Monday, November 29, 2010
And these so called vacations will soon be my death.
Pretty sure these lyrics were written about Vang Vieng. The return journey was made for two purposes only. To spend more time with the great people we met in Luang Prabang, and so Paul could go off a rope swing. Both goals were achieved.
The tubing was great. It involved absolutely no tubing. Actually, it doesn`t actually require entering the water. You can walk from one death trap of a bar to the next. Or, as Phillippe from Brazil put it, `It`s not tubing, it`s barring.``
We got out alive after dropping from trapeze swings 20m above water of questionable depth, dropping off a rickety diving board (I use that term loosely) in pairs and attempting to navigate oddly angled step ladders after one to many beer laos. It`s amazing what can develop when there is absolutely no risk of liability.
We, exhausted and ready for something more Laos like, headed out after two days for the Bolaven Plateau. This incredible area is home to the famous rich Laos coffee. It`s so dark and thick it looks like it was mixed with tar. It`s also home to some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. We were lucky enough to get one of the last rooms in one of the only hotels in the entire plateau. The Tad Fane Resort overlooks the twin falls of the same name that plunge some 120m into a cylincrical cavern. We hiked for hours and were rewarded with views from the top of these two falls. We both felt a bit terrified though. Standing in water that is about to careen off the edge of the biggest cliff you`ve ever looked over = vertigo.
The next day we borrowed a bike from the generous swiss couple staying at the resort and the four of us headed out to the Champee Falls for a swim. The water, in all our waterfall swims is frigidly cold, but the exhilaration of swimming at the base of a breathtaking waterfall is worth it. I even found a rotted wooden log to jump off. We were also able to swim to the side of the thundering falls and get up on slippery rocks to walk behind the falls. Very cool.
We are now sitting in the Kingfisher Ecolodge (a real ecolodge. they`ve undergone numerous per guest per night impact assessments.) It was easy enough to get here. We had to catch a ride outside the Tad Fane resort by walking to the main road and hoping someone would stop (someone did, almost immediately). Then get to the bus terminal and hope the tuk tuk leaving for the 4000 islands was late (it was, we are in Laos after all). The get dropped off at the turn off to KietGong village (at 12km walk from the drop off) and walk along a red dirt counrty road trying to convince the locals to start up their trucks and take us to the lodge. A family stopped and for 40.000kip let us ride in the back of their truck with 8 barrrels full of water (or something). Yeah, easy.
That`s it for now. We have wifi here, so maybe a bit more blogging consistency.
Linds and Paul
The tubing was great. It involved absolutely no tubing. Actually, it doesn`t actually require entering the water. You can walk from one death trap of a bar to the next. Or, as Phillippe from Brazil put it, `It`s not tubing, it`s barring.``
We got out alive after dropping from trapeze swings 20m above water of questionable depth, dropping off a rickety diving board (I use that term loosely) in pairs and attempting to navigate oddly angled step ladders after one to many beer laos. It`s amazing what can develop when there is absolutely no risk of liability.
We, exhausted and ready for something more Laos like, headed out after two days for the Bolaven Plateau. This incredible area is home to the famous rich Laos coffee. It`s so dark and thick it looks like it was mixed with tar. It`s also home to some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. We were lucky enough to get one of the last rooms in one of the only hotels in the entire plateau. The Tad Fane Resort overlooks the twin falls of the same name that plunge some 120m into a cylincrical cavern. We hiked for hours and were rewarded with views from the top of these two falls. We both felt a bit terrified though. Standing in water that is about to careen off the edge of the biggest cliff you`ve ever looked over = vertigo.
The next day we borrowed a bike from the generous swiss couple staying at the resort and the four of us headed out to the Champee Falls for a swim. The water, in all our waterfall swims is frigidly cold, but the exhilaration of swimming at the base of a breathtaking waterfall is worth it. I even found a rotted wooden log to jump off. We were also able to swim to the side of the thundering falls and get up on slippery rocks to walk behind the falls. Very cool.
We are now sitting in the Kingfisher Ecolodge (a real ecolodge. they`ve undergone numerous per guest per night impact assessments.) It was easy enough to get here. We had to catch a ride outside the Tad Fane resort by walking to the main road and hoping someone would stop (someone did, almost immediately). Then get to the bus terminal and hope the tuk tuk leaving for the 4000 islands was late (it was, we are in Laos after all). The get dropped off at the turn off to KietGong village (at 12km walk from the drop off) and walk along a red dirt counrty road trying to convince the locals to start up their trucks and take us to the lodge. A family stopped and for 40.000kip let us ride in the back of their truck with 8 barrrels full of water (or something). Yeah, easy.
That`s it for now. We have wifi here, so maybe a bit more blogging consistency.
Linds and Paul
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Just a typical day in Laos
My first full day in Laung Prabang (my favourite place so far) was spent with a the group of people met the night before. Kate and Dan from England and I were on the mini bus together. Through them I met James (Perth), and Florian and Oliver from Germany. The group of us decided to rent scooters and take them to the most famous waterfall outside of town the following morning. A plan was hatched and meeting times were made. Perfect.
