“Fuchka” (pronounced “fooch-kah”) is Bangladesh’s answer to Indian “pani puri” or “golgappa”: round, hollow pastry shells filled with spiced mashed potatoes/beans, topped with chopped onions & cucumbers, sprinkled with dried mango powder and given a splash of tamarind-flavoured dressing.
And one of the favourite places for many Dhaka residents to enjoy “fuchka” is near the Teachers-and-Students Centre (TSC) at Dhaka University, in front of a busy traffic circus which comes alive with street vendors each evening, and frequented by university students and just about every other visitor or resident of the city.
Yes, we hired one guide and a driver for the duration of the trip. The guide is inestimably helpful as some places (local churches, mosques or temples) also require special permission for visitors, and the ability to communicate local goverment officials as well as caretakers is essential.
Thanks. How long was the trip and the total cost of the guide and driver? Please PM if you would rather tell me the cost privately. If I ever make the trip I’d use your contacts.
We used Dhaka Holidays - fantastic bunch of people there. Depending on your itinerary and how much you wish to cover, I’d say the whole local package will cost you about US$1,500 per person (based on twin-share rooms) for a 14-day tour, and which includes hotel accommodation in each town, or on the ferry. You’ll have a guide and driver with you throughout the trip.
When doing the tours, do you have liberty in choosing what and where you want to eat, or restaurant list is integrated in the tour? Looks like the guide and driver ate with you?
Usually, there are places which seemed more “upmarket” but we made it clear to our guide that we want to “eat local” after the first couple of times where they brought us to rather sterile, “modern” establishments.
The guide and driver normally didn’t want to eat with us, but on a couple of occasions, we insisted as the eating place looked too isolated from any other eating spots, and having them sit at another table in the same restaurant seemed unnecessary. But given the choice, I think they’d prefer to eat separately.
