47 hours later

We arrived at Zia International Airport around 11:30 AM today, Monday February 5. Dhaka is 11 hours ahead of the east coast, so it was 12:30 AM in Portsmouth when we landed. We had to wait about an hour for the luggage to arrive and get out of the airport. So, my total travel time is 44 hours. That's pretty crazy.

The plane ride and arrival were uneventful. Sam did get a bit cranky about half way through the flight, but he gets a gold star for being so good for the majority of a very long journey. Our arrival was made easy by the presence of a travel expeditor. These are individuals who do everything for you, immigration, baggage, the works. We waited in the "VIP room #3" while our expeditor gathered our belongings. I might have liked to have experienced the full culture shock of trying to do that on my own. At the time I was a little disappointed. I think now that I am OK with it. In fact, I might even like it.

The first few minutes in town were spent on the short drive from the airport to Gulshan, the neighborhood where Anne and Randy live. The second most important Muslim pilgrimage (to Dhaka) is just finishing, so the streets are extra crowded. We saw millions of rickshaws, city buses with 20 people sitting ON TOP to catch their ride, and general traffic chaos. Either I am numb from lack of sleep, or I have spent enough time in countries that prepare me for such sights. Whatever the case, I was able to make it through the first drive without any major emotional trauma. In fact, it is much more stupefying to think about how long life has gone one here with very little change.

I tried to take some photos during the drive, but I decided I would get much more out of it if I sat back and watched. Amongst the many (many, many) rickshaws are 3-wheeled taxis, old beat up cars, buses, a few lexus-es, and pedestrians. The most impressive vehicle was a bicycle powered bamboo delivery wagon. I have a goal to get a good photo of one of those! In one of the many rivers (all of which form the mouths of the Ganges), there was a fish trap that consists of netting strung up on bamboo poles. It looked like the same technology they must have been using 1,000 years ago.

There is a pretty obvious police presence. There are some, the RAB, which are similar to our military police, that are enforcing the state of emergency. I have seen several bands of armed men in official looking uniforms of various styles (including an aqua-blue cammoflage pattern). I can only assume that they come from different branches of service. Speaking of local politics, there was a major arrest spree last night in which about 20 people were arrested from both major political parties. Apparently, about 8 of those arrested were fairly high ranking government officials. Anne and Randy's driver, Harun, tells us that their neighbor from across the street is no longer the Foriegn Minister! This is another step in a continuing saga. What matters right now is that things are very quiet on the streets.

Ah, the streets. Anne and I did venture out this afternoon. We arranged for some guided tours and shopped for pearls. This is when it all started to sink in. Our first stop was Guide Tours. The shopping center in which it is located is more similar to what you might have seen a millenia ago than to anything we think of as a shopping center. There are small stalls crammed into every possible corner. They are all clustered together by type of product. The ground level shops at this location were mostly electrical hardware supplies. It's fascinating and intimidating at the same time. I would have no idea how to shop here without significant help.

We also encountered my first hard core, medaeval style beggars. These women (they were all women so far), saw us from about a mile away and begged at every chance. From a westerners perspective, they seem to have no shame. Two used their children as a ploy to get money. One of those women even exposed her child to us so that we would have the full appreciation of her child's physical ailments. Anne caught that one. I was, fortunately, busy not looking in a very pointed and authoritative manner. Guess what? My attitude did nothing to get them to go away. The only thing that helped us was traffic clearing enough for us to motor on.

The pearl shopping was another amusing experience. At that shoppng center, there was a portable, streetside pet vendor that had puppies, birds, and "turkey-chickens". I think I helped the Bengalis name that bird. I asked if it was a turkey. They conferred and agreed that it was a turkey chicken. I have a feeling it was just a south asian breed of chicken.

The pearl shopping was an experience! You are expected to bargain which is hard when you have no idea of the real value of the item and you are so tired you can't calculate the change rate in your head. I left with the shop owner consternated (which is good!) and with no idea how much I had just spent.

The best thing about Bangladesh? Right now, it is the fact that we are such a novelty that everyone stares. With everyone staring at us, it is not rude for us to stare back!!!

I have to go. I am falling asleep between keystrokes. I hope to set up a page with uploaded photos in the next day or two.

First Day in Dhaka