Very Unusual Stare

Today I went on my normal day as usual to visit one of my regular sites that I visit. I got a rickshaw and went straight to the CNG stand. Found a CNG and waited for two more people before heading. There came in a mother with her two boys and her daughter. As soon as she entered, she started from my toes and up to my clothes, every part of it even the stitched of my shalwa kamizes. Ok, I have been stared and asked questions but this was very unusual. She came to my face and towards my heard/hair. I was wearing my sunglasses and was observing every bit of her facial expressions. So I got out my camera and got some pictures of her to distract her but most importantly I wanted to post it on the web blog. When she was done with the staring she physically moved my head side ways to see my ears and then my nose. Finally she asked the questions that I get every daily move of my life either from men of women; am I married, do I have children. So I answered her questions the same way I answer the others who ask the same question. I said, I am not married and not ready to get married now. She paused for a while and she asked...is it a problem, and my answer was not a problem at all. The reason I am sharing this because people here can do what ever they want to do to you... This was my extreme part of experiencing Bangladesh.

Nepal Trip

One week Retreat in Nepal

This is Nepal, in Dhelikhule a small town where we had nice time there. We walked to the buddha temple and we almost ran back to the guest house back because was getting dark. These flag like things hunging on the third pic above are prayer flags.

Ghoripani Trekk

Berinthi

These pics were taken at the begin of our loop.

These pics are Himalayas range

These pics were taken from the room where we were staying; amazing. We woke up at 4:30 am next morning to see these view again together with the crowd but never cleared up and never saw them again. It was a walk of 3 thousand pulse meter up.

Chromrong rest area, nice houses and a little walk down and found the hot spring.

The fourth day pics, heading back to the loop; can you see the rainbow clearly...amazing place place

These are the sturdy ladies, walked the steep hills..yep people there call hills 9 plus thousand feet tall hills.

Motorcycle, Nose pierced, Rabbit housing and Ramadan

Motorcycle

I have not been so faithful with my blog so I will try as much as possible to fill you with what I have been doing so far. First thing is my motorcycle, I practice in the morning but lately have not because I have been so tired. Its kind a scooter version, and is wel suited for me, its the right size for me... not that I dont want to try the bigger enegine motorcycles.

Nose Pierced

Another thing I did here is that I got my nose pierced. I have never done piercing before so this is my first move. Anywhere, they didnt do it well and I got it off my nose. I kept it for three days and the third night I went to a friends friend to take it out because it was hard for me to take it out. Its was painful and was swollen...how sad is that. However, I have a small black hole on my left side of my nose... so I gues thats the sign that will show that I have got my nose pierced.

Rabbit housing

I have started my project with rabbit housing. I thought this was going to be an easy job.. small size houses and will take less than two weeks but no...its taking for ever. Its pretty small and takes so much time putting these small pieces together. However, they are coming together finally and hopefully next two days I will finish it. By the way I am not the one building them, but a farmer who was selected to do the project with is doing it. I am having problem with downloading pictures and hope put the shorts one at a time. There are about five treatments that I have come up with but time has not allowed me to carry on with one of them so I am slipping one and doing only four. There are bamboo mud house, bamboo house, wire netted and half bamboo half mud house. There are about seven replications and hope that they turn out well.

Bamboo treatment only but mud and wire is yet to post

these kids come watch me every day as we work

Ramadan

Is the big month for the Muslims. It started two days ago and will last of this month. This is the month when most of the Muslims fast, no water even if its so hot or, and of course not a single edible thing goes in their month. I did follow some of the things their did in the beginning of the Ramadan, like using a neem twig to clean my teeth, by the way it actually worked. I talked with someone mentioned that as early as five year old kids start the fasting. They start their fast after their prayer in the morning at 4:30 and have a heavy breakfast and go without food for the rest of the day and break their fasting at 6:30 after their prayer. Along the road there are speacial sweets made a wait for the breaking of their fasting.. people would buy as much as they can and share with everyone. Thats the fasting days/month and then the killing of cattles will come after that...

