Bangladesh: Last Minute Shopping

As the day got closer to departure date, I was faced with two more tasks: first was to shop and the second to meet with Peachy.

I mentioned in the previous post that relatives in Barisal gifted me with money when we visited them. Tradition dictates that I spend it on jewelry for myself. I didn't touch the money until two days before departure because I wasn't keen on spending it on jewelry. I was thinking about buying clothes with it. But I wanted to avoid getting disowned by my SIL (joke) if I persist in breaking tradition, so I got her to take me shopping for....jewelry, what else.

Gold prices were sky high so I knew that the money wouldn't get anything worth keeping. Besides that I prefer silver than gold. I own more silver than gold jewelry. However past experiences have made me aware that not only are the silver jewelry in Bangladesh below standard (versus let's say Mexican silver jewelry), the selection is extremely limited. Apparently Bangladeshis don't care much for silver. For them it's gold or nothing. But not all can afford gold, especially at prices these inflated; so the next best thing is to get gold plated jewelry. The base metal is silver. They use a lot of gold in plating the metal that it's worth spending money.

Our destination was nearby Mouchouk Market. The proximity of the market to my SIL's place is not the only inducement, it is also filled with stuff I really like to take home.


View of traffic from overhead pedestrian bridge.

This is why I just love this market:





















My SIL has a PhD in bartering that I got more pieces than I thought I could afford. I wouldn't shop without her in Bangladesh.

The market is paradise for fabric lover.


When he saw me photographing the fabric across his stall, he called me and asked to have his picture taken and asked if I would post it on facebook.


This was the fabric I was photographing. It's an ornate fabric used for wedding sari.


Bangladesh being a Muslim country, you would only find male shopkeepers.

I could stay here all day browsing at the merchandise.









We also couldn't forget to take home Bangladeshi delicacy in the form of its sweets. These dessert items are made of milk and cane sugar and are seasoned with various spices. They are really delicious.





Finally I got to meet Peachy, who as I mentioned in the previous post is a Filipino expat and as of this writing is married to her Bangladeshi Prince. It was very nice to meet my first blog friend there.


Felt like I've known her forever.

And last but not the list, I got brave and had my hand done with henna. However because of time constraints, I managed to twist my SIL's arm to do it for me. She did a good job, methinks.



This ends my Bangladesh vacation/journey. Thank you for reminiscing it with me.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

Bangladesh: In Search of Armenian Church

The 3-week vacation was winding down oh so quickly, I checked my very short list of what to see or do in Bangladesh and I found out that I've only checked one of them (which was to see Cox's Bazar - the side trip to Tecnaf was the proverbial icing on the cake). Having only 2 items on my list, I was hellbent on checking the last item on my list and that is to see the century-old Armenian Church, which I found out existed via a fellow blogger Peachy. Peachy is a Filipino expatriate who found employment in Dhaka, of all places. Not only did she find job there, she also found her Bangladeshi Prince. They are due to marry any day now. So romantic!


No elbow room.


It's faster to walk than to take the bus.


Kid hitching a ride on the chicken cart.

Anyway, just like our other outings my SIL didn't go with us. With me were all men guards - husband, BIL, cousins + little nephew. I don't remember the day we went to seek the church, but the streets were jampacked with people. No room for elbows even. My BIL mentioned to me that in 2000, the population of the city was around 2M, presently it's doubled he said. I asked him if all of the 4M were out on the streets today, because it felt like it. It was suffocatingly scary. I had to hang on to husband's arm for dear life. (Wiki said presently the city has 7M people, and the metro area has 12M people.)


Kid bus barker.


Old Lady.


Breathing room, you say?

We took a taxi from home and traveled to a part of Dhaka that I've never seen before. The roads are wider, although not without traffic jams and there were more greenery. I was told this is where the foreign consuls live and work. No wonder.


Iftar food roadside.


More fried food for iftar.


People rush to buy breaking fast food.

I don't really know why we stopped where we stopped, but we did. From there we walked a ways to get to another taxi, except that there were just people on the road and buses, no taxis. Even the rickshaws were unwilling to take us to where we wanted to go. Until I saw a horse carriage. First time to see one in the streets of Dhaka and first time to ride in one. The reason why there's a lot of people out is that it's Ramadan. Every one wants to leave the city and go to their respective hometowns to celebrate Eid.


