what's bangladesh like for backpacking compared to India?

>>1238201
Free bump for your thread OP because flights to Dhaka are cheap and I also have been considering a trip there.

First blog post when googling "backpacking Bangladesh" states how it's pretty expensive

https://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/is-it-worth-backpacking-in-bangladesh/

>>1238201
From what I hear, the low amount of people who speak any foreign language makes a guide necessary, and the fact that is so poor makes basic luxuries more expensive. But $1 hookers.

I liked Bangladesh a lot more than I thought I would. I had a guided tour though, backpacking will probably not be so easy due to the generally poor infrastructure. It was not as shitty as India, and you're not surrounded by beggars either. The people are very friendly and welcoming, they see very few tourists even in capital Dhaka, so expect to be the center of attention everywhere you go. But the difference to India is that the people who stare at you and approach you are genuinely curious, not begging for money.

>>1238275
I think having a guide deters most of the begging. I haven't been there, but I see lots of travel blogs mentioning how people are always trying to suck money out of you - not that I can blame them. How much was the tour and for how long did it last?

>>1238275
>>1238279

I've been to India seven times and want to visit Bangladesh.

From what I've heard, Bangladesh is generally less tiring than its larger neighbor in regards to begging and ordinary scams. Can't remembering reading anything about guides, though.

Does anyone know if you really have to show $500 cash upon entry? I absolutely hate carrying around large sums of money in developing countries.

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I spent a month in Dhaka and Chittagong in 2015. I stayed with a Bengali friend from undergrad- I'd definitely recommend getting a guide or translator as only young and affluent bengalis speak English. The city is dirty but vibrant, and has enough leftover English urban planning to be beautiful and have green spaces. Many people were curious about my presence there, but the vast majority were friendly. Literally only 1 guy tried to scam me, and it was over a $.10 phony monument admission. The food is wonderful and ridiculously cheap.

>>1238279
>>1238324
I should specify it was not a full guided tour. I was on my own in Dhaka, the guided tour meant my bus to Khulna, the mangrove boat trip in Sundarbans, and the bus back, was arranged. I was on my own except on the boat. And still, no beggars except just one at the bus station, but even that was a general beggar, not targeting me because I'm a foreigner. Definitely not at all like India, never once did I get a vibe of scamming or ripoffs.

As for landing, I got a visa on arrival for $51. I had a letter of invitation from the tour company but didn't actually need it, they just wanted to see my printed hotel booking in Dhaka. So from my one experience, entering Bangladesh was actually far simpler than what's said on the internets. I got the impression that as long as your trip plans are in order they aren't going to turn away a western tourist.

>>1238332

When did you go to Bangladesh?

I think I'll be in India again in October and would love to explore bits of both Bangladesh and Burma. My only two concerns are the on-hand cash entry requirement as well as the continued threat of terror attacks.

I know India is pretty inconsistent when it comes to enforcing entry rules. For instance, travelers are technically required to have return or otherwise outbound tickets in order to clear Customs and Immigration. However, I've only been asked to show an outbound ticket once; the agent made an incredible fuss about it and made me dig up boarding passes for all the connecting flights I'd taken en route from Chicago to Delhi.

I'd hate to try entering Bangladesh only to be asked to show $500 in cash.

>>1238399
I went in 2015. A return ticket should be a no-brainer, why not have one? My experience was then just asking the hotel info and taking the printout of the reservation. Dunno if it being a fancy one (Westin) had anything to do with it. Have 50+1 usd in cash ready for the visa. I wasn't asked about funds or anything else, but I didn't look like a poorfag backpacker either.

Contrary to what you might think especially since it's a muslim country, it's not that strict about vice. Alcohol and hookers work like in some Arab countries, ok when kept out of public sight. My hotel had a bar at the rooftop and working girls.

>>1238254

>$1 hookers

Why would you do this to yourself?

I can't imagine any such girl being a looker.

>>1238422
The hookers in the fancy hotels made for westerners are more like $100.

>>1238432

Still. Never met an attractive Bengali girl desu. Maybe it's just me, but the idea of going to Asia to fuck cheap hookers never really appealed to me.

>>1238434
I didn't take one of them. Just saying they were available. I actually didn't find any of the hookers in my hotel bar attractive. Kind of a shame, since I kind of would want to try a brown muslim girl once for the novelty of it.

>>1238432
Damn you must feel dumb paying $100 for a hooker in Bangladesh

>>1238469
>hookers

Tinder is full of very pretty upperclass Bengali girls who want to date westerners as it's a shit hole country. To get around islamic laws prohibiting unmarried couples staying together you just get a temporary marriage then you can both check into hotels or do whatever you want. Iran, Morocco, ect is the same way, gorgeous chicks on Tinder just need a temporary marriage and good to go.

Tourists can't exactly go wander around Daulatdia without getting robbed/extorted by police regardless of legality of prostitution. You can't pick up some street hooker in Dhaka because you can never trust their paperwork, and the hotel will call the cops because you didn't use the "official" hookers they make money off.

>>1238479
>Daulatdia
With a guide/fixer maybe?

