1.0Ayush Tours Jaipurhttps://ayushtoursjaipur.comadminhttps://ayushtoursjaipur.com/index.php/author/gotravelblue/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="yOnPUanKAn"><a href="https://ayushtoursjaipur.com/index.php/2020/01/17/bangladesh/">Bangladesh</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://ayushtoursjaipur.com/index.php/2020/01/17/bangladesh/embed/#?secret=yOnPUanKAn" width="600" height="338" title="“Bangladesh” — Ayush Tours Jaipur" data-secret="yOnPUanKAn" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(c,d){"use strict";var e=!1,o=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage);else if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(!t);else if(!(t.secret||t.message||t.value));else if(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret));else{for(var r,s,a,i=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),l=0;l<n.length;l++)n[l].style.display="none";for(l=0;l<i.length;l++)if(r=i[l],e.source!==r.contentWindow);else{if(r.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message){if(1e3<(s=parseInt(t.value,10)))s=1e3;else if(~~s<200)s=200;r.height=s}if("link"===t.message)if(s=d.createElement("a"),a=d.createElement("a"),s.href=r.getAttribute("src"),a.href=t.value,!o.test(a.protocol));else if(a.host===s.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener("message",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",t,!1),c.addEventListener("load",t,!1);function t(){if(o);else{o=!0;for(var e,t,r,s=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 10"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident.*rv:11\./),i=d.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),n=0;n<i.length;n++){if(!(r=(t=i[n]).getAttribute("data-secret")))r=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),t.src+="#?secret="+r,t.setAttribute("data-secret",r);if(s||a)(e=t.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),t.parentNode.replaceChild(e,t);t.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:r},"*")}}}}(window,document); </script> https://ayushtoursjaipur.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bangladesh-3.jpg1500600From Kolkata to Dhaka by Train. Standing in the bustling and almost steaming waiting room of Kolkata (Calcutta)’s Railway Reservation Centre, it began to look like my dream of travelling out of India by train was not going to happen. It was also clear, that being in the Foreigners Queue for this train, was a distinct disadvantage. Usually, foreigners get off lightly with preferential treatment while travelling by rail in India – we even get a special quota – but on this train from Kolkata to Bangladesh, the vast majority of passengers are foreigners: they are Bangladeshis. So, surrounded by extremely curious (but not unfriendly) Bangladeshis, my train experience from India to Bangladesh began. My determination to secure a ticket paid off. Four hours of standing in line, a “waitlisted” ticket and a return to the same railway reservation centre a few hours later, I finally had a confirmed ticket in hand for the Maitree express leaving to Dhaka the next day. Note – Maitree Express tickets can not be bought online. More on how to book tickets below!  All aboard… the Maitree Express ready at Kolkata A little history: The partition of India in 1947 disrupted rail links between former East and West Bengal, and between Kolkata and Dhaka were stopped. It was not until 2001 that talks began to renew rail links between the two countries, and in April 2008 the inaugural Kolkata to Dhaka Maitree Express ran. Maitree means friendship – the train signifies growing and strategic ties between the two countries in current times. Train travel local style in Bangladesh Onboard the Maitree – a First AC corridor Travelling on the Maitree Express. The next morning I woke up before dawn, to head to Kolkata railway station. Note that this is not the main Kolkata railway station that is the sprawling Howrah on the other side of the Hooghly River, but rather Chitpore, a quiet, suburban station located in the north of the City. Before boarding the train, I’d already made friends for my trip – a Bangladeshi family who had been staying in my guesthouse in Kolkata who were returning to Dhaka. They were the first of many generous friends that I’d make on that journey and in my time in Bangladesh. At Kolkata station we queued, waiting to pass through customs and exit Indian immigration before boarding the train. The station is set up with a security “terminal” that you have to pass through before you can board: our passports, and tickets were first stamped by the Indian authorities, before through security. It turns out that many of those travelling to Bangladesh by train were doing so with a lot of Baggage.. huge holdalls were hoisted on and off of trolleys again and again. Security lines at Kolkata Chitpore station. One of the lovely Bangladeshi friends I made on the journey. A First AC compartment. Once on the train I met my travelling companions – who, as it turned out, had all been in same situation as me the day before. We were officially the “waitlist’ compartment: i.e. the train was fully booked and we were put on the waitlist and booked into the same compartment once our seats had been confirmed. The compartment was an Indian Railways style first-class compartment, with four berths, for six of us to sit in for the journey. We left Kolkata on time at 7am, and after clearing the Kolkata suburbs travelled towards Gede at the Indian border, which we reached by 09.30am. At the border there was no getting down, passport or security check – all of that happens on the Bangladeshi side on arrival in Dhaka. My stomach growling (I’d eaten nothing since 4am) I began asking around about food on the train. There was none, and what chai had been brought on board at Kolkata by Indian Railways had sold out. Help arrived in the form of biryani as we crossed the border and entered Darshana – the first Bangladeshi side. A few people ran off from the train in order to grab the biryani – you have to get off the train to get it – and bring back supplies. It was here that I learned to eat biryani with my hands! Views over watery Bangladesh. The rest of the journey we travelled through Bangladesh’s lush green landscapes, halting often for passing trains. Much of the railway in Bangladesh is single-track with few passing places – and it’s for that reason that of the 8-9 hour journey, 6+ of those hours are spent on the Bangladesh leg of the trip. Outside our windows, children ran through paddy fields, women carried pots on their head through villages, and we saw many a local train pass with locals sitting in doorways, windows, and kids happily clambering up onto the rooftop for a free ride. (There’s no rooftop riding on the Maitree!) On our approach into Dhaka, the train crosses not one, but two of Bangladesh’s mighty rivers: the Padma (Ganges) and the Brahmaputra. It’s possibly the only time in Bangladesh that you’ll cross these rivers by bridge as opposed to launch / ferry – as road bridges are being planned but have yet to be built. How to Buy a Ticket for the Maitree Express. Ah, the million dollar question! (Or it was for me at least, as every website, book and person I asked before travelling to Kolkata in India gave me a different answer). Here I’ll attempt to set the record straight. I took the Maitree Express train in December 2017. As far as I know this information is still current, but if you have specific questions your best bet would be to phone the Eastern Railways Foreign Tourist Bureau in Kolkata.  How do I buy a Ticket for the Maitree Express?  The only option is to buy a ticket in person at the Eastern Railways Foreign Tourist Bureau in Kolkata – number 6 Fairlie Place. It opens at 10am, and I suggest you get there early (i.e. 9am or before). When […]