Bangladesh Highlights

Some photographic highlights from my time in Bangladesh

In Bhutan

Bhutan 2

In the Bandarbans

On the river

Golfing at the Army course

Moroccan dinner party

Leaving Bangladesh

Today is my last Dhaka in Bangladesh as I fly out to Australia tonight before beginning a new job in Kathmandu. So here's a summary of my time here - the good and the bad . . . . .

The good

• made some great friends and met some lovely people
• the kids at school were generally nice
• lots of nice restaurants particularly Samdado, Soi 71, Sajna, Koreana, Bamboo Shoot and Dhaba
• Cheap to get clothes copies - a necessity for women as next to impossible to buy women's western clothes here
• Lots of crafty and/or fabric products to buy here and often really cheap
• took up golf again as it is relatively cheap to play at the "Army" course - about $20 for 18 holes (plus golf gloves were cheap to buy too)
• my nice apartment with a view that I will miss although instead I am going to a classroom with a view to die for
• having the Australian Club to escape to
• some interesting sightseeing opportunities in Bangladesh: Sundarbans, Bandarbans and Syhlet/Srmongal
• getting the opportunity to visit Bhutan
• having a maid to do the cleaning
  

The bad

• being stared at continually by males such as the guys working on building the apartment block next to mine spending 10 minutes staring at me putting the laundry out on the balcony
• the very slow and crazy traffic in which there seems to be no road rules (or they are ignored) and many of the drivers do not have licences
• electricity cuts: this time last year it was one hour on and one hour off but this year it is better
• the difficulty of getting alcohol including not being able to get it at restaurants with you meals (lucky I don't drink much)
• giving up getting home from work in the van when I have already been in it an hour, instead getting out and walking the second half
• hartels (strikes) disrupting both school and out of school life
• getting through immigration and collecting baggage at the airport when returning to Dhaka
• air pollution and smog particularly the particulate matter. Tends to cause coughs and sinus infections a lot
• Men urinating in the street all the time. Almost every time I go out I see one of more
• SPITTING (say no more) as the globs are everywhere
• mosquitoes and their dreaded Dengue Fever, which I managed to avoid. Keeping them outside is a real challenge
• bad drivers - try reversing up the road, driving the wrong way, turning from the furthest lane and so it goes on. That is without the continual hoking of horns. Then there are the pedestrians with a death wish and rickshaws that ignore the cars . . . .

Have I enjoyed it? Yes and no but it is interesting but it is time for me to leave as many of "The Bads" are really getting to me.

Brass village shopping

A few weeks ago, before the trip to Bhutan, a few of went back to Dhamrai, the brass village just outside of Dhaka. This time our aim was shopping and I bought the lovely brass elephant above. It is a tea light candle elephant that had just been released from its clay cast. This cute elephant cost 7000 Taka, less than $100 - a bargain for a hand-made, individual craft piece. Even better in my opinion is that it helps to keep the lost-wax method of making objects alive.
I had just better watch out that I don't buy another piece tomorrow at the Canadian Club!!

Paro and new software

To combine some of my Paro photos plus show the highlights, I used a new program (for me) called Collage Creator.
The highlights of Paro are

• the dzong - once a fortress and now a combination of monastery and municipal centre
• the National Museum situated in the spiralling, shell-shaped former watchtower that overlooks the dzong
• Paro airport - the place of arrival for most visitors with stunning views from the plane as it descends in. Only Druk Air, Bhutan's own airline, flies into Bhutan and has just two planes!
• Tigers Nest Monastery - unbelievable location, located atop a 400 metre high sheer rock face and only accessible by foot. A tough hike to get there and some stunningly ornate and highly decorated to see when you get there.
  

Bhutan

Been a bit slack lately but have just come back from 8 days in Bhutan and 6 days in India. Bhutan - what can I say, all of us thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to return. Fresh air, mountains, forests, friendly people, stunning architecture and great food. What more could a person ask for.

Here are a few of my favourite photos - others to follow later.

Monk at Punakha Dzong

Paro valley & dzong

Tigers Nest Monastery

Punakha Dzong

Haa Valley farmer

By the way, we travelled with Bridge to Bhutan.

Aussie Rules arrives in Bangladesh

Read about the arrival of Aussie Rules in Dhaka here. Articles such as this one in the Financial Express, were published in all the English-language newspapers last week after a game at ISD that was supported by the Australian High Commission.

Sightseeing around the Bandarban

When we got out and about, this is some of what we saw.

