January 3, 2026
Sreemangal lies about 100 kms to the east-north-east of Dhaka near the border of the Assam region of India. The morning train (Parabat Express) was scheduled to leave Dhaka Airport station at 7:00 a.m.
On the platform, I was greeted by a young woman wearing a somewhat official-looking uniform. Her name was hard for me to hear, but it started with "em." Being from Sylhet (past Sreemangal), she was pleased I was going there (2). Delighted that I liked the coffee from the platform stand, she got me another. She made sure I got on the right train, car & seat, adding her elbows to mine (3) to push me on the train. I gave her a couple of dollars, and she acted like she won the lottery. She knocked multiple times on the window to wave goodbye.
On the train, the usual (for Southeast Asia) vendors came on the train to ride between stations, calling out their offerings of boiled eggs, popcorn, coffee, &c. perched on their heads. Although it was 1/2 late when we left Dhaka, the train fell three hours behind (on a 3.5 hour scheduled time) by the to e we arrived aymt Sreemangal.
A guide (Razbe) was waiting for me (4) upon arrival. After lunch, we headed for Lawashara National Park. Given the late arrival of the train, he shortened the normal hike to a visit to a tribal village inside the Park. The tribe is Christian and matriarchal, and they survive by harvesting and drying bitter leaf plants. Another nearby tribal village (different language) specializes in weaving.
A series of short, steep- sided hills begins abruptly at Sreemangal. The British Colonial rulers, having smuggled tea plants out of China, established tea plantations on these hills on the 1800s. The tea planations remain, as do the descendents of the experienced Hindu workers brought from Assam to work the plantations, and the tradition of having Sundays off.
We went for a long walk though the Nurjinan Tea plantations, sniffing at the fragrant tea leaves. Razbe was pleased I wanted to keep walking through the plantation until the sun set. I was expecting a shop to try (and maybe buy) some tea, but no luck there (5). The day ended with 7 layer tea, a local specialty with various teas (black, milk, ginger, mint, &c.) that that separate due to their different densities (6).
(1) Western tourists are quite rare in Bangladesh; I was the only white guy I saw for two days (a). Judging by the short line (and the official's reaction) at foreigner immigration, I was the only foreigner on the plane not coming for business.
(a) There is a thing in India (and Bangldesh) of locals taking pictures of their kids with white people. I have a friend living in India who says "No." After just a weekend, I began to understand why. I don't like anyone taking my picture.
(2) Everybody else (whose advise I did not seek) said I should go to Cox's Bazaar in the south, home of the longest sand beach in the world
(3) I am generally a polite person. While travelling in certain Asian countries, however, sharp elbows are necessary to get things done.
(4) Not normally my thing, but a guide is necessary here to get the train tickets if nothing else.
(5) The tea grown in the region is sold at auction and blended, except for Finlay Tea, which grows and packs its own.
(6) Not normally a tour stop, we enjoyed the tea at the Massacre Memorial park. The park is a memorial for those slain here during the Bangldesh war for Independence in 1971 (b).
(b) Upon the 1947 partition of India, this majority-Muslim region was assigned to Pakistan, and then known as East Pakistan. When West Pakistan (separated by 1,000 miles of India) tried to impose Pashtu language and culture in the Bengali region, the population rose in rebellion. "We share a religion, but nothing else," Razbe said.
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