# Skyprince's trip to Bangladesh : The Most Hidden treasure of Asia ! ( hundreds of pics in Dhaka, Chittagong, and Rajshahi )



## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Bandarban 

We went to Bandarban ! 


This is our bus from Dhaka straight to Bandarban. Wow every bus company has its own terminal in Dhaka ! We paid only 400 takas for this 7 hr-bus ride











arrived at Bandarban town.. it's quite cold that early morning 











We decided to stay in Hotel Royal, Bandarban.. Room rate is just 600 takas per night for double sharing .


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

We decided to stay in Hotel Royal, Bandarban.. Room rate is just 600 takas per night for double sharing .


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Our breakfast. We ordered roti with curry and egg, plus milk tea. And the bill ? Only 62 takas ( $ 0.90 ) altogether for 3 of us !! 











Touring Bandarban by 4WD


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Eating Bandarban fresh papayas :eat:













Mr Faruk and Mobasher


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

me and Mr. 4WD driver












Wonderful view


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

in Masjid near Bandarban town. Ready for Asar prayer












We visited a Buddhist temple on a hill


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

At night we had a dinner in a local restaurant called Re Soung Soung in central Bandarban town.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Our room at Hotel Royal , Bandarban. 












Bathroom


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

:laugh: How many photos :?

kay: Looks like you had a great time.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Day market in Bandarban town
























Bandarban masjid


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me, Mr. Faruk, and our friend in Bandarban.










What's the meaning ?


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Bandarban to Cox's Bazaar 



We took early morning bus from Bandarban down to Satkania and got into another bus to Cox's Bazaar. 

Satkania


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Paddy fields en route to Cox's Bazaar












Checking the Map


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

A small town . Our bus stopped here briefly for lunch break


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Hmm.. looks delicious... bread fried with curry powder :eat: :eat:






















Me in front of a minimart -- Hmm.. I like the Fried dhal in packets :eat: :eat:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Cox's Bazaar 

Frankly speaking I've never been to such a happening and lively beach as in Cox's Bazaar. The beach is soo open and you can't see the end. It's the longest beach in the world , uninterrupted for almost 120 kms. The waves make swimming so perfect and enjoyable. There are thousands of Bangladeshis and tourists flocking to the main beach, with hundreds of huts lining the coast. Me, Mobasher and Faruk stayed in Diamond Hotel on Kalatali Road. It's a nice hotel with spacious room and balcony. Room rate is only 1,200 takas ( $18 ) per night . So we divided it into three.. each of us paid $ 6 per night.


Kalatali street


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Our hotel

























our room at Diamond hotel


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

We cross the island by wheelcart


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Look at the quality of water !!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Crystal clear water + Great waves = Perfect swimming 
In my country some islands have crystal clear water but almost calm without good waves


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

:eek2: beautiful Pics!!!!!!!! Love them. thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing and reading more. kay:


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

Wow dude - took me 20min to look trough ( can'r imaging how long preparing and posting have taken!!! ) - but time very well spend!

Great pics mate - thanks for showing, very interesting and informative - love the presenting style!

Keep up the great work - looks like youhad a great time! :cheers1:


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## Ton-Tille (Aug 19, 2007)

Great pics!


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## Metsada (Oct 22, 2006)

Really awesome pictures, thank you. It took ages to even look at them, lol.


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## paw25694 (Nov 21, 2006)

kay:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Its AlL gUUd said:


> :eek2: beautiful Pics!!!!!!!! Love them. thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing and reading more. kay:


Thanks for ur kind words .... still more pics to come 



FrIK said:


> Wow dude - took me 20min to look trough ( can'r imaging how long preparing and posting have taken!!! ) - but time very well spend!
> 
> Great pics mate - thanks for showing, very interesting and informative - love the presenting style!
> 
> Keep up the great work - looks like youhad a great time!


Thanks Mr D , I spent full 3 days uploading pics into photobucket. 
Hundreds more pics to come hehe..

and thanx Ton-Tille, Metsada and Paw.. Now I realize that Image resizing only destroys the photos.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me, Faruk , and Mobasher. Just before departure to Mobasher's hometown in Chapai.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

me in Chapai Nawabganj 

From Dhaka , me and Mobasher traveled 270 km NW to Chapai Nawabganj, a small town in Rajshahi division. Chapai is extremely popular for mango and mango trees are planted almost everywhere. May-June is the season, so I couldn't see any mangoes in December. I stayed with Mobasher's family whose house is right in front of River Mohanandes. The people in Chapai Nawabganj are extremely friendly and heart-warming. Especially Mobasher's neighbors, they came to the house that night and we had a long enjoyable chat up to midnight   Many of them speak excellent English and we talked about so many issues. One thing I noticed among Bangladeshis ( and also Pakistanis ) is that they are damn smart and knowledgeable about almost everything. Ask them about any current issues the world face today, you'll find that they are extremely critical-minded and can debate very well, a starking contrast to people in Southeast or East Asia. 

