Overnight train from Rangpur. Slept in my salwar kameez and then wore if all day-ugh! Arrive Dhaka 5.30 am. Walked from train station to airport not far but crossing roads is a risky business. Waited for the airline offices to open to buy a ticket to Cox's Bazaar which cost £40. Took CNG to the Gulshan area to look at shops but nothing opened until 10am. Decided to go to the Viator guest house which also has a very good handicraft shop attached and I had bre...

Now in Bogra. Had a bad day yesterday. I made 19 separate journeys. Firstly I left Rajshihi for Puthia. At Puthia I visited the big Shiva Temple where I met a Japanese girl and her guide- the only tourist I have seen since leaving Dhaka. The caretaker showed us the large blackstone phallus which he had proudly oiled. He wanted to show me around but I escaped and walked off to the once stately Puthia Palace. It is huge and ornate but so dilapidated. It had once b...

The photo above was taken by Bhanu at Sundarbans- not related to Bogra but I like it and want to use it. Back to Bogra. From the grubby YMCA (passing Hotel Sod!)I moved to Red Chillies Guest House and enjoyed the nice clean room and delicious food. Two nights and 3 meals came to £18 and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Taking two bus journeys I made my way the Unesco World Heritage site of Paharpur said once to be the biggest Bhuddist monastery south of th...

I like Rajshihi . The lady in the picture is turning the handle on the circular contraption which then fans the embers on which she is roasting the corn of the cob. Now on bus 3 hour journey to Sona Masjid a 15c mosque complex. A young chap is teaching me to recognise the Bengali numbers. 3 of the easier ones are that 8 is 4, 9 is 7 and 2 is 2. The rest are squiggles but not so difficult once you get into it. I am enjoying the trip watching things going on. An...

After overnighting in The Whitehouse Hotel Dhaka again, I rose at 4.30am to take CNG to the train station. Feeling tired from only 3 hours sleep. At the big breezy station quite a few sleeping bodies around and one or two beggars. Couldn't see where to go as both my ticket and all the platform signs are in Bengali which is impossible for me to decipher. I was helped to find the train and my seat by a young chap called Jinnah. Wasn't too happy about my seat in th...