All Those Places

Day 123 - I've been around, in the worldly sense of the phrase. At the end of 2018, I began to confirm a list of countries or territories I had visited. Having the names was interesting, but I was aware that photos would be able to convey my information more robustly. I started selecting photos for a special Flickr album for this purpose.

During 2019, we travelled a fair amount. We spent time in these cities or towns among others: Bali Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia (twice), Krabi Thailand, Phuket Thailand, Manchester NH, Montreal QC (twice), Ketchikan AK, Juneau AK, Skagway AK, Boston MA, Bar Harbor ME, Halifax NS, Sydney NS, Charlottetown PE, Quebec City QC, and Colombo Sri Lanka. However, there were no destinations to add to my album. None of those places were in a country new to us.

Happily today, I am able to include a new country, bringing my total to 73. It was hard selecting a photo for Bangladesh from the dozens I took last week. I settled on this one.



This image is resting in my album between the countries of Bahrain and Belgium. Depending on the device on which you are reading this, you may swipe or click your way through all of them. The location and the date of each are viewable when selected.

73 Countries I've Seen

A Few Extra Hours by Shahjalal International

Day 122 - Well, this is the day we were due to leave Bangladesh. When we made reservations several weeks back, our Malindo Air flight was to depart at just before midday. Soon after buying the tickets through their website, they made a change to our schedule. Rather than leaving at noon, our return flight was re-booked and we were put on a flight leaving twelve hours later. Our lives do not run on any particular schedule, so the changes were of no particular concern.



Of course, it meant we had extra time. So we ate breakfast at the Rafflesia Serviced Apartments at around the same time as usual. The manager said that he'd have to charge us another full day, if we left at 8:00 pm. He offered a deal over their regular prices but we declined.

For the same amount of money we decided we could check into a hotel near the airport, which is around an hour away due to horrendous Dhaka traffic. At around noon, we headed to the Richmond Hotel and Suites near the Shahjalal International Airport. We figured we'd take them up on the offer of a free shuttle at around 8:30 pm.







We got to rest and see a part of Dhaka we'd not seen. We were near an upmarket, 5-storey, government-sponsored clothing and department store. So I bought two batik-like shirts suitable for summer. This is a type of cooperative that turns over profits to rural women who sew and create the crafts which are sold. We also ate lunch and had a very substantial nap before our late-night flights.

Getting through the airport was easy only because an official police officer helped herd us ahead of possible crowds and smoothed our way into line for boarding passes and immigration. Of course, he expected a little 'tip'. Whereas, Dennis of my youth would have roiled at the thought of an unfair situation, my older self realizes that this man is paid next to nothing. In order to provide for his family, he needs to supplement his meager, inadequate wages. It's not simply a matter of what's piously considered right or wrong. Unfortunately, the whole system becomes corrupt and difficult to change. No one gets enough to live on and everyone needs to get a little more anyway they can. We gave him extra takas worth about US $3.50. I'm sure he would have preferred more like $20.

We are now waiting for our flight but it should leave on time. As it is a bit under four hours of flying, we should get into Kuala Lumpur International Airport a bit before six o'clock in the morning. We can probably get through immigration and into a Grab ride-share car in short order. I expect we'll be in the Maytower after the 60 KM trip downtown by 7:15. That will be just about the time it gets really light.

Bongo Bazaar

Day 121 - How can this already be the last full day of our week in Bangladesh? We awoke at our usual Dhaka time of about 8:00. By the time we got ready and ate from the buffet breakfast, it was closer to 10 o'clock.



We got an Uber to take us to the area around Bongo Bazaar. That area is known for cheap, designer clothing. You see, Bangladesh is an enormous workshop for the clothing industry. That seems a fairly early but consistent way for a developing country to offer initial, mass employment. The clothes which made their way in bulk to the bazaar, were most probably end lots or last-minute changes to specifications by big-name labels.

It was interesting to look around but, as you may be able to tell by my many photos here, I lack the desire to be a fashion plate. In fact, I acknowledge I honestly think that those who follow such trends are shallow and probably have psychological-development issues.





Even though we came away empty-handed, it was still a good way to spend the morning. The weather was clearer and probably the warmest we've seen here in a week. We walked into an adjacent area. Downtown Dhaka was busy even though it was a weekend. We found a tuk-tuk to return us to Gulshan 1 in time for lunch.

