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.