Leaving Dhaka

Saturday, 22 December 2012

The 22nd of December at noon we are ready to go. Before hitting the road we decide to have a nice heavy lunch at the Dutch club, one of these oasis that pace the expat life in Dhaka. The wifi is excellent of course and we have the brilliant idea of taking additional Google Map printscreens of our route in North-East India.



Eventually we are on the road. We head full East, following the indications of Willem and, surprisingly, manage to get out of the city traffic within an hour. Every time we reach a location on Willem's list we ask for the next name and follow people's indications. It helps a lot that Pierre speaks a bit of Bangla!



The landscape is dotted with the tall towers of brick factories working full speed to accommodate the expansion of the sprawling capital. On a short boat trip we observe the awkward layout of pipes designed to suck the sand out of the rivers banks to consolidate the terrains around and allow new constructions. Little by little the sight becomes less industrial. We are following the river, alternating between bits of countryside, which are not without charm, and sometimes congested streets in small towns.



Thinking ahead we agree that we should avoid biking in the dark after sunset. So we stop in Kaliganj, the biggest small town around and quickly figure out that there is no hotel. We devise a strategy: stop somewhere, have a snack (tea and bananas) and hopefully someone "knowledgeable" speaking some English will appear and help us out. Soon, we are surrounded by dozens of people, young and elderly alike, staring at us with pop-eyed faces. The bikes three meters away become invisible behind a wall of people. But when we are done with the snack there is still nobody "knowledgeable" in sight.


We go back strolling along the main road. Night is falling. We stop in front of what falsly claims to be a cyber cafe and suddenly a young man - neatly dressed and with fancy glasses - walks toward us confidently for a handshake presenting himself in English. "This is the man we are waiting for!" we both think. The young man quickly offers to host us. But there is a twist: he lives in the countryside 10 km away. Our options are limited, so here we are, biking in the busy evening traffic with our head lamps on, trying to follow the bus into which our saviour has jumped. So much for our safety resolutions!

The young man is called Faisal and lives in Bhatira, a small village close to Fuldi Bazar. His story is sort of a modern Bangladeshi tragedy. He spent a few years working as a taxi driver in Saudi Arabia becoming familiar with the glitters of Western lifestyle. Then he lost all his savings when a contact ran away with his money after promissing to sponsor him for a Visa to the United States. Now he is single in his early thirties with too little money left to return in Saudi Arabia or find a "good" wife and settle down in Bangladesh. Besides, there is no job in Bangladesh that would offer him the living conditions he yearns for. We watch an American blockbuster and fall asleep in our sleeping bags, Pierre on a sleeping map while I'm sharing the double bed.



Our second day starts with an extended tour of the quiet village. The rice fields and mango plantations are beautiful. Temperatures are very chilly because of the thick morning mist, a phenomenon that we'll encounter every day in Bangladesh. At times we have the strange feeling of beeing exhibited around. We learn that several other villagers have been working in Saudi Arabia. This probably explains the relatively good state of the concrete houses. We walk by a private Saudi-funded madrassa (religious school) where kids are learning the Koran. Hopefully they also get to do some math!



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