Experience: Riding A Rickshaw In Dhaka, Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Intro
Upon landing in the morning from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, and dealing with the visa situation at the airport, it was time to explore some of what Dhaka had to offer. At the time that I visited Dhaka, it was about two weeks after the prime minister had stepped down and the city was in sort of a rebuild faze (military everywhere, etc).
Well, part of why I love this region in the world is the rickshaws that are offered. Having ridden one on my Indian adventure, I figured it was only right to go for a quick ride around downtown Dhaka.
They Are Everywhere!
Driving through the streets of Dhaka, one of the main things I noticed is that rickshaws are pretty much everywhere. However, I found that most of them around Dhaka were the non-motorized versions and the more traditional versions.
Pulling over somewhere, we found a highway where plenty of Rickshaw drivers were driving along. We flagged one down and my fellow friend from Bangladesh inquired to the driver if he could take me around for 10 or 15 minutes. At a cost of no more than 1 US Dollar, we drove around very slowly. I love how the rickshaws don't follow the rules here of which side of the road to drive on. Even driving down the highway, we were on the opposite side of the road when we turned back. 😂
I will say that being on a Rickshaw is an invigorating and relaxing experience. However, the traditional versions move extremely slowly 😅. As someone who used to live in New York which is a very fast pace of my life, I could only imagine a businessman attempting to not lose his s**t when driving down from the UES to 48th St. 😅
If you are looking to find a rickshaw to ride around in Dhaka, simply flag down a driver and bargain with them. If you are a foreigner, you will most likely be extremely ripped off, so make sure to polish up those bargaining skills.
Final Thoughts
If you happen to be heading off to Bangladesh on a trip (which I highly recommend), make sure to grab a ride on a local rickshaw. Having a light breeze on your body while kicking back and relaxing through the bustling streets of Dhaka is an experience like none other (in its own way).
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