Bloodsuckers and bad politics - first quarter sum-up

After three months in Bangladesh it's time to present a random list of things I have learnt so far.

Breathing through mouth

Dhaka smells. The local odor cocktail of urine and garbage garnished with sewage is a killer. Close your nose, open your mouth.

Not getting lost all the time. Walking (and not obeying the security instructions) is the most effective way of exploring the city.

Using mosquito repellent

The blood sucker season is about to start. The local mosquitoes seem to be invisible and inaudible. But, oh boy, they can stick. The other night I stood outdoors in my zumba outfit less than ten minutes. I didn't see nor hear a single insect but they had very systematically and meticulously worked through my butt.

Appreciating the cooler weather

Not sweating all the time is a very welcome break. It's still warm but not so humid, starting to remind of Nordic summer.

Admiring the hard working people

But it's also very sad to see how dangerous and awful jobs the most industrious people have. And how little they earn.

Not giving money to (most of) the beggars

I'm not proud of this point but it's just not possible to help all the needy here. Just when you thought that the legless man in the street was the most wretched human being there is, the next man is both leggless and armless, the third both limbless and blind. 

Enjoying Bangla food

One of Dhaka's best restaurants is in our apartment. Our housekeeper S. spoils us with wonderful dinners. With a surprise bonus: my husband has lost at least five kilos by enjoying S's cooking and avoiding snacks.

And a list of the things I'm struggling with:

Politics

Fascinatingly crazy but tragically undemocratic. The system is based on threats, fear, corruption and untruths. The media suffers from severe self censorship, the justice system is dysfunctional.

Domestic - and other - violence

People are killed and tortured in most horrendous methods. Most of the victims are women and children.

Bangla

Honestly, I haven't even made an effort. Will do.

Clothing

The local female uniform of a pajamas and a scarf is just not for me. I'm working on a compromise between a Western and Bangla outfit.

Tennis

Unfortunately, I haven't got a job and need to fill my days with other activities. 

Tennis looked like an easy and elegant alternative. I have taken six lessons and managed to hit the ball almost four times. 

Durga Puja - when good conquers evil

  

Hindus in Bangladesh have been celebrating Durga Puja this week. It is the largest religious festival of the Hindu community here. 

The point of the celebration, to make it very simple and suitable for a newcomer, is the fight and finally the victory of the good over the evil. Wonderful principle, hope everybody would follow it.

Bangladesh is a Muslim country but also the world's third largest Hindu state after India and Nepal.

The number of Hindus has diminished radically due to migration and oppression. It is estimated that presently round nine per cent of the population in Bangladesh are Hindus. 

When the total population here is about 160 million, nine percent is remarkable, almost three times of my home country's population.

There were almost 30 000 "festival temples" erected all over Bangladesh. Only in Dhaka more than 200. 

The one I visited in an area called Banani was very busy even in the middle of the day. 

An impressive construction in golden colors though made mainly of plastic and styrox.

People were beautifully dressed up, participating in complicated ceremonies and socializing. And of course they were busy taking selfies. Surprisingly, everybody wanted to take a selfie with me - and I really don't look like a Hindu goddess. 

There were rumours of possible terror actions during the Durga Puja. The security measures were very visible. Lots of check-ins and check-outs, uniforms in all colors. Members of the Rapid Action Batallion in black uniforms are the coolest of all, wouldn't ever even dream of cracking jokes with them.

A breather in a manicured nation

Dhaka is intense. One needs at least seventeen senses to take it all in. Those of us only equipped with the standard set plus female intuition need a little break every now and then.

 

Singapore proved to be a perfect place for resting of senses. 

It's a manicured society - shiny, well-run, controlled. 

In other words, everything that Dhaka is not. No visible security but totally safe, nobody sweeping the streets but totally clean, nobody seemingly giving orders but totally organized.

We had a four days vacation with sterile streets, glass and steel buildings, beautiful green areas. No honking, no spitting in the streets, no peeing in the sewage. Well, there are no visible sewages. No smells, no sounds, no beggars, no potholes in the streets. 

Singapore is entertaining:  hoardes of tourists with selfie sticks or as I call them - social media dildos.

The city offers unending opportunities to buy luxury products that you didn't know even existed and definitely not needed. 

It has been good to see something totally different but it will be good to come home again.

Dhaka is unnormally crazy, Singapore was unnormally normal.

Money doesn´t talk

Remember the find five faults game? 

Below you will find more than five.

 A 16 year boy drives a car in Dhaka. He is speeding, he has no driving licence, he takes selfies and sends them. And he is drunk. 

