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packed chai stall while cigarette sellers and
food vendors jostle for business. First class
is another matter, however. It's by no means
luxurious (people might still be sleeping outside
your door, and the dining table may have seen
better days) but you get your own cabin with a
fan, a sink and a small porthole. Don't spend too
long squinting through it, though, as you'll get
a better view of the spectacular scenery outside
from on deck: men fishing among the verdant
water hyacinths, women slapping saris clean
against the smooth rocks, children dashing
about, and maybe even a rare Gangetic dolphin
breaking the surface.
436 travel By rocKet in
BanGladesh
More water flows through Bangladesh than in
all the rivers of Europe combined, so the most
logical choice of transport here is boat. One of
the more unusual ones is a 1920s British-built
paddlewheel steamer, known as
The Rocket
,
which leisurely plies the waters between Dhaka
and the southern town of Khulna. At 28 hours,
the journey is not a fast one; by bus, the same
trip takes eight. But while the bus is a white-
knuckle ride through some of the world's most
crowded and chaotic streets, where you put your
life in the driver's hands, this is an unparalleled
opportunity to discover life on the Ganges.
Stepping onto the deck of
The Rocket
you soon
learn where third class is - it's everywhere.
Every inch of space is utilized in some way.
Music blares from speakers hung around a
Need to know
Tickets for The Rocket can be
booked in Dhaka or at the various ports of call,
though not by internet. A tour company such as
Bangladesh Ecotours (
W
www.bangladeshecotours.
com) can book the tickets for you, and it's probably
the best way to ensure a first-class cabin.
Pulling away from the Rocket
in a wooden boat taxi; A
food-seller in third class on the
Rocket
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