Christmas in Bangladesh and India

Since Bangladesh is a predominately Muslim country, you don't see many (if any) Christmas decorations around, and you definitely don't see your typical Christmas trees.  There are a few nurseries on the road near our apartment, so I stopped there to see if I could find a tree that would suffice.  Turns out they had trees that looked just like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, and therefore I just had to buy one!  When I got home with my tree, Shanti (our housekeeper) oohed and ahhed and asked me how much I paid for it.  I'm always reluctant to tell her how much I pay for things as she always tuk tuks at me and says I paid waaaay too much.  This was no exception.  Except this time she actually screeched when I told her, and she said 'Oh, no.  These people see you white and charge you way, way, way too much!'.  It's funny because I actually thought I did a good job talking them down on their price.  Oh well.  In the US we pay double or triple the amount for a tree that will die in a few weeks.  At least our tree is potted and alive!

Our tree!  I was happy to find 220 voltage Christmas lights at a handicraft shop catered to westerners.

It's been quite chilly in Bangladesh the past week.  At night and in the morning it's in the 50's, and during the day it's in the mid to upper 60's.  The Bangladeshi's wear extremely thick parkas, earmuffs, hats, scarves, and thick sweaters to keep warm (at night and during the day) while we come in from playing tennis in our shorts and t-shirts drenched in sweat.  Quite the contrast!

The other day when Shanti arrived at our house, she pointed at a bag on the floor (that she brought with her) and said I should take a look in it.  Inside were two wrapped presents that she said came from 'Sandman'.  I smiled and asked, 'Santa?' and she nodded with a big smile on her face.  So that night we exchanged gifts while listening to Christmas music.  Shanti bought me a beautiful sari, and she bought him a lungi and cloth.  Lungis are skirts that the locals wear - they are quite versatile in that they can be worn as a skirt or tied and wrapped up as shorts.  Everyone wears them (except for the men going to an office).  The construction workers, the rickshaw drivers, and all the other guys you see on the streets.  The cloth can be worn around the head or over their shoulders.  He was extremely excited about this gift.

I know you're wondering why he is posing like this, and I promise you it's for a reason.  The Bangladeshi's always bend down like this instead of bending at the back.  A lot of the locals prepare their meals on the ground, and they all work in this position instead of sitting on the floor or sitting on chairs.

We leave for India tomorrow morning for 10 days.  We'll be riding camels in the desert overnight on Christmas Eve - it'll be my first time in a desert!  Then we'll head to a couple other cities and visit the Taj Mahal.  It'll be a very different Christmas for us this year!  We're sad to be away from family and friends, but excited for such a unique experience.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Beautiful Sri Lanka

One of the many perks of this job is that he has to attend trainings in his field, and they just so happen to be in various countries around the world.  Since we're currently in Southeast Asia, they tend to limit him to that area - but that's ok by us!  So this past week he had a training in Colombo, Sri Lanka and I decided to join him for vacation - a great perk for me!

The flights to and from Dhaka are always quite interesting.  And by interesting I mean frustrating.  Most of the passengers tend to be flying to the Middle East for work or traveling for the Hajj; therefore they're usually not accustomed to flying in an airplane (i.e. talking loudly amongst themselves, hitting the seats in front of them, yelling from one end of the plane to the other, horrible bathroom etiquette, and so on).  Therefore I've learned to use the bathroom in the beginning of the flight, bring my iPhone and headphones, and request the window seat of the exit row.

So our first couple of days in Sri Lanka were spent on the beautiful beach in Unawatuna.  On our drive south, we stopped in Galle to look around and get some lunch.  Galle used to be the main port city on the island, and when the Portuguese arrived they built Galle Fort, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Although the Portuguese originally built the fort, it was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century, and is also referred to as the Dutch Fort.

A view of the Indian Ocean from Galle Fort

The lighthouse in Galle

After a quick stop in Galle, we continued to Unawatuna.  The beach was beautiful, the food was great, and the locals were wonderful. One thing we noticed was how many locals were on the beach and in the water - and specifically how much fun they were having.  After being in Bangladesh for 3 months, we hadn't realized how hard-working and reserved the locals are until we arrived in Sri Lanka. It was such a great feeling to see the locals playing and laughing and just having a good time.  It was incredibly refreshing.

