Bangladesh

The Chittagong Hill Tracts need special permits for foreigners — arrange them in advance through a local fixer/guide; ours handled everything and it was seamless. Sangu River boat ride through the hills, tribal markets and villages: nothing else in Bangladesh looks like this. Don't show up permitless.

Bangladesh visa on arrival at Dhaka airport: $51 cash, printed hotel booking + return ticket, polite officers, faster than expected (Lithuanian passports). Old Dhaka by rickshaw — Lalbagh Fort, Ahsan Manzil, the Sadarghat river chaos — is one of the great city experiences. 36 million people worth of energy.