Blogs from Bangladesh, Asia - page 12

Sorry all for the lack of blogging over the past week or so. I was waiting and waiting until i had anything interesting to say...then i was ill, after that my modem died. If there's one thing i've learnt, its that in Bangladesh, me and technology do not mix!! So i shall start from the last blog! We arrived back from Srimangal to Chittagong as a ghost town. As it was Eid-ul-Azha on Wednesday 16th, huge numbers of people were travelling out of the big cities and back to their ancestral homes in villages across the country. Those that stayed had in store for us one of the weirdest scenes i have ever seen. This Eid was all about sacrifice and slaughter, families bought cows and goats and marched them along the streets. On the morning ... read more

I have just returned from a spectacular holiday in Srimangal, the tea capital of Bangladesh and, as the title suggests, one of the most relaxing and serene places in the country - if not the world! I urge anyone coming to Bangladesh to give themselves sometime to go and just be among the wildlife, people and scenery. Day One The trip started with a seven hour train journey from Chittagong to Srimangal. We decided to take a day train so that we could see the scenery the train passed through. Arriving at Chittagong railway station, the train was, naturally, delayed. So we sat and became perhaps the biggest tourist attraction in the place - we were met with the usual open-mouthed stares and the common questions of 'What is your country?' and 'Where are you going?'. ... read more

As i hurtle into the second half of my 3 months here, i thought a time of reflection on the previous six weeks would be appropriate. So, here follows a list of rules and discoveries that must be followed by anyone coming to Bangladesh. 1. If you want something doing, ask four times. Or do it yourself This is particularly prevalent if you are working whilst here. At no point in these six weeks at CGS have i asked for something once, and got it straight away. Booking the school minibus is a great example, involving four or five phone calls or visits to the head, being told wildly different timings or reasons why i can't have the minibus, only to discover that it has been booked and will come. At which point i wait downstairs ... read more

On Wednesday, I had a Bangladeshi style holiday to Cox's Bazar - the longest unbroken beach in the world, and Bangladesh's number one tourist destination. Now, in your mind, this may strike up images of golden sands, beautiful quiet beach life and cocktails by the sea. Let me assure you that this is not the case. Cox's is an overdeveloped and pretty ugly beach resort that has all the charm of the Costa Del Sol, or my favourite, Sunny Beach in Bulgaria. It caters to the middle class Bangladeshis who wish for sun and sea, but without a care for the environment. Monstrously huge hotel complexes spring up at every turn, and the local people are left poor and without proper homes in the wake of this place. At the beach itself, as a foreigner, i ... read more

The time has come for me to write a blog from the heart about the poverty of this country. If you think you'll feel sick over my gushing sentiments - look away now. Ok, for all of you brave enough to stay on. I spent my Saturday morning at the Nurture Hospital and School just on the coast about an hour west of where i'm living. My journey there took me through some of the poorest areas of the city. I took a load of pictures along the journey just to show how horrendous the lives of some of these people are. I saw kids as young as 4 or 5 being used as rubbish sorters - basically they would clamber through piles of stinking rubbish to find anything that could be recycled. I imagine they ... read more