Entering Bangladesh | World's Deadliest Traffic

Welcome to Dhaka, Bangladesh,

home to the world's most dangerous

roads and public transportation.

In this video, I'm going to be taking you all around Dhaka

to show you how everyday people commute to school and to work.

And we begin right here

on this crazy train.

to take you in this moment of my life right now is just absolutely bizarre.

It's hard to explain the feeling, the dust in my eyes, this the horn

in my ears, but just seeing all these people smiling on the train like

this your everyday commute.

While it might be crazy for me and you, like this is normal life

for so many people.

I'm literally about to go deaf on this train.

I've never felt a loud sound in my brain like I do with this train horn.

I guess this would be the fastest way to get through the crazy traffic in town.

The streets are just mob.

Look at all these people just coming to get down when the train stops.

>> Oh my god, bro. Insane.

All these people are just

not paying for tickets.

Just getting on and off the train.

>> Hey bro, how are you? >> I am fine.

Where are you from?

>> Where are you from? >> Grand Canyon.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> Making friends left and right out here.

I'm too scared to go up on top of the train.

So, I gave my little camera. >> hell, bro.

I gave my camera to a kid

who's now up there with the camera.

It's too scary for me.

And I can't hear anything.

I feel like I just went deaf.

That's the guy I gave my camera to right there.

Hey, The craziest thing about this bar is it's wiggly. Like, it's wiggly.

Like, how is this going to save my life?

I can't even I can't even speak right >> hell.

>> Where are you going? business.

>> Business and these kids, they go to >> They coming down now city Dhaka,

my >> The kid is sitting on the horn.

>> My head is pounding as I arrive at the train station.

Dhaka is the most chaotic city on earth and that's why I'm meeting up

with my local friend Nadir

so he can help me navigate these streets.

I read a stat that 15 people die every day in public transportation in Dhaka.

It's like I mean I've been in accidents

and stuff so like I'm not

>> super shocked that people die but that's dangerous as hell.

So I I can see why.

>> How many times have you taken the train?

>> A lot as a kid.

I mean that was

biggest way to like get in and out of the

city >> There's an entire economy around this train.

They sell all kinds of foods,

items, things that you buy in stores. How are you? >> Fine. And you? >> I'm good.

Where are you going right now on the train? >> Yes, sir. >> Your country? >> America. Rosenel. >> Yeah. >> Hey, buddy.

That kid just literally flew off of a train moving this fast.

Where were you coming from just now?

>> It's It's a city called Jo.

>> You jumped out of the train.

It was moving so fast. Are you okay? >> Yeah.

It's It's a day-to-day thing.

It really doesn't matter to me.

>> What's in the orange bag?

So basically they're collecting all the plastic bottles and they sell it to the

you know like the public who he's a hustler.

You just take the train back home when you're done with the day.

>> So he basically lives on this platform on these stations at night.

So he doesn't quite often go to his village.

>> He lives alone on the train platform

and he's 10 years old. >> Holy crap.

>> I want to help this kid somehow.

So every 2 3 months he goes back to his

>> What do your parents do?

>> So he doesn't have his father.

His mother works in the

RMG sector, the garments factory.

>> In Dhaka, tens of thousands of children make their living selling snacks, flowers, or

trinkets on buses and trains.

Many are barely teenagers

earning just a few dollars a day.

For them, public transport isn't a way to get somewhere.

It's the marketplace that keeps their families alive.

So before we try out more ways to get around the city, I'm determined

to make this day one day that this kid will never forget.

Man, I am not well right now.

All my energy is completely drained.

And after that train ride, my head is spinning

and straight into the madness on the streets of Dhaka we go.

>> I have this crazy headache right now.

I don't know how people do that every single day.

We brought the little kids with us.

>> This is how we kidnap people. We're professional kidnappers.

>> I brought you with us because I want to take you to lunch and

and hang out for a bit.

Is that okay with you >> Trust me. >> No, I'm not.

>> They're having the day of their lives right now.

>> And right now we're stuck in crazy traffic.

Is this just completely normal for you?

