Week 39: Ben arrives and we explore the historical sites of Paharpur and Mahasthangarh

39^th-1st in Dhaka 5/28

This morning I called my sister Sandee to wish her a happy birthday! She was very happy to receive the call, even though it was short. She also still had one hour to go until her birthday even started, but I told her it’d already been her birthday here for nine hours!

An article on me and my blog was posted in this month’s NC State engineering e-newsletter. I’ve posted the link on the sidebar as well.

Spent the day at home mostly processing data. Went out to get some errands done, including faxing our Rangamati permission stuff again to the Deputy Collector. No one said this would be easy.

In the evening I headed over to Baridhara. Tonight is the July 4 party, even though it’s May 28, at the US embassy. I was debating whether or not to go, and I decided that, since I was invited for being a Fulbright, I have a responsibility to go. I am an ambassador for my program, and not going would not be living up to the few expectations the Fulbright program has for us. The hassle of dressing up nice in the heat is minor compared to the impact I can make on a few important people tonight by spreading the good news of the Fulbright program. So that motivated me to go, and I was prepared to be a good Fulbright ambassador.
I met up with Erin and Karen at Erin’s place to clean up from the sweaty bus ride, and put on my tie. We then headed by rickshaw, in the rain which had started around dusk, down the road to the embassy. Had to go through three checkpoints, each time having to show our invitation, just to reach the embassy’s gates. (pics: the US Embassy decorated in July 4 colors for the party...unintentionally blurry but I'm sure they prefer that for security reasons, Karen/myself/Erin dressed up for the US Embassy's July 4th party)

There was lots of snack food, and a lot of it representing 4^th of July fare. I was extremely happy to see hot dogs, full sized, just cut up into sections. I at least ate one full one across the evening. Mini-jumbo pretzels, mini fried chicken, skewers of summer fruit, and brownies topped off the summer feast!
The US ambassador, new to the country in the last two months, gave the first address. I only met him for a handshake at the door, but got to meet many other ambassadors throughout the evening. I was first introduced by my friend Leigh to several Arab ambassadors including the one from Egypt, Kuwait, Emirates, Palestine, and Libya. They were talking together when we walked up. Only the Egyptian ambassador stayed past the pleasantries, and we talked long about traffic (of course) and other topics for about fifteen minutes.

39^th-2nd in Dhaka 5/29

Today I saw that Google Maps was updated for Bangladesh! Was so excited had to bump it into the blog a week earlier. But it is really exciting. You can see the roads, schools, hospitals, parks, everything! Nice to know all the places I located by satellite on my map on the sidebar were correct! I no longer feel like I’m living in a barren wasteland (as I would have to think by looking at a map before.)

Called the Deputy Collector of Rangamati again, hoping they got my fax or courier service package. Well they didn’t, but they said they would, and the guy on the phone made it seem like we don’t even need permission. We’ll see.

This morning I found out a bit more about Moweena: she has two children and they still live in her village with her father. She also has a granddaughter from her son. She lives in Dhaka with her sister, and they both do domestic work.

I headed out the buses with the hopes of getting four done. Well combining a #12 bus which cut its route short, another #12 bus which I had to get off early, a #13 bus which wasn’t doing its full route, and a #13 bus which took two hours, I only got two full buses done. Local buses are much harder to research than ticket buses.

39^th-3rd in Dhaka 5/30

Today Ben arrived at 7:30, my friend from North Carolina State University. They wouldn’t let me in the fenced in area where Ben would walk out of. So I had to wait outside the gates and watch for him. Finally he came out, and I looked for an army officer to ask if I can enter, but all were occupied. So I insteade I walked right through the gate, yelled “BEN!” twice, and he heard me, turned, and we gave each other a big hug.

Took a CNG back home, talked for a bit. He told me that my photo from the Aktel ad is now in the airport in the baggage claim area. I had no idea, and have no clue how long it’s been up. He thought I knew and that’s why he didn’t take a picture.

Although it was hot, we decided to go for a walk, and went around part of Dhanmondi Lake, catching up and sweating in the heat. Walked down Sat Masjid Road for a bit, got some mango juice, and later met up with Diya, and we got some cold soda and went to Anam Rangs Plaza to enjoy the air conditioning.

Coming home we both passed out. I napped for about three hours, Ben about five.

