Monday, October 12: Learning about MCC

Dad and I had a great night of sleep on Sunday night that got us adjusted to the time difference. Monday was spent checking out MCC and learning about what it does in Bogra. But first we had to follow the Colts/Titans game online. They played on Sunday night football, but it was early Monday morning in Bangladesh. It wasn't quite the same as watching it on TV, but at least they won.

Dad and Phillip watching updates of the Colts game.

After the Colts game ended, dad and I went with Nate to visit the house that Phillip and the other expats will live in eventually. (They actually moved in last week.) Phillip didn't go because he got sick during the night. The house is located in a little village a few miles from Bogra. The house has four bedrooms with a central living area. There is also a workshop there. The place is set up for them to try different ideas that may be used in the future. It was interesting to see some of the ideas they are working on such as system to recycle water and using more environmentally friendly building products.

The following are pictures of where Phillip is now living:

By lunch time, Phillip was feeling better. After lunch, Phillip, dad, and I went to visit an MCC partner program. MCC in Bangladesh does not have any programs that it does by itself. It only works with through other organizations. The site had a couple of different projects that it was doing. One program was purchasing manure from local farmers and turning it into fertilizer. They had two different ways to do that. First was taking cow manure and adding worms. It would take approximately 45 to go from manure to fertilizer. The second way was a mixture of several ingredients that would be left alone for about the same length of time. The moisture would drain out through holes in the side and would be collected and also used as liquid fertilizer.

Making Fertilizer

The other project that they were working on there was raising chickens in a chicken house above a pond. The idea is that a farmer can raise chickens, and the fish in the pond would feed off of the chicken droppings. This way the farmer can sell the chickens and the fish.


After visiting the program site, we visited several families that have benefited from MCC and its partner program. The first family we visited received a goat with the condition that its offspring be given to another family. Another family benefited from a program that crossbreeds cattle. Another received a loan to build a chicken house. This was my favorite day in Bangladesh. Dad and I both agreed that it was very interesting to see how MCC works and the benefits to the local community. We also got to see how some of the people who benefit from MCC live and how it impacts their lives. Everyone was very welcoming, and the children all like to have their pictures taken.


Not much exciting happened the rest of the day. By the time we made it back, we only had time to eat supper and pack for our trip to Nepal the next day.

Sunday, October 11: The Adventure Begins...Big Time!

I've already written about some of my first impressions of Bangladesh in a previous post, so I will not go too in depth about that here. I will say some of my first impressions are not quite my current viewpoint of Bangladesh. For instance, after a couple of days, the traffic did not seem as chaotic. Basically, there does seem to be some method to the madness. Everyone there is accustomed to the unwritten rules of driving, so it is not a crazy or dangerous as it first appears. Also, according to those who live there, if you cause an accident, (especially a fatality) you should expect some sort of street justice, so there is a lot of give and take on the road as a result.

We left the U.S. on Friday evening, but with the long travel time and the time difference, it was early Sunday morning when we arrived in Bangladesh. After we landed, I made it through immigration with no problem, and I waited for dad. I could see him, and it seemed like there might be a problem. Finally, after probably about ten minutes, he got through. Apparently they were having computer problems. It was also a relief when we saw that all our luggage made it too. Phillip met us at the airport, and he arranged for a driver to take us to Bogra where he lives. So after traveling for just under 24 hours to make it to Bangladesh, we immediately get in a car to drive for another three hours or so.

Fish Market

After we made it to Bogra, we decided to take a shower, get something to eat, and take a nap until noon. The nap in hindsight was probably not the best idea. We slept for about an hour, and for the first hour after I woke up I was not all there mentally. That also happened to be the time that Phillip decided to introduce us to the people he works with. I definitely wasn't the most talkative at that time. We had lunch with the three other Americans and one Canadian who work with MCC in Bogra. They are all single and in their 20's.

Pile of trash by the river

After lunch, we decided to walk around Bogra some. We walked through a market there and wound up on the other side of the river. On our way back it started to rain, so we found an awning to get out of the rain. After about 3o minutes, the rain let up, and we decided to head back. We still had about a 20 minute walk, and the rain had not completely stopped, so we decided to take a couple of rickshaws. This is where the real adventure began. Because it was raining, the three of us could not fit in one rickshaw and stay dry. It was decided that dad and Phillip would ride in one rickshaw, and I would follow in another rickshaw. Phillip told the my rickshaw driver that he should follow the theirs, and I don't have any money.

Rickshaws

So off we went. After approximately one minute, my rickshaw driver proceeded to stop and get off his bike. Dad and Phillip then disappeared from view as I tried to get Phillip's attention. After about 30 seconds, my driver then got back on the bike and started again. So here I am, it's my first day in Bangladesh, I don't speak the language at all, I don't have a clue where I am or where I'm going, and I don't have any money. Quite a few thoughts went through my mind over the next couple of minutes. I hope this guy knows more of where he is going besides for the other rickshaw. What if he doesn't? How do I find where I need to go? What if he wants me to pay him?

