After a nice long rest, availed
myself of the excellent free buffet breakfast in the 19th floor
restaurant. Some Trip Advisor reviews have bemoaned the lack of
European or American breakfasts, but I quite liked the Bangla breakfast
which included Paratha (unleavened bread cooking in layers), daal, goat
shanks, papaya and pineapple juices, coffee (instant!), mixed veggies,
pancakes, toast and a few desserts, one of which was a carrot pudding
that tasted much like rice pudding. I ate a lot of the excellent daal.
Since it wasn't far from the
hotel, I decided to visit the War Liberation Museum first. After
reluctantly forking over the 7 cent admission fee, I was able to learn
about the ins and outs of the liberation war of 1971, the war from which
East Pakistan became Bangladesh. The atrocities committed against the
Bangla people by the Pakistanis are well-documented, along with the
heroic actions of the Bangla freedom fighters which included students,
women and some military defectors. One section detailed worldwide
reaction to the war of liberation, including photos of the Bangladesh
concert and the US reaction (Nixon backed the Pakis, but there was a lot
of Democratic resistance to Nixon's support as well as various US
student groups in favor of Bangla independence. Fucking Nixon lives on,
even in the hinterlands of the 3rd World). I'll digress a bit here and
say that the Banglas are big fans of the US. Several people thanked me
for the US aid as well as the movements to ensure safe working
conditions for garment workers and their knowledge of US politics is
quite good.
Next stop was a walk through old
Dhaka which is far and away the most interesting part of the city.
Being a white guy who stands 6" taller than most locals, I became the
subject of a lot of staring and questioning. This was a good
opportunity to exchange dialogue with English speaking folk, take some
photos (Banglas love having their photos taken), shake hands and
generally show a culture with quite an inferiority complex that they're a
lovely people worthy of respect and admiration.
 |
| Cycle Rickshaw Driver |
As previously mentioned, trades
tend to gather in groups and I could have spent hours watching the
sometimes rudimentary ways people go about fabricating goods. Though 16
million people somehow fit into an area the size of Manhattan (1.6
million people), there's a certain calmness in an area that might drive
some foreigners crazy with traffic, huge crowds on the sidewalks,
crossing streets, etc.
 |
| Yep, It Really IS This Crowded |
At one point I tripped over
some barbed wire and went flying into the street, I got hit by a car
(just barely) and just about walked into an open manhole. You'd better
be looking in at least 4 directions when you walk around here, but damn,
it's just so fascinating to see things somehow come together in one of
the most chaotic places in the world.
Then it was down to Sadergat,
which is the riverbank where everything from huge ferries to rowboats
take off. I opted for a quick rowboat ride across the river and back
after haggling with the rowers; one guy wanted 100 taka, but I
eventually paid 5 taka (the locals pay 2). Like most SE Asian nations,
everything here is haggled upon. I'm trying to keep perspective and
realize that 10 taka is only 12 cents and that 10 taka means a lot more
to the guy cycling you around town than it does to most travelers.
While one doesn't want to get taken advantage of, one also doesn't need
to fight like a Bangla for every taka. That said, the rickshaw drivers
will try to pull fast ones; a ride yesterday that was agreed upon at
50 taka wound up with the driver demanding 500 taka (which is close to
two days pay for some of these guys, even though the ride took only 30
minutes). I followed proper etiquette and placed the 50 on the driver's
seat and just walked away. Today was quite a bit more difficult as
three drivers agreed to take me places and none had a clue where they
were going. In one case I gave an old guy an extra 20 (25 cents)
because he got me to my destination, in another I just got miffed and
told the guy to stop and paid the agreed fare of 40 cents and walked the
rest of the way. The final guy got bad directions from one of his
fellow drivers and wound up pedaling twice as far as he needed to. He
kept apologizing and when I patted him on the back I realized the guy
was practically skeletal. In his case, his 35 taka fare became 100 and I
probably bought a little good karma.
Eating has been good. Managed
to make it to Haji Biriana for some mutton biriani. Probably the most
famous restaurant in town. You get a plate of cumin rice with maybe 4
ounces of mutton and some hot green chile to munch on. Total tab was
130 taka (about $1.75) for a filling meal. You eat with your hands,
though they will offer a spoon. Also ate at a kebab house tonight and
for less than $3 received a tasty spread that included mustard stuffed
beef kabobs, two salads, rice and a large cold bottle of water.
 |
| $3 Buys a Lot of Food and Drink |
Two days in Dhaka is quite
enough. There's limited sightseeing activity, beyond simply observing
the mass of humanity. I did make it to the National Museum, the Pink
Palace, an old fort, Curzon Hall on the Dhaka University campus, and a
shopping district specializing in clothing (most of it was junk and cut
for much smaller people than I---too bad because I really wanted a
t-shirt that had James Dean in a Laker jersey with Magic Johnson's
number on it. It just said "Angeles" instead of "Los Angeles". One of
the highlights was getting to play some cricket with a youth group. I
batted a bit and also bowled for the first time every. Hitting isn't as
easy as it might look.
 |
| My Cricket Buddies |
 |
| I Liked This Guy's Beard |
 |
| And Since I Needed a Haircut Anyways...... |
Tomorrow I take a plane to
Jessore, the gateway city for the Sundarbans National Park, home of most
of the few surviving Bengal Tigers in the world. Sorry about this
annoying color; can't seem to get rid of it in this post.
SPECIAL TRAVELERS TIP SECTION:
Look for a uniformed guard near
the pay station for visas on arrival. You'll see this pay point a few
minutes after dis-embarking. He expedited things and while he didn't
ask for a tip, I gave him a dollar for all his help walking me back and
forth between the immigration authorities and the pay window. The only
form you need to \fill out will be given to you on the plane. Once you
have the stamp, head to the far left Visa on Arrival line. When I was
there it was much shorter than any other line. Just opposite the line
is the Bangalink phone center and you can buy 1GB of data and a goodly
amount of phone time for around $10; the young guys there know what
they're doing and will have you up and running in no time. They do ask
for a passport photo, so bring extras. Hotels exist in all price
ranges. I opted for the business class Hotel 71 ($29 single with huge
buffet breakfast) which is about a 2 mile walk to the river (or roughly a
50 taka cycle ride). I wish it were quieter here, but not sure you'll
find any quiet hotels in this town unless you head to the distant
suburbs or perhaps find a hotel down a narrow alleyway. Most
restaurants do not have English menus (though there are a few listed in
the Lonely Planet). Please feel free to subscribe to this blog and ask
any questions you wish.
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