Whirlwind trip to Bangladesh...

Home from Vietnam on January 2.  Ryan's 5th Birthday on January 4.  Left for a whirlwind work trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 5.  Whew!

My days in Bangladesh were few in number and almost all work.  I did escape for a few walks during lunch breaks as well as managed to squeeze in a 1/2 day of exploring before my late-night flight home.  It was a short period of time, but I captured a few scenes and a few thoughts.  It was my first time visiting a predominantly Muslim country and that, in and of itself, was fascinating to see, think about, and try to understand.

• I was in a 15 story office building for 3 days and I saw exactly ONE other woman
• When my hotel shuttle didn't show up at the airport, everyone (and I do mean everyone) was trying to help.  Security guards calling on their personal cell phones and such...
• As my colleague said, "these buses look like they are made out of paper mache'"
• LOVED the food
• Family of 4 on a motorcycle - just like Vietnam
• So many modes of transportation - rickshaw, CNG, bikes, motorcycles, big buses, small buses, wagon-type rickshaws, horse-drawn carriages, ferry boats, dugouts...
• 20 million people in Dhaka, yet I saw sheep on the road, monkeys on a roof, and a herd of goats on a leash
• Hatirjheel (it means elephant big pond) lake and bridges - built and financed solely by the Bangladeshi government with no donor assistance - and clearly a sense of pride of the Bangladeshi people 
• The first day I was in Dhaka, there was a nationwide "strike" (called a hartal) to protest the fuel price hike.  For fear of vandalism on the streets, no taxis or traffic was out and about, but we were able to find a CNG to take us to the office for our first day of the workshop.
• CNG - the little green car/tricycles that run on Compressed Natural Gas (hence the name CNG)
• Rickshaws ... and more rickshaws... as evidenced by my photos.  I was fascinated by the ornate decorations and the sheer number of them on the roads.
• Traffic, traffic, and more traffic.  Eight km to the airport takes more than 1/2 hour in a taxi. 
• Predominantly Muslim - Our workshop stopped several times/day for prayer and the workweek is Sunday-Thursday.  I was sooo confused by what day it was the entire time I was there.
• On my half day Dhaka adventure, I explored the Sadarghat Boat Terminal (one of the busies river ports), Shankharia Bazaar / Hindu Street in Old Dhaka, the Big Pink Palace.  A smattering of photos is below.

My favorite photos of Dhaka...

A ringmaker I happened upon during a lunch-break meander near the office

Paper mache bus

One of many ubiquitous CNGs

The Hatirjheel Lake and Bridge

Family of 4 on a motorcycle

More rickshaws...

Yet another mode of transportation - horse-drawn carriage (and this wasn't a tourist thing)

At the Sadarghat Boat Terminal

I thought these looked like grave markers, but turns out they are used for grinding spices...

Making snacks - chapati, I think?

Another paper mache' bus...

The carrying-on-the-head trick - this is everywhere!

The beautiful Bangla script...

OK, I was just amused by this.
This is the elevator in the Bangladeshi Engineering Office Building.
I took the stairs...

The Pink Palace