapidated 22-kilometre road from Kalapara to Kuakata has become a nuisance for travellers. Marked with a number of large potholes and ditches, the road leading to Kuakata has become so risky that most of the direct bus services from capital Dhaka have been suspended and the number of tourists there has drastically fallen. With its immensely beautiful landscape and seascape, Kuakata sea beach and its surrounding areas attract about half a million visitors from across the country annually. Read more
Topical Rain Forest & Tea Garden
April 20, 2009
This is an exciting Eco-tour program to visit the world’s largest and panoramic tea gardens of Sylhet/Srimangol and the most fascinating lawachara Rain Forest with rich bio-diversification. The forest has got numerous & rare species of trees like chloroform, white sandal and Agar along with wonderful scenic splendors with rich flora and fauna. Other attractions are the panoramic tea gardens nestled in lush green valleys, scented herbal plants, orange groves and pineapple plantations. Read more
Lauachapra – The evasive elephants
April 15, 2009
The morning was full of fog. We came out of our rooms and emerged in a dreamy world of mists. The fog gloomily dropped down like rain. Visibility was so low that we knew we could not drive now. You could see nothing of the road. It was not until ten that the fog cleared a bit. And then we started our car. We were going to Gazni as the locals told us the night before that the elephants had wandered off to that direction. We were passing by a beel and then stopped. We were amazed to find hundreds of marsh swallows here some flying and some sitting on dead branches. Swallows are hardly seen sitting, these small birds love to be airborne all the time. Read more
Travel Bangladesh : Chittagong Division
April 10, 2009
Chittagong Division is located at southern part of the country has an area of 33771 sq. km and a population of 23.99. It has 11 districts and 38 municipalities.
Chittagong is the biggest seaport and second largest town in Bangladesh situated near the Bay of Bengal. It is 264 km away east of Dhaka, famous for hill areas, natural beauty and for the seashore. Chittagong is also known of the town of Aulias (Muslim saints).
 [Fay's lake at Chittagong] |
Its green hills and forests, its broad sandy beaches and its fine cool climate always attract the holiday-markers. Described by the Chinese traveler poet, Huen Tsang (7th century A.D) as “a sleeping beauty emerging from mists and water” and given the title of “Porto Grande” by the 16th century Portuguese seafarers.
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Chittagong combines remains true to both the descriptions even today. It combines the busy hum of an active seaport with the shooting quiet of a charming hill town.
The Shahi Jama-e-Masjid and Qadam Mubarak Mosque are two of the most impressive buildings in the city. It is also worth visiting the Ethnological Museum in the Modern City, which has interesting displays on Bangladesh’s tribal peoples. There are good views and cooling breezes from Fairy Hill in the British City in the northwestern sector of the city.
Chittagong is the country’s chief port and is the main site for the establishment of heavy, medium and light industries. Bangladesh’s only steel mill and oil refinery are also located in Chittagong.
Source: discoverybangladesh.com
Travel – The Ultimate Pilgrimage
April 7, 2009
We taxied at Jeddah Hajj Terminal Airport in the evening. The impressive Hajj Terminal was designed by the celebrated Bangladeshi Architect, Late Mr. F. R. Khan. The rather sluggish customs and immigration formalities took almost five hours. Finally, we reached our destination at Makkah Al-Mukarramah by bus in the early hour and were lodged at Hotel Abu Turk, Read more
Tourism in Bangladesh
April 4, 2009
Tourism has experienced continuous growth and diversification to become one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world over the past six decades. This is one of the today’s most crucial, dynamic and charismatic international industry sectors. Tourism has become one of the major international trade categories. Now-a-days, the export income generated by international tourism ranks fourth after fuels, chemicals and automotive products. Read more