We went by New Market in the evening. Headed to my tailor to see about buying this shirt I wanted to get and thought Ben would like too. But they were out of the material. We also looked into buying some suits. Ben bought his first lungi, as well as some sandals to wear when it rains. It poured as we came back by rickshaw. More than I’ve seen here. We got pretty soaked, even though we got on the rickshaw just in time.

We started watching a movie at home, Good Luck Chuck and the power went out twice. So at one point we just went to get dinner at my favorite hotel. Although it wasn’t very late, the place was more empty than usual. Ben got to eat his first real filling of rice.

39^th-4th in Dhaka 5/31

Both of us felt a little bit sick this morning when we woke up. Ben felt sick because of a headache, myself because of typical stomach problems. After these had passed and we’d had a big breakfast of rice and dal, we headed out to see some sights.

First was BUET, and I took him around the standard tour of the campus, seeing all the sights. He specifically enjoyed the views from the top of the Civil Building, comparing them to the views from Cox and Dabney at State.

We then walked over to Shahid Minar, Was surprised we weren’t surrounded by beggars, and the place was quieter than usual on a normal day. We sat around for awhile as we were getting quite hot and tired and there was some shade to be found. (pic: Ben in front of Shahid Minar)

Then we walked over to Dhakeshwari Temple. It is my third time there, but in a long time. The temple was quieter than the other two times. The only action was a bride who was walked up to the shrine and was crying, supported by two family members. (pic: lunch time at Dhakeshwari Temple)

From there we took a bus to Baridhara where we were meeting up for flag football at the American School. It was organized by Leigh, and we got invited by Aaron. A lot of people showed up, and we ended up having four teams of eight. With that many people we didn't have enough flag football flags, so we played two-hand touch. We played two games, with the winners of each squaring off and the losers squaring off after. That meant that for the final game, because both our teams won, my team got to face Ben and Aaron’s team, who beat us easily. I got to catch a winning touchdown in the first game though. It was fun to run around and be sweaty for awhile. The American School’s field is very nice, nicer than anything NC State had. (pics: two-hand touch football on the fields of the American International School, resting after football in the gymnasium part of the school)

39^th-5th in Dhaka 6/1

We went to the tailor in the morning. We had spent the morning researching about fabrics and styles to learn more about what we wanted to buy. We looked at my suits and shirts I’ve already gotten tailored, and checked out their measurements. At the tailor we spent a lot of time choosing our fabrics, ultimately buying four shirts each and material for a suit. We then went upstairs and got measured. We’re excited to see our stuff come out in a week and a half weeks. (pics: Ben choosing his fabric for shirts, Ben getting measured for his suit)

We had lunch at Ayon’s, and after lunch, his mother invited us over again for a lunch on Wednesday. Before and after we sat and talked with Ayon, and at one point Ayon showed us pictures from his family albums.

From there Ben and I headed to Nazira Bazar to buy some rickshaw art. We each bought some pieces after checking out a few stores. The most humorous one we saw was where the artist painted a city scene where a train had collided with a truck on the train tracks and driver was lying through the truck window bleeding…who paints that?!? (pics: one of the old buildings in Nazira Bazar of Old Dhaka, rickshaw art for sale in Nazira Bazar)

Then headed around town trying to buy a bus ticket. This proved to be more difficult as I thought, but I guess I’m used to that. We passed by Baitul Mukarram and I showed it to Ben as we passed. It is interesting going around with Ben here as he tells me a lot about the differences between here and Egypt, where he spent a lot of time. Also, because he is very proficient in Arabic, he keeps pointing out to me the signs in which things are spelled wrong or written incorrectly.

39^th-6th in Bogra 6/2

We headed out to Bogra today. The bus was a smooth ride, but hit some major showers halfway through, making us have to close the bus windows. It was a magnificent storm, flooding the roads we drove on and reducing our bus to a crawl as the visibility went to zero. But by the time we arrived in Bogra, the rain had ended.

In Bogra we took a rickshaw to a hotel we wanted to stay at the main bus terminal called the Safeway Motel. The place was nice and looked deserted, but low and behold, they were booked up for the night! Wondering what to do, the hotel owner eased our concerns and stared calling every hotel in the area on his own accord. Finally he found us a hotel after about 10 minutes, just down the road. I wasn’t quite sure where it was, but he said no worries, and told his private car to take us there. Such service without even asking!
Our hotel was really nice, called the Bogra Resort. It was on top of a few shops doing car repair. We got some lunch after checking in at a street side restaurant. It didn’t have running water and we didn’t dare drink the water they gave us. The food was ridiculously spicy, and both of us had runny noses while we ate and were left gasping for breath.

