Crossing borders

I join the long line of trucks as we head towards the border south of Malda. This doesn’t seem to be the best crossing for travellers, and I know that the busiest border into Bangladesh is Benapole, which is a great crossing for Kolkata further south. This is one seriously guarded border, and the tension between the two sides culminates in gunfire and deaths on a regular basis and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has a reputation for a Shoot-to-kill policy.

The border between India and Bangladesh is soon to be one very long fence.

Some years ago, taking the night train from Copenhagen to Paris, the train was stopped in Germany so the guards could check our passports. They insisted that all of the passengers were woken so they could check the passport pictures against the faces. Maybe I’m just too British, but this seemed a bit rude. So here I am, waiting for this guy to bring my papers back and let me go through the nice gate and into the green countryside beyond. I still have to get to Rajshahi, which thankfully is only a couple of hours drive.

The reality is, I would not be allowed to drive my own, UK-registered vehicle through the countries ahead of me. I have read a number of stories of people buying a motorbike in India and riding that into Bangladesh, but not being allowed to ride it back. Research so far tells me that there is no land border entry into Burma from Bangladesh for anyone other than Burmese or Bangladeshi nationals. If I want to go into Burma, I would have to fly in. The actual restrictions from now on are pretty big, but that doesn’t stop me as a virtual traveller and Google maps can take me there all the same…

…After a reasonable wait, I get my itinerary and passport back and drive on through the gates. The terrain is largely flat, and I drove on through the countryside on the Z6806. It should only take a couple of hours, and I have ‘booked’ a room in the Hotel Dallas International for the night in central Rajshahi. By the time I arrive it is getting dark. It’s still quite warm, and is unlikely to drop below 23 or 24c tonight. I eat in the restaurant and retire to my room to check my next move.

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