The sunset from our guest house in Unawatuna

Sri Lankan tea as we enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean

We only stayed in Unawatuna for one night since we had to be back to Colombo for the training.  While we were only there for 24 hours, we were able to get on a boat and go snorkeling, have some drinks on the beach, and relax.  We were a bit disappointed by the snorkeling as we forgot that the tsunami in 2004 would have wiped out the coral.  Even so, it was still great being on the water, and the boat owners were wonderful.  We left Unawatuna relaxed and very sunburned (actually, I was the only one sunburned - my stupid husband and his Asian-ness!)  :)

While staying at our hotel in Colombo, I notice the hotel staff rolling out a red carpet from the entrance to the elevators.  I think nothing of it as I head out for my exciting day of, no, not sightseeing, but going to the movies!  Yes, I know I am in Sri Lanka, so "why are you going to the cinema?  There are so many beautiful things to see in Colombo!"  I swear every tuk tuk driver asked me why I was going to the cinema.  They just don't understand - I haven't been to a movie since Bangkok, and the new Twilight movie is out!  There are no movie theaters in Dhaka, so when I saw a big sign for the movie as we drove past, I was determined to go see it.  And I did.  And it was awesome.  At least the experience was awesome.  The trailers were so strange and foreign, and I had to close my ears during them as they were so unbearably loud.  Also, halfway through the film it just stopped; and then comes blaring techno music.  So strange. Turns out they have intermissions at their theaters.  I was not expecting that!

So back to the red carpet.  When I returned from the cinema to my hotel, there was a huge metal detector in the entrance.  I was a bit confused as it wasn't there before.  Then I notice these guys in the lobby:

Turns out the Prime Minister of Qatar was coming, and this was his welcoming party.  I just had to take a photo.  We didn't stay for the big arrival, but I heard it was quite a show.

One of my favorite parts of Colombo was having drinks at the Galle Face Hotel overlooking the ocean.  I wish I had pictures - a friend of ours took some good ones, so when I get them I'll share.  We walked along Galle Face Green which is a big open area of grass along the coast in Colombo.  I read that the Dutch wanted a clear path for their cannons at the time, and therefore nothing was developed - whatever the reason, it's a beautiful stretch of green (and I really miss big, green areas!).  Along the walk we encountered some locals playing in the water.

There were dozens of vendors selling food and drinks along Galle Face Green.  Below is a picture of the common food for sale: 3 shrimp on some sort of cake thing.  I didn't ask what it was, and we weren't adventurous enough to try one. ;)

The Sri Lankan Flag at Galle Face Hotel - what a cool flag

One thing I really like to do when in a foreign country is go to their local grocery store (if they have one).  One western supermarket there is called Keells, and the one we went to was enormous!  It had such a huge selection.  I actually bought some cheese to bring back with me :)  So in the store, they had these Christmas gift packages that were hilarious.  See below.  There were many combinations, but I thought this one was the funniest.

Would you like some ketchup and Pringles with your Red Label Johnnie Walker?  No?  How about some Austrian Processed Cheese?

The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists, followed by Hindus, Muslims and Christians.  Even though 70% are Buddhist, the government celebrates the holidays of all 4 religions.  Talk about a lot of days off work!  So this means that everyone celebrates Christmas, therefore Christmas songs and decorations were everywhere.  It really helped me get into the Christmas spirit as there is nothing here in Dhaka (except at the expats' homes).  It also made me miss home - but then again lots of things make me miss home.

Below are photos from Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo

This elephant was chained at the temple.  He kept rocking back and forth, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.  This is one of the many reasons why I won't visit zoos in developing countries.

Below is Sima Malaka Meditation Centre on Beira Lake in Colombo

Boys carrying colorful umbrellas for some ceremony at the meditation centre

While in Colombo, I did a lot of walking around.  I visited a couple parks - Viharamahadevi Park where I got lost (the signs in the park are false!) and this park below near the meditation centre.  One thing I noticed in Colombo was the massive amount of couples snuggling.  At every park, basically every place where there was a bench or a place to sit down, there were couples cuddling and snogging (yes, Harry Potter reference!)  I felt funny taking photos of them, but I was able to get this photo with two couples in each corner.  Some couples had an umbrella for the sun and would put it in front of them to block what they were doing.  I'm not sure why they were just sitting around - don't they have work or school to go to? :)

Paddle boats in Beira Lake

I took a lot of tuk tuks around, and I felt very comfortable.  Even though they wanted to take me to the fake elephant festival, they were genuinely nice, friendly people.  They would ask once, and if I said no, they wouldn't pester me.  They all asked me where I was from, and when I said America, they would turn around with a big smile and say, "America!?".  They were very excited.  One driver told me that out of 10 foreigners, it would be "1 American, 9 English and Australian".  And I definitely got that impression.  America is a far way away! There were also some locals who would proudly announce, "Barack Obama!!" after I would say I'm American.  A couple even gave a thumbs up.