We picked up our scooters at 8:30am and James immediately drove towards a metal barrier. We all decided it was better if I went on the back of a scooter of a more experienced driver. (These are fast manual drives, and my insurance does not cover me if I`m driving one, so a passenger was a must). Flo and I paired up and at the very next T-intersection James drove into us, knocking over our bike. All were fine.
In the middle of our 1hr ride James got a flat. A really fast flat. He then meandered with the bike back to the previous town in the hope we could leave the bike there. However, flats are so common that the little town had a little shack to change our little tire. We hung out in the village for the slowest tire change in history, 1 hour. But the village was great, and the children very excited. They definitley have had some well meaning but uninformed tourists giving them money as this great little village was full of small children obsessed with begging. Side note: don`t give money, it doesn`t help, it creates a culture of dependency ans erodes the local culture. If you want to help, donate to the local school.
Once back on the road we smoothly and uneventfully finished our trip to the most beautiful waterfall. It is the picture of paradise. We went swimming in the pool at the bottom and hiked all the way to the top for spectacular views. If you`re ever in Laos, check it out.
On the way back a stranger pulled over directly in front of James causing his second crash of the day. Again, no injuries.
James, being quite a bit more conservative in his driving lagged behind us and missed the turn to the next waterfall. I waved him down where he promptly got pulled over by the local cops. They took his keys, helmet and bike. He was `fined` 500000kip, but the `fines` in this country have a middle point. He managed to barter them down to 300000kip.
Back on the road again. We never did find the second waterfall. But no one was hurt and no one went to jail. almost but not quite. I`d say that`s succesful.
L
We picked up our scooters at 8:30am and James immediately drove towards a metal barrier. We all decided it was better if I went on the back of a scooter of a more experienced driver. (These are fast manual drives, and my insurance does not cover me if I`m driving one, so a passenger was a must). Flo and I paired up and at the very next T-intersection James drove into us, knocking over our bike. All were fine.
In the middle of our 1hr ride James got a flat. A really fast flat. He then meandered with the bike back to the previous town in the hope we could leave the bike there. However, flats are so common that the little town had a little shack to change our little tire. We hung out in the village for the slowest tire change in history, 1 hour. But the village was great, and the children very excited. They definitley have had some well meaning but uninformed tourists giving them money as this great little village was full of small children obsessed with begging. Side note: don`t give money, it doesn`t help, it creates a culture of dependency ans erodes the local culture. If you want to help, donate to the local school.
Once back on the road we smoothly and uneventfully finished our trip to the most beautiful waterfall. It is the picture of paradise. We went swimming in the pool at the bottom and hiked all the way to the top for spectacular views. If you`re ever in Laos, check it out.
On the way back a stranger pulled over directly in front of James causing his second crash of the day. Again, no injuries.
James, being quite a bit more conservative in his driving lagged behind us and missed the turn to the next waterfall. I waved him down where he promptly got pulled over by the local cops. They took his keys, helmet and bike. He was `fined` 500000kip, but the `fines` in this country have a middle point. He managed to barter them down to 300000kip.
Back on the road again. We never did find the second waterfall. But no one was hurt and no one went to jail. almost but not quite. I`d say that`s succesful.
L
Friday, November 19, 2010
Vientiane and Vang Vieng
I spent two days sight seeing in Vientiane. It's the capital city of Laos, but still feels very small town. It's relaxed, modern and beautiful. I saw several temples my favourite being the first one which contains hundreds of buddhas. I also really liked the gold spire with the lotus leaves surrounding it. It's stunning. Google Laos and it will come up.
Travelling alone is super easy. I've met travel companions for every stage of my journey. I've run into some of the same people in different cities too. Laos is heavily travelled by backpackers many of which are travelling alone. So, meeting people is shockingly easy.
Vang Vieng is a different story. This is a backpackers hang out. It's a city with less locals than foreigners and has perhaps lost its soul in favour of the party atmosphere. The surrounding area is stunning though and striking. Plus, there is nothing wrong with the social atmosphere, it's just not a dosage of Laos culture is all.
There is one identical restaurant after another all with tv's playing Friends or Family Guy. However, there are a few really good eateries, and these are easy to find, just look for the places without tv's. I've eaten incredibly well actually. Tonight I had a full fish, Ping Paa, grilled and spiced to perfection. I've never eaten a fish with the head, fins and tail still attached. Another mini adventure.
There is one wretchedly skinny dog that I buy a beef shiskabobfor every day. There are several travellers that do this. Not sure how this dog is so skinny. All the other dogs here look great. But she has painfully swollen teats and looks like she could die at any second. She's very sweet and lets me hold the scewers while she munches on the meat. She should be fat in no time.
Tomorrow I'm going kyaking and caving on a tour. I'm super excited to do somthing physical and get into the stunning surrounging areas. I'm afraid it won't be very private as there are multiple tour companies that do the same trip. But it'll be social and fun and I'll probably meet someone to do the next stage of my trip with. Good Times.
Lindsay
Travelling alone is super easy. I've met travel companions for every stage of my journey. I've run into some of the same people in different cities too. Laos is heavily travelled by backpackers many of which are travelling alone. So, meeting people is shockingly easy.