>>1238479
The hookers in my hotel bar were obviously regulars and well known by the hotel staff.

>>1238489

Apparently it's full of NGO workers who will block your entry as a foreign sex tourist and for good reasons because you will receive highly aggressive negative attention inside from violent pimps not wanting heatbag foreigners attracting police or media attention.

>>1238489
I have heard of people doing human zoo tourism there with no issue, but have heard any stories of anyone using the services

>>1238490
>>1238441
Was this the Westin?

>>1238417

>no brainer

If you're taking an open-ended trip then you might not need or want a return ticket with a set date. That's especially true if the country you're visiting won't be the last stop before heading back home.

For instance, this summer and fall I'm going to Mexico, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and India. After India I might fly home to the United States or I might take a brief pit-stop in London. Regardless, I certainly won't be booking a "return" to Cairo, because I have no intention of returning to Egypt.

>>1238275
>>1238324
>>1238332
Im surprised about less beggars, considering from what I have heard it's poorer then India.

>>1238506
Yep, Westin. If you stay there, just go to the bar on the top floor to check them out. There weren't many, and none that I wanted enough. Maybe you will have better luck.

>>1238661
It's poorer than India but it's also a culture thing. Probably partly because there are so few foreigners, they haven't developed this culture of swarming the white guy seen as a walking ATM.

Same with Myanmar, even more so. They are very poor but not once did anyone there beg me for money or even tried to rip me off.

whats a way to get to bangladesh overland from thailand? I heard you can't go overland through myanmar.

>>1238693
Unless you really want to do overland, just fly from BKK to Dhaka. Roads in Bangladesh are in terrible condition and traveling is very slow.

>>1238694
I've been trying to plan a china, southeast asia and south asia overland trip ending in sri lanka. I don't mind shit roads. could theoretically go through tibet.

>>1238697
I just got back from a month in china, mainly yunan/sichuan
anything you need to know man

>>1238759
Favourite places in those two regions? I'm visiting both next year

>>1238201
Very interested too.

Scared of terrorism, but as long as I avoid places where lots of expats congregate, one should be safer.

What is the deal with the ganja and charas btw? I hear it is legal. Is it sold in market stalls?

>>1238771
http://webehigh.org/dhaka-bangladesh/

not legal. not sure how trustworthy "webehigh" is.

>>1238764
>>1238764
Chengdu was a really good place to stay for a while, it was interesting yet had all the big city amenities
compare that to kunming for instance that is boring as fuck

west sichauan is a great place to see some real tibet without bothering with guides and entery permit
some areas are informally off limits to westerners (dege) but the worst you will get is politely but firmly asked to leave

ganze was fantastic, I wish I had spent more time there perhaps trecking
there are some really good horse trekking opportunities but care has to be taken to get what you pay for
kanming (not kunming) is a great way to go through
the only real downside is the awful roads and frequent rockfalls that can see you on a bus fr 10 hours on a 3h trip

ju-zhai-go north of chengdu is epic; but is a solid 3-4 days and is easily spoiled by the tens of thousand chinese tourists

tiger leaping george is fantastic, a lot of people visit it but mainly they are bus in-bus out chinese
most people do the trail in two days, I did it in one but I should have taken more time
poor quality cannabis is available cheap while hiking

a lot of people hike/bus overland through shangrila to chengdu, but it's serious hiking; if you arn't into that you can fly to chengdu
I took a 27h train trip and saved 40Y, should have just flown

avoid lijiang entirely, dali is just much nicer

didn't see the longi rice terraces near kunming, but I hear thye are great

you will quickly find that taveling china is 30% avoiding the literally millions of chinese that move in avalanches booking hundreds of train seats in an hour

>>1238809
how much mandarin did you know beforehand?

>>1238809
Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it.

Can you maybe say a bit about your experience with transportation - did you find it very expensive? How good are the rail connections in those regions - and is it expensive going by train? I'd really like to try at least one train ride and would love to try a bullet train

How much time did you spend there?

What do you mean by saying that the Jiuzhaigou valley is 3-4 days - is that to hike through it?

ANd does anyone know of a natural place similar to Jiuzhaigou, but with less tourists?

I'm already well aware of the issue with Chinese tourists. Did you go during their holidays, or when did you go?

Indias mexico

>>1239976
makes me want to go even more

>>1238479
Kek he didn't get laid on tinder ever

> Temporary marriage thing

>>1240165
tell me more

>>1240165
All Shia countries practice temporary marriage, esp Iran it's simple to get a sigheh. Bangladesh the Sunni orthodoxy "abolished" it but it still exists if you visit a Qazi who is essentially a middle man that negotiates a temp marriage with some bribe money thrown in. Pakistan is full of these Qazi's too.

If you go to an affluent neighborhood like Gulshan in Dhaka, and the girl is with you when you check in and you declare yourself "a couple" then it's usually OK otherwise if she shows up to meet you and you try and smuggle her past security probably she won't be able to stay with you. Unless of course you have corrupt Qazi issue a temp marriage cert which I have done three times.