>> Yeah, that's it's it's

very good traffic at this moment.

>> So, if this is good traffic, what's bad traffic?

The bad traffic is when you're stuck

standill like stuck for hours. >> 6 p.m.

That's when you don't want to go somewhere on the other side of the city.

>> We've made it to a restaurant here.

Taking our friends from the train

to get some nice food. That's so cute. He loves mate. Look at that.

That's the cutest thing ever. >> You like that?

Someday you're going to have that.

>> I saw you guys hanging on the side of a train, so I think

it's it's nice to calm down a second and have a meal.

>> How many years have you been on the >> 3 years. >> Out of home.

Some people just got lost.

Aren't you ever scared like when you're riding in the train that

you're going to fall off?

Like this kid, he had one arm

and one leg hanging off the edge.

He's like, I got to die someday.

>> Basically, there's a lot of accidents on the rain, right?

So they they often do the pull out the dead bodies. >> What? Yeah. >> Cleaning the corpses. >> Clean corpses.

The people that are hanging off the side,

have you ever seen them fall off and die?

>> Just saw it a few days ago. in the morning.

>> Even he saw it.

The little one saw it as well.

>> Just had a great meal and now he doesn't know yet, but we're going

to go to a market and buy

anything that he wants.

He can pick out anything he wants.

Him and his friend. >> Hi.

The kid wants to say hi. >> Hi. >> That's my wife.

>> He's so handsome, Drew. >> I know.

>> Show him your ear piercings. >> Yeah.

Look, he has his ear pierced. >> Is that real? Yeah, I do.

We just got some food and now we're going to the market.

He wants to He doesn't know yet, but we're going to buy him a bunch

of >> Can you buy him shoes for me?

>> Yeah, that's the first thing he asked for was shoes. Okay. All right. Say goodbye. Bye-bye. >> Bye. >> Bye, D. >> Bye. Love you. See you.

>> His first ever pair of shoes. >> He needs socks.

Yeah, we got to get some socks cuz like I run barefoot on trains.

I don't need socks.

It's like what is this for?

>> I'm going to show you how to tie your shoes. Okay. >> So, like this.

Then you cross like this. Make a bow. Yes.

Around and and then pull it. Hey, dude.

I feel like Hold on.

When I was younger, I think it took me like a day to learn

how to tie my shoes.

Definitely took me a while.

>> You just did it on the second try. >> All right.

We got the shoes out of success.

So now we are getting some clothes,

letting him pick out whatever he wants.

He was scared to get on the escalator.

He was like, "What is that?"

>> He's not afraid of getting on top of a train, but he's afraid of

an escalator for some reason.

Now he sees all the, you know, this is more kid-entric.

>> We got new pair of shoes, 10 shirts, and pants

all in these bags here. There we go. Good.

>> And his friend is now shopping for the same behind me.

It's very hectic and very chaotic here just to go into a market, but we're all good. >> I'm very happy.

>> It's hard to pull myself away from such a sweet kid.

But after a few hugs goodbye, I'm ready to experience the old town of

Dhaka, which is one of the most vibrant and overwhelming places on Earth.

I'm walking in old Dhaka

and the dude is following me with smoke machine.

I have no explanation for that.

>> So you grew up in Bangladesh, born and

>> Grew up in this city in the south side of the city.

Not Yeah, not far from >> when I talk to you, it's like I'm talking to an American.

Like you just like have the aura. >> Yeah.

I spent 10 years in the States.

So, I moved when I like finished high school and moved to the States

back in >> Dude, don't get hit by a car, bro.

After living in the States for so long,

like it's so different than here.

What are your thoughts like walking around these streets right now?

I mean, it's for me it's so chaotic.

>> Even though I grew up here, it always like whenever I come back, it

takes me a while to get used to the honking, to get used to

the traffic, you know?

But like once you get used to it, it's not that bad.

I mean, I got to be honest though, like this place is more chaotic

than any city I've been to in India.

Just like the number of people in one place, I think this is >> bigger than anything.

>> There's like 25 million people unofficially

that live in Dhaka. That's just insane.

