Raw Hasan – Journeys Against the Odds

From border detentions to UNESCO wonders — the solo, independent travels of a Bangladeshi, with one of the world’s weakest passports.

Latest Stories

Day 4

| April 7, 2025

Malacca to Kuala Lumpur

Trip:

Malacca to Kuala Lumpur

One last look at Malacca UNESCO World Heritage Town, and traveling to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

Read The Full Story

Day 3

| April 6, 2025

Temples, Parades, and a Cloudburst: Exploring Malacca UNESCO Town

Trip:

Temples, Parades, and a Cloudburst: Exploring Malacca UNESCO Town

Discovering a monk's parade at the oldest functioning Buddhist temple in Malaysia, passing an old mosque with a minaret resembling a Chinese pagoda, wrong light for photography at the Dutch Square, closed Sultanate Palace for a weekly holiday, stuck in the rain in the afternoon, and wrapping up the day with Pakistani chicken tikka.

Read The Full Story

Day 2

| April 5, 2025

Book First, Enter Later: Surviving Malaysia Immigration with a Bangladeshi Passport

Trip:

Book First, Enter Later: Surviving Malaysia Immigration with a Bangladeshi Passport

Hardle at Kuala Lumpur Immigration—booking two more hotel nights on airport Wi-Fi, and a 12-day stamp instead of 30. Then came the scrapes—bus-counter runaround, failed card payments, terrible exchange rates, no SIM, and a vanished hotel—before enjoying Malacca’s night market.

Read The Full Story

Day 1

| April 4, 2025

Fake Visa Link, Real Flight: Dhaka → Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia

Trip:

Fake Visa Link, Real Flight: Dhaka → Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia

Starting my Southeast Asia trip after applying for a Malaysia e-visa on a fake website but getting a real visa, carry-on sent to the hold for being overweight, unexpectedly easy Bangladesh immigration, a solid lounge dinner, roaming finally fixed, and boarding a delayed AK 70 flight to Kuala Lumpur with the window seat 6A.

Read The Full Story

Day 24

| May 31, 2024

Walking 12 km? Ala Archa National Park the Hard Way

Trip:

Walking 12 km? Ala Archa National Park the Hard Way

Skipped the $70 tour and did Ala Archa DIY. After the wrong stop and no lunch, I took a Yandex taxi to the gate, scammed by an old lady, bargained for a ride inside, and—when attempted to walk 12 km back to the entrance because of no available rides—tried hitchhiking. Ended at Osh Bazaar with the best meal in two days and a Beeline top-up saga.

Read The Full Story