Lonely Planet Bangladesh [ペーパーバック]

This travel guide is possibly the worst one that Lonely Planet has ever produced. Apparently, the previous edition was a lot better, and since hotel and other such listings change more frequently than any publisher could keep up with anyway, it may be advisable to search out the earlier edition for its purported superior coverage of actual sites within the country.

The main problem is not that huge portions of the guide are out of date (inevitable due to publishing deadlines and due to the quick pace of change in South Asia), but that they were never correct to begin with. Maps are wrong in every possible sense: topologically; geometrically (positionally and locationally as well as in terms of actual distances); inconsistent scale; incorrect orientation, etc.

Also, major streets are unlabeled in many cases, but this is a somewhat moot point as there are hardly any street signs in Bangladesh, and as most streets do not form a grid pattern that is easily followed. For this reason, it would have been helpful to supply dual labeling in Bangla (several competitors do this for most of their maps). That would make it easier to question the locals, who rarely speak or read English.

I also personally find LP maps in general to be too difficult to use except when under strong lighting with a magnifying glass, or in a hotel room. Usually we are using the map while walking, in a moving vehicle, under poor lighting. The cross-referencing scheme and miniscule typeface are of no help there! Rough Guide and Moon have the right approach to legible maps that can be used under adverse conditions (Footprints are OK and sometimes very good, but are rarely to scale).

Everyone that I encountered in my one month in the country complained about this guide; not the least the locals, many of who were interviewed by the LP writer but ignored when the final edition was published. The only thing this guide has going for it is that it has accurate train connections (bus connections are a joke in the country and would be impossible to write up accurately; find a local and ask them where to go). Bus timings are also accurate; though some are now faster due to a few improved roads and some new bridges where ferries were once required.

Descriptions and directions for most of the major archeaological sites (which are on a par with the best that I have seen in Latin America and Southeast Asia, in spite of being relatively unknown), are not adequate and are in some cases quite wrong. But it is very cheap to hire a local guide for a day or more in each region (I mixed this approach with 100% independent travel, and it worked out quite well). Just don't depend on this guide as an aid for independent travel; think of it as an armchair companion to a semi-organised tour.

As one example of a deliberate omission (as evidenced by an interview with local tours and hotels), the one and only hotel that is close to the Dhaka airport was not included, even though it has many flexible pricing options even for transit passengers (the airport itself has few if any facilities) and even provides a free airport shuttle. This omission unfortunately pushes one towards the expensive Gulshan district upon arrival, which is a bit far and also not near any major sites in the capital (my detailed reports will be submitted to Lonely Planet's forum later on, and don't really belong in a book review).

That said, this was the best vacation of my life; mostly because the people of Bangladesh are the friendliest and most open I have ever encountered (and that is saying a lot). I felt like I was already home, everywhere I went. This is in fact a slogan of the country. It is a beautiful and lush country besides, even though mostly flat (except for the unbelievably gorgeous tea and pineapple plantations in the northeastern region of the country), but I think the guide could have done a better job of describing the culture and making a case for why one should visit the country.

It is unfortunate that there are currently no other travel guides to Bangladesh. Competition seems to improve most guides, and this pertains to ALL of the publishers. Bradt used to publish a guide but never bothered to update theirs since the 1992 edition. I doubt there's much of a market though, as I only encountered a small handful of tourists during my entire month in the country. Even more reason to visit now, before it is "discovered".

"Lonely Planet's" guide to Bangladesh is pretty thin --less than 200 pages -- for a country with a population of 150 million. Well, there's a reason for that. Bangladesh is hardly a tourist paradise.

Dhaka is probably the most crowded city in the world and, in fact, the biggest attraction of the city is the traffic -- which is horrendous. The numbers of rickshas is astonishing; they line up eight-across on some streets all jockeying for position with three-wheelers, cars, trucks, buses, hand-pulled carts, and the occasional herd of goats. Dhaka is worth visiting just for a ricksha ride and traffic jams that are simply unbelievable.

The country is pretty outside Dhaka: emerald green rice paddies, palm trees, and innumerable little villages. The city of Cox's Bazaar is the honeymooner's capital of Bangladesh. The beach here is advertised as the longest and widest in the world. What interested me was the fact that of thousands of people on the beach only a few boys were actually in bathing attire and in the water. Women may dip their toes in the surf but they don't dress for the occasion. The all-covering Shawar Camise with head-scarf is de riguer as female beachware -- as it is for everyplace else.

Despite a lack of major attractions, Bangladesh is not a bad place to visit and you won't encounter crowds of foreign tourists. Maybe you won't encounter any. "Lonely Planet" covers the country in good detail including history, culture, current politics, sidebars about interesting trivia, places to stay and eat, and books you might want to read. It's a good guide to a place that needs a guide.

Smallchief

I am currently in the middle of a 2 month stint in Bangladesh, and I concur 100% with the negative reviews this guide has received. I can't say with absolute certainty that this is the worst travel guide ever made, but it is definitely the worst one I have ever come across. (This is coming from a person who normally loves Lonely Planet.) I am not alone, every single expat I've met here thinks this book is a joke. If you are planning on coming to Bangladesh I guarantee that you will need a good guidebook, so get one, buy Brandt.