As all these things are going through my head, we turn a corner onto another road, and there's dad and Phillip! They had realized that I wasn't there and had their rickshaw stop and wait. So of course my rickshaw driver proceeds to pass them and keep going, but I did see theirs start as we pass. I figure theirs will pass us in a minute and all will be right with the universe again. Wrong! After a couple of minutes of looking for them in all the rickshaws passing us, I look out the back and don't see them in any of the rickshaws behind us. Oh great, I'm back where I was before. At this point, I'm trying not to panic, and I'm trying to decide what my options are. Finally, after a few more minutes, Phillip and dad pass me. What a relief. Apparently, as they started to follow me after I passed them, their chain came off, and they had to put it back on. What a way to start a trip to a developing country.

The rest of the day was not quite as eventful. That evening we went out to eat with the other Americans (and Candian) and their Bengali boss. Dad and I both struggled at times during the meal to stay awake. We did stay up to 9 PM. I estimate that I got 2-3 hours of sleep in a 52 hour period. Jet lag is not fun!

The first day was one I will not forget. Bangladesh is definitely another world. It's hard to feel comfortable when traffic does not follow the rules you are used to, the food is different, and everyone stares at you! This is something that I do not miss about Bangladesh. It is not a place many tourists visit, so white people really stick out. This means that everyone stares. It is not meant to be rude, but it is just they way it is.

"The Look" - Notice three adults staring and a child in the baskseat

Getting There

Getting to Bangladesh is no easy trip. We left on Friday, Oct. 9. Dad met me at my house, and we left at about 2:00 PM to go to Aunt Susan and Uncle John's. Once there, Uncle John took us to O'Hare Airport in Chicago for our 9:30 PM flight. We flew Etihad Airlines. It is the national carrier of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Our first flight was from Chicago to Abu Dhabi and was about 12-13 hours. Etihad is a pretty good airline. The flight attendants were good, and there were movies, TV shows, and video games on demand at every seat, but it was still a very, very long flight. Additionally, about 4 hours into the flight someone a few rows behind us and on the other side of the plane fainted. Fortunately, he seemed to be doing fine a little later, and there were no other problems for the rest of the flight. Then to top it all off after a layover of a couple of hours was another 4-5 hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Dhaka. By the time we arrived in Bangladesh, we had been traveling for over 24 hours, and I had watched three movies and at least a half dozen TV shows, played several games of Tetris, and slept for only 1-2 hours. It was also about 5 AM when we arrived. Needless to say, we were set up for some very bad jet lag.

Inside the airport at Abu Dhabi.

Home, Sweet Home

We made it back into Chicago Friday evening, and spent the night at Aunt Susan's and Uncle John's because we were too tired to drive home that night. I would like to thank them for taking us to and picking us up from the airport and letting us stay the night. We made it the rest of the way home on Saturday. It was a very interesting trip, but it is great to be home. The next couple of days were spent recovering. I was exhausted, but I think it had a lot to do with a cold I came down with on the way home. It is now Tuesday, and I am feeling much better now.

Now that the trip is done, I plan on going back through and providing more details and more stories about it along with some pictures and videos. Hopefully this will give everyone a better idea of what we experienced. How fast I finish just depends on how motivated I am. I will try to keep at it. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them, and I will try to respond to them. Hopefully you check back over the next several posts, and I hope you enjoy what I share.

Just Another Day in Paradise

I was really looking forward to leaving Kathmandu yesterday. Nepal is a beautiful country, but what I have seen of Kathmandu, I don't particularly care for it. It is very dirty and there are pushy people trying to sell you things and get you to ride in their taxis everywhere. I definitely never want to live in a large city, and I most certainly don't want to live in a city in a developing nation.

Again, I was looking forward to leaving Kathmandu yesterday. We arrived at the airport at about 1 PM for our 3:35 flight. Everything was going fairly smoothly (they terminal smelled like BO and urine) until we were in the bus that takes you from the terminal to the plane. We waited on there for several minutes and then they took us into a room right inside the door of the airport. After waiting a while longer there, they told us that there were "technical problems" and they would decide whether the flight will go or not within 30 minutes. Of course, 30 minutes turned into almost two hours. Then they told us that the flight was cancelled, and eventually we were moved back into the terminal with the strong stench of BO and urine and given lousy airline food. After another 45 minutes we found out that our flight would be going at 2:55 PM today, and the airline would take us to a hotel for the night and cover the costs. So about 8 hours after we arrived at the airport we were loaded into a taxi and taken to a "real deluxe" hotel. I think the only thing deluxe about it is that we actually have cable TV with.

