Bicycle Touring to Australia: Bangladesh, Kolkata, to Jessore, Bangladesh
My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: cycling, Kolkata, India, to Jessore, Bangladesh. 82 miles. This morning, getting out of Calcutta was easy, and there didn’t seem to be too many trucks. That is, until I arrived in a town, they were so busy! I’ve been hit about four times today, not bad, but it did cause me to wobble!
I arrived at the Indian border and got directed into a hall, where I had to fill out my departure card. After filling out the card, they stamped my passport, and it was onto the Bangladeshi border. Once there, I had another card to fill in. All standard stuff, asking where I was going and where I’d be staying. I hope they don’t check because I’m not staying where I said. And never really had any intentions of doing so! I’d looked up the name and address of a hotel while in Calcutta and wrote it down for this purpose! The whole process probably took around an hour.
Bangladesh Country Number 12
Once in Bangladesh, my biggest problem has been going to the toilet! There are people everywhere, and their huts come right up to the edge of the road. And crowds of people are a lot quicker to form when I stop! People seemed to relieve themselves anywhere in India, but they seem a little more reserved here.
I met a pair of American cyclists today, going in the opposite direction to me, thankfully! He was so obnoxious! He didn’t like India or Bangladesh, and when I said I was thinking of going to Indonesia. He just said, why would you want to go to a mosquito-infested place like that! I don’t get people like him. Why’s he travelling? He doesn’t appear to enjoy it! The lady was pleasant enough and did say that they weren’t a couple. I could see why!
It’s been warm and humid today, the first time in a while. It did mean that I was extra dirty tonight, after all the dusty roads! The road into Jessore this afternoon was particularly dusty. I had a job to see where I was going sometimes!
There are many more bikes here, and it feels a lot busier, even more than Calcutta, but I still feel safe. I went for a wander this evening and sampled some of the local food. I don’t know what it was! But whatever, it was nice.
Tour Information
It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:
- Photos: See my photos on Flickr
- The route: View my journey around the world
- Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
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