Bangladeshi Star Wars

Terror attacks, earthquakes, demonstrations, suffocating traffic, extreme poverty, incredible wealth, misery, happiness, corruption, hope, despair.

Plus many other things.

Over 400 days down - who counts - some 300 to go - who counts.

Suddenly I am a senior in Dhaka. Now I have a faint idea of directions, places and people. I can tell where to get a haircut, what to wear, who to tip, what to eat and what not.

Still, every day in Dhaka is a big surprise - inspiring but also exhausting.

During the first year here I have become an expert in protecting myself. Due to the circumstances.

The day starts with brushing my teeth with filtered water to avoid diarrhea. This is worth mentioning since exactly today I have spent most of the day close to the bathroom.

The Dhaka water quality not only eats one´s inner organs but also hair. I have lost half  of my hair and will probably be totally bald when we move from Bangladesh.

Next: one lotion to protect the skin against the sun, another against mosquitoes.

All-body-covering clothes against stares and giggling. This never works, my wrinkled facial skin is a major attraction anyway.

At home we have two metal coffins full of equipment in case of an earthquake. Plus a satellite phone.

Seven locks, iron bars, armed guards before entering a car with tinted glasses for transport. 

Metal detectors at the entrance of the grocery store. Bullet proof windows. Armored cars. No-stay at the rooftop terrace because of potential snipers.

The list gets longer and longer, more and more advanced daily.

The security measures in Dhaka have become a kind of star wars between  embassies, organizations and companies. The bigger the guns, the safer the lives of the employees.

Maybe.

The security measures rule out the bad but also the good.

This is what the terrorists want: deprive people of their normal life, suffocate them with security and isolation, finish with insanity.

My private "counter terrorism" consists of small walks where I can observe the wild, crazy, inspiring life in Dhaka. 

Today´s pictures show how sewer renovation is done in this city. Talk of stamina, muscle power and low tech.

Tens of thounsand of (mostly) men have dreams of making a fortune in the Gulf states as foreign workers. They line up for hours for a medical attest in the heat or heavy rain or both.  

Often they have to borrow at least two years` salary for the paperwork and travel costs before they can earn any money.  Many never manage to pay their debts and end up working as badly treated slaves.

Every year half a million leave Bangladesh for a job in the neighboring countries. Manpower is number two export source after the garment industry.

Time for a little break from Dhaka, back in November.

Rivers of blood - wearing a saree

The morning of Eid-ul-Azha was rainy. People were slaughtering cattle in heavy showers. The animals were screaming, blood was flooding, poor people were gathering in front of better-offs´ houses for pieces of meat.

The rain continued, so did the slaughtering. 

The sewage system in Dhaka is not functional and soon the streets were flooded with blood and water.

We were driving in rivers of blood. The sight was both unique and shocking. 

I felt awful for the rikshaw pullers who had to pedal in the bloody mess. 

Eid-ul-Azha is the second largest Muslim festival, a very important celebration for all Bangladeshis. It´s all about sacrifice and devotion.

Unfortunately, the slaughtering part is too tough for me.

This year I was, however, looking forward to Eid since I was invited as a spouse to official arrangements and would wear a saree for the first time ever.

First times are hard. And this was not an exception.

The outfit consists of 5-6 meters of fabric, a petticoat and a short top. 

The fabric is draped elegantly around the body, with the help of the petticoat and safety pins. 

It looks easy. 

I tried the draping myself and ended up as a mummy. Decided to get help on the day of the event.

The top required more filling than I am blessed with. I was advised to wash the top so that it would shrink. 

Well, it didn´t but it was torn - and in relatively strategic places.

I repaired the holes and "fixed" the size. Handicraft is not my specialty. Not a good start for my saree career.

Finally the Eid morning came. But not the lady who was supposed to drape the saree. She didn´t pick up the phone, time was flying.

Internet tutorials were not very helpful unless I wanted the mummy version.

Desperation was close until our wonderful driver solved everything quickly. He connected me with a lady who did a good job. I was wearing a saree!

It was hard to walk, difficult to breathe and impossible to use the bathroom. 

But well worth the sacrifice. 

Selfies with cows and scares

 According to newspapers, life in Dhaka is becoming normal again. Locals are back in the streets, stores and cafees. Dhaka is as it should be: crazy busy, loud,colorful, sleepless, never ending - an Asian NYC.
Still, I have a feeling that somebody or something is tearing apart the society. Please, let me be wrong.



Eid-ul-Azha, the second biggest religious festival of the Muslims, is just round the corner. Cows, sheep, goats, camels will invade the city. Social media will be filled with cowfies - selfies with cows, a big thing in this country.
The  creatures will first be decorated, celebrated, cowfied and then slaughtered with a machete in the street. And finally served at lavish dinners.



After the brutal and bloody terror attack two months ago I am afraid that Eid this time will be a traumatic experience to many.  Bloody machetes and carving of carcasses in the streets are not exactly healing things.
Last year , the parking lot in our previous building became first a cowshed and then a slaughterhouse. Days after the celebrations, househelps were washing bowels and crushing bones in the basement. Weeks after, I felt the smell of blood.



We foreigners still need to stay at home. No stores, no cafees, no walking for us.
Therefore it was good to get a little breather in Myanmar a couple of weeks ago. One day with meetings, one day with sightseeing. Good to take pictures again. 
Based on thin and hasty first impressions, Myanmar looks like the new Thailand. Wonderful nature, rich history and genuine smiles. Amazing drive in a country that only recently was under the rule of an oppressive military junta.