Golden Temple or Pagoda

While in the Bandarban, we took a short trip through the pouring rain to visit the Golden Temple or Golden Pagoda, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Bangladesh. It was spectacular with lots of gold paint plus had spectacular views across the surrounding countryside.
Here it is:

This was taken while travelling back down the 4WD track from the temple. Not quite how it was meant to work out but I like it all the same.

Hillside Resort in the Bandarban

More than a week ago, a group of us went on a long weekend trip to the Bandarban. This is a forested, hilly region of Bangladesh on the Burma border. It was so good to get into the fresh air, amongst the greenery and away from the crowds of staring people.
Here's some pictures of the resort we stayed at: Hillside Resort
Breakfast with a view

Our "home" for the weekend

What a view! This is from the verandah outside the restaurant at the Hillside Resort.

River Trip again

One of the best ways to get away from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka is to take a river cruise - a chance to escape the crowds and beggars, get a cooling breeze and get further away from the stares. I think this one was cruise number three. here are some photos.

Bhawal National Park

Last weekend when Alice and I had a van we decided we'd visit a forest not far out of Dhaka. It is actually called Bhawal National Park. Although only meant to take 1 hour to get there, it took almost 2 but did take less than 1 to get back. It is less than 38 km!!
A forest?? Not exactly what I would call a forest in Australian terms. Yes it was a collection of trees but I actually wonder if they were planted at some time as they seemed to be quite orderly. Underneath the trees was just dried leaves, no bushes, few grasses, no flowers. Tracks and footpaths wound around the park with a lake that has numerous arms in the centre of the park This lake provides a focus with short boat trips an option, fishing rods for hire (but not sure if you would actually catch anything) plus the banks are a nice place on which to sit. There are also pony rides, rickshaws for the lazy and a cleared dirt area in the middle, which appears to be the ground for organised cricket matches.
Visiting on a Friday, it was obvious that the park is a popular picnic spot for locals over the weekend. There was bus after bus parked there. But a Bangladeshi picnic consists of taking huge cooking pots, like 1 metre across, lighting a small fire, and cooking or reheating using these pots.
It was a nice change of scenery but I would also be curious to see it at a time of the eyar when it wasn't so dry. Mind you, then there would probably be mud and leeches!
Here are a few photos.

The Army Golf Course in Dhaka

FINALLY . . . . . . I managed to take my camera with me to the golf course, mind it didn't help my golf much at all for the first few holes while I was taking photos.
This is the 9-hole golf course that we mostly play. There is also an 18-hole one of international standard where lots of tournaments are held and the huge amounts of water manage to grab lots of my balls. This is the practice putting green below.

Anyway the Army course only really has water that cause problems on the 2nd and 3rd holes, where i still manage to lose a ball or two. But it is really nice to get out onto the green grass, amongst the trees rather than being on the dirty streets and continually being stared. As it is directly next to the international airport, there are frequent interruptions from noisy planes taking off. So low is the Saudi Airlines plane on take off every single time that I am sure a high golf shot would hit it. There is also colourful bouganvilleas, some other trees that had lots off pink flowers on the weekend and the "instant" gardens that are a feature of Bangladesh. You go to the nursery and buy already flowering plants such as pansies, salvia, asters, petunias and even dahlias, then put them in the ground. But off course they don't last long as the poor plants have a very limited root system. There is no clubhouse at the moment but they are still working on the huge one being built there and hopefully it is getting closer to opening as most of the surrounding fencing has been torn down.


Then of course, the exercise is much needed and sometimes I think my golf is getting a little better!!

Next to the golf course one of the locals goes fishing!

Back to Dhamrai & Savar

At the brass shop

Last weekend I went back to Dhamrai, the brass village, for the 4th or 5th time. It is always great to get out of Dhaka plus the village is great for taking photographs and the brass shop is interesting. But I think I will have to go back again and buy a brass elephant that holds a tea light candle. But a need to buy a tile to sit it on beforehand. It is always good to have an excuse to go back. Here are some photos of the traditional "lost wax" method used to produce the brass objects.

The wax mould of the cast

Breaking open the clay mould to reveal the brass statue

Wandering around the village is always fun, especially if the women in their colourful saris are walking around spreading the rice, or pushing it into rows or sweeping in between the rows. The bridge over the almost dry river, provides an ideal place to look down on this.

Sweeping the rice

Watching the women working on the rice

Boy watering the street

Decoration of a rickshaw seat

On the way we stopped twice in Savar. Once at the golf course to check out the details of playing - cost, availability etc, and the other at the Martyrs Memorial no doubt more crowded than usual because it was a long weekend.

Some of the very friendly visitors.

One of the best kept gardens in Bangladesh is around the Martyr's Memorial

Some pompom ducks for sale outside the Martyr's Memorial