Hatirjheel is located in the center of Dhaka but will give you a completely different vibe. When we name Dhaka, there is a dense population, huge traffic jams, a rush of people, and almost no sign of greenery. But Hatirjheel, a project initiated long ago, will give you a whole new experience within Dhaka. My today's mission was to explore the Hatirjheel area as much as I could. This is the start of my journey to explore Dhaka at its fullest.
The name Hatirjheel in Bengali means the lake of elephants though there are no signs of real elephants right now, just a monument of three elephants can be seen, history says that there were a few tamed elephants in Pilkhana which used to be brought here to bath in this wetland long ago and thus this naming. This is situated at the center of Dhaka, ideally middle of the old parts and newly built parts of Dhaka city.
Hatirjheel Boat Service
Look at this, this is the Hatirjheel Lake, and here is a jetty. Yeah, I was indifferent to this boat service within Dhaka. In Dhaka, even a distance of 1 km might take an hour if luck isn't with you, so much traffic on the road. And, here, this boat service through the lake is a way for transportation for tons of people with such a heavenly experience.
Thousands of people use this service on a daily basis to escape from Dhaka's mighty traffic jam and enjoy this beautiful boat ride as their medium of transportation. This opportunity is grabbed by the surrounding areas like Rampura, Niketon, Tejgaon, FDC, Gulshan, and a few. I too enjoyed this journey, It was a whole new experience for me, that too in a city like Dhaka.
Relief From Cursed Traffic
See? This is Dhaka's traffic system, which is covered in red marks indicating the densely congested traffic jam. These long lines of vehicles eat a big chunk of our valuable time every day. In this scenario, this is truly a blessing for the people who are grabbing this opportunity.
Lakeside Road and View
Here, people can walk on this natural road, surrounded by greenery all around. I repeat it is rare to see so many trees in Dhaka and on a road like this which has trees all around. There are sitting places for people to sit and enjoy the silence of nature and cool breeze.
Hatirjheel Amphitheater
On many occasions this one gets a festive look. I was on an ordinary day so there was nothing and the entry was restricted as well.
Hatirjheel Bridge
These are the pictures of one of the few Hatirjheel bridges that are one of the main attractions of the visitors. During the evening these places are crowded with visitors, and many food stalls, canteens, restaurants, and dwellers are available for food options.
Few Random Shots & Words
From the top of an overpass, see, a highway and a waterway. That so so so rare here that I can't explain it in words. Even I was indifferent about this whole experience that I had gathered when I started walking to explore on my own.
This one is interesting, ducks, lots of them. I never believed that I would see so many ducks in Dhaka swimming like this. That road, middle of the water? That leads to HAtirjheel island, shown on the map but it's also restricted to visiting.
On the right side, It's Gulshan, one of the most posh areas in Bangladesh. I have always imagined of a city building on the riverbanks like this, not a river here but doesn't look any less beautiful than that.
This is Hatirjheel in a wider landscape. A completely different experience for the Dhaka people within Dhaka, unbelievable.
Location: [//]:# (!worldmappin 23.77121 lat 90.41824 long d3scr)
So yeah, this is the first entry for my Dhaka Diaries initiative where I will be exploring Dhaka day by day and sharing them in my travel blogs like this very first one. Hope, you guys will overlook the mistakes and suggest some betterment. All the pictures were taken by my 4-year-old smartphone and a few pictures has the Leica filter that I like often.