Tea Gardens and Near Misses

We took a bit of a break last week and went to Srimongol for a few days. Lots of people here had recommended a visit to this area which is in the Sylhet Division, in the east of the country. It borders India and is quite close to Assam, hence the presence of tea gardens. (BTW I didn't realise that India curved all the way around Bangaldesh like it does; allowing Indian trucks more convenient transit routes through Bangladesh is a hot political topic here). To reach our destination we caught the train again, it was nearly on time which was amazing, and only a 4 and a half hour journey this time.

Outside our eco cottage

Our guide Russel, a Srimongoli (?) born and bred met us at the station with a flower each and showed us to our vehicle, an old but smart Mitsubishi jeep. We had hired our guide Russel for a couple of days as it's the kind of place you need a car and someone who knows where they are going. We drove to our home for the next three days which was an eco-cottage/bamboo hut, located right next to a small waterfall and stream at the bottom of a lime orchard. It was really lovely, very basic, it felt like a nicer version of camping.

This was the stream at the entrance to our cottage. I saw a dead goat floating down the river in the aftermath of some heavy rain! Chris was quite upset that he missed this.

We arrived at lunch time and after a nice Bengali lunch we thought we had the afternoon to chill out but Russel had other plans! He took us out to visit Baika Bill which is a wetland area, where people still fish with really simple methods and there is a nice lake that you can go boating on. We hopped in our jeep with Russel and our driver and after a few miles left the main road for a mud track. So far so good, we passed through a few small settlements, the surroundings were mainly rice fields, flooded with the recent rains. Most roads in this type of area are built up to cope with the annual flooding, so you drive along a raised road and there are marshlands either side of you. There is quite alot of water in these marshlands, about a metre I reckon. Now I am starting to set the scene, as some of the details for this story are important. Another detail, our driver was a nice young Bangladeshi man, I would put him at about 16 or 17 maybe, prime boy racer age anyway. As we were driving along, we started to encounter some muddy patches on the road, it was a bit bumpy but we were coping and the jeep seemed to be coping. It started to get worse though and our driver appeared to be struggling to keep the vehicle straight, he was swerving and correcting his swerves and not making it look easy! I was getting steadily more concerned for our safety, remember we are on a single track raised road with a metre of water either side of us and this jeep is swerving and only just managing to avoid going down the sides of the bank into the water, agh!!!!!! We then hit a patch of road that had been churned up by a tractor and it was MUDDY! That was it, we were stuck. He was revving it and revving it and the cab was getting gradually full of petrol fumes but we were not going anywhere. So Chris and I got out and moved to safety while Russel and our driver tried to sort it out.

The jeep surrounded by interested on lookers

There was about half an hour of futile efforts to get the truck out of the mud, in the meantime Chris and I were stood on the track, watching a steady stream of fishermen, farmers and school children go by. We were equally being stared at as we were staring at the passing show. There was so much going on! Water buffalo and cows went trotting by, giving us an unplanned but brilliant insight into rural Bangladesh.

Eventually Russel and the driver decided to go and get some rice grass that had been discarded to try and give some traction for the wheels.

 

  

It worked and we were off again! But only for about another 100 metres until we encountered another muddy patch and we got stuck again! We all piled out again, provided great entertainment for another group of villagers and the rice grass was again brought in to bale us out. By this point it was getting dark, the thunder clouds were rolling in, I could see fork lightening in the distance and we were the highest thing for miles!! Could this get any worse?!

Looking worried as the sky becomes dark and we are getting nowhere fast

It was on this second pit stop that Chris noticed why we might have been struggling so much to make it through the mud. The two back tyres, on our two wheel drive vehicle were completely bald! Only in Bangladesh!

BALD

 

 

 

This was too much for me and with 2km still to go I persuaded Chris that the sensible thing to do would be to turn back. We missed our chance of a boat ride which was a real shame, but we are alive to tell the tale! To settle our nerves we went and had a cup of tea. Seven layer tea no less. This is a delicacy of Srimongol, the secret recipe of which is guarded closely. We reckon that each layer had more sugar in than the last making it sink and stay separated. It was nice to start with but so sweet by the end, yuk.