There are four things that are really lousy about this. First, we have no clean clothes here. We left some in Bangladesh and brought only what we needed. Second, we were supposed to get a home cooked meal by one of Phillip's American co-workers. Third, we were supposed to go to Mymensingh today to see what programs MCC has going on there. Dad and I were really looking forward to this. And finally, I am sick and tired of Kathmandu, and we have to spend another day here. Oh well, I guess it's the joy of traveling in developing countries. Yep...Just another day in paradise!

Pain and Rewards

We returned to Pokhara from our trekking trip today. We spent four days going from Naya Pul to Ghorepani in Nepal. It's hard to say how far that is because no place along the trail was flat. The towns along the way were even on different levels. At one point we had to go up 3,280 steps. That took about two hours and we spent another five hours that day after that hiking to our destination.

The trek was a lot more strenuous than we had anticipated. As a result, we all have very sore legs. Unfortunately we had to cut our trip a little short, but none of us are too dissapointed. We made it to Ghorepani in two days, and on the third day, we were to get up early and hike to the top of Poon Hill to watch the sunrise over the mountains and then hike to Ghandruk which is about 7 to 8 hours away. Unfortunately, the night before that I got sick. I had an upset stomach and didn't get much sleep. I decided not to go to the top of Poon Hill because of my sickness. This was a major dissapointment for me. I did stay back in Ghorepani and watched the sunrise over the mountains. It was absolutely amazing. The view from Poon Hill would have been better, but this was still worth it. I will make sure to share some pictures at a later date. After dad and Phillip returned from Poon Hill, we decided to return the way we came instead of going to Ghandruk due to my sickness and dad's old man body. He did real well that day until close to the end when his bad knee lost its strength. He did make it to our stop with a little help.

We made it back the rest of the way this morning and are sore but doing much better than last night. Phillip has given me some medicine for my stomach, and I feel good today. Dad got a lot of sleep last night, and is doing well today.

Nepal is an absolutely beautiful country. The mountains are amazing. We saw several waterfalls and the water is vivid shade of blue. The weather has been wonderful. It has been in the 80's and sunny here. Tomorrow we head back to Kathmandu, and we fly back to Bangladesh on Tuesday.

On to Nepal

We completed our first leg in Bangladesh and arrived today in Kathmandu, Nepal. Tomorrow we board a bus for Pokhara, and begin a four day trek on Thursday. I've really been looking forward to this part of the trip because the mountains are my favorite place to visit and they don't get any better than the Himalayas. We have all our travel arrangements made and can now just enjoy the journey. I will hopefully have time to post some more when we get back in a few days. After Nepal, we head back to Bangladesh for three more days and then it is on to home. Too many interesting things to share for so little time, so I will share a lot after I return home.

Jet Lag, Rickshaws, and Lots of People

We made it to Bangladesh yesterday. We arrived at about 5 AM Bangladesh time, so we had all day before we wanted to sleep. We did take naps which I don't know if they helped or not, but we managed to stay up to 9 PM. We woke up at 6:30 this morning and felt pretty good. I estimate that I got about 2-3 hrs. of sleep in a 52 hr. period.

My first impression of Bangladesh is that it is even less developed than I expected. Traffic is crazy and road lanes don't mean much, there is piles of trash on the sides of the streets, and the power lines are a mess. The best word to describe what I have seen is chaotic. There are also people everywhere which I did expect. We went for a walk around Bogra yesterday, and didn't see another foreigner. We of course drew a lot of stares which is the typical reaction of Bengalis when they see a white person. I defininately was out of my comfort zone.

I had my first experience with rickshaws yesterday, and it created a story that I am sure I will tell for a long time. I think it deserves its own post, so I won't go into details now, but I will definitely share later. Basically I wound up by myself in a rickshaw on my first day in a new country without knowing the language, where I was going, and with no local currency. Later rickshaw rides were a little more comfortable mentally but not necessarily physically.

It's Here!!!

Today's the big day. I have to work this morning then dad is meeting me, and we are heading to my aunt and uncle's house. From there, my uncle is taking us to O'Hare, and we fly out at about 9:30 this evening. I don't know how much internet access we'll have as we travel, but I will try to make a couple of posts during our trip. I will definitely write about some of our experiences and share some pictures and videos after we get back. We will appreciate your prayers as we travel over the next couple of weeks.

Where in the world is Steven?

I've had several people ask me where Bangladesh is. It is on the east side of India. Click here to see a map and read more about Bangladesh. In Bangladesh we will arrive in the capital Dhaka. It is one of the largest cities in the world with population of about 13 million. We will then go to Bogra where Phillip lives, and we will also visit Mymensingh.

As I've already written in my previous posts, we also plan on traveling to Nepal for a week. It is a mountainous country between India and China. Mt. Everest is on its border with China. We will arrive in the capital Kathmandu, and we will travel to Pokhara. We will go from there on a four day trek in the Annapurna region.