Growing up in an isolated rural area, today Mobasher's 9 siblings are generally well-off and successful , because their parents emphasize a lot on education. 














Climbing up to the rooftop of the house


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

On top of the house 












River Mohanandes.. Hmm.. soo many people gathering.. some even swim. The water is clean and you can see what's deep inside.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mahanandes bridge


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Posing


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Walking around the village


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mango trees are everywhere in Chapai Nawabganj !!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Shona Masjid

Shona Masjid is the border town between Bangladesh-India. Just 35 km from Chapai Nawabganj. We went there by bus , then change to CNG. We visited some historical mosques and the Palace. 


Waiting for the bus to Shona Masjid.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mango trees ! Mango trees !


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Our bus made brief stop just before crossing the Jamuna River. 
We had ice-cream 



It's only 20 takas :eat:











I love ice-cream !!


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## Mahratta (Feb 18, 2007)

^Anton^ said:


> Where do they keep the women? :?


Have you come to ruin the thread?

Great pics Skyprince! Thanks for showing a littleknown place in the world!

People too often dismiss Bangladesh as a third world backwater - now we see that it is a lively and beautiful country


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## Frog (Nov 27, 2004)

Thanks for showing these pics of Bangladesh, I enjoyed looking at them and I was surprised to see how modern some parts were kay:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Thanks Maiterya and frog kay:

I was more than surprised too with the level of infrastructure in Bangladesh, believe me I've been to some countries with 4--5 times the per-capita GDP of Bangladesh but Bangladesh is far more organized and everything in BD works very well compared to those places . Cars and buses are brand-new , and everything is on time.


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## Fusionist (Jul 7, 2004)

thanks for the lovely pics 

This certainly was an eye opener for me. I rarely get to see pictures of Bangla countryside and it certainly looks a lot better than I imagined. :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Thanks Fusionist 

Acording to stats and economists , BD economy has improved tremendously in the last few years and it's dubbed to be the 2nd Vietnam with growing inflow of foreign investment.

More pics to come


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me in front of our bus.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Crossing the mighty Jamuna

I'm a frequent visitor of SSC Bangladesh forum, and I have seen plenty of Jamuna bridge photos there. I wonder why Bangladeshis regard Jamuna river and Jamuna bridge in particular as their " national icon ", but now I know why. Jamuna River splits Bangladesh into 2 big parts- East and West , and it is soooooo HUGE. The Bridge cross is more than 5km long ! There is a huge island in the middle of the river , but during the rainy season, the whole island submerge and fully covered by water ! 

Just before entering the bridge

































This is the huge island on Jamuna River. During rainy season ( Mar- Oct ) this island vanish !


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Fantasy Kingdom Theme Park 

Around 50 minutes before arrival in Dhaka, we passed the Fantasy Kingdom. Nandan Water park is also in the same direction, but I didn't manage to snap any photos.


































Typical view of Bangladesh's interior-- you'll find a lot of chimneys


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Pics from Mobassher's camera


in Bandarban


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Beautiful Bandarban, this place is located just 15 minutes from Bandarban town on our way to Chimbuk and Nilgiri













Me lying asleep in hotel lobby , being very tired after 7-hr journey from Dhaka












in Nilgiri look-out point


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

in Nilgiri


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Local tribespeople in Bandarban


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

In the army camp between Chimbuk and Bandarban town


































Climbing up to the Buddhist temple


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Nice view from the top of the Temple













2 innocent guyz and one naughty boy


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

A passage at Royal hotel, Bandarban. 












me Walking along Cox's Bazaar main street













The most beautiful beach I've been ever.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

It's me ..


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Perfect waves at Cox's Bazaar beach
























in Himchari; Witnessing the beautiful creation of God.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Cox's Bazaar Sea Palace ( Crowne Plaza ) Hotel


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

On board our ferry Keari Sindbad on the way to St. Martin. I made so many new friends there, many of them are here in his pic  













Still cruising over River Nath












P.a.r.a.d.i.s.e. on earth.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The only way to travel on St. Martin.

