Vang Vieng is a different story. This is a backpackers hang out. It's a city with less locals than foreigners and has perhaps lost its soul in favour of the party atmosphere. The surrounding area is stunning though and striking. Plus, there is nothing wrong with the social atmosphere, it's just not a dosage of Laos culture is all.
There is one identical restaurant after another all with tv's playing Friends or Family Guy. However, there are a few really good eateries, and these are easy to find, just look for the places without tv's. I've eaten incredibly well actually. Tonight I had a full fish, Ping Paa, grilled and spiced to perfection. I've never eaten a fish with the head, fins and tail still attached. Another mini adventure.
There is one wretchedly skinny dog that I buy a beef shiskabobfor every day. There are several travellers that do this. Not sure how this dog is so skinny. All the other dogs here look great. But she has painfully swollen teats and looks like she could die at any second. She's very sweet and lets me hold the scewers while she munches on the meat. She should be fat in no time.
Tomorrow I'm going kyaking and caving on a tour. I'm super excited to do somthing physical and get into the stunning surrounging areas. I'm afraid it won't be very private as there are multiple tour companies that do the same trip. But it'll be social and fun and I'll probably meet someone to do the next stage of my trip with. Good Times.
Lindsay
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Goodbye to Bangladesh
Leaving Dhaka behind is like walking back into the real world. The world I've always considered real anyways. In my first week in Dhaka I thought, "just get through it, 6 more weeks. I can do it." I thought the traffic noise, the pollution, the garbage everywhere would drive me nuts.
Instead, I got used to it. Mostly. Now that my time here is up I think, how could it have gone so fast? There is so much about Bangladesh I will miss. There were so many prolonged goodbyes, difficult prolonged goodbyes. Here is a brief list of things I will miss, things I've learned, and things I hope to never forget:
1. I will miss my patients, particularly the boy I took outside everyday for the past 4 weeks. It was terribly hard to say goodbye to him. He calls me his crazy long trolley driver (sometimes I race his long trolley). He said he was not happy about me leaving. I felt guilty for leaving him.
2. The fantastic people. I will miss being a guest of an entire country. As Sumanta says, "you are my guest. It is my duty to show you my country." I was honoured to be thought of as a guest.
3. I won't miss being stared at by a steadily growing crowd (over 100 people can provide a lot of awkward stares).
4. Fried food is safe, but makes you fat.
5. There is no possible way that food shipped from half way around the world will ever taste as good as the fruit purchased directly off the street, fresh and ready to eat that day.
5. Don't eat that little hard fruit with the mushy brown insides. It almost killed me.
6. Food handed to you is still good.
7. I already miss the naan bread from Shuchuri the fried chicken place. It is amazing.
8. Living with 5 other girls in a 600sq ft apartment is possible. And you can even still like them at the end.
9. Don't judge a country at first glance. Bangladesh is poor, more so than I could have imagined. Dhaka is dirty, more so than I could have imagined. The beggars are aggressive and resilient. The levels of corruption are crippling. And the people are kind, generous and gracious hosts. And I loved it.
10. It's way easier to learn some language when you live in the country. And I can now barter. sort of.
11. Volunteering abroad is an amazing way to travel. DO IT!
Maybe one day I will return. Ami Jonni na ( I don't know)
Abar Darka Hobey Na (but maybe)
Lindsay
Instead, I got used to it. Mostly. Now that my time here is up I think, how could it have gone so fast? There is so much about Bangladesh I will miss. There were so many prolonged goodbyes, difficult prolonged goodbyes. Here is a brief list of things I will miss, things I've learned, and things I hope to never forget:
1. I will miss my patients, particularly the boy I took outside everyday for the past 4 weeks. It was terribly hard to say goodbye to him. He calls me his crazy long trolley driver (sometimes I race his long trolley). He said he was not happy about me leaving. I felt guilty for leaving him.
2. The fantastic people. I will miss being a guest of an entire country. As Sumanta says, "you are my guest. It is my duty to show you my country." I was honoured to be thought of as a guest.
3. I won't miss being stared at by a steadily growing crowd (over 100 people can provide a lot of awkward stares).
4. Fried food is safe, but makes you fat.
5. There is no possible way that food shipped from half way around the world will ever taste as good as the fruit purchased directly off the street, fresh and ready to eat that day.
5. Don't eat that little hard fruit with the mushy brown insides. It almost killed me.
6. Food handed to you is still good.
7. I already miss the naan bread from Shuchuri the fried chicken place. It is amazing.
8. Living with 5 other girls in a 600sq ft apartment is possible. And you can even still like them at the end.
9. Don't judge a country at first glance. Bangladesh is poor, more so than I could have imagined. Dhaka is dirty, more so than I could have imagined. The beggars are aggressive and resilient. The levels of corruption are crippling. And the people are kind, generous and gracious hosts. And I loved it.
10. It's way easier to learn some language when you live in the country. And I can now barter. sort of.
11. Volunteering abroad is an amazing way to travel. DO IT!
Maybe one day I will return. Ami Jonni na ( I don't know)
Abar Darka Hobey Na (but maybe)
Lindsay
Saturday, November 13, 2010
And now the guide book speaks truth
Yesterday was amazing, as Fridays always are, though due to very different experiences this time. I will touch on that in a bit. First, the experience of tonight.
