Uncovering Dhaka: 10 things to know

India's national cricket team continues to fight to defend its 2011 Asia Cup title in a match against Bangladesh today in Dhaka, a city that could very well be described as Asia's most discreet capital.  

Despite being spread over 150 square kilometers and home to an estimated 10 million people, Dhaka is not often a priority destination for travelers.

So what's there to know? Here are 10 things -- cricket included, of course -- that define the city.  

1. Crazy for cricket

Expect normally chaotic Dhaka to come to a stand still during Friday's match against India.

Bangladeshis are mad about cricket. Dhaka is home to the national stadium and many of the country's top stars; cricket is played everywhere: alleyways, parks, roads and even rooftops.

With the Asia Cup hosted by Bangladesh this year, the city is a blaze of green and red flags as kids run around cheering for the national team.

2. Dhaka is addicted to cha 

Fuel of the nation, cha (tea) is sold every few meters from stalls in the streets of Dhaka.

These sweet, milky, hot cups of tea are a Bangladeshi style caffeine fix.

Rickshaw drivers claim to drink up to 20 cups a day. If it can give them the power to fight their way through Dhaka, there must be something special about it.  

3. Rickshaw art is a serious business

Hindu gods, local film stars, depictions of Mecca and bizarre landscapes cover the rear flaps of Dhaka's rickshaws.

In a city of cycle rickshaws, the owners take their bodywork very seriously. 

Great pride is taken in a newly painted vehicle, and groups of drivers sit on street corners admiring the latest upgrades.

The artwork, created to order by young boys in crowded workshops on Bangsal Road in Old Dhaka, can be picked up cheaply as a great souvenir. 

4. World's worst traffic

You’ll be hard pressed to see the point of doing anything but walking in Dhaka.

Sure, many Asian cities could stake a claim for the world's worst traffic. But in Dhaka, congestion gets to bad "rush hour" is what they call the least busy times, when rushing is somewhat possible. 

A 2011 government report stated that traffic stands still for more than seven hours a day. 

Traffic lights function as mere decorations as hundreds of thousands of rickshaws, buses, carts, bicycles, cars and motorbikes battle for space.

Watching rickshaw drivers scream and ring their bells to be heard over the deafening horns of buses and cars can make for an entertaining afternoon. But only if you can catch your breath through the clouds of smoke.

As for getting around, it’s almost certainly quicker to walk, hop or crawl.

5. Home to a 300-year old market

Dhaka's 300-year-old Hindu Street is the center of Bangladesh's Hindu community.

In predominantly Muslim Dhaka, Shankaria Bazaar, known locally as Hindu Street, is a vibrant splash of color, craziness and cacophony.

The area was first settled 300 years ago by Hindu artisans, and the descendants of the original settlers continue to ply their crafts in tiny workshops tucked away in narrow alleyways. 

Look out for kite makers, jewelers, tombstone engravers and artists painting pictures of Hindu gods in these caverns behind the decorated shop fronts.

Shankaria Bazaar is in Old Dhaka, a 10-minute walk northwest of the Sadarghat Boat Terminal.