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