Dhaka - so it begins

So if you were like me, you are probably wondering where Bangladesh actually is? Originally part of Colonial British India, it tucked on the Bay of Bengal between India and Sri Lanka to the west, Myanmar and SE Asia to the east and the Himalayas, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan to the north. 

The trip was long  When I went to Sri Lanka I flew business class and broke to trip up with a couple days in Hong Kong  This was straight through, with a long uncomfortable layover in Dubai. Immigration was visa on arrival and pretty straight forward with advance instruction from Derek  I also happened to be on his same flight to Dhaka which was convenient. We got to the hotel around 12noon and thankfully the rooms were reserved from the night before - so straight in  I rested for a bit (and watched some election coverage) and then headed up to the rooftop for some sun. 

Dhaka is a city of 20 million people and one of the most densely populated cities on the planet. It is majority Muslim (the reason for the original split as part of Pakistan and independence in 1971) and just had a student uprising which resulted in a change of leadership. The new government has not been formed. 

The traffic - cars, trucks, bicycle rickshaws and tuk tuks - is overwhelming along with constant din of horns. 

From what I can see of the city, there is money coming in but there is still poverty. Our hotel, the Golden Tulip (not to be confused with the White Lotus) is quite nice. And our few dining experiences have been simple but good. And there is very limited alcohol sales. Nothing is served at the meals we have had so far. 

The tour doesn’t technically start until orientation and dinner tonight. Most of us have just been trying to combat the jet lag and relax. 

This morning after breakfast, we did go to the market. And while it was quite a bit more active in terms of producing product on-site (grinding spices, black smithing blades and butchering fish and goats) The most notable part of the day was the local interest in us! Everyone was gathered around as our guide explained fruits and vegetables. Selfies were taken and everyone wanted to know where we were from. It was amazing to be so welcome. 

So that’s it for now. We will find out more trip details on a day-by-day basis. 

Meanwhile, I’ll be at the pool.