We had read about it in both guide books, but were not concerned. We don't stay out late, and it usually occurs in the expat areas. Plus, I feel really comfortable in Savar Bazaar. We go there so regularly that the guy at the misty shop gives us the friendship price and the people at the fried chicken place clear a table for us every time we show up, even if that means rushing out a barely finished diner or two. This is our Bazaar now.
Eid arrives on Monday. Eid is one of the biggest Muslim festivals of the year. Everyone has it as a holiday (expect rickshaw wallahs of course, this holiday means more work, of which they are thankful). As a result it is even more insanely busy. Going to the bazaar is like entering a mosh pit. For the first time I had my bum grabbed by some unseen passerby. I turned around and yelled, but in that crowd I have no idea who it could be. I thought, you conservative Muslim hypocrit. How dare you grab me.
As Joy and I were hailing a rickshaw we were contemplating this grabbing incident. The ride home was finally taking us away from the worst of the crowd. Out of nowhere a car pulls up along side us with a man half out the back window. He grabbed Joy's purse. Because her purse was slung around her shoulder she was yanked forward. I thought for sure she was going to fall out of the rickshaw and be dragged by the car. I grabbed her, though I don't believe I impacted the situation at all. Her purse strap broke, and I think the force of this was what threw her body back in the seat. She had her hands on the purse and was able to rip it free of its captor. Her purse strap is ripped, but her wallet remained, and she was not badly maimed by a car dragging. We faired well. With adrenalin whizzing about us, we made it back to CRP safely.
Yesterday went much better. I went to Old Dhaka by myself. I saw Lalbagh (Red Fort) an ancient Muslim mosque finished by Shaista Khan, then rickshawed to Hindu Street. Hindu Street is a narrow winding street with loads of little shops selling instruments and bracelets, stickers and sweets. Here I met up with Sumanta (pronounced Shimanto). He is an OT from Dhaka. He toured me around before taking me to the infamous Saderghat harbour. This is not a picturesque harbour, it's a working harbour. It's filthy, although this does not stop the various crewman from washing in the water (sick, they must have unbelievable immune systems). And it's really really busy. It's also full to the brim with people, pick poskets and aggressive beggars. Sounds lovely eh? But it's Dhaka, and not to be missed. Because I was with a local, I was left alone far more than if I'd been by myself. I am so thankful for Sumanta's company!
We rented a little boat and toured around the harbour with our boat man for 30min. Here we avoided steamers loaded to the gills with sand for brick making and clay, coconut fibres for mattress innards, pop bottles and garbage. It was pretty interesting to see. Well worth the trip.
After Saderghat we toured around the Pink Palace, which was the residence of the last Nawab of Bangladesh. This was not the serene exerience it oculd have been due to the sheer number of people also viewing the pink palace for the afternoon. Still, interesting none the less.
After we were all toured out we headed to Sumanta's uncles for some lunch and then off the Banani in baby taxi to Fazul and Baby's house (the two fabulous characters from the Sundarbans ship). They, in true Bangali style treated us like kings. We ate far too much (this is the theme of my whole trip). There were 4 kinds of meat dishes, two kinds of misty, multiple rice dishes and several vegetable options. Unreal. Following dinner Baby proceeded to show me some of her artwork. She is a gifted designer who creates hand painted works on furniture, bottles, lampshades and most beautifully: Sari's. She handed me a scotch bottle that she had created an intricate henna design using gold paint. Beautiful. She told me, it's for you. When I tride to protest she laughed and insisted. She then dissappeared and returned with a beautiful Salvar Kameez and forced me to take it as well. It has the most delicate beadwork. The gifts were a little too much for me, and I found myself gushing and wondering how I would ever repay their kindness. I was handed a tissue. Poor Sumanta had to sit through all of this.
As I was leaving she gave me the full jar of juice crystals for the juice I particularly liked during dinner! It was starting to worry that I would be handed everything I complimented!
The generosity and kindness I have experienced here is second to none. I did not mention that my full day tour with Sumanto was not pre arranged. It just happened we were both in Old Dhaka at the same time. I then took up his entire day. I am a guest of all of Bangladesh. This is how we Bideshis (foreigner) are treated. Yes, we had an attemped robbery. This person was clearly a shit head, part of a group of shit heads. But the Bangladeshi people outside of the shit heads have shown me a level of kindness and generosity I have not once deserved.
Lindsay
We had read about it in both guide books, but were not concerned. We don't stay out late, and it usually occurs in the expat areas. Plus, I feel really comfortable in Savar Bazaar. We go there so regularly that the guy at the misty shop gives us the friendship price and the people at the fried chicken place clear a table for us every time we show up, even if that means rushing out a barely finished diner or two. This is our Bazaar now.
Eid arrives on Monday. Eid is one of the biggest Muslim festivals of the year. Everyone has it as a holiday (expect rickshaw wallahs of course, this holiday means more work, of which they are thankful). As a result it is even more insanely busy. Going to the bazaar is like entering a mosh pit. For the first time I had my bum grabbed by some unseen passerby. I turned around and yelled, but in that crowd I have no idea who it could be. I thought, you conservative Muslim hypocrit. How dare you grab me.
