Welcome to Bangladesh

the food being cooked for our picnic

 I have found myself on that portion of the globe where far east transitions to middle east. Temples become mosques here, the religion of choice is Islam and if you don't like spicy food survival becomes difficult.

Heather playing cricket, if you look closely you can see the little red ball in my hand

I have only been in Bangladesh for one week and already I have had some amazing experiences. I was welcomed in with an all day picnic which included a game of Cricket. I received a crash course in the rules of the game and jumped in to play a position that I can only guess would be most similiar to short stop in Baseball. I met many new people and had to pose for what seemed like millions of photos. By the end of the day my cheeks were painfully frozen into a smile position and I haven't been able to get them out of it since!



Traffic here is a little insane, cars, buses, motorcycles and rickshaws all compete with pedestrians for a spot on the single lane roads. Horns are constantly honking in warning. It's a complete free for all and nobody has the right of way, which also means noone is at fault if you misstep and become the next object laying on the side of the road. I always tend to let out a little scream as I close my eyes in fear and play chicken with the cars as I try to get to the other side.



Heather in shalwar kameez
traditional Bangladeshi wear

Women must keep their chest and rear under cover here so I purchased a couple of local outfits in an attempt to blend in a little better. The clothes are very beautiful here however, they are not at all flattering to the female body. The point is to hide it not flaunt it so in addition to MC Hammer pants and a long tunic women must also take an orna (scarf) and wrap it in a way that covers their chest; covering your head is optional.

I'm looking forward to getting settled here and learning more about my new friends and this amazing culture.