On St. Martin beach.. Sooo many people.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Transparent crystal-clear sea water


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

On river Naaf, just before arrival at Teknaf jetty


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Indoor seating of Keari Sindbad ferry


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Disembark at Teknaf jetty













Diamond Hotel, COx's bazaar ( mini aquarium )












Magnificent hotels at Cox's Bazaar


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Our hotel's restaurant 












Our final breakfast at Cox's Bazaar before leaving for Chittagong . Delicious Roti , egg and my favourite curriee :eat: :eat:


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## Metsada (Oct 22, 2006)

Roti is also famous in Suriname (south America).


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## JD (Apr 15, 2006)

Roti is also consumed in India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Iran, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and West Indies.


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## Metsada (Oct 22, 2006)

Originally Indian I guess. And where in Iran is it consumed; perhaps in Baluchistan near the Pakistani border (?)


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## khalek (Feb 10, 2007)

i don't think it originated from India and Pakistan only... the Middle Eastern countries also had started eating rotis i guess... especially in turkey, lebanon and other Arab countries....


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## JD (Apr 15, 2006)

^^they consume pita bread which is not exactly roti.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Well, " Roti" means bread.... in many South and Southeast Asian languages... isn't ?


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## shockw4ve (Jun 4, 2006)

Nice pictures of bangladesh, thanks for sharing


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## JD (Apr 15, 2006)

Skyprince said:


> Well, " Roti" means bread.... in many South and Southeast Asian languages... isn't ?


nope. Technically it is an unleavened bread but no one in South Asia considers it a bread. Bread in south asia means leavened variety.


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## phillybud (Jul 22, 2007)

*Beautiful pics!*

Fantastic pics! I was never in Bangladesh (although last year year I was nearby in Myanmar and India) your photographs make the place seem so interesting! Thanks so much! What kind of camera do you use.

The architect of the National Parliament buildings in Dhaka was the famous Philadelphia architect Louis I. Kahn. We have a small park in the center of our city named after him.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Great pics, Skyprince. I hope that you had a great time! 

Bangladesh is a very underrated country. Looks lush and beautiful.


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## khalek (Feb 10, 2007)

JD said:


> ^^they consume pita bread which is not exactly roti.


i thought pita bread is the one for pizza only... especially in Italy & France....


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Thanks Shckwave, Phillybud, TenRot and others.

Phillybud, hmm.. I use Canon IRX 6.0 only, shockingly the quality is of pics is excellent. I didn't use any image resizing tool this time. Yea. The Parliament Building and the park around it are truly world-class and very touristy. One thing you'll notice in Dhaka is that there are few people and smooth traffic, cummon Bangladesh is home to 150 million inhabitants ! It seems like a country of just 15 million.

more pics will come


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## mahmud37 (Jan 16, 2008)

Thanks fwwz, you have done a great job....
I never forget the memory with you in BD>
GO ON .....

Mbsshr


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

^^ LOOL finally you made it here


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Continue..

Cox's Bazaar to Chittagong


me at Cox's Bazaar Bus Terminal
















Brief stop in a small town
















Bangladesh--land of many rivers


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Chittagong 

Chittagong is Bangladesh's second largest city, and it's the main seaport. Population in metro area is around 3 million. 






We had lunch at Sugar Bun restaurant in Chittagong. Food in Bangladesh is extremely cheap, except at Fast food outlets, where the price is exactly similar to Malaysia.












Menu at Sugar Bun
























Our dish... Rice with fried chicken , plus salad


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

We visited Foy's lake !!


On our way to Foy's Lake by rickshaw


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Still inside Foy's lake


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

There are many options of boats but we picked the Motor-boat ( 300 takas for 20 mins ride, guide provided )


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mobasher and the driver 














Bangla-linked !


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Hmm... what it says ??













Looking towards downtown Chittagong


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Looking towards downtown Chittagong











Parts of Chittagong


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

30 takas ( $0.50 ) per entry


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me and Mobasher


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

From Foy's lake, we took rickshaw to reach downtown Chittagong .. We were on the rush that time to catch our bus back to Dhaka.


These are photos of Chittagong taken from rickshaw


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

We tried to travel Chittagong-Dhaka by GreenLine bus but all fully-booked.


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