A whirlwind trip to Bangladesh

This is a very surreal post to write. What a week it has been.

For several weeks I've been excitedly looking forward to returning to Bangladesh for a second stint of professional volunteering. Two weeks of workshops and meetings were planned in Dhaka, then a similar week-long programme in Kathmandu, Nepal. I prepared early, updated all my travel immunisations and planned ways to minimise risk while still making the most of this incredible opportunity. My plans were guided by one principle: safety first.

And then it all changed. Covid-19 was declared a pandemic just as I was flying out of New Zealand. The risks increased exponentially while I was en route to Dhaka in a half-full plane. The country I'd left was very different to the one I returned to a week later.

The hysteria became palpable. Online shrieks ranged from "New Zealand has closed its border!" through to "you'll have to be in total isolation once you return!", "travellers should immediately put into quarantine or be arrested!" and "the government is covering up the truth!" It was then followed by some really bizarre advice from a 'surgeon': "drink water as it kills the virus. Also, the virus can't live in climates over 27°C (nope - Dhaka's average daily temperature is 30+°C) and take vitamin C and D supplements to build your immunity (in just one week!)". While drinking water and building your immunity is always a good idea, these messages are not helpful and only serve to spread misinformation. Seriously: wash your hands.

It's so hard to discern facts from among all the conjecture, unqualified social media commentary and random conspiracy theories, especially when you're relatively isolated in a developing country whose health system is not equipped to manage a pandemic (if any country's health system is).

Basically, there are (were?) four sources of truth for kiwi travellers planning a return journey. Since then, a dedicated Covid-19 site has been developed. The rest is mostly noise - including chain mail and click bait from well-meaning friends and family on Facebook. Don't @ me.

• Ministry of Health 
• SafeTravel 
• HealthLine NZ
• Your airline

But, despite how drastically circumstances changed, I actually had a really good time in Bangladesh and packed in as much activity as I could into what ended up being a flying visit: just five days in Dhaka sandwiched between two days of flying.

I tweeted much of my experience of getting home safely using the hashtag #TravellingWeka so won't repeat myself here. Instead I want to share my experiences in Dhaka and remember the good times long after the new post-Covid-19 normal emerges. One good thing about two weeks of self-isolation is that I have plenty of time to do this.