Rice

Rice, rice, rice, rice fields every where, no men is rested, back bended, covered with dirt up to their knees and faces. Rice is everything in Bangladesh, as I have mentioned in my previous blog that its the main staple food and it is also the staple food for most of the Asian cuntries. Well rice is really something here, its a lot of work planting it. Its not just the planting part but your first harvest you will not eat it as soon as it comes out from the field but has to go through a lot of process. Drying, washing, drying, turning and eventually its pulp but may be after your second set of rice planting is done. How sad is that, waiting for three months of rice growing period till harvested and one month of fallow period and a week of preparing the land for second planting and three to four weeks of tranplanting...yes its alot of work. I see why Bangali spare no grain on the plate because of the hard work, and this makes me appreciate rice in someways, knowing how much work it involves. I was just talking with a Bengali that one should come up with a machine that can plant the rice seedling. So its the fields of rice you pass through as you go to work or just field visit and its rice.

Seasonal Fruits

Its the next season of the year, summer. Although people have mentioned that Bangladesh gets pretty hot heavy rainfall during the summer season this year has been a great change. Its been raining but not downfall and its not terribly hot. Although there was one time I remember down fall was really heavy that we drove so slowly because we could not see the road at all. Anyhow, summer season is the season for second planting of rice and farmers are out in rice fields working their guts out. There is not much machine is involve, the rice fields are big yet it is cover by rice seedlings at the end of the day by 5 to 10 men working. Since rice is their main staple food, the other crops are season, rice is at least grown threes times a year.

The season for mango is almost gone and season for delicious Lichie (same family of Rabutang) is gone. While waiting for the mango season to arrive we have been eating pineapples from the one specific area Piragacha. These pineapples are very juicy and of course so fresh. The other crops are mostly grown in one particular area in bulk and sold. I have visited this area and have seen rows and rows of pineapple garden, taro garden banana garden and sugar-cane garden trees and it is so refreshing. Here are some pics I took, and I visited when it was pineapple season.

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Pirgacha Pineaple, the pineaple season, its almost over now.

I have a house

Recently I moved to my new house in Bogra. I may have mentioned that the whole office in Sirajganj moved. Anyhow, my move was very easy since I have so little stuff to move. but then I had to look for new stuff to fit into my new home for the next 2 years and may be few more months in Bangladesh. Its small but new, has two bed rooms with kitchen and two toilet and I am having the kitchen to myself, whow, I love it. It needs more furnitures and more face lif but I will do that as daysgo by but for now who cares I have my own house and I am so excited about it.

transportation system

Here in Bangladesh, there are so many different types of transportation. From the smallest to the biggest and driving is so crazy, I mean you as a foreigner, you have to be aware of everything when you are on the road. Even if it is the big highway, you just have to cross the road raising you hand as a sign to slow them down, isnt thats amazing. I mean it fricks me out but it works here. The road is not just meant for vehicles or anything with wheels but its also made for human, both men and wheeled things.



There are transports for longer trips and transports for few minutes walk to your office or you home. When a person is walking on the road you have to honk for more than five times or rather continuous honking than they move aside to the side walk. If you have a big truck or tranportations that have big engine than the two lane road is all yours. Anywhere, I should stop here and say something about each of the transports.

Far trips

Big airconditioned buses or not conditioned, trains and airoplanes are available for long trips like going to districts. Train is the cheapest for the three transportations for long trips.

City transportation
Small buses, open vehicles that have been changed to carry passagers, taxises, CNGs, rickshas, vangari. The cheapest transports are ricksha, vangari and the local buses but slower so when thinking of going faster, take a CNG or a taxi. Some times they will reap you off because youre foreigner. Of course if you have you own vehicle/bicycle, motorcycle, scooter which also adds to the trasnport systems here.

Mobil Gari, local bus and CNG

motorcycle and Black taxi

Outskirts of the city
outside the city lots of ricksha, vangari, tempo gari and mobil gari(car) available for moving around and of course person transportations are also included.

village transportation
There is ricksha, vangari and tempo gari available.

Van Gari and Tempo


Ricksha is mentioned in all sectors of this country and therefore it is most popular transportation in the country. it is very strong unlike bicycles. It has a crank shaft which is powered by man. it can take you to a 5- 10 km and if youre good bargainer then you almost get there very cheap. However, rickshaw is now allowed in some roads, but they do a good job taking you where you want to go if the rickshawal knows the route well. CNG stands for compressed Nitrogen gas and it is enviromental friendly. it is a three wheeled trasnsportation which a hard seats built to it and it an carry one person to four.