The traffic is so incredibly bad here.

Like how does that shape the culture of Bangladesh?

>> Let's talk about the city here because that's where the traffic is in Dhaka.

Like my friends that move to another part of the city, let's say when

we're in 10th grade, all of a sudden from seeing them every day, I'll

see them like maybe on the weekends or once every >> So that's kind of sad.

Like the traffic is so bad that you can't even see your friends if they leave.

>> There's lots of improvements, but there's still like more and more people coming in.

>> The gridlock is so bad.

Like it prevents them from getting to meetings.

It prevents them from working more.

It prevents them from having more family

>> There's definitely a lot of time spent

on trying to get to where you want to work on a daily basis

>> and not trying to get run over.

>> This part of town, old town, is definitely like not for beginners, let's

>> Tell me about this old town.

Like it feels really historic and the streets are super narrow.

>> I mean, it's old town.

It's the most culturally

rich part of town.

There's a lot going on here, but because this was built, you know, this

is the oldest part of town,

it doesn't have the widest streets.

It definitely doesn't have

>> Walking through the little markets here. Windy little alleys.

You can find anything here.

Gold, silver, shirts, hats, women's bras.

Hey man, how are you? Hi.

>> I don't know what this guy's carrying, but it is extremely heavy.

Everywhere in Oldtown, there's people hustling.

They got their shops.

Like this guy, he's selling peanuts, chips, everything.

And he's just carrying it on a wooden plank.

It's really inspiring to see that.

Like they're not begging on the street.

They just have little shops here.

This is a more quiet little narrow alleyway of town, but the old town is so busy.

And everywhere you look, there's things to process.

Colors, sights, smells, food, and I am exhausted. Damn.

One day running around Dhaka, I'm just freaking dead, man.

And I still can't hear straight from the train.

It's not for the faint-hearted, that's for sure.

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All right, now let's head back to the crazy streets of Dhaka.

Right now we are riding on a rickshaw

which is a preferred method to get around Dhaka.

There's over 1 million rickshaws

in this city, more than any other city on Earth.

And a lot of them are manpowered.

They're just riding a bicycle. It's insane.

The cost for a ride about 40. Pretty cheap.

There's like electric rickshas

now and uh we just call them Teslas

now because they're our electric cars, let's say.

>> Is this like how you traveled as a kid?

>> Yeah, I mean rickshaw is definitely the most uh common means of transportation.

I don't think that we didn't have a car growing up.

This is how I would go to school.

This is how I go for like tutoring.

This is how I'd go play basketball.

Unless the traffic was bad so bad, walking was faster.

>> I don't think people realize

the scale of this country.

There's 170 million people living here and Bangladesh

is the size of Iowa.

You know, in the western world, like we know about Bangladesh, but we don't

think about it being so

>> A lot of people don't even realize it's a country.

When I told them that they're like, "Yeah, it's it's one of the most populous countries on earth."

>> And the language of Bangla is like the sixth most spoken language.

>> Sixth most spoken first language.

There's 170 million of us that speak it.

It's actually one of the most widely

spoken languages on Earth that no one really knows about. >> No, dude. Thank you, bro.

Crossing the road here is getting real Oh boy.

Now it makes sense why Daca's

consistently ranked as one of the most unlivable cities in the world.

It's just the chaos, man.

You know the craziest part about being in Dhaka is you don't see a single other tourist.

Not a single one.

It's actually one of the least visited countries in the world

in terms of tourists that visit every year.

A lot of people go to neighboring India or even Nepal or Myanmar.

I mean those are way more popular.

Like you see the signs are not in English.

Like actually none of them are in English.

It's actually sometimes faster to walk than it would be to take any form

of public transportation or maybe as fast to walk.

Sometimes it's just like if you got to get like 1 kilometer away,

just start moving your feet, bro.

Hi, what's your name?

>> Hi, my name is Lucky.

>> I like that's a really cool name. Lucky.

So, I came here because

in my opinion, this is like the craziest traffic and the busy busiest city in the world.

