Living in Dhaka with the everyday chaos of the roads and constant noise and not really having anywhere much to walk we decided to investigate the International clubs. New Zealand doesn’t have an embassy in Dhaka so we looked at clubs that gave entry into other clubs to keep our options open.

The Bagha Club is affiliated to the British High Commission  and signing up was relatively straight forward if you held an EU passport. One thing about these clubs is that they all serve alcohol so G was able to have a much longed for beer along with a Beef and Guinness pie which perked him up no end.

The expat bubble no doubt exist in this richer part of Dhaka but there is something to be said for these clubs as they do provide a temporary shelter to help foreigners escape the harsh realities of life here which assault your senses on every street corner. They provide air-conditioned restaurants, tennis courts, swimming pools, gyms and spas as well as small libraries. Most offer tennis, art and swimming lessons as well as yoga, they are great places to meet others and to realise you’re not the only foreigners in Dhaka!

There are nine Expat clubs in Dhaka, American, Australian, Bagha, British, Canadian, German, Dutch and The International club. Some are more precious than others, American and Canadian are not open to outsiders, the Australian club isn’t open to Aussies unless they are affiliated with the Embassy which riles the Aussies working here long-term as they have to join other clubs in order to gain entry. So far we have visited the Nordic Club and the Dutch club, their restaurants are up to international standards and are heavily discounted, the food is great .

Sometimes temporarily escaping from the sights of poverty on the streets is what is needed to help you cope.