Five years ago today, I said farewell to a country I never thought I’d visit but hated to leave once I did. Bangladesh may not be on everyone’s bucket list, but traveling through it in 2017 left such an impression that I think of it every year this time. 

I remember long drives beneath trees planted by the British … and a boat trip through the Sunderbans, where we met villagers who plant mangroves to stem the rising tides. 

The last evening, I swam in the rooftop pool as the sky and deck turned the same, otherworldly shade of pink. I didn’t realize it then but the campylobacter food poisoning bacteria was most likely already in my system, an unwelcome souvenir I would bring home from this marvelous country. But still, even with the unpleasant afterword, I’d take the trip all over again. In a heartbeat.