Seven layer tea at a roadside cabin

The next couple of days were thankfully slightly less adventurous than the first. We did loads, too much to talk about now. In summary we toured a tea factory, I saw a snake outside our cabin, we visited a tribal group, trekked through rain forest, came face to face with MASSIVE POISONOUS spiders, watched monkeys swinging through the trees, ate egg curry and rice twice a day, saw an elephant, had a hairy jeep ride in the pouring rain, watched tea pickers hard at work, visited a pineapple garden and watched 3 episodes of The Wire. We had a really nice holiday!

Tourism here is really raw! You get a real adventure experience, but not that it's designed to be like that. It's just so unplanned, not very well set up and receives little investment from the government that you are just guaranteed that something will not go as planned and you will have an adventure and see the real Bangladesh! This we certainly did in Srimongol!

Chloe

The shabby chic tea tasting table in the tea factory.

A steady line of tea pickers bringing in their 20kgs of tea in the pouring rain. They get paid about 50 taka a day which is about 50p, they get a bit more if they pick more.

Weighing the tea leaves

Carrying really heavy weights on their heads

Beautiful tea gardens

At Madahpur Lake, Chris says thank you Soph and Carl for the rain coat! It came in very handy!

We bought some Bangladeshi tea in town on the way home

Spot the monkey?

Trekking through the rainforest; at times there were paths, at times there weren't. Chris got bitten by a leech eeugch!

Pineapple gardens

An elephant moving logs

Beautiful Nilphamari

Nilphamari is a district in the very north of Bangladesh and we have been trying to get up there for a few weeks now. The first planned trip had to be cancelled because we were both sick but we finally managed to board the train for the 8 hour journey last Wednesday. We chose the train because the buses aren't that safe out here, they go quite fast down really narrow roads and I wasn't really up for that kind of adventure! The trains are a lot slower but safer so that's what we went for. They are cheap as well, i think our tickets cost £10 return each and we had AC first class seats and a cabin for sleeping in on the way back.

Example of some craziness at the station, just feel free to walk all over the rails!

The purpose for our trip was to visit the factory where the bamboo coffins are made and for Chris to have a meeting with some other NGOs who are part of an anti-trafficking network. The location of the factory was chosen because the area is particularly vulnerable to human trafficking as it's a really poor area with some seasons where there is no work to be found at all and it's close to the border with India.

The journey didn't start as smoothly as we'd have liked but it's all part of the adventure! The trains are always late, and ours was 2 hours behind schedule. So after having arrived at the station at 8am we had to stand and wait for the train in the sun, while being constantly approached by beggars or with just big crowds of people slowly assembling around us staring silently at us!

Once on the train and a little way out of Dhaka we started to see some of the beautiful countryside. It was nearly all agricultural land with small villages dotted around here and there. Mainly rice but there are other crops grown like tobacco and jute. When the sun came out it was a really breathtaking sight to see fields of golden green crops and tiny people (they were far away) in brightly coloured clothes working on the land. It was like a post card.

Colourful washing hanging out to dry

(Side Point: Unfortunately after about half of the journey gone, i started to feel a bit rotten and had to start frequenting the pit toilet on the train quite often! I gradually deteriorated and had to have the doctor out the next morning who gave me something to cheer me up so that was good, anyway, that's a different story!)

We arrived at Saidpur town at about 6pm just as the sun was going down and it was a massive relief to get off the train, the AC cabin was FREEZING!!! We got a golf buggy type vehicle to drive us the half hour to our lodgings and it was (even though i was ill) one of the most magical half hours it think i've ever spent!