He crashes with rickshaws and injures two people seriously, two other mildly. 

Nobody files criminal charges. Not even the police. 

The press reports of the accident only after it's a hot topic in the social media. 

Some papers withhold the boy's name since he is a minor.

Right answers: it's not allowed to drive car when you are under 18, not allowed to drive without a licence (though many bus drivers don't have a licence), it's not allowed to drive drunk, it's not allowed to drink alcohol (this is a Muslim country), it's not allowed to use electronic devices when driving (nobody cares) and it's not allowed to speed (traffic jam is normally an efficient speed bumper), it's not allowed to drive into other vehicles.

Media here publishes names and pictures of suspects, quilty or not. (Sadly enough, newspapers also identify victims like rape victims).

Joking, those above are not the right answers.

This is: the boy has a rich and influential family. 

Money buys cure for the injured, shuts up all mouths, police and press included. 

Law and order Bangla style.

Money - or the prospect of it - can buy almost anything in this country.

Nobody likes it but almost everybody does it. Call it bribery, gifts, corruption, but it's hard to get anywhere without a bunch of takas delivered under the table.

This, combined with self-censorship, doesn't give high transparency rankings for Bangladesh. 

I am very tempted too.

Crossing a street requires a lot of waiting, my personal record is seven minutes.

Cars don't stop for pedestrians, red lights don't stop cars, only the police has some authority in controlling the traffic.

I have often wondered how fast I would be able to cross the street if I discreetly gave a couple of hundreds to a police officer. Luckily, I'm never in a hurry.

Dark but still so bright

The security situation in Dhaka is still risky. Authority announcements and embassy alerts have become kind of weather reports telling which places and activities to avoid at any given day. 

Walking in the streets is not recommended.

I'm still walking, not because I don't respect the warnings but rather to demonstrate that spreading fear is cowardly. 

Thus, I'm probably one of the few foreigners wandering along Dhaka's streets.

The other day I was most certainly the only foreigner doing funny walks. 

Because it's not easy to move graciously when you are caught by an acute diarrhea.

I will not share details but stomach flu is an essential part of the total Bangla experience.

I did the rest of that day's observations from the toilet seat. 

Dhaka has definitely shown some of its dark (if not shitty) sides recently. In addition to the terror threat there are large student protests going on. Plus the evergreens: traffic chaos, crimes, corruption, poverty and political tension.

Instead of getting depressed I'm surprised how well the society works in the middle of all the problems. With all the handicaps Bangladesh should be on its knees but astonishingly enough the economy is growing fast, people are innovative and creative, working hard, smiling most of the time.

It's almost scary to think how well this nation would do without all these (self made) problems.

Most of the pictures  here are from our visit to the national monument of Bangladesh called the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar, some 40 kilometers from Dhaka. The 46 meters tall sculpture was erected for the memory of the people who lost their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The war separated Bangladesh from Pakistan. 

Tense in Dhaka

The atmosphere in Dhaka is strange after that another foreigner was murdered on Saturday. A Japanese man was gunned down by the same method as the Italian citizen five days earlier. The newest attacked happened in Rangpur, in the northern part of Bangladesh.

Once again, the Islamic State claimed that it was behind the murder. Once again, the police seems to be quite clueless. Once again, the Prime Minister blames the opposition. With this kind of guessing game, I could claim that Santa Claus might be the bad boy here.

The security for foreigners in Dhaka has been stepped up. The most visible sign are hoards of idle, heavily armed police officers in front of buildings with foreign interests or residents. Many embassies have urged their citizens to avoid hotels, restaurants and places where foreigners gather.

The violence targeted against foreigners has unfortunately immediate effects on the rest of the society, often the weakest suffer most. Rikshaw pullers have no customers, tour operators' order books have become cancel books, the garment industry is nervous for the consequences.

With all respect to security measures, I will continue to walk in Dhaka and not be afraid.

We heard about the second murder while we were visiting Dhamrai, a town famous for metal casting craftmanship. 

The predominantly Hindu village is preparing to Durga Puja festival.

We were gently hickjacked by the Banik family who have been involved in the metal crafts business for more than 200 years. 

They showed us the production methods and gave a speed lesson on casting techniques. All from sand to clay casting and some more. I remember lost wax best since I kind of got lost just there.

Not everything that looks copper is copper, raw material can also be old zippers.

The products were stunning: both beautiful and very heavy.

The little elephant on top wanted to move to Dhaka with us. Elephants are said to bring good luck - it's needed now.