My time in Sri Lanka was great, and I definitely want to go back.  I didn't make it to the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, or the north (mainly because I didn't want to go alone and didn't have much time).  But hopefully we will have a chance to go back and visit more of Sri Lanka!

Streets in Bangladesh

Now that we have a car and a driver, getting around in Dhaka is much more enjoyable.  By the simple task of rolling up our windows, we can avoid the nose-pinching smells, the beggars yelling, 'Baksheesh!', and a fraction of the stares.  Unfortunately we don't have tinted windows, so we can't avoid the stares completely, but I think I've gotten much more accustomed to it at this point.  Every now and then a beggar will tap on the window with his or her face against it while asking for money.  I've heard a few stories of foreigners giving the beggars money, and then no longer being able to drive away due to the mass of people surrounding the car.  I have not done this, and I intend to keep it that way.  We've decided to identify a few charities that we'd like to give money to - at least that way we know where the money is going.

The other day when I was in the car with our driver, I witnessed a man getting hit by a car.  The car was going quite fast, and the impact sent the man flying through the air.  The man was able to get up, pick up his suitcase and walk toward the car.  The scariest part was not the actual accident.  It was when dozens of men surrounded the car and started pulling on the driver's shirt collar to drag him out of the car.  At that point, I looked at our driver and yelled, 'go!'.  The last thing I wanted was to get mixed up in that mess.

Another common thing to see while driving around is men urinating in the streets.  The first time I noticed it I was completely shocked and didn't actually believe what I was seeing.  The men squat down and face away from the road (thank goodness), and just 'go' in the open.  On the streets, on the occasional sidewalk, in a field - wherever.  One day when we were driving past a grocery store, a boy about the age of 10 was urinating on the store's steps - it's quite common, and I can't help being surprised every time I see it.

Living in a developing country definitely has it's startling moments - these were just a few of them.  I'm sure I'll see many more things (shocking in both positive and negative ways) in the next couple years and I'm very excited to learn more!

Sari Weaving

The last place we stopped on our boat tour was Noapara Village where they specialize in Jamdani weaving.  Jamdani weaving is one of the most time and labor intensive forms of hand loom weaving, and it originated in Bangladesh.  According to our guide, it takes two people a month and a half to complete a sari - and that is working every day (and it's probably more than an 8 hour day).  Jamdani weaving is mainly used for saris, but they weave scarves as well.  

When we arrived in the village, we walked through the street toward the 'factory'.  This 'factory' consisted of a couple small huts where about 12 workers per hut were weaving the saris.  Some of the workers were quite young, while others were probably around my age.  These huts had around 6 weaving 'machines' above a dirt floor.  The floor had holes dug out so the workers could sit down with their legs below them (like a normal chair, except without back support - oh yeah, and except for the fact that they were sitting on the ground).  The huts were small, and the lighting was awful.  The guide informed us that the workers tend to go blind by the age of 40 due to the low lighting and labor intensive work.  

The sari weaving huts and machines

A close up of the work in progress

While we were standing outside, a Bangladeshi guy came over to me and gestured toward the hut.  I assumed he wanted me to go inside and see more of the weaving, so I followed.  He pointed toward the machine, and I eventually understood that he wanted me to sit down.  I was quite excited by this, and therefore I attempted to get underneath the machine and sit down.  Well, if you haven't figured out by now, I am a giant compared to Bangladeshis.  I even tower above the men.  So, maneuvering between the machines and trying to stick my legs underneath the machine was quite the ordeal.  Luckily I didn't damage anything in the process.  Once I sat down, the guy showed me how to weave the material.  After 4 or 5 attempts, I was finally able to complete the simplest task of pushing the loom from one side to the other without it falling.  

A friend learning the task

As we left the village, many of the children followed us and said goodbye 

Ships

Another interesting thing we saw along the river were the ships.  I knew Bangladesh was famous for its shipwrecking, but I didn't realize that ships were also built here.  We saw a couple dozen ships along the riverbank being built out of wood and scrap metal.  Quite interesting!

Freshening up the paint job

Ships in the various stages of being built

Every time I saw one of these ships I thought it was sinking...  I even asked one of the guides why they were so low, but I don't think he understood what I was asking.  I've gotten pretty used to asking locals questions and getting a response that has nothing to do with what I've asked.  Either that or they just don't respond at all.  I really need to learn some Bangla!