Is it difficult living here as a local

when things are so hard to get from point A to point B?

you know when you

have to go to your work or your school I mean when you're in

a schedule so it's really tough and you

be in a stress that oh no I I I need to go there

in time but when you are not and you have available time in your

hand it's okay like now I'm here with my sister and we're just roaming

around so it's fun

believe it or not Bangladesh

loses over $3 billion

annually just due to traffic congestion

that is simply hours lost for people that are unable to get to work

but despite all the chaos

Bangladesh actually has one of the world's fastest growing economies,

which just shows you that even in gridlock, there is momentum.

Hey, look, they got Best Buy.

My white shoes are toast in this mud.

Nadir and I have found a little corner here off the main road to

get a little shave and a massage for under a dollar.

>> Dude, in Oklahoma, that'd be like 30 bucks, bro. He's pretty aggressive. I like that. Oh, man. Starting off strong. Holy dude.

He's squeezing like as hard as he can. Woo!

Oh, it's like a neck crack as well as a head massage.

Dude, these guys do not mess around with the pressure.

This only costs 50 taka, which is like 40 cents, dude.

His grip pressure is absolutely insane.

I'm going to have bruises tomorrow.

Massages like this don't exist elsewhere around the world.

It's like I've only had them in South Asia. Mystery water. Okay, thank you.

Donovan, I feel like a completely new person.

Nadir and I are about to get on a public bus in Dhaka. Wish us luck.

Oh How are we going to get in here, man? Oh my god.

Is the bus moving already?

Are you getting out? >> Oh, sorry.

>> It's usually when you're trying to get out of a bus, you have to

like start preparing two stops in advance or you're not going to make it to

the door in >> Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Yeah, you can get out. Bye-bye.

>> Let me get out of the door.

>> Where am I going to go?

>> Oh my god, man.

When's the last time you were on a bus like this?

It's probably been like a decade honestly.

>> They're like they want to get out. >> Go ahead. >> Which country?

>> There's a line of people trying to >> Okay. I got you. >> How are you?

>> Have a nice day, bro. >> See you guys. Yep. See you. See you. Yep. Oh my god. Falling over. Yeah.

>> How do people do this? This is insane.

Like this is literally me 5 days a week.

So anytime I was going to another

place that was far away,

bus is usually the fastest and the cheapest.

>> And it was always this hectic. >> Yeah.

I mean it this is not that bad.

It can be more hectic for sure.

>> This guy's holding my belly. Thank you.

How much is a bus ticket? >> 30 takas.

So it's like 20 20 cents.

25 less than 25 cents for like a oneway

>> You got to just punch the ceiling.

That's the best way.

So, the women sit up front in the bus and the men sit in

the back for the most part.

It's really interesting how it works.

Use your left foot to step off

or the momentum will drag you back.

>> Use my left foot to step off.

That was about as crazy as a bus ride could possibly get.

>> In Dhaka, the wealth gap is staggering.

You can step off a crowded bus and just minutes later be looking out

from a luxury rooftop.

It really feels like two worlds stacked on top of each other.

Standing up here on a balcony overlooking

the extremely polluted river of Dhaka. It's crazy.

All these huge fairies are going to neighboring cities.

Like people ride it for 6 8 hours

and they're big boats like four decks

and then you have all the small wooden boats that cross the river which

we're about to go down and try.

It's just crazy to feel the scale of this river.

So many people cross it every day

and it's extremely stinky and polluted.

Tell me a little bit about what it's like to live in Dhaka.

>> Of course, it's one of the most densely

populated places in the world.

So, there's like no matter where you go, there's an insane amount of people

and with that like there's a lot of noise and traffic and

you know, whatever comes with that.

>> I know that you grew up here, so it's it's normal for you, but

like how does that impact your life that you're stuck in traffic all the time >> here? It's just insane.

Like, you can see the contrast when you go to another city.

I know that you're young, but if you could say any message to people

in the world, any words of wisdom, what would you tell them?

>> You'll feel like the world sort of like tries to push you down a

lot, but if you get through that, like if you get through that feeling,

you'll find that you can achieve honestly a lot.

