Dhaka Tour (Part-1)

Author: Engineer M. M. E. Hossein

Traveller: Little Brother 'Keru' (pseudonym)

Day 1:

My name is Keru (pseudonym). I study in nursery. I came to Dhaka from my village after taking a week off from school because my mother was sick. We left in the morning and reached Dhaka in the afternoon. On the first day, I was tired from the long journey. I even vomited. After reaching my uncle's house in Uttara, I took a bath and had a light meal and fell asleep. After waking up, I saw that my mother was preparing to take ginger-lemon tea. My aunt was preparing it. I heard from my father that my mother had tuberculosis. That's why my father said that my mother should see a good doctor in Dhaka. On that basis, I came to Dhaka. In Dhaka, I found my elder uncle's son, Maroon (pseudonym), brother. He is an engineer. However, I had not understood what he had done in his computer. Brother took five days' left after hearing about my arrival. My brother loves me very much. He promised to show me around Dhaka city. He would also feed me delicious food. I had a little problem pronouncing that foods. However, it is very nice to eat. Because my brother took them with him when he went to the village last time. My trip was started, Saturday. I would want to really enjoy that trip. I was looking forward to my travel with Maroon (pseudonym) brother.

Day 2:

My first sightseeing in Dhaka:

My travel guide was prepared by my brother Maroon (pseudonym). He said that first we will go to the zoo. Then we will go to the botanical garden. We left home at 8:24 am. My father and great uncle would leave with my mother for Mohakhali Tuberculosis Treatment Hospital at 9 am. My brother and I left and after walking for two minutes, we stopped by a main road. From there, my brother rented a three-wheeler CNG. The vehicle was running well for the first seven or eight minutes. But, after then, there was disaster struck. The three-wheeler got stuck in a traffic jam. Which was a miserable situation. Of course, I would be not supposed to recognize any roads. Because, I had never been to Dhaka before. However, whenever I asked soon my brother the names of some places, he kept answering me. He told me jokes and stories along the way. Finally, at 9:02 am, after a journey of about forty minutes, we arrived in front of the gate of the National Zoo and Botanical Garden in Mirpur, Dhaka.

1. National Zoo Visit:

I was excited to see the entrance of the National Zoo. First, my brother bought two tickets. As soon as we showed our tickets to the gateman, they let us in. We heard a warning message over the microphone at the beginning, "Don't eat anything from anyone." Then, at the beginning, we saw a map and a bird cage. Even though I didn't understand the drawings on the map, I was very happy to see all the different types of birds. My brother told me, "The best way to go around the zoo is to go left and come back right." As we turned left, we saw signs with pictures of various animals. One by one, we saw tigers, deer, rhinoceroses, elephants, horses, donkeys, giraffes, foxes, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, hippos, camels, zebras, monkeys, and various species of snakes and birds. I was fascinated by them. I was especially excited to see the tiger and lion uncle. I spent most of the two-hour walk on my brother's lap. And so, I named my brother Muscleman. But, by the end of the zoo visit, we were extremely tired and hungry. So, after eating the food and taking a ten-minute rest, we left the zoo for the Botanical Garden at 11:34 am.

2. Our 1 hour at the Botanical Garden:

My brother bought some food and drinks from outside the zoo gate. We were both panting in the scorching heat. Even though I named my brother Muscleman, he was also very tired. Understanding his condition, I informed him of my decision to walk around the Botanical Garden myself instead of sitting on his lap. Then, the two of us bought tickets and went inside. As soon as we entered, we saw a beautiful flower garden. We also saw a lake, a gate with creeping trees, a bamboo garden like a village bamboo garden. The beauty of which was beyond compare. It seemed to me that this was probably a forest area in a brick and stone city. Finally, after a journey of about 1 hour and 13 minutes, we left the garden.

3. Returning home:

After leaving there, we took a rickshaw to a bus stand. My brother told me, "The name of this place is Mirpur-1." From here, we got on a motorcycle. I learned from my brother that these can be rented using a mobile phone. And that is called ‘pathao’. My brother put a helmet on my head. Then, my brother and I sat behind the driver. Then, the driver let go of the motorcycle. During the conversation between my brother and the driver on the way, the driver addressed me and said, “Little brother, you are a tiger cub, you won’t be afraid even if the motorbike goes fast.” Still, the brother told the driver to drive slowly. However, whatever the road conditions, this time we reached earlier than the three-wheeler CNG. However, the brother said that during the day, the motorcycle is better for going faster and the CNG is better for traveling much safer.

Thus, the first and second days of the journey of little brother Keru (pseudonym) and his brother Maroon (pseudonym) ended. Traveling, although tiring our bodies, energizes the mind. And it satisfies the restless soul. However, little friends, it ends here like today. But goodbye little friends.