As Joy and I were hailing a rickshaw we were contemplating this grabbing incident. The ride home was finally taking us away from the worst of the crowd. Out of nowhere a car pulls up along side us with a man half out the back window. He grabbed Joy's purse. Because her purse was slung around her shoulder she was yanked forward. I thought for sure she was going to fall out of the rickshaw and be dragged by the car. I grabbed her, though I don't believe I impacted the situation at all. Her purse strap broke, and I think the force of this was what threw her body back in the seat. She had her hands on the purse and was able to rip it free of its captor. Her purse strap is ripped, but her wallet remained, and she was not badly maimed by a car dragging. We faired well. With adrenalin whizzing about us, we made it back to CRP safely.
Yesterday went much better. I went to Old Dhaka by myself. I saw Lalbagh (Red Fort) an ancient Muslim mosque finished by Shaista Khan, then rickshawed to Hindu Street. Hindu Street is a narrow winding street with loads of little shops selling instruments and bracelets, stickers and sweets. Here I met up with Sumanta (pronounced Shimanto). He is an OT from Dhaka. He toured me around before taking me to the infamous Saderghat harbour. This is not a picturesque harbour, it's a working harbour. It's filthy, although this does not stop the various crewman from washing in the water (sick, they must have unbelievable immune systems). And it's really really busy. It's also full to the brim with people, pick poskets and aggressive beggars. Sounds lovely eh? But it's Dhaka, and not to be missed. Because I was with a local, I was left alone far more than if I'd been by myself. I am so thankful for Sumanta's company!
We rented a little boat and toured around the harbour with our boat man for 30min. Here we avoided steamers loaded to the gills with sand for brick making and clay, coconut fibres for mattress innards, pop bottles and garbage. It was pretty interesting to see. Well worth the trip.
After Saderghat we toured around the Pink Palace, which was the residence of the last Nawab of Bangladesh. This was not the serene exerience it oculd have been due to the sheer number of people also viewing the pink palace for the afternoon. Still, interesting none the less.
After we were all toured out we headed to Sumanta's uncles for some lunch and then off the Banani in baby taxi to Fazul and Baby's house (the two fabulous characters from the Sundarbans ship). They, in true Bangali style treated us like kings. We ate far too much (this is the theme of my whole trip). There were 4 kinds of meat dishes, two kinds of misty, multiple rice dishes and several vegetable options. Unreal. Following dinner Baby proceeded to show me some of her artwork. She is a gifted designer who creates hand painted works on furniture, bottles, lampshades and most beautifully: Sari's. She handed me a scotch bottle that she had created an intricate henna design using gold paint. Beautiful. She told me, it's for you. When I tride to protest she laughed and insisted. She then dissappeared and returned with a beautiful Salvar Kameez and forced me to take it as well. It has the most delicate beadwork. The gifts were a little too much for me, and I found myself gushing and wondering how I would ever repay their kindness. I was handed a tissue. Poor Sumanta had to sit through all of this.
As I was leaving she gave me the full jar of juice crystals for the juice I particularly liked during dinner! It was starting to worry that I would be handed everything I complimented!
The generosity and kindness I have experienced here is second to none. I did not mention that my full day tour with Sumanto was not pre arranged. It just happened we were both in Old Dhaka at the same time. I then took up his entire day. I am a guest of all of Bangladesh. This is how we Bideshis (foreigner) are treated. Yes, we had an attemped robbery. This person was clearly a shit head, part of a group of shit heads. But the Bangladeshi people outside of the shit heads have shown me a level of kindness and generosity I have not once deserved.
Lindsay
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sundarbans! (part 2)
I could go on and on about the Sundarbans, but I'll try to limit it to two posts. After we anchored (and immediately saw several spotted deer and monkeys on the beach) in the bay of bengal we had an evening to kill time. Our dear Muslim friend Fazel again treated us to scotch and vodka (he's not super Muslim) under the stars. I lied down on the benches at the back of the boat and in 30min saw 9 shooting stars. There must have been a meteor shower or something as the same phenomena occurred the following night.
We had an early morning trek after the most spectacular sunrise. This hike was through a particularly mongrove-ish part of the mongroves. The entire way was on a raised walkway. In typical Bangladeshi style the walk way was completely rotted away and so we carefully stepped along the central concrete beam about as wide as a gymnast's balance beam! Somehow the older people and the children managed it however, and we made it back safe and sound. One of the guests, Fazel's sister, spoke the entire time (despite the guide's warning that we will see more if we're quiet). And, also in typical Bengali style she spoke as if she was trying to be heard over a traffic jam. When I asked her to please be quiet so we might see something she replied, "no Royal Bengal Tiger here." and proceeded to shout whisper (whispering like they do in Shakespeare plays where the entire audience can hear the actor despite no microphone). This place is always entertaining.
