Bangladesh
Breakfast at the Le Meridien Dhaka is a massive spread, mostly delicious items, but definitely a few so-so ones as well (and didn't even think about trying their sushi...). Then down to catch my private tour, which ended up a tad delayed as the lobby staff were all busy checking in the crew of an Emirates 777-300ER that had just arrived (at least it wasn't an Emirates A380 crew checking in).
Traffic in Dhaka is every bit as awful as advertised. Markets and streets are crazy crowded, and while there are some faster routes in and out, the limitations of where you can go vs. how much time you need are clearly evident, at least to a skilled driver. My guide/driver, Sumon, was excellent-- driving aound a bit before deciding that the car was a problem and then doing most of the rest of the day's tour via river boat, tuk-tuk, and walking. Due to some holiday (or was it weekend?) closures, a few places on the typical tourist itinerary to Dhaka, in particular both Lalbagh Fort and Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (the national parliament) were closed, so my tour ended up being a bit abbreviated-- not to mention some early afternoon rain that seemed to be a reasonable signal to go run back to the car and go back to the hotel.
Smack in the middle of the city, the Buriganga River seemed to where things really came into focus. The river is crowded with wooden boats, anchored ferry boats (converted to housing, maybe?), and the occasional barge. The south bank didn't seem quite as crazy as the north bank, which is where we both starteded and ended our little river cruise, but then the city as a whole lacked the big urban feel of tall buildings. It was a quick walk to the Ahsan Manzil Museum after (aka the pink palace), the former official residence of the Nawab family, which, while large in size, lacked the architectural distinction of many other palaces or residences in similar places. Central Shaheed Minar, likewise, was solemn in its intent, but a bit more austere than other monuments to such significant events in history. Somewhere in there was several walks through markets, in particular fruits, fabrics, and finished textiles, of various levels of intensity. If anything, the size is hard to portray in photos, as Dhaka is a hodgepodge of old buildings with narrow corridors and crammed floors. The crowds hit the senses hard, but since few individual rooms/buildings are all that large, it is harder to get the sense of scale you get in similar cities with much larger spaces.
For some reason, Sumon was very intent on heading to a specific canteen for lunch. Turns out it was one of the University of Dhaka canteens, where you can have a traditional Bangladeshi meal for roughly $1 (BTC 123 = $1). We both went for the local fish, curry, and rice, which is basically giant table-side bowls of rice, two little fish the size of large sardines, and a bit of potato and curry. Quite interesting and a heck of an experience.
Somewhere in there was a plan to go to Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and maybe one more place, but it started pouring, and heading back to the hotel seemed like the smarter idea. Between the river cruise and more tuk-tuk rides than I could count, seemed both a little early to call it a day, but also a good break point to call it a day. Chilled in the hotel the rest of the afternoon, including the very nice lounge, and then, due to a late inbound aircraft, had a very late departure to the airport, where the Balaka Executive Lounge contracted by Singapore Airlines is best described as adequate. Still more comfortable than the gate, which was even more crowded and austere.