After, we got on a local bus to take us to Mahasthan. This village is the site one of the oldest known settlements in Bangladesh, dating back to the 3^rd century BC, called Mahasthangarh. From where we got off the bus a rickshaw took us to the museum. The ride there took us by the Citadel, the main structure of the area and about one mile long! The museum was at the other end, and after paying the high fare of Tk100 to enter the museum, we took a look inside. Typical Bangladeshi museum, had some neat artifacts, a lot dating back to 2300 years ago. There was a decent map of the area and it showed all the structures in about 100 sq km. There are Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim sites ranging from different time periods, but most of the remaining structures are from a 8^th to 11^th century Buddhist period. We took our time looking around a temple across the street from the museum, a Hindu structure from the 6^th century called Govinda Bhita. (pics: two boys standing on the remains of Govinda Bhita in Mahasthangarh, Ben walking along the remains of a wall of Govinda Bhita)

From there we walked to the Citadel, the one that is almost a mile long. We walked along its outer wall for its full length, encountering several people on the way inquiring about our nationality. The Citadel was empty of anything historical on the inside except for a few mounds with a bit of brick work spotted here and there. Instead, the entire interior was being farmed and people were going about their daily work on this ancient site. (pics: Ben at the entrance to the Citadel, myself with the interior of the Citadel being farmed behind me, Ben standing along the outer wall of the Citadel, unrestored portion of the wall)

We bought some mangoes and took a bus back to Bogra, spending a little bit of time walking around the city’s center main market. Got scared at one point that I’d been robbed as I got surrounded by some guys and then later I noticed my backpack was open. Got scared, nothing happened, I likely left the pocket open.
Went back to the hotel and had dinner. Had to wait an hour and a half while they made it. They gave us a table in the corner of large dining room, we were the only ones in the hotel eating there. One guy serving us. Good meal though, they cut the mangoes we bought for us. Enjoyed watching the cable TV in our room while we waited for dinner.

39^th-7th in Paharpur 6/3

Grabbed a bus and headed to Paharpur. This was a good distance away. First leg was to take a local bus to Jaipurhat, and from there, another local bus to Paharpur village. Finally from Paharpur village, the historical sights there are a rickshaw ride away down a bumpy road. It was not easy to reach Bangladesh’s most impressive historical site. (pic: view of the road to Somapura Mahavira from Paharpur's bus stand)

We arrived to the Somapura Mahavira site in Parharpur and got surrounded by tourist shop owners! I’ve never seen anything like this in Bangladesh. They stopped our rickshaw from moving and were yelling for us to visit their stores and buy food. They had gifts, that I’d never seen before in Bangladesh. Maybe just three or four shops total. Is this a preview of what Bangladesh will turn into if it becomes a tourist country? It was quite impressive. They stopped our rickshaw a second time once we told it to go again, and continued to hold onto it and pointing and waving for us to buy things. Finally we broke free and made it to the gate. (pic: first tourist trap I've seen in Bangladesh)

We bought our tickets still with the tourist hawkers following us. The museum inside was lacking a map of the site, which really would have helped in comprehension. But a large brass image of the Buddha uncovered at the site was featured at its center, and that was a neat highlight.

Somapura Mahavihara, the monastery located at Paharpur, was at one point the largest monastery south of the Himalayas, and according to a sign at the site, still is. It is one of three World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh, the others being the Shait Gumbad Mosque in Bagherhat and the Sundarbans. It was built during the 6^th century during the Pala Dynasty. The center stupa is 72 feet tall with three tiers for circumambulation. Lining these are clay tiles carved with the images of animals and images of the Buddha. Five main images of the Buddha existed here, one buried under the stupa, and four more located on each side of the center spire. The center stupa is surrounded by a square of residential cells for the monks, 177 in total, covering a total area of 21 acres. Besides the central stupa, the site includes remnants of the washing area, the main gate, and a miniature model of the monastery.