Instead of SS in front of the ship names like we have in the US, they all had MV

I'm really enjoying my time in Bangladesh so far - being in a developing country is such a fun and exciting experience.  Even though it has its difficulties, things like this boat tour really make it worthwhile. 

The Village Life

Our boat trip went through small villages outside of Dhaka, and it was really interesting to see the locals bathing, washing their clothes, and swimming along the riverbanks.  Some of the women who were bathing or washing their clothes in the river would cover their heads as our boat went by.  Many of the children we saw would run and jump into the river and attempt to swim out to us.  One boy was actually able to grab onto the boat for a few seconds before letting go.  And everyone waved to us - people in boats, along the riverbank, and when we walked through the villages.  

The boy in the bottom of the picture is the one who got a hold of our boat 

Some fishing boats along the riverbank 

More bathing/playing children

We saw a lot of boats carrying various things including bricks, vegetables and water plants

Here's a good picture of the houses along the river and the locals bathing and washing their clothes  

One of the many nice things about being on the river was how quiet it was.  There was the occasional screaming group of kids yelling hello while waving and jumping up and down, but that was about it.  At least that was all we heard until we came across the boat pictured below.  The boat was blaring loud Hindi music (at least I believe it was Hindi) and all of the women were dressed provocatively (for Bangladesh, that is) and dancing.  I absolutely could not believe my eyes.  The women here are EXTREMELY reserved - this was the last thing I thought I'd see in a Bangladeshi village.  As they passed by, I overheard another woman on our boat talking to the guide.  Apparently this boat consisted of hijras, a South Asian term used to describe physiological males who have a feminine gender identity.  Hijras live in well-defined, all-hijra communities led by a guru, and they 'adopt' boys who are rejected by, or flee their biological family.

The word hijra is Urdu, derived from the Arabic root meaning "leaving one's tribe" and is now used in the Hindi language.  Hijras have a long recorded history in the Indian subcontinent that dates back to the Kama Sutra period, between 400 BC and 200 AD!  After hearing about them on the boat for the first time, I proceeded to google it when I got home.  It is really quite fascinating!

Stay tuned for more river boat pictures - shipbuilding and sari weaving coming soon! :)

River Boat Cruise

On Saturday we went on a boat cruise outside of Dhaka.  It was so nice to get out of the bustling city and enjoy a relaxing day on the water.  The weather was beautiful, the air was clean, and there were no honking cars or loud noises.

A river boat tour was a perfect way to get to know Bangladesh.  The country essentially is the river delta of the Padma (Ganges in India), Meghna, and Brahmaputra Rivers that drain the Himalayas, the second largest river delta in the world behind the Amazon.  The river we were on connected to the Meghna and eventually to the Bay of Bengal.  As you can see, rivers and boats are at the core of Bangladeshi culture.

It was incredible to see the abrupt change as soon as we left Dhaka.  At one moment all you could see was concrete buildings, and in the blink of an eye it was wide open areas.  Some of the areas were beautiful and green, while others were areas filled with massive amounts of garbage.  We saw a lot of women sorting through the trash, and we passed by a recycling plant where the women were taking out all of the plastic garbage.  

Below is a picture of the typical boats we saw along our trip.  Notice how they appear to be mostly underwater.

When we arrived and got out of the van, crowds of people lined up to get a glimpse of the Americans.

More locals trying to get a good stare in

Our boat!

A typical Bangladeshi boat.  Our guide told us that these are the types of boats they have in Chittagong. 

In the first village where we docked, Murapra, they had a jute factory.  Jute is very popular here as it is used in many things including handbags, rugs, etc.  I was surprised to see that it very closely resembles my hair :)

Below is the Hindu Zamindars Palace that has been converted into a government college.

  

A close up of the palace

There are ponds in the front of the palace and in the back.  The pond in the front of the palace was where the men bathed (which doubled as a toilet!), and the pond in the rear was where the women bathed.  Below is a boat in the men's toilet.

Squash!

Big squash!

These kids were running around the area playing when I asked if I could take their 'chobi'.  They all stopped and smiled for the camera.  The guide told us later that they didn't believe I had taken a photo because there was no flash.  When I went up to them to show them the photo they all laughed and smiled.

Check out the English words in the middle - we think they were going for 'sheet'.

Planting rice along the riverbank (at least we think it was rice).

A boy asked for his picture to be taken and proceeded to pose :)

The river tour lasted all day, and I have many more pictures to share.  After leaving this village, we cruised for awhile longer before docking at a sari weaving village.  Stay tuned for some more Bangladeshi culture!