Our afternoon hike was through a sort of grassland on sand. It was beautiful country, although the group moved a little slow for my taste. In 35deg celsius we trudged along to the sea of Bengal. There we had our own private beach on perfect sand. Swimming was such a treat in that heat, especially after so many weeks of being covered up in a Salwar Kameez in plus 30 weather. The guides brought fruit for snacks (they did not let us go very long without eating) and we lounged around before making the 5km hike back. This may have been my favourite part of the trip, but the Bengalis complained and complained about the length of the hike in the heat. I thought it was pretty funny that they were the ones whining about the heat. It was a pretty long hike for the older guests with arthritis and the young ones (a three year old made the hike, but his poor father had to carry him on the way back because he was fast asleep).
The heat was such that you could feel your sweat balling up at your temples before rolling down your face. But, despite my normal dislike of extreme heat, it was totally worth it and I think I'm getting aclimatized as well. It was also no where near the heat I experienced the first few days (38deg with high humity. It felt as if the air was choking you).
That night we took the country boat through the narrow canals once again. We again saw nothing more than birds. The density of the forest is such that you can only see maybe a foot into the trees. But on the way back we saw deep tiger tracks that were not there before. The tiger swam across the river twice (apparently that is normal) just behind us. The feeling of being watched was thrilling. Two of the men that stayed back at the main boat were able to see the Tiger make his journey. They are two of the only people on earth (who do not live in the Sundarbans and are not biologists) who have ever seen a wild Bengal Tiger. It is awesome (In the Eddie Izzard kind of Awe-some, not in the "sweet, a corn dog, that's awesome," kind of way)
On the boat trip back to Khulna we saw two pods and one lone dolphin. These are the Ganges River Dolphins. Again, thrilling. There is something about dolphins I think that you can't help but feel a kinship (see the movie The Cove if you haven't already). It was so exciting to see them breach the water and jump. I've never seen a wild dolphin before, and the Ganges River Dolphin is a rare fresh water dolphin that is very distinct in appearance from the bottle nose dolphins that are in the aquariums.
The only part I disliked was the all night bus ride back from Khulna to Dhaka. You know how when you're in a moving vehicle you'll wake up when it stops moving? Well, picture this, we moved so little and so rarely that I woke up every time the vehicle started moving! 10hours. Most of which was spent waiting for a ferry. We were an uncomfortable bunch. No food, no bathroom breaks. But the traffic was so bad we were able to get out, find a local toilet and get back in. The bus had moved about 20feet in that time.
For those of you who like going to less likely places, definitely include the Sundarbans in your itineraries. It was one of the best trips of my life. The Sundarbans are inhospital to human habitation due to the tidal waves, the lack of solid ground and the high levels of salinity. So, as a result, there are no permanent residents in the park. Very nice.
Linds
We had an early morning trek after the most spectacular sunrise. This hike was through a particularly mongrove-ish part of the mongroves. The entire way was on a raised walkway. In typical Bangladeshi style the walk way was completely rotted away and so we carefully stepped along the central concrete beam about as wide as a gymnast's balance beam! Somehow the older people and the children managed it however, and we made it back safe and sound. One of the guests, Fazel's sister, spoke the entire time (despite the guide's warning that we will see more if we're quiet). And, also in typical Bengali style she spoke as if she was trying to be heard over a traffic jam. When I asked her to please be quiet so we might see something she replied, "no Royal Bengal Tiger here." and proceeded to shout whisper (whispering like they do in Shakespeare plays where the entire audience can hear the actor despite no microphone). This place is always entertaining.
Our afternoon hike was through a sort of grassland on sand. It was beautiful country, although the group moved a little slow for my taste. In 35deg celsius we trudged along to the sea of Bengal. There we had our own private beach on perfect sand. Swimming was such a treat in that heat, especially after so many weeks of being covered up in a Salwar Kameez in plus 30 weather. The guides brought fruit for snacks (they did not let us go very long without eating) and we lounged around before making the 5km hike back. This may have been my favourite part of the trip, but the Bengalis complained and complained about the length of the hike in the heat. I thought it was pretty funny that they were the ones whining about the heat. It was a pretty long hike for the older guests with arthritis and the young ones (a three year old made the hike, but his poor father had to carry him on the way back because he was fast asleep).
The heat was such that you could feel your sweat balling up at your temples before rolling down your face. But, despite my normal dislike of extreme heat, it was totally worth it and I think I'm getting aclimatized as well. It was also no where near the heat I experienced the first few days (38deg with high humity. It felt as if the air was choking you).
That night we took the country boat through the narrow canals once again. We again saw nothing more than birds. The density of the forest is such that you can only see maybe a foot into the trees. But on the way back we saw deep tiger tracks that were not there before. The tiger swam across the river twice (apparently that is normal) just behind us. The feeling of being watched was thrilling. Two of the men that stayed back at the main boat were able to see the Tiger make his journey. They are two of the only people on earth (who do not live in the Sundarbans and are not biologists) who have ever seen a wild Bengal Tiger. It is awesome (In the Eddie Izzard kind of Awe-some, not in the "sweet, a corn dog, that's awesome," kind of way)
On the boat trip back to Khulna we saw two pods and one lone dolphin. These are the Ganges River Dolphins. Again, thrilling. There is something about dolphins I think that you can't help but feel a kinship (see the movie The Cove if you haven't already). It was so exciting to see them breach the water and jump. I've never seen a wild dolphin before, and the Ganges River Dolphin is a rare fresh water dolphin that is very distinct in appearance from the bottle nose dolphins that are in the aquariums.
