10+ Peculiarities of Life in Bangladesh That Might Surprise Those Who Don’t Know Them

Bangladesh is a small Asian country with a very high population density — 1,265 people per square kilometer. By way of comparison, the density in Brazil is 25 people per square kilometer. The flow of tourists in the country is not very high, so there is not much information about local life.

the team of awesome.club was interested in knowing more details and curiosities of the daily life of Bangladeshis. If you want to know more, follow along!

A few decades ago, most women wore nothing under their clothes. Today, the situation is different: many Bangladeshi women have adopted the Western lifestyle and started to wear underwear regularly, but most of the time they take them off when they are at home. Some local women said that many fathers do not usually buy such garments for their daughters, as the subject is seen as taboo.

According to the testimony of some women, due to the absence of underwear, many girls used special pads with straps to tie during menstruation. While it may seem inappropriate to many of us, this is still a reality in certain regions of the local culture.

Bangladesh is a very conservative country where the majority of the population is Muslim. Also, there is no high flow of tourists, so it is not common for locals to see people in short clothes on the streets. It is also not an acceptable practice to wear bathing suits on the beaches: locals usually dive into the water wearing their clothes.

However, there are places where you can wear bathing suits without any problems. An example: swimming pools inside hotels. Another option: visit isolated beaches, where there are no bathers. So, you can sunbathe without worrying.

Men don’t usually wear shorts either. Not because they can’t show their bare legs, but because of the mentality: shorts are considered children’s clothing by many; adults, therefore, must wear pants.

As tourism is not very developed, the locals don’t have much chance of meeting European or American citizens, which is why they are so warm and friendly. They are curious about other cultures and interested in what tourists think of Bangladesh. In case of need, it won’t be difficult to get help on the street: people can not only give you directions, but end up taking you to the desired point. Unfortunately not everyone speaks English, but we know that sign language is practically universal, right?

As foreigners are not frequent guests, they usually get a lot of attention. It is not uncommon to see locals asking to take pictures with tourists. A large part of the population is very interested and curious about taking selfies with people of different ethnicities. But beware: Older or elderly Bangladeshis generally don’t smile for photos, and that doesn’t mean they’re upset. What happens is that, culturally, smiles can be seen as a sign of greater joviality or even childishness. You also need to get used to the constant looks. Most everyone will look at you and maybe stare a little. But usually this is just curiosity.

On the one hand, due to the lack of tourists, it is not common to find street vendors or souvenir shops, raising the prices of their products or services just because you are a foreigner, with the objective of “outdoing the leg”.

On the other hand, this also means less comfort. For example, public transport can be a bit chaotic and, therefore, it may not be very comfortable to travel long distances, especially without speaking the local language.

Another obstacle: the roads, for the most part, are not paved and the transport conditions are, at best, tolerable. To travel, for example, from Dhaka (capital) to Dinajpur (one of the main cities in the country), it would take around 9h by bus and 7h30 by car. Remembering that the distance between the two places is only 330 km.

If you’re not prepared to stand in the train aisle, huddle in huge lines, get on a crowded bus, or deal with the language barrier, think twice before visiting Bangladesh.

On the streets of Dhaka, the unsuspecting tourist may experience a culture shock. Cars and other means of transport are very numerous and move in a somewhat haphazard way. Therefore, it is important to pay close attention to your surroundings before crossing a street to avoid accidents. Traffic jams are therefore frequent. It’s not uncommon to be stuck in the same place for a few hours. It may be unpleasant, but it is a reality. Because of this, for example, many children have to leave the house before 5 am to get to school at 8:30 am for the start of classes.

Bangladesh is not one of the safest countries in the world in terms of natural disasters. Natural phenomena occur with a certain frequency, such as floods, droughts, tidal waves, storms, tornadoes, hailstorms and landslides, among others. Unfortunately, the abundance of such fatalities has a strong impact on both the national economy and the population’s standard of living.

Tap water is not suitable (in any way) for consumption. And drinking fountains, common for many tourists in some European countries, are not very widespread in the country. For this reason, the best way out is to buy bottles of mineral water at the supermarket, especially when you plan to visit regions further away from the capital. Experienced tourists end up carrying special water purification equipment. In extreme cases, you can also choose to boil the water before consuming it.

On the positive side, Bangladesh is one of the lowest cost of living Asian countries. However, there is also the downside: you will need to have cash most of the time, as in many establishments it is not possible to pay with a credit card.

As far as capital prices are concerned, here are some examples:

Taxi (1 km) — R$2.60 ($0.47);

Electricity and water bills for an 85 m² apartment — R$ 280 ($ 48.81);

Rent a one-bedroom apartment downtown — R$800 ($141).

Market products are also quite affordable. For example, a box with a dozen eggs would cost around R$7.00 ($1.2); 1 liter of milk: R$ 4.50 ($ 0.80); 1 kg of potatoes: R$3.30 ($0.50) and so on.

Bangladeshi trade is rich in artisanal products. Woodwork, paintings, special rugs (called shital patty and naturally cool to the touch), gemstone and shell decorations, and much more. One of the most famous local productions is the natural pearl. By international standards, Bangladeshi prices are quite low.

Do you like adventures? Would you dare to visit this country? Or have you been there in neighboring India? Comment!