Bangladesh 2

There were plans to go to the Garo Hills, to the north of Dhaka, for a short trip on my first weekend, but the second biggest meeting of Muslims in the world after Mecca coincided with the planned dates and all roads out of Dhaka to the North were blocked. So, L's tour guide and tour book writer friend swiftly reorganised us in to the Padma Resort instead. We hopped in a car and drove out of the big bustling city into a calm, green countryside, past a ferry port, and down a little road to a long, tropical beach (top centre right in above pic).

A boat materialised to transport us across the Padma river to the island resort (that's our boat on the right of the picture on the bottom left corner there) and we arrived at a small fenced off area of land full of little wooden huts on stilts (for the rainy season) - see picture top left above.

When we arrived several Bangldeshi picnics and days out were in full swing, but gradually the crowds departed and we were the only inhabitees for the night. We sat on our balcony and played games and drunk wine (allowed for foreign nationals, though not Bangladeshis, which is a little weird). The proprietor set up a little barbecue for us and a bonfire, around which we gnawed on chargrilled chicken (the chickens had come over on the boat a few hours earlier with the tour guide friend when he returned from moving his motorbike). Then we feasted on more Bangladeshi food in the canteen, before retiring with paraffin lamps to sparse wood rooms. Over the other side of the river a carnival was in full swing and the music didn't stop til dawn...

The following morning we spend some relaxing hours reading on reclining chairs perched in the middle of an arid 'lawn' whilst Bangladeshi daytrippers blasted out Bangla music and played football, and three small children outside crouched down to watch the action through the barbed wire fence which surrounded us.

Back on the mainland, (our boat operator top right above), we witnessed the unloading of jute from another boat (bottom left above) and walked through a colourful village where all sorts of activity and commerce went on from the roadside and people followed us through the streets, introducing themselves and practising their English.

It was lovely, and quite quite surreal at times...