Something in Bangladesh keeps calling me back. It could be the people, it could be there are no tourists there, or it could be it is simply a great country with so much to offer.
One of my favorite parts of Bangladesh is the over populated trains in which people just hitch a ride on them wherever, whenever and no one can control the chaos. This is true of Dhaka during the beginning of Eid at one of the main stations.
Along the long and winding jungle like roads to a village in the middle of no where, you will always find beautiful sites
Off to a small village for Eid was a great honor. It was the driver, Mr. Shohag’s village and I got to meet relatives and enjoy watching people divide up their cows and cut the meat to share with other families. It was extremely hot as the government had power shedding going on and electricity was off a lot, but it didn’t stop me from having a blast with people who spoke no English.
Leaving the village and heading into parts unknown proves to have some off the beaten path people and sites. Little known villagers to any traveler were beautiful to witness and even more beautiful than watching people go about their lives:
As we moved near to the Indian border with Bangladesh, the land got a lot more swampier, the people more unaware of any foreigners except what they have seen on TV as well as a lot of community farming which is used to feed entire villages. The people still being Muslim majority were now dotted with communities of Hindus and Christians, proving that religions should and can live together peacefully. Do note that hotels are less frequent in this part and NGO’s are usually the places to stay for the night.
Moving back away from the border, more inland, we passed scenes of people working away, and how the simple life leads to happiness. We watched people fish, people selling their produce on the side of the road and people genuinely trying to help each other out which is what we need to take note of in the developed world.
The next days activity saw us going to another home near the edge of a huge temple. We were able to go to a Hindu Village and walk around while they went about their daily lives. They all wondered why a foreigner with cameras would be in their village. The rest of the day saw me just walking around photographing the way of life…
Yet again the next day saw us passing through beautiful scenery and stumbling on villages upon villages that were tucked away behind rice fields. Again, people just doing normal day activities, providing for themselves and then selling off the rest. One Hindu village we popped into was very beautifully kept together with their mud houses and people running about….
Moving along the road with more great sites, we run across the biggest Mango Market in Asia where around 80 varieties of Mangoes are sold in bulk. People were friendly and stopping into houses to visit with locals was always a breathe of fresh air.
Finally the end of the trip after 9 or 10 days saw me going to an old pottery village that I have visited before to see the most beautiful lady that still works despite being 80 plus and is still as sharp as a tool.
Getting back to the hustle and bustle of Dhaka, the streets were full of color, people were on their way, and I once again re fell in love with this country…