The only part I disliked was the all night bus ride back from Khulna to Dhaka. You know how when you're in a moving vehicle you'll wake up when it stops moving? Well, picture this, we moved so little and so rarely that I woke up every time the vehicle started moving! 10hours. Most of which was spent waiting for a ferry. We were an uncomfortable bunch. No food, no bathroom breaks. But the traffic was so bad we were able to get out, find a local toilet and get back in. The bus had moved about 20feet in that time.
For those of you who like going to less likely places, definitely include the Sundarbans in your itineraries. It was one of the best trips of my life. The Sundarbans are inhospital to human habitation due to the tidal waves, the lack of solid ground and the high levels of salinity. So, as a result, there are no permanent residents in the park. Very nice.
Linds
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
SUNDARBANS! (part 1)
Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I have been on my one and only holiday in Bangladesh. Google the "Bangladesh Sundarbans" to see where I've been.
I signed up for a boat tour with The Guide Tours. This was a necessity, as this protected area is only accessible by boat, and only recognized tour companies with a permit are able to anchor over night in the Sundarbans. Otherwise, your tour begins and ends at the forest station. The Guide Tours boat is reminiscent to a Mississippi river boat. It's beautiful. Our tiny cabins had two cot sized bunk beds with a window to the outside and one to the central alley. On the top floor is seating for viewing, the dining room and the captain.
We slowly made our way from Dhaka down the incomprehensible maze of river pathways out to the forest station. This took two days in itself. The journey was fantastic though. I did not find myself asking, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" The first full day we trolled along looking at little fishing boats, riverside villages, a swimming cow and her calf. The locals waved at us as we went by, wishing us Asalaam Walekum. We waved back and took uncountable numbers of photos. That evening Fazul and his family, his brother's family and his sister's family (13 in all) hauled up mattresses to the prow and we all layed down under the stars. It's amazing how quickly you get to know people when in close quaters.
The following morning we got up early to watch the spectacular sunrise followed by a second day of travel to the Sundarbans. In the late afternoon we arrived at the Coast of Bengal and anchored. We were greeted immediately by monkeys and spotted deer on shore. I had read it was unlikely to see wildlife if entering the Sundarbans on a large boat (and we had 7 screaming children under the age of 7) so it was quite a surprise to see so much so soon.
We took an evening boat ride through the narrow channels followed by more excellent cuisine. Ana, one of the guests, bought fish from some local boats earlier in the day, and made us two delicious meals with her purchases. The prawns were bigger than I thought possible. They look like small lobsters. You only eat a half a prawn at a time as they are cut lengthwise! In a country of tiny things (a quote from my supervisor) the prawns are monstrous.
Due to the looming deadline of my presentation, I have to go. I will complete this post next day. But stay tuned, the best is yet to come (da da dum).
Lindsay
I signed up for a boat tour with The Guide Tours. This was a necessity, as this protected area is only accessible by boat, and only recognized tour companies with a permit are able to anchor over night in the Sundarbans. Otherwise, your tour begins and ends at the forest station. The Guide Tours boat is reminiscent to a Mississippi river boat. It's beautiful. Our tiny cabins had two cot sized bunk beds with a window to the outside and one to the central alley. On the top floor is seating for viewing, the dining room and the captain.
We slowly made our way from Dhaka down the incomprehensible maze of river pathways out to the forest station. This took two days in itself. The journey was fantastic though. I did not find myself asking, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" The first full day we trolled along looking at little fishing boats, riverside villages, a swimming cow and her calf. The locals waved at us as we went by, wishing us Asalaam Walekum. We waved back and took uncountable numbers of photos. That evening Fazul and his family, his brother's family and his sister's family (13 in all) hauled up mattresses to the prow and we all layed down under the stars. It's amazing how quickly you get to know people when in close quaters.
The following morning we got up early to watch the spectacular sunrise followed by a second day of travel to the Sundarbans. In the late afternoon we arrived at the Coast of Bengal and anchored. We were greeted immediately by monkeys and spotted deer on shore. I had read it was unlikely to see wildlife if entering the Sundarbans on a large boat (and we had 7 screaming children under the age of 7) so it was quite a surprise to see so much so soon.
We took an evening boat ride through the narrow channels followed by more excellent cuisine. Ana, one of the guests, bought fish from some local boats earlier in the day, and made us two delicious meals with her purchases. The prawns were bigger than I thought possible. They look like small lobsters. You only eat a half a prawn at a time as they are cut lengthwise! In a country of tiny things (a quote from my supervisor) the prawns are monstrous.
Due to the looming deadline of my presentation, I have to go. I will complete this post next day. But stay tuned, the best is yet to come (da da dum).