A Visit to Lalbagh Fort

Day 120 - What a great day to join others in this public space! We saw online that the Lalbagh Fort was something tourists should do.

As this is a Moslem country, today was the beginning of the weekend. In my initial days in the Middle East, schools were always closed on Thursdays and Fridays. That now seems to have changed for the majority of Islamic countries. The religious day is, of course, still Friday but nowadays Saturdays are off too.

Today, we joined many others out in the morning to see the garden area and the incomplete 17th-century Mughal fort complex.









The area is closer to Old Dhaka and we arrived in the relative ease of an Uber car. At the gate, we paid ৳200 (about US $2.35); however, the locals are charged one-tenth of that. I was happy to contribute a little extra to help with the maintenance and care of the grounds. It really was a calm location in the bustle of the nearby city. We could see that it is currently dry in Dhaka, a situation which is often not the case.

There were a few museum-type exhibits in one building. The objects were all at least four hundred-years-old. The biggest memory I'll take away is the people though. As it was Friday, many Bangladeshis were enjoying the day. Many came in the equivalent of their 'Sunday clothes'. Families came. Young couples and groups of friends were enjoying themselves too.

Dhaka is not on a well-trod tourist trail as are many global cities. As a white foreigner, I had to cope with a great deal of friendly attention. I lost count of how many selfies and group photographs I was in. All the young kids wanted to try out their English and I must have mentioned I was fine dozens of times. The environment felt very warm and welcoming.

It was truly a special day.

Walking Around This Part of the City

Day 119 - Walking around the lakes of Gulshan, Dhaka reminds me of other places. Some streets seemed a bit like Luxor, Egypt. There were times that the housing reminded me of places in Central America. Other scenes reminded me of times when we travelled in the 1980s.

The weather is very pleasant here. It's cooler than most of our winter so far. Today's temperature reached 28°C but it'll go to 17°C tonight. Unfortunately this morning there was a lack of wind that locked in some poor-quality air. The sun was trying to break through the smog but I felt tired after very little exertion.

Still, it was interesting seeing how every little space with a view of the water, is poised for development. If there was a scrap of land near the road we walked this morning, signs indicated a new residential building would soon appear.









We did have extraordinarily long naps today. It gets dark pretty early. The sunset today was at exactly 6:00 pm.

So, it looked like night by the time we went out for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants on the Gulshan 1 roundabout. We just got some dosa (or paratha) and chicken curry. We shared a large bottled water and spent around US $3.50 altogether. Lunches of chicken biriyani rice are similarly priced. We've not purchased any breakfast fare as these serviced apartments include our buffet breakfasts at the restaurant on the first floor of our building.

Gulshan Lake Park

Day 118 - The area in which we're staying is interesting. I haven't checked into the history of the area but by looking around, one can sometimes see clues about its past. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities on earth. Being less than 10 miles from the center of Old Dhaka, space wasn't always at such a premium here.

First, there were most probably villas. We have seen just a couple of examples remaining. We can see that these were replaced with two and three-storey buildings. Those are now most assuredly being replaced with multistory commercial and residential buildings. Some of the side streets seem like a single, large construction zone.



We walked to see Gulshan Lake Park. It is north of the Gulshan 2 Circle and we wanted to revisit that area again on foot.





It was a little calming but I don't think there are many places to escape from this city's noise and smog. We found it look a lot longer than Google Maps had suggested it would take.

We proceeded directly back to Dulshan 2 on foot too. We revisited the UniMart and discovered a food court area in the building. Even though we were recently on the island, we decided to eat at Taste of Lanka to get a Bangladeshi take on the cuisine. It was quite tasty and early enough so neither of us actually could finish all the rice.



As we'd been over ten kilometers already, we crossed the road and hailed on of the thousands of rickshaw drivers for a lift back to Dulshan 1. The seat was not really big enough for me alone, but we managed. I should say the driver managed to pedal us.

