Mymensingh to Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
Photo,
Pictures of, Images, Picture
(November 2011) |
My touring bicycle with a substitute pannier borrowed from Gretchen's load.
The mosque next door to our hotel was quite modern with its large satellite
dish.
Mymensingh was emptied out on November 7th, when Eid celebrations began.
Eid celebrations usually include a few goats or cattle getting slaughtered and a
big family feast.
These men were doing their meat cutting in front of the local mall. The man on
the stool is supervising.
A pile of cattle skins left over from the day's work. All the meat and parts of
the animals are used; there is no waste.
Some of the meat is given away to the poor.
The smell and sight of blood and guts is a little overwhelming. Something we're
definitely not used to in the west.
The next day after the butchery there were plenty of stained spots full on flies
dotting the ground.
Look closely: there is a large condom sign over the alley. We wandered down this
alley looking for a restaurant and were very embarrassed to find ourselves
outside of a brothel.
Just in case you couldn't see it in the last photo.
The railway station in Ghafargaon was incredibly crowded. We stayed at a hotel
near the station, cheap but buggy.
This man spoke English well. He brought his shy nephews up to meet the
foreigners and brought us each a Sprite. I'm sure he's a very cool uncle!
The little green carts run on something called Compressed Natural Gas. It might
really be LPG, liquid petroleum gas. It burns cleaner than petrol and many types
of vehicles in Bangladesh run on it.
The lovely little Kingfisher.
Every bit of empty space on the train gets sat upon, including the roof.
I don't know how people stay attached to the roof when the train is in motion.
These men are working at a printing press - I guess the one on the phone is
taking orders
Our hotel was on the upper floors of this row of shops. There was a garage with
a guard at the end of the hall, so we could leave our bicycles downstairs.
Child labor is a daily fact of life in Bangladesh. We saw kids carrying heavy
loads, working in restaurants and toiling out in the fields. These boys gave us
a big smile and wave when we stopped to take this photo.
The traffic in Bangladesh is largely based on bicycle vehicles.
Kishoreganj had particularly crazy traffic: there doesn't seem to be much
regard for traffic laws or yielding to other drivers.
I had a nice ride with this student Imam one morning.
The trucks are individually hand-painted with fantasy scenes of luxury
living.
With all the care and artistic talent that goes into painting these trucks,
you'd think they'd be a bit more careful on the road.
Cycle rickshaws are works of art in Bangladesh. The general designs vary
from city to city.
You can put the shade down on the rickshaw if you're hauling a big load, or
if you're too big to fit under the hood like me.
Have you ever wondered where the 25,000 pictures posted on
www.DownTheRoad.org come from?
This is me on my loaded touring bicycle on the side of the road in
Bangladesh
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