Posing at the entrance of the church.


A little hazy sky.


Late P.M. sky.

My nephew was excited to ride a horse drawn carriage, a first time for him too. Then we reached the end of the line again and we had to take another form of transportation. This time we managed to cajole rickshaw drivers to take us there. We were in 2 rickshaws. No one seemed to know where the Armenian Church is, many don't even know there is an Armenian church in the city.







We got lost, but thank heavens for cell phone we managed to direct our rickshaw driver to find the church. It's the part of Dhaka that is really unseen. It's so raw, so organic. The rickshaw passed by marketplace where there was no road but he managed to pass. It was an adventure.






Finally we arrived at the place. It's locked, but online tips tell people to seek out this particular guy who holds the key and he will let you in. We gave a donation for his effort, hope it goes to the church. The guy was not difficult to find, especially since my companions all spoke the language.






Cousin who lives nearby met us at the church.

Unfortunately the key keeper could not let us inside the church, which was also locked, because someone else holds the key to that. We would have to be content with the compound, looking at the church from outside.


SKYWATCH is a weekly gathering of sky lovers and skywatchers. Please join us.

Bangladesh: Cats, Food, Etc (24-hour Day Trip to Barisal)

We arrived in our destination way past lunch time. The husband and FIL stayed in town (which isn't too far from where we were going) to fix something, which is why we were here in the first place. We moved on to meet the extended family. I was very excited for two reasons, one, I was going to see pishi (aunt on paternal side) again and two, I was finally setting foot on real Bangladeshi soil.

BUT there was a downpour on the way to the house. We were walking, the road was not wide enough to accommodate a car. We were without any umbrella, but thankfully there was a structure nearby that is like a roadside fruit stand. We were told at night, they open to sell some goods. And so we ducked in there to stay out of the rain. We must've stayed there for about half an hour until some relatives arrived with umbrellas. The paths between the fields were very muddy and slippery and the drizzle was continuing, so I didn't get to whip out my camera. Safety first.

We visited with relatives; I finally got to hug and kiss pishi again, she made me feel very welcome when I first visited a few years ago and she was the only one in the family who learned Tagalog (Philippine language). In between munching some snacks and gulfing down sweet coconut water, I found out that pishi owns cats. And I went crrrrrazy.


The kitten was loud. Definitely got my attention.


I got spotted.


I think it wants its mommy.


The mommy wasn't too far away.


She found her mommy.


The kitty is still yapping.


Mommy inspects laundry.


One more shot of mother and child.

When my husband and FIL arrived, we were served a feast, which we enjoyed to the fullest. Then as the tradition, when you first meet your in-laws they give you jewelry or money so you could buy jewelry. It's rude to refuse this generosity.

Bangladeshis are extremely generous, like for example the cleaning lady at the school where my SIL teaches made rice cakes for us (hubs and I) to try while we are on vacation. These we took with us on this day trip so we can munch on them during the long travel.









I have to show this to you, below is a cucumber. Have you seen this size of cucumber before? And it's all organic! The Bangladeshis are big on cucumber either as part of a salad during meals or as a snack, eaten as is with sprinkled chili salt.


Our journey back to Dhaka was an adventure. We first made a side trip to say hello to maternal aunts living in town. On the way to the dock, we experienced long delays. It seems that everyone wanted to go back to Dhaka at the same time we were. The line of cars seemed like a few kilometers long. It was hot, very humid, we were not moving and the road was lined with small eateries with blaring music. You'd think you're somewhere else other than a Muslim country. I don't know what to expect really, but I didn't think it was ear-drum shattering loud noise, which I cannot even call music when played that loudly. Needless to say, I began to get cranky. Somehow, though, our luck changed and we finally got to be the front of the line and was able to board a RORO. It was nearly 10 PM.

The ferry ride at night was much more enjoyable, because the heat dissipates with the cool breeze. We walked up and down and tried to sightsee; but eventually we all couldn't stay up anymore. We all went to the van and slept; I was woken up when we were a few blocks from home in Dhaka. We arrived at home at 5 AM. This day trip to Barisal is exactly 24 hours long.