Morning Visit to Sadarghat Launch Terminal

Day 117 - The last time I used the Uber app we were in Boston going to the cruise terminal. Today, I got a ride to old Dhaka in Bangladesh. We wanted to see the famous ferry terminal here up close and personal. Wow, did we! From our apartment in Dulshan, we only travelled a distance of eight kilometers by car. The ride took about one hour and fifteen minutes due to the traffic and congested streets. I've yet to see an accident here but there must be hundreds, perhaps thousands, per day.

I knew we might pass the typical old wide avenues of a colonial-era town and we did see a few areas that fit that billing. However, I don't think I've ever been in amoungst as many people at one time as when we were in the area of Sadraghat.









The area contained some of the most polluted environments I've ever visited. I kept thinking about how, were it for fate, I was born where I was. The people seemed happy and were genuinely interested in me and Jay as foreigners. The attention was a bit disconcerting. The smells and sights more so.





We travel a lot and much of our time is for our own enjoyment. However, a large part of travelling is to learn something. Seeing how others have to live gives one an entirely more accurate picture of life and our personal places in it.

We had an amazing ride back to the apartment in one of the Bangladeshi tuk-tuks, called CNGs. We flew through back streets in efforts to avoid some of the traffic. Our young driver was successful and dropped us off in around an hour. We paid him around US $4 because we knew the trip in a car would have easily been twice as long as that. There was slight rain.

Dhaka's Gulshan 1 & 2

Day 116 - This part of Dhaka is known for its diplomatic and corporate offices. This city in Bangladesh contains over 8.5 million people but another 10 million live in the surrounding area. Gulshan has some trendy residential housing. Though like much of Dhaka, it may seem crowded and overwhelming to foreign visitors. The numbers stand for large traffic circles. Roads intersect a peninsular-shaped piece of land between lakes at the two locations. We're in between them, but much closer to Gulshan 1.



This morning, we walked up to the further circle. We found the large Unimarket store and picked up a few things such as bread, cookies, coffee, noodles and soap powder. It was several kilometers away but as I don't have a local phone SIM, we couldn't get an Uber to return. It seemed like too much trouble to haggle a return via a three-wheel tuk-tuk, called at CNG for their fuel source here, compressed-natural-gas. We walked back.

Getting dinner was easy after a much shorter walk around the Gulshan 1 roundabout towards evening.

Bangladesh Bound

Day 115 - Today started pretty early but we had miles to go. Most of them took place on OD 162 from KUL to DAC. Getting to KLIA seems a fairly frequent event lately and the road is wide-open as dawn breaks. We got a Grab rideshare at 5:00 am from the Maytower. Checking in was easy but waiting was harder. I have no idea what gave me stomach cramps this morning as I ate nothing exotic recently.

The Malindo flight was about a half-hour late taking off due to the slow loading time of a completely packed plane. The flight was uneventful with a bit of a rough landing. It also got in a half-hour after its scheduled time. We went through a rather chaotic health screening once inside the Dhaka airport. The scanning equipment was supposed to detect increased body temperatures from COVID-19 as we were in line. We proceeded to a more chaotic visa-on-arrival process. It required a lot of paper forms but didn't take long after we'd each provided US $51. I like how we then proceeded directly out without needing to wait at the queues for immigration.

A big sign with Jayantha's name was being carried by a guy when we got to the front area. He took us to the car and our ride to our serviced apartments. The staff was so gracious and welcoming.



We are near Gulshan 1 a major, hectic neighbourhood. It's been a while since we travelled to a developing country like this. It is amazingly noisy, dirty, and dusty. Obviously, it is booming too. The infrastructure may eventually catch up to the development taking place.







We walked around a lot in the evening. Crossing the road is an adventure in itself. I am sure this city is going to provide us with an interesting week.

Dhaka, Not Dakar

Day 105 - One morning, during the spring of 1971, I remember a teacher mentioning that a new country had come into existence that day. I was just 11 years old.



Today we booked airline tickets to visit it. Jay and I have stopped at many cities in SE Asia, so we must go a little west. Dhaka, Bangladesh is a place we've never seen. Getting to Dhaka is a four-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur. We'll stay for just one week and return on February 1st for our remaining month in Malaysia.

I was beginning to worry as I've not added a new country to this Flickr Group for a while. At present, it contains a single photo from each of the 72 countries and territories in which I've lived or visited. After this trip, I can add another.