Ben and Somapura Mahavira behind him as seen from the museum, We walked the site taking photos, and at one point got accompanied by a Department of Archaeology tour guide who followed us the entire time giving facts about the site. The place was pretty empty. We asked about that, and he said that the site is more visited during the winter, with about 1000 visitors a month during the winter, and only about 500 a month during the summer. Foreigners show up he said, about 30 a month during the winter, and only two to five a month during the summer. So we could’ve been the only foreigners to show up all month! At one point one of the sellers popped out of nowhere trying to sell us Cokes. I had to strongly insist we didn’t want any before he’d leave. He must’ve walked ½ a mile to try to sell those to us. (pics:Somapura Mahavira's central stupa, myself/Ben in front Somapura Mahavira's central stupa as seen from the wall of the monastery, the wall of the monastery with the residential cells for the monks)

We saved the central stupa for after we’d walked the entire monastery’s outer wall. We circumambulated the stupa on all three levels, looking at all the carvings and noticing the different views. On the top level, where the Buddha images would have been, there were stairs up to where there was an opening in the brick work. We were told to walk up and look in, and after climbing up there, I did get a bit nervous standing on the very thin ledge. (pics: myself sitting on the steps of Somapura Mahavira, Ben looking up at the top (and at a goat) from the bottommost level, Ben on the ledge looking into the opening which would've been above an image of Buddha, looking down on the thin ledge and Ben below)

Our tempo back to Jaipurhat was leaking fumes really bad, and I had to cover my nose with my shirt as a filter, it was real bad. In Jaipurhat the only buses still to leave for the day going back to Dhaka were night buses, and we really didn’t want to get into Dhaka at two or three in the morning. So we took a local bus back to Bogra, hoping we could catch a bus there, and cut some time off the bus back to Dhaka.

In Bogra we asked around and found a counter selling tickets to Dhaka. We bought one, even though the price seemed high. They gave us specific seats on the bus, and we waited for this bus which they said was coming from Naogaon and would arrive at 8:30. Well the bus which they said was coming never seemed to come. I never saw a bus of that name. Instead we watched as they yelled to every bus that passed asking if there were two seats on the bus. It seemed like we had just outsourced hitchhiking! I asked them if they were just trying to get us a seat on any bus, and they denied it vehemently. Finally a bus came they wanted us to get on, and we stepped into it and the conductor asked where we were going. We said Dhaka, and he said they weren’t going there. So it became pretty clear our ticket was just a worthless piece of paper we paid for to allow them to hail a bus for us. I asked again, and again they denied it. I started getting annoyed as we were now waiting 40 minutes, instead of the promised ten. I could’ve used that time to find a real bus, not a hitchhiking pass.

So it came to be that I had my first fight in Bengali tonight. After it became apparent that it was pretty much an outsourced hitchhiking, I got mad. I felt they lied to me saying I had specific seats on a specific bus, yet it was just an overpriced ticket for them to yell at each bus that passed. I would not have minded that, or been angry, if they’d just told me from the start that this is what they were doing. But they kept denying even when I called them out on it. I ended up fighting with one of the guys, and going on a long tirade about how we’d now be stuck arriving in Dhaka at 2 or 3 AM. How there is nothing we could do in Dhaka at that time, how would we get home, etc. I think I held up my end of my first fight in Bengali pretty well.

As fate would have it, just as the partner of the guy I was yelling at was about to give our money back, a bus came by that they flagged down which had space for Ben and I. So Ben and I got to go on with our outsourced hitchhiking ticket. They had plenty of seats. And no one ever came to us saying we were in their seats. The bus was off to Dhaka and we’d be arriving around 2 AM. Although technically I should be writing this in next week’s post, we did arrive safely the next day at 2:30 AM and got a CNG to take us back to my flat.

Week 4: Buriganga river ride, Lalbagh Fort, and getting sick

4^th-1st in Dhaka 9/26

After class, decided to go mapping with GPS. After connecting the device to the satellites, I walked to Bashundara. Then hired a rickshaw to drive me around to various parts of my side of the city, so I could map quicker. I explained to him in Bengali what I wanted to do, how much I would pay, where I wanted to go, that I would be directing him point to point. And he agreed. We rode around for about 1.5 hours. Bashundara is a pretty empty place. It’s a newer housing area with many patches of open land and apartment buildings scattered hear and there. It’s what most of the housing areas look like before they get completely filled in.
We went through DOHS and Gulshan too, collecting good data. I tipped 25 