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Article: River Journeys; On Bangladesh's Liquid Highways
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 6, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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In Bangladesh, a country laced with rivers and given to frequent
flooding, it's no surprise that boats are the most common means of
travel. About 5,000 miles of riverway are navigable in the crowded
little nation the size of Wisconsin, compared with 3,700 miles of
roadway, only 2,500 miles of which are paved.
Having sampled both last summer, I'd rather go by boat.
The national highways are washboard-rough and barely two lanes
wide, with no margin of error for passing. Steeply banked, they lie
about 25 feet above the surrounding flat landscape, elevated to
prevent their being washed out during the monsoon rains.
There are very few cars in Bangladesh, but plenty of traffic.
Trucks, ...