Care to go for a walk through the roads of Dhaka?

It's exactly like moving through an obstacle course. The only difference is that in an actual obstacle course you have a heads up about the obstacles you might find on your way but to your disappointment there's absolutely no way of anticipating what to expect in this case.

Along the way you'll encounter the most unlikely obstacles that too from the most unexpected places you can think of. Starting from footpath being not in the condition of walking to vehicles suddenly deciding up to startle you by popping up in front of you out of the blue, navigating through the roads of Dhaka city on foot is not at all a child's play.

You would have to constantly keep an eye around you on every direction including north, south, left, right, up as well as down. It's somewhat like walking on a tight rope, for if you lose your concentration even for a split-second you might end up in total chaos.

First of all the word "footpath" might give you the impression that the path is used for walking only and you can easily reach your destination just by taking to the footpath. But I kid you not when I say that in this concrete jungle of a city, footpaths are put to every other use except for walking.

As the footpaths are almost always occupied by all sorts of carts and roadside hawkers you would have to zigzag your way through them as if you were moving on the board of Pac-Man game.

However, the footpaths are not to be found everywhere as sometime they seem to magically disappear and then reappear again as per their own whim. Besides, you would have to face another obstacle while walking along the footpath as you'll find bicycles, bikes or even rickshaws resorting to the footpaths.

Finding it difficult to move through the crowd on the footpath, you might stumble upon the smart choice of walking along the side of the road. But sorry to burst your bubble you'll find the next obstacle there in the form of a series of vehicles parked all along the way.

Sometimes they would push you to the middle of the road just at the edge where speeding vehicles are inches away from brushing against your skin. So no, taking to the side of the road is not the easier option here.

Next comes the most tough part of this journey and that is to cross a road. It would be a real test of your skill on moving around the city by foot.

Although you might get lucky sometimes to find a foot-over bridge making the task easier for you, mostly you would have to rely just on your basic instinct and good judgement along with prior experience. Put one step wrong and you'll find yourself knocked down to the ground being hit by the mad bull-like vehicles plying on the road. 

Another challenge for you would be the blaring horns coming from vehicles moving past you on the road. On a busy day, walking on the streets of Dhaka can give you a headache from all the cacophony of horns. According to some studies, this noise pollution might fill you with palpitation, anxiety or anger as well.

It's already daunting enough to walk on the streets of Dhaka on a sunny day. But God forbid if you take on this challenge in monsoon, you might have to forfeit even before reaching halfway to your destination. And, the reason would be that you will probably find yourself in a swimming situation instead of walking, as the capital of Bangladesh turns into a poor man's Venice every now and then during the monsoon.

But, even if you are a champion swimmer, you definitely wouldn't have the courage to brave the mucky concoction brewed from the rain water mixed with drain water, replete with a variety of unmentionable waste.

Then there’s the fact that you have to constantly look over your shoulder while walking on the streets of this city. And the reason is that, you could get a glance of your next opponent, the pickpocket. Failure to do so would result in Mr Pickpocket picking your pocket or backpack to relieve you of the hardship of carrying your belongings. So, you better be prepared.

Meanwhile, there are manholes without lids hiding in plain sight like ninjas right in the middle of the pavement. You need to be extra careful around them, for if you miss just one step you'll either break your leg or just vanish inside in the blink of an eye.

There’s another obstacle you will definitely encounter on your way in the shape of the open dumpsters.  They are like the milestones that you can find at regular distances scattered all throughout the cities. The garbage just sits there rotting on the side of the road, smothering the surroundings with their horrible stench.

On a different note, if you are a woman you'll definitely find it somewhat more difficult to navigate through the roads of Dhaka on foot. Even if you are experienced enough that the constant stares do not bother you anymore, the creativity of repulsive comments made by complete strangers just in passing would make your blood boil.

After completing the course coming over all these obstacles on the way, the reward you get is nothing but your own dear life.  So what do you say, care to go on a walk through this maze called Dhaka?