Ins and outs of Dhaka

Here I am four weeks on and still very happy with making the move here.  I have been very lucky in that I am not having to work and have the luxury of time to explore and find my feet, unlike Brian who had to leap straight into work (however, he is loving that too).

Our furniture arrived about a week ago and so the apartment is now looking more like home with our paintings on the walls and a few familiar things around the place.  I can now have a bit of fun sourcing local bits and pieces to brighten it up.There are some fantastic shops that sell fair trade goods like lamps, tablecloths, mats etc.

Our apartment in Baridhara

I have been doing all the cleaning in our apartment so far, I end up drenched in perspiration after cleaning the floors as it is so humid here (need to drink lots of water - bottled).   They need washing every second day due to the dust that somehow gets in.  However after tomorrow a lovely young woman named Sati is going to work for us three days a week cleaning, ironing and cooking a local meal once a week.  I am not sure how I will cope with this as I feel very uncomfortable about employing someone on such low wages, but I am told that the wages we pay are extremely good and so are the conditions and it will feed an extended family and so we are providing much needed income.   I hope I don't get too used to this...

Additionally, to further compound the capitalist guilt, we are now sharing a driver with one of Brian's colleagues.  Brian gets a ride to school and back each day except his day off, we can go out at night and venture further afield in the weekend and I can use the driver if I need to - but I generally prefer to walk unless I need to carry things home.  More importantly we can now get to the medicine shop to pick up necessary supplies (ie. beer and wine which is $20 - 30 a bottle so not drinking much!).

Yesterday I went for my usual walk and was really aware of the inside / outside thing about where we live and about Dhaka in general - the expats who have been here for a while call it the 'bubble' we can live in if we choose.  I prefer to get out of the bubble as much as possible.  As I have previously said, the area we live is fairly quiet, green and protected.  It contains a lovely park (see picture below and another picture of one of the 'helpful' signs in the park  just below that), the lake I posted pictures of in my previous blog, and lots of fairly upmarket apartments.   But then you go ''outside'' and you may end up in Rickshaw Alley just behind the back wall of the suburb.  Rickshaw Alley is definitely outside - total chaos - dirt road with holes and mud, rickshaws and cars vying for the limited space and people everywhere, but how fascinating...

Inside - Baridhara Society Park

Outside - Rickshaw Alley

Sign in the park, lovely the helpful hints and the language 

The photo on the left shows the local butcher in Rickshaw Alley, however needless to say I don't get my meat there, but at the local supermarket where the meat, fruit and veges are safer. There is a real problem here with fruit and veges being sprayed with formalin to keep them fresh as getting to market is a long trip and the heat and humidity don't help with keeping things fresh. Cool stores and refrigerated trucks are not part of the landscape here.  Stomach cancer is widespread here and is possibly linked to the use of formalin.

Our fabulous coffee shop is on one of the main roads, if you didn't know it was there among the Tyre and bathroom shops you would miss it, the outside of it is shown in the picture to the right, you can see the sign hanging above the street - North End coffee.  Inside it is an air conditioned haven.

Fabric store in Pink City

This morning I went for a walk around the lake and then headed for coffee.   Then walked across the lake via a very local road.  I went into a shopping mall called Pink City, four floors of fabric shops and jewellers (very opulent with about six staff sitting around waiting for wealthy customers to venture in).  The fabric is so beautiful and the clothing incredibly colourful.  I have bought some fabric to
be made into a dress, top and trousers, hopefully they will work out.  I think the tailors struggle with western sizes and styling.  They are used to making local clothes.   I might give that a go later on.

  

On the weekend we really got ''outside'' by joining a group of teachers from Brian's school on a boat trip down one of the rivers, stopping at a weaving village (such beautiful, intricate fabrics handwoven on looms in tin huts) and a Hindu local Kings palace built in the 1880's but now a university.  The boat was so funky, it was wooden and built to look like a bird, you can see the front of it in this photo.  It was amazing to get out into the country, but took two hours driving to get there because of the poor state of the roads and the traffic and another three hours to get back home.  Couldn't believe seeing from our bus a painting of the Sydney Harbour bridge and opera house on the back of a truck, they are all fabulously painted and are artworks in their own right.   There is also a rickshaw here with the words New Zealand painted on it and a picture of the NZ flag - bought by a NZ teacher and given to the Rickshaw driver in return for free rides.  These are also all very colourfully decorated.

Sydney on the back of a truck

We were the main attraction for the locals that weekend and they gathered in crowds to watch us.  A win - win as we all enjoyed the experience.   In particular, the kids are delightful and they really light up when they see us, they were beside themselves when we took their photos and showed them to them.  

Check out my Facebook page for Brian's photos of this trip.

So much I could talk about but I will leave it until the next blog.   My Marrickville Council colleagues would be shocked by the rubbish, the stormwater........   Garbage collection and disposal are a whole new challenge here.  Maybe more later.