10 things to do in Dhaka

Walk on water
Sadarghat Boat Terminal is the best place to witness this megacity in full swing. A jetty with hundreds of boats awaiting customers for trips to outlying towns and cities, it’s one of the largest river ports in the world. Five taka (HK$0.50) gets you a ride on one of the many boats plying across the Buriganga River (60 taka gets you the entire boat), though the real spectacle is back on the ghat where cargo and people are loaded and unloaded in a constant, furious flow – often on planks of wood precariously balanced between boats. Poverty is close; children and adults pick through the plastic of the rotting riverbanks, while back on dry land the Hawker’s Market heaves.

Shop ‘til you drop
While Bangladesh’s garment export industry is worth a staggering HK$147 billion each year, Dhaka is where the seconds and rejects remain. The hectic New Market and Banga Bazaar are good places to bargain hard, but if you’re not the type that likes to haggle – or you don’t trust yourself to judge good quality from bad – take a trip to fair trade fashion outlet Aarong (on Tejgaon Link Road in the Gulshan area). Selling everything from leather bags, rugs and shawls to sandals, saris and kurtas (traditional menswear), this air-conditioned, fixed-price place is perfect for gathering a few souvenirs.

Meet and greet over a cuppa
Though it’s technically illegal to drink alcohol in Bangladesh, a strict Muslim country this is not. Most hotels will find you either imported beers or the local brand Hunter, though the drink of choice is definitely a glass of tea. In Dhaka it’s called cha and it’s made fresh by the pot, with sugar and optional Carnation milk. Strong yet subtle, the tea leaves come from the north of Bangladesh near Assam and Darjeeling, yet are rarely exported – it’s just too popular at home.

Cha stalls are found on almost every road and shouldn’t be missed; the pouring of the tea is a performance in itself and a few wooden benches are always provided. Perfect for a chat with the locals and for watching the world go by, try the cha stall at the eastern end of Shakhari Bazaar in for a delicious Dhaka experience.

Sample the land of milk and honey
Refrigerators are not common in Bangladesh, so all milk must be fermented. That partly explains the continuing popularity of milk desserts like rasgullas and dai. Deliciously sweet boiled milk dumplings soaked in syrup, rasgullas are served up all over Dhaka. You’ll get extra kudos if you also ask for dai, a fermented yoghurt often eaten as a pudding with a rasgulla or two. Sample them at Premium Sweets (Municipal Rd) north of Sadarghat.

Bask in the fame
Bangladesh isn’t high on most people’s list of places to visit, which leaves the intrepid traveller with a colourful country of 154 million friendly, inquisitive people all to themselves. Even in Dhaka, the most cosmopolitan place by far, you’ll be treated like a celebrity almost everywhere you go.