Blogs from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Asia - page 15

Here are some views from around a lake nearby my hotel. This was yesterday at 6:45 AM. People were excercising all around the lake. The men's exercise group meets daily and the men were very friendly, spoke english and had been working out hard. The guard was very friendly and spoke good english. Many of the outfits that the women wear are very beautiful. I am surviving the food. Breakfast was at hotel with egg, fruit. toast - lunch was buffet at Grameen Bank - chicken, potoes, etc - most way too spicy, some OK - for dinner four of us eat in the hotel - most (the youunger ones went out), I was too worn out to go out. I had a bowl of corn chowder (was delute but very tasty), french fries (for nourishment ... read more

November 24, 2007 - 9:30 AM PST and 11:30 PM Bangladesh Time Hello From Bangladesh: I am pooped and need to crash - but wanted to get this blog going. I have a Internet hardwired connection to my room. Muhammad Yunus will speak to us in the morning - VERY exciting. They passed out schedule and tons or reading materials. I saw the third world first hand coming from airport - what an experience - horns blowing, cars and pedestrians totally intermingled with rickshaws, animals, etc. The Great Adventurer ... read more

And the answer is to stare! Yes Bangladesh is certainly a country of starers... But it is friendly and curious stares and when you flash the gazers a smile, you will see a sea of smiles returning... Give them the Muslim greeting of Salaam Alaikum and you will have made a thousand friends! Not many tourists go to Bangladesh, which is unfortunate, because it has a lot to offer... Friendly locals, historic sights, beaches, beautiful and serene countryside’s, and an interesting culture... On top of this the country is a lot cheaper than India... Bangladesh is also a country of cycle rickshaws... Yes, here the cycle rickshaw rules the street, not the car... This makes the smaller town pleasantly quiet, with only the ringing of the rickshaws to disturb the peace... And of course Bangladesh is ... read more

Well, I guess the word saga has certain connotations to it. It wasn't all THAT bad. A little, but hey. Well, it started off by us gals heading off to a Bengali beauty parlour, yes you heard me, to be "assembled". It really is a complicated procedure. One that I could never achieve in 7 lifetimes. This involved heading into a changing room with 3 other AYADs and a multitude of sari technicians, some of which came and went as freely from the room as you would any other room minus self-conscious semi naked people. I felt a little exposed. Anyway, it took around 20 minutes and we were done. Very tightly around the stomach mind you. Regretted not amending this at the time, as I was filling my stomach with rice and chicken later in ... read more

I hate talking in the third person, I find it terribly pretentious but I like the alliteration. Has a nice ring to it, eh? So yeah, I'm in Bangers. Arrived midnight Bengali time, about 4am Australian time. As the plane was landing, the captain informed us that it was 39 degrees celsius outside...and it was midnight!! I had been worried about going through customs what with my year's supply of cockroach baits, anti-mould thingys and um...mooncakes given to me in Singapore, but it turns out there was none. Not for 'us'. We just got waived through, as the locals had to go through the process. I was glad, because I was tired and poopy with customs for confiscating my toothpaste, sunscreen (they aint got none in Bangers, and yeah its hot), and a few other 'liquids' ... read more