Today on the Nomad Files we have Alex Reynolds from Lost With Purpose. Alex is an American travel photographer, writer, and full-time solo female backpacker. She’s scrambled up dusty fortresses in Afghanistan, watched gods dance in South India, followed spirit dogs through the Caucasus mountains, and smoked with shamans in Pakistan… just to name a few.
Welcome Alex, when did you fall in love with travelling? What made it such a passion of yours?
I’ve been traveling since I was a wee kid. My parents hailed from two different countries—England and the Philippines—plus my father was a professor, and the family got to tag along on some of his international conference trips. Going to unusual places eventually became a priority; summer vacations included crunching on centipedes in Beijing, making sand castles on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, or riding horses across the Mongolian steppe. With experiences like that, it’s hard not to be bitten by the travel bug!
Do you have a particular song/video/poem/quote that particularly inspires you to travel?
Not going to lie, I loathe travel quotes. But there is one from Proust that I firmly believe in: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Can you let us in on a secret? What is one discovery you have made through your travels that really felt like ‘the road less travelled’?
Ooh, secrets! I’ll let ya in on one: Bangladesh is one incredible country that’s very often overlooked by foreign travellers.
Is this place known for anything in particular?
Water, water, everywhere. Bangladesh has more than 600 rivers, much of the country floods every year during monsoon, and the southern part of the country borders the Bay of Bengal. If there’s anything notable about it, it’s how aqueous it is!
What did you do in Bangladesh and why do I want to visit?
Bangladesh is all about the people. Every day brings new interactions with the immensely helpful and hospitable local people. Rather than make solid plans—not that I do that often anyway—I’d simply go outside, wander ‘round a bit, and see what happens. Without fail, I’d always encounter someone interesting who wanted to invite me in, take me out, or show me around. High officials treated me to lunch, police found me places to stay, families invited me into their homes…. and then some. That’s not something you can find in just any country!
Incredible! What took you to Bangladesh and how did you find out about it?
Traveling around so much in South Asia, Bangladesh was always on my radar, but for some reason I never got around to visiting. But this past March, I met a German traveller in a guesthouse in Kolkata, India that I really connected with. He told me Bangladesh was right up my alley, and encouraged me to check it out with the hopes of writing a story about some of the current events there. Though I never got around to finishing my article (sorry Gil), I did make it to Bangladesh, and I had a grand old time.
Why do you think Bangladesh remains off the beaten track?
A lot of people are concerned about terrorism and security (not necessary), and others fear natural disasters (slightly more rational). If you get past those concerns, you’ll enter a country where the language barrier is massive, poverty is overwhelming, conservative religion is ubiquitous, infrastructure is poor, and foreign tourism is virtually non-existent.
(I’m making this sound really charming, I know.)
It’s not always easy to travel in Bangladesh, but it’s absolutely rewarding to those who do.
Tell me about the food. Was it different from anything you’d experienced before?
Mmm, Bengali food! It’s definitely a distinct cuisine—think some of the freshest fish possible, use of strong flavours like mustard and curry leaves, and rice. Lots and lots and lots of rice.
Funnily enough, I didn’t actually like fish before heading to Bangladesh and avoided it like the plague. But so many people kept offering me fish (that I definitely could not refuse), that I got used to it and began to like it. It’s hard to dislike something so fresh!
What was the culture like? Did you have much interaction with the locals?
Ha! Interaction is an understatement. As I said, the locals are incredibly hospitable… and very, very forward! It’s endearing at times, exhausting at others. The unnerving part is when the locals don’t know how to interact because of language—they’ll often end up just standing and staring at you for extended periods of time. And once one person comes to stare, dozens of others will follow. It gets intense, but so long as you keep in mind that people are just curious and don’t mean to intimidate you, it’s manageable.
Beyond the things to do and see in Bangladesh, what is your best tip on how to best experience this place?
Go out each day with an open mind and flexible plans. Nothing ever happens as planned in Bangladesh, but that’s part of the beauty of it! Wander around, be open to everyone, and never say no to an invitation (which I can guarantee you’ll get). You never know where you might end up!
Where is the best place to stay?
If you want to get a full-on Bangladeshi experience, take a launch boat somewhere in the country.
Launches are like large ferry boats that ply the larger waterways of Bangladesh. A lot of cities and towns are connected to Dhaka, the capital, by waterway, and launches are the cheapest and smoothest way to get from A to B. You can watch riverside Bangladesh roll by, occasionally punctuated by small boats docking alongside the ferry to load all sorts of cargo on, or the boat stopping at small—but crowded!—jetties and docks along the waterways.
Passengers can either pay to sleep right on the deck floor (cheap) or stay in a cabin for one or two (still relatively cheap). Though I recommend foreign visitors get cabins for privacy’s sake, you should definitely still roam around the area where people sleep on the floor. It’s often densely packed and tricky to navigate, but it’s a visual treat, and people will be delighted to sit and chat with you (or just stare) if possible.
Last question, where do you live on the internet and social media for us to all come and visit?
I live all over the internet! But if you want to find me stat, head to my travel blog, Lost With Purpose.
If blogs ain’t your thing (why are you reading this, then?) you can also stalk me on my Instagram or Facebook.
Thanks for educating us Alex! I found that most interesting.
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That was very brave of Alex to travel outside of Dhaka on her own, but I think she has proved that it is a much safer country than many people give it credit for. I agree that Bangladesh’s greatest appeal is that there are so few foreign tourists there. I’ve spent many hours wandering the backstreets, markets, and riversides of Dhaka with my camera, never seeing another foreigner (but attracting plenty of friendly attention from the locals, as Alex experienced herself). The traffic in Dhaka is horrendous – definitely the worst in Asia – but outside of Dhaka there is a wonderful world to be discovered by the more experienced traveller. Thanks for this insight into Bangladesh. I hope it entices a few more travellers to visit.