The comfortable bus, which carries not more passengers than the number of seals allows, goes straight from Dhaka to Gangni, a market place at some 125 miles west from the capital. The quality of bridges and roads has improved amazingly. Especially after crossing the Padma River, the traffic becomes less hectic. About one hour before arrival the scenery changes visibly. No longer do small yellowed and browned blades of dead paddy plants dominate, which have been under water too long. The water, which is often Bangladesh's best friend, has become this year in many areas a foe. This region is situated slightly higher than most other parts of the country. It is part of the dying delta. Therefore it has suffered less from the recent floods, and all at . once the familiar green of well growing paddy shows up, that powerful colour which gives the country its epithet of Golden Bengal. The villages lie hidden behind endless paddy fields, interspersed with small plantations of bananas or palm-trees, with jute-fields or groups of trees. In the early seventies there were no plantations. Unfortunately, the bananas are not exported', a passenger in the bus explains. 'Our country could earn much foreign currency with it.'