Chris in our golf buggy

We meandered through little streets generally just one main street in a village, all lined with little stalls selling everything you could need. They were all lit up with oil lamps, some with electricity and candles and the sun sinking in the background gave everything a really magical light. Everything was just so relaxed, maybe it was the contrast coming from Dhaka but here the pace was slow, the air was clean and people were chilled out and going about their business, some sitting on the grass verges and chatting , most gathered around different shops chatting to shopkeepers. As I've come to expect there was colour everywhere in adverts painted on the walls to the things people are selling, It felt kind of like a holiday village! everything was green around and the air felt fresh, now i know there are lots of problems in the rural areas of Bangladesh, poverty and trafficking and the oppression of women are a few of these things but the impression i got in that first half was, wow! Wouldn't it be amazing if we could all live like this?! It felt so simple and peaceful. We stopped half way to the guesthouse to get some coke for my deteriorating stomach and a couple of smiley children approached the buggy, they were just so friendly and understood my basic Bangla and were teaching me how to say things, and just so smiley! I love they way people here have the time to stop and chat and just wander around!

Again i have lots more i could say about this place and hopefully will do blog about the business in a few days but for now here are some pictures to tell the story again....

Chloe

James, the factory manager and his wife Happy's place, this is where we stayed

Pretty shutters on our room, credit to Chris for all nice photos he took things he thought i would like as i was lying poorly in my bed!

The factory where the bamboo coffins are made

More coffins

Random shot from the side of the buggy that I thought was really good?!

Possibly the funniest photo yet, the guy on the left is taking a photo of us taking a photo of him, but the whole picture is just brilliant and so typical of here!

Little local shops that stay open till 10pm at night

This is Bindu, he works at the pre-processing site for the bamboo, Chris hadn't noticed he didn't have any teeth and kept asking him to smile! Awkward!

I love this ladies sari combo! We took photos of all the staff for the website

The pre-processing site staff leaving for the day, what an amazing place to work! Some might have a cycle or a walk home in the evening sun

We went for snacks at Farid and Bonna's house, they rent a room off this courtyard where the people who live there share a kitchen and a bathroom. It was tiny but idyllic, a group of little ducklings wandered in while we were there and they picked fresh fruit from the tree for us

James, Happy, Sicky and Chris

Salah

5 times daily the adhan flows out from loud speakers around the city summoning Muslims to formal prayer. I can't help but think that the regularity and discipline of this prayer culture must have a powerfully transformative effect on those participating in it.

I know how quickly my moods, desires and thought patterns veer off the course I want them to be on and how quickly I can rediscover God's presence when I become aware of that veering and have enough strength of will to let go and receive God's grace. But that awareness is not automatic and it can be hours, days or weeks before I realise where I am and have been. 

It seems to me that disciplined regular centering/meditative/prayer practices could be at the very least powerfully fruitful in the journey of one intent on living in a particular direction and perhaps even more than that. I am beginning to wonder whether consistent fruit is possible without them. Does a successful farmer tend his crop when he feels like it? When it is convenient to him? When he happens to remember? Or at regular intervals when it is needed?

Another facet of Islamic prayer which has caught my attention is how Muslims use their whole bodies in prayer, moving through different postural positions in a disciplined manner. With modern science (completely unreferenced) showing how powerfully bodily posture can influence the mind, I think this disciplined use of the body is another area worth exploring.

Chris

Old Dhaka

Drinking coconut water on Hindu Street

We spent a really interesting couple of days visiting Old Dhaka last weekend. Its the original part of the city that runs next to the Buriganga river, where there has been a settlement since the 7th century. I was really interested to see some of the old buildings and archeological evidence of British rule from the time when this area was still part of India, and I wasn't disappointed! Some of you may know that I have a mild fascination with old buildings that have a story to tell. For instance, I can't help but stare at the old Loughborough hospital that is a purpose built Victorian building that is lying derelict in the middle of Loughborough now, I always imagine the old patients being wheeled out to the conservatory that you can still see at the very top of the building at the back. People have broken in and taken some really cool photos of all the old hospital fixtures and fittings that are still inside, its so interesting and a bit creepy!! Anyway, this is about Dhaka. Well, we saw some really cool buildings.

