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dhaka: a digital nomad's chaotic first week

@Grace Miller2/14/2026blog

i landed in dhaka last week, after a sleepless flight that left me craving anything but another bus ride. the plane got stuck in a thunderstorm for five hours, the coffee tasted like burnt rubber, and the only thing that kept me alive was the promise of cheap eats. i just checked and it's *dry air and a temperature hovering at 19°C, feels like 17°C against my skin, humidity barely a whisper at 26%. if you start to feel the same vibe day after day, a short train to narayanganj or a quick bus ride to gazipur can shake things up. you get out of the city buzz, some fresh rice fields, and a new angle on the commute. the moment i stepped out of the airport, the smell of fried eggplant, diesel fumes, and the occasional stray cat that looked like it was auditioning for a street performance hit me like a welcome wave.

my first day was spent hunting wifi like a scavenger. the city’s wifi is a wild card - one minute you're streaming a podcast, the next you’re watching the loading circle spin forever. i found a decent hotspot in a co‑working space called Khan Elahi, tucked behind a bakery that serves biriyani on the side. the place has a printer that works without a ton of static, and the manager actually says “good morning” instead of “please sign in”. the air is still dry air, so my throat stays parched, and the low humidity means the coffee never gets sweaty. i also heard a rumor that the building’s electricity cuts happen like clockwork, so i kept a power bank handy for those inevitable blackouts.

i tried the famous Opor stew at a spot that popped up on TripAdvisor’s top‑10 list (check it out: TripAdvisor). the place was crowded, the food was spicy, and the waiters were shouting orders like a schoolyard. someone told me that the locals think the night markets are a scam unless you bring a friend who knows the secret deals. at Old Dhaka, the alleyways are a maze of smells - fried eggplant, sizzling fish, diesel fumes, and the occasional stray cat that looks like it’s auditioning for a street performance. i went for a cup of chai at a corner stand and got a free chicory shot when i asked for milk - that’s the kind of tiny local generosity that makes a digital nomad feel like they belong. i also sampled bhorta, a lip‑smacking mix of boiled egg, onion, and a pinch of chilies, straight from a street cart that had a Yelp rating of 4.2 ( Yelp ) but the locals warned me to avoid the stall near Rashid’s Corner after midnight - the drunk advice i overheard at a nearby bar claimed the neon sign never works, and the rickshaw fares double after 10 p.m.

if you want something beyond the city, a short train to narayanganj or a quick bus ride to gazipur can shake things up - both are just a few stops away and give you a new angle on the commute. i also heard a rumor that the Bangladesh National Museum is actually a hidden art hub that locals rarely visit, perfect for a low‑key day away. another tip: the boat trip to Baldhar costs less than a night out in New Market, but the drunk advice is to bring a raincoat because the sea can turn the river into a sludge‑filled adventure. for Rickshaw safety, you can lock in a price with a local driver who knows the language of street signs.

i’ve been hunting coffee spots, because the city’s coffee scene is a mix of local tea houses and a few hip cafés. the Cafe 39 down near Gulshan got a Yelp rating of 4.5, but a friend warned me about the Wi‑Fi there being as spotty as a monsoon rain. i tried the street coffee at a Rickshaw driver’s stand and got a shot of black espresso that made the temperature feel like a hug. later that night i dropped by an underground gig at Sundarbans Club, where the DJs were mixing Bollywood beats with trap tracks, and the crowd was half locals, half tourists who were clearly confused about the foreign currency. someone told me that the club has a secret backroom where they do light shows without electricity, and the police only check if you bring a camera.

for a solid overview, jump over to the Bangladesh Expat Forum for daily alerts on wifi outages, power cuts, and the occasional rickshaw price surge (here’s a thread: Expat Forum). if you’re hunting for the perfect co‑working vibe, check out the latest ranking on Nomad List: Nomad List. i also recommend adding a local board like Dhaka Street Food to your feed - they post fresh pics of the biriyani stalls that actually stay open past midnight. the city’s vibe is chaotic, but if you can tolerate a little dust, it’s surprisingly human*.

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About the author: Grace Miller

Student of life, taking notes for everyone else.

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