Travel by Waterway: Expectations vs. Reality

When you think of modes of transportation, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Probably planes, or buses, or maybe even trains. However, waterways are also present on various important routes around Bangladesh.

Despite having been on a few cruises and short boat rides, I'd never been on one of the small ships or steamers that routinely travel on river routes around the country until recently. Naturally, I had some expectations about this new experience, most of which were quite far from the truth.

Expectation: Nothing but water for miles around. Exposure to movies like Titanic and Life of Pi, combined with my own overactive imagination, led me to believe that I would be surrounded by an infinite expanse of water. I didn't expect the water to be crystal clear, being aware of our nation's pollution levels, but I was completely prepared to witness murky water stretching out to meet the sky at the far-off horizon, with no land in sight.

Reality: There was land, close enough for one to see the people on it. Moreover, the "infinite expanse of water" contained a variety of things, such as bottles of soft drinks, newspapers, empty packets of chips, full packets of chips (what kind of a monster would do that?), and random sandals. Clearly, I was ignorant of the exact level of pollution in Bangladesh.

Expectation: The menu would consist entirely of seafood which would probably be raw and cause food poisoning.

Okay, so maybe nothing that extreme would happen, but I had braced myself for a not-so-satisfactory meal. My experiences with food on other means of transportation were probably the reason behind this way of thinking.

Reality: The food tasted much better than food on trains. They even had chicken nuggets, which was enough to greatly increase my respect for Bangladesh's water transport sector.

Expectation: I'll admit, I was looking forward to a moment where I would be standing on the deck, looking out into the vast openness, and suddenly find new meaning of life. 

Reality: I did not, in fact, manage to find a new meaning of life, but I did have a minor existential crisis while standing at the prow of the steamer. There is something both breathtaking and terrifying about witnessing the seemingly endless sky while moving across a river of unknown depths. It really reminds you of your own insignificance in the vast universe (once you get over the fact that most of the sky above is covered in smog and the river water is littered with an assortment of objects).

Expectation: I'll drown. Again, this was also the result of exposure to movies like Titanic and Life of Pi, combined with my own overactive imagination. Concern from friends and family also contributed. 

Reality: Surprisingly, I didn't drown. 

Despite being a hopeless fangirl, Marisha Aziz lives under delusions of awesomeness. Contact her at marisha.aziz@gmail.com to give her another excuse to ignore her teetering pile of life problems.