Lindsay
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Lice, a Labrador and some Bora
All of us volunteers are from different corners of the world and working in different corners of CRP. One of the girls, Joy, from Holland, is working in the special needs school (by the way Dianne, she also says that Appekop is not a term you call your wife.) This was a gutsy move on her part because not only is the special needs school not nearly as developed as the SCI unit, but the treatment of children here leaves a lot to be desired. She has witnessed what we would refer to as malpractice or even abuse in Canada, but she continues on, advocating for her patients.
One day she was shocked to discover that the caregivers had cut a few corners (pun definitely intended) when grooming the children. All the children (girls and boys) arrived with their heads shaved. We were all pretty shocked at this apparent attack on moral. Joy continued to run group therapy and individual treaments throughout the day. She finally decided she should ask why on earth the decision to shave everyone's heads was made. The reply, "Oh, they all have lice." It was said offhanded, like "Oh, the sky is cloudy today." or "Oh, there's rice for lunch again."
Since then we have all been itchy.We're a little miffed as to why the therapist in the special needs school was not informed of the lice status, but there you have it. This is Bangladesh after all.
As for the labrador, I have managed to get my dog fix while here (not my dog fixed, but my dog fix). The founder of CRP, Valerie Taylor, has a pet Labrador retriever named Jerry. As she has gone to England for 2 months, Jerry has been abandoned in his little home. I volunteered to walk him every day or two in her absence (while I'm still here, which is only 2 more weeks, one of which I'm in the Sundarbans). Jerry is a typical lab in an atypical situation. He is tremendously lonely and is locked on their large porch. He cannot go into their fairly secure yard because of the anti-dog rhetoric that occurs in Muslim beliefs. He is considered unclean (I believe this is in a religious sense. Valerie informed me that devout Muslims must thoroughly clean a room that a dog has been in before they are able to pray. Please correct me if this is wrong). Although there are some people here who claim "Ami kokur pochando korri" (I like dogs) the vast majority are fearful and find them loathsome. Basically, this resulted in her last two dogs being poisoned while she was away. They were poisened in her own yard.
Man, it takes a whole other level of patience and kindness to put up with the very people who poison your dogs. I have therefore been charged with his walking and his on-leash protection.
For everyone's information, every one of these dogs were given to her by people who were leaving Bangladesh and unable to take their dogs. Valerie has not repeatedly bought dogs only to have them killed. She is a rescuer of sorts.
Finally, I have had a great cooking experience. Asha, the fabulous daughter of our house mother, took time out of her evening to teach us how to cook kola bora. Bora means small ball, or food in a small ball, kola is banana. This dish consists of banana, flour, egg, milk, sugar, more sugar and coconut . It is then balled up and dropped into bubbly oil. (Everything here can be fried. We even had a deep fried hard boiled egg. no joke.) It is amazing. I think Paul will be especially fond of this one as it tastes like deep fried banana loaf. sooooo good.
That's it for now.
Linds
One day she was shocked to discover that the caregivers had cut a few corners (pun definitely intended) when grooming the children. All the children (girls and boys) arrived with their heads shaved. We were all pretty shocked at this apparent attack on moral. Joy continued to run group therapy and individual treaments throughout the day. She finally decided she should ask why on earth the decision to shave everyone's heads was made. The reply, "Oh, they all have lice." It was said offhanded, like "Oh, the sky is cloudy today." or "Oh, there's rice for lunch again."
Since then we have all been itchy.We're a little miffed as to why the therapist in the special needs school was not informed of the lice status, but there you have it. This is Bangladesh after all.
As for the labrador, I have managed to get my dog fix while here (not my dog fixed, but my dog fix). The founder of CRP, Valerie Taylor, has a pet Labrador retriever named Jerry. As she has gone to England for 2 months, Jerry has been abandoned in his little home. I volunteered to walk him every day or two in her absence (while I'm still here, which is only 2 more weeks, one of which I'm in the Sundarbans). Jerry is a typical lab in an atypical situation. He is tremendously lonely and is locked on their large porch. He cannot go into their fairly secure yard because of the anti-dog rhetoric that occurs in Muslim beliefs. He is considered unclean (I believe this is in a religious sense. Valerie informed me that devout Muslims must thoroughly clean a room that a dog has been in before they are able to pray. Please correct me if this is wrong). Although there are some people here who claim "Ami kokur pochando korri" (I like dogs) the vast majority are fearful and find them loathsome. Basically, this resulted in her last two dogs being poisoned while she was away. They were poisened in her own yard.
Man, it takes a whole other level of patience and kindness to put up with the very people who poison your dogs. I have therefore been charged with his walking and his on-leash protection.
For everyone's information, every one of these dogs were given to her by people who were leaving Bangladesh and unable to take their dogs. Valerie has not repeatedly bought dogs only to have them killed. She is a rescuer of sorts.
Finally, I have had a great cooking experience. Asha, the fabulous daughter of our house mother, took time out of her evening to teach us how to cook kola bora. Bora means small ball, or food in a small ball, kola is banana. This dish consists of banana, flour, egg, milk, sugar, more sugar and coconut . It is then balled up and dropped into bubbly oil. (Everything here can be fried. We even had a deep fried hard boiled egg. no joke.) It is amazing. I think Paul will be especially fond of this one as it tastes like deep fried banana loaf. sooooo good.
That's it for now.
Linds
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