Touring Old Dhaka

Zia, our guide with Tours and Trips BD, covered a lot of Bangladeshi history in a short amount of time. After the morning market, we proceeded south into Old Dhaka to see a handful of heritage sites: a Catholic church, Armenian Orthodox church, a Hindu temple, their famous Star Mosque that is also on their currency, a garish pink palace/museum, the state university, a red fort, and a port on the Buriganga River.  

Even though he did a splendid job explaining the importance of each place, I had more fun making my way through the narrow alleys that were full of textiles for sale, street food, and jewelry vendors. Most people, he explained, lived upstairs and ran their shops downstairs on the main level. Housing is super narrow, some apartments legitimately measuring no wider than 6 feet across, but are 50 feet long and several floors tall. Lighting and wiring these places are nightmare, so the wiring stays outside, and most buildings under construction are never completed, lest the tenants have to start paying taxes. Legal loopholes, he said, are key to surviving and thriving for many.

Not all experiences in Dhaka were marvelous. Amongst dodging people and rickshaws, we also had to dodge open sewage and men taking leaks into them. Most of them wore lungis without underwear so they could gain easy access for a pee. I wondered aloud how women made it through the day, and Zia said they had to either hold it, or plan their days around bathroom breaks because modesty is a MUST. Women would get into serious trouble if they were caught "popping a squat" anywhere in public. 

Trash was everywhere. The sanitation services in Dhaka are lacking and underfunded, plus the communities are apathetic to a problem that seems insurmountable, according to journalists from the Daily Star (link). They argue in order to change into a habit of accountability, the community needs to change their psychology of how they think about trash management and break the habit loop. That said, the government needs to develop and enforce policy (link) and prioritize funding for municipal services. It doesn't help either that the land of Bangladesh is seated upon a delta, and countless inlets from the ocean mean they inherit whatever the ocean washes up to shore. In the end, the country deals with over 25,000 tons of trash per day (link) so a multifaceted plan of attack is needed, no matter who's to blame. (And to be fair, depending on who is conducting the study, Americans (link) generate the most trash in the world, so we can't really point fingers either. Unless it's to blame Canada (link), who are also listed as big time trash monsters.)

Regardless of the trash and pollution and noise, it is the local staff at the embassy with whom I spent the majority of my time, and shine brighter than anything. Hospitality in Dhaka is amazing, and kindness was noticed everywhere. We ate delicious homemade food, and were given valuable advice and knowledge about thriving in a hardcore city like Dhaka. We trained hard, laughed a lot, and shared common goals and ideas in deepening and strengthening community relationships. I walked away with more memories and appreciation for the country than I could have hoped for.  That, and lot of scarves. I may have gotten carried away with their beautiful cotton scarves.

Standing on the wall at Lalbagh Fort and not knowing what to do with my hands. 

First president of Bangladesh upon gaining independence from Pakistan, 1975.

University of Dhaka campus.

Port of Dhaka, Buriganga River.

Kids playing in the Buriganga River.

Buriganga River Port: overnight ferries and water taxis.

Piles of pineapple at the port.

Pink Palace, aka Ahsan Manzil Museum

Inside the Pink Palace: where all fashionable ladies gave birth,
on a marble bed self-draining capabilities. Metal cradle for bebe.

Netflix installation.

Marigolds and garland available for purchase
outside a Hindu temple.

Early morning setup before the breakfast rush.

Hazy commute to embassy,
crossing over Gulshan Lake.

Daily commute from annex to chancery through the Field of Snakes.

Bengalis capitalize on cricket,
but football will never die.