Honestly, like more than you thought you

>> Are you from Bangladesh?

>> So, yeah, my parents are Bangladeshi.

I'm actually from England. >> You're from England.

And what's your experience like being in Dhaka right now?

I've tried every mode of transport.

Today I went on the metro rail which was really fun.

Um I've also learned how to ride a motorbike.

Uh which was amazing.

I I managed to drive on the expressway.

I really enjoyed that. Yeah. Yeah, I did. I did.

>> my story here is about like the traffic and the chaos and like how

are people living in this insane

traffic and the dangerous roads.

>> You know what's really nice about the people here?

They're very patient and resilient. >> That is true.

They managed to get out of very sticky situations very easily and quickly.

They've got eyes in the back of their head.

>> We're going to try some bond because she says she likes it.

First, we got to cross the road.

>> Well, obviously you need to be careful because people don't care about space here.

So, you just got to show that you exist here. >> Yeah. Use your authority. >> I do. I do actually.

When I >> How do you deal with all like the the stairs on the

street and like maybe harass them?

>> I stare back at them. >> Okay, good answer.

Is this approved by my name?

>> So, I said the sweet bun.

>> Cuz I quite like that one. >> Okay. Cool.

>> So, do you want one, too? >> Go on.

>> Uh, I'll try it for a second, but I won't be able to like

>> You can handle it. Come on. Let's go.

Let's do it together. Hey, Buddha.

>> Because you grew up in the UK, but you're Bangladeshi.

Do you have like an identity crisis a little bit? >> Oh, absolutely.

>> Because you're always fighting both sides, aren't you?

You know, the societal

attitudes here are very different.

Conservative in some ways,

liberal in some ways.

I mean over there Bangladeshies

are also conservative in other ways.

>> It's like a thousand different flavors in one. >> You like that? >> Yeah, I do. >> Keep chewing.

>> It makes your teeth like red, >> does it? >> I love it.

>> I think I've had enough already.

>> No, you have to keep chewing it.

The good bit is still coming.

>> I I'm chewing it more.

>> When the juice starts to go Oh, wow. It's nice.

>> It's nice, but I'm going to have diarrhea for like 3 days.

No, you don't wish for things like that.

>> There's all these dudes trying to get us to ride their boat.

There's so many wooden boats here.

It is said that 50 to 100,000

people cross this river every single day.

That's more than some

It's funny that this is the most peace and calmness

we've had on this whole trip so far.

If you ever visit Dhaka,

you have to take this boat ride.

It's totally worth it.

It's a different perspective of the city.

It's really beautiful out here.

So, how much is this boat ride?

>> It's 10 Taka per person, which is like 8 cents.

That's the most enjoyable 8 cents I think I've spent in my entire life.

We are floating in a sea of diesel,

fish, and lots of people. >> how are you?

>> So, they just finished their exams for school.

Like, it's like a Thursday weekend.

So, they're just going out for like a family trip.

Just going out chilling in the river.

>> It's really nice right now.

The call to prayer is coming on.

All the lights are illuminating the city.

It's like the most peaceful moment I've had in a long time, bro. This is wonderful.

It's a lot happening, but all of it combined somehow feels peaceful. >> So, food.

Yeah, I think it gave us some >> What is it? >> Thank you.

The lovely family just gave us some bread.

It's like a donut. >> Try it. Yeah.

As we float down the river, I can't help but think about how insane

the last 24 hours have been taking trains, rickshaws,

buses, cars, and boats across Dhaka.

It's loud, it's crowded,

it's unpredictable, but it's also full of life.

That's the beauty of Bangladesh.

Beneath all the honking and the hustle, there's this unstoppable

rhythm that keeps everything flowing.

So, while the roads might be dangerous,

the spirit of the Bangladeshi

people is what truly drives this city forward.

Thanks again to My Heritage for sponsoring this video.

Scan the QR code or click the link below and use code Binsky to

get My Heritage for $25.

I'll see you guys next week as we explore the smallest and wackiest homes in Amsterdam.