Bangladesh and The Lonesome Traveler – a perfect double!

The local agency The Lonesome Traveler was an excellent choice. The tour guide was one of the best we have ever had on our trips to over 70 countries. Holger Kauschmann knew how to pass on his love for Bangladesh as well as his profound knowledge of the historical and cultural characteristics of the country. He took care of each individual traveler and answered all special requests. According to the respective situation he arranged and used spontaneous encounters with the “Deschi” in order not only to explain the way of life and conditions of the people, but to allow them to experience it. Manzurul Alam provided a perfect organization, which is certainly not always easy in Bangladesh: The program was completed with almost Prussian punctuality and there were always small extra deposits – be it a concert of the villagers, the visit to workshops etc. He was always very helpful, friendly and accommodating. Jewel, always attentive, friendly, helpful will certainly be a good offspring for the agency. The bus driver brought us punctually and safely over the sometimes quite dilapidated roads and through the very habituation-needy traffic.

From Holger, Manzur and Jewel the farewell fell as hard as from friends. This journey gave us an insight into people’s lives than any other before. We were particularly impressed by the friendliness of the “Deschi”, who have retained their dignity even in the most adverse living conditions and encounter foreigners with kindness, open-mindedness and curiosity. Bangladesh, like no other country, is capable of reconsidering its own values. Although there are better preserved cultural monuments elsewhere, not only the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but also the many other palaces and buildings we visited are very interesting, as is the journey as a whole. The silence in the Sundarbans, the noise of the markets, the big rivers, the bumpy roads, the partly chaotic traffic, the countless bicycle rickshaws, the tearooms and breakfast bars, the big cities, the villages, etc., will be remembered for a long time, but above all again and again the people. When one experiences the kindness with which the adults encounter even the hardest work in factories and agriculture as well as in the poorest dwellings, with which cheerfulness the children throughout the country (even in the orphanage) meet, the problems in our own country as well as cultural ones are relativized Differences very much. Gladly we had experienced several encounters with the Bangladeshis, possibly also at the expense of shortening the stay in the Sundarbans. All in all, however, a very balanced journey that deserves to be advertised more – we will definitely recommend it.

Friedolin & Rosemarie (February, 2018)