Curzon Hall building

The first stop was Curzon Hall, which is now Dhaka University science Campus but was originally built as a provincial headquarters by Lord Curzon when India was under British rule. The building really is a mix of Indian and Victorian English design, it looks really regal and you can imagine students in the 1920s walking round. They have a massive square pool in the middle of the campus with steps down to it, where students can still bathe and swim now. It just is how I imagined British India would have been.

Tagore - The first Asian Nobel Laureate

The pond at Curzon Hall

It was also and still is where a lot of political action takes place. We read about Curzon Hall as one of the locations in a novel about the liberation war in 1971 so it was really interesting to go and see it for real, there was also an article in the newspaper only the other day here about student political clashes at the hall. The book we read is a novel about the war here and I'd really recommend it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/apr/22/fiction.features

We then went to Hindu Street which is right in the heart of the old winding streets of Old Dhaka, this one you can't even get a rickshaw down it I don't think, it's so narrow. So we got dropped off from our AC van at one end and started to walk down to the other end. It was an unforgettable experience, there was so much to see! I just wanted to stop every couple of seconds and look at something else. There were amazing old buildings that were obviously archaeological treasures but that were just being used as normal buildings, stalls selling jewellery and garlands of flowers and Hindu statues. The street is called Hindu street because it is a gathering place for the small minority of Hindus in Dhaka and a place to buy anything to do with the Hindu faith.

Selling fish in Hindu Street

There was just colour everywhere, even the old boxes that are used to put the teapots in are like works of art to me! And the people are just so colourful too, everyone wears brightly coloured and brightly patterned clothes it really is just so pretty and cheerful, and there is always a line of saris or bright t shirts hanging out to dry to add to the picture.

 

The shops were tiny too, some only a metre squared maybe but with the goods really carefully laid out and probably two or three people ready to sell you them! It's a really social way of doing business, people stop and chat for ages and you have a cup of tea together, no hasty decisions made about what to buy.

Next stop was the riverfront which we had been told has to be seen if you are in Dhaka. It was a really busy area, although thankfully a little quieter because we were there on a Friday (Holy Day here). The thing that strikes you most about this place is the smell of the water, it really is putrid. I can't describe it, just a horrible toxic, stagnant smell. The river is the main sewage outlet for the city i think and i imagine there are plenty of chemicals from the garment industry that find their way here too. There are hundreds of little boats going back and forth across the river and then there are loads of massive steamers too that take people all over the country on the vast river network.

We went aboard one to have a look around and had to walk over a very rickety gang plank which i did not enjoy with the sight of the toxic black sludge beneath me! The boat was huge with just massive open spaces for everyone to cram into. The most shocking thing was seeing children swimming in the water, happily ducking and diving and sucking the water in and out of their mouths. The cholera doctors we were with were amazed at how strong their resistance to disease must have become, as we westerners would have instantly caught dysentery if we had gone anywhere near the water. I was glad to leave the water front after about 20 minutes as the smell was getting quite overpowering.

So back into our AC van to make the short journey to an Armenian Church, nice old building and cemetery in the middle of lots of winding medieval type streets but neither of us were that overwhelmed by it! Then to the Dhakeshari Hindu Temple which is quite an old Hindu temple (don't say I'm not educating you here!) and last stop was Lalabagh Fort which was built in the 16th century by a rich person (again, i'm giving you valuable info here!) it was nice but not as interesting as the winding streets and crumbling buildings that we saw so much of. Unfortunately I don't think the government, perhaps understandably are spending enough time and money on maintaining some of the amazing sites we saw like Hindu street.

The next day we ventured down to Old Dhaka without our guide and AC van! We wanted to go to Bangshal Road or Bicycle Street as its known to some to buy some rickshaw art. This is a street a bit like Hindu street with really tall old buildings lining narrow windy streets, so it was quite a challenge to find this place. As is often the case here though, if you stand around for longer than a minute you will usually attract a crowd, amongst which there will be an English speaking Bangladeshi who can generally help you out. Our willing helper turned out to be Mr Sazzad who took us to a little stall where they were selling all of the brightly coloured bits you add on to a rickshaw that make it look so cool. They were very pleased to see us and started getting out loads of pieces of art to show us. IT was as tiny shop as they all are and one guy was permanently sat crouched on the table top, ready at any moment to leap into the loft space where they kept lots of their stock, Bangladeshis are so agile! We were offered coffee and they youngest boy went off to collect it with his thermos. So we spent a happy 20 minutes there choosing some really cool art on pieces of tin while drinking sweet coffee, a nice way to do business! Our friend then took us to a 'restaurant' that had been recommended to us, Hanif's Biriani. It wasn't really a restaurant, it had the feel more of a late night kebab house, but on the scale of things in the place we were it was pretty upmarket so we sat down with trepidation to eat. This was probably the closest to street food we had come so far so we were a bit scared about the consequences! The set up was that there was no menu, you just had what the cook had prepared in his big pot and today it was Beef Biriani. It was really tasty, and the restaurant was really busy which i think is a good sign. There was a little bit too much bone and gristle and other unrecognisable things in it though for my liking so i mainly ate the rice, but it was a bargain at about £1.50 for three meals!



I'm sure i had loads more observations on our visits to Old Dhaka but the pictures will have to tell the stories! I would also like to apologise to Dr Hardisty and my mother for the appalling spelling and grammar that are in this blog (and previous ones) no excuses, i'm just slap dash!

Chloe

Colour!

Various

Cockroaches: They are set to come out in force when the temperature really hots up but I have already more than I would like. They come out in the evening and you can bump in to them anywhere: the stairwell, bathroom, bedroom, street - they really are horrible little things. They scurry about with unnerving speed and are particularly detestable when they take off dart about the air.

Power cuts: These happen all the time here - several times a day at best through to power being off for all but a few hours a day at worst. Most buildings are set up for them and have generators or rechargeable battery systems for backup but it's not ideal; especially for Chloe who's laptop battery is completely shot!

Beggars: There are beggars everywhere you go here; children, elderly, male, female, abled, disabled. It's heartbreaking to see and even more so knowing that some of them are forced to beg by gang masters who take all of the money at the end of the day.

Strangers quickly becoming 'best friends': We are getting a glimpse into how celebrities must feel sometimes walking around in public. People stop and stare, point, take pictures but most annoyingly make real relationships very difficult because they want to be your best friend as soon as they've met you. Strangers may say hello and then quickly express their delight and excitement to have met you, ask for your mobile number and then expect you to contact them, meet up with them and very possibly financially support their business idea! It's frustrating because after several of these very awkward experiences we have become very wary about making any kind of contact with people we meet in the street.

Mosquito bites: Frequent and itchy.

Nakedness: Children running around half or fully naked is a fairly common sight but last week we saw a fully grown man walking down the side of a main road completely naked. It was a shocking image. I say image because the sight has been imprinted on my mind but of course it wasn't an image, it was a real person just like you or I and at the same time completely different to you or I because of his life experiences. Dignity felt absent and it was discomforting.

Children playing in poverty: Many children here seem to have so little; no shoes, clothes, nutritious food, clean water, 'fit for purpose' accommodation, gardens, 'parks' - many of the things we may consider so important for our children. But still many are smiley, playful, creative and cheerful. There is so little space here in Dhaka and construction is going on everywhere taking what little space there is left, so many children are left with only streets and construction sites for play grounds - so that is what they use. It is amazing to see cricket matches taking place on building sites with stacks of bricks for wickets, rubble for outfield grass, and bare feet for spikes. Dug foundation pits full of standing water become paddling pools, items of street-found litter become toys, polluted rivers become swimming pools. Children are constantly playing in situations we would never let our own anywhere near and yet these places are perhaps where they are at their happiest.

Chris

Street child/beggar at train station

Playground

Paddling pool / Building site

Paddling pool / Building site 2 - with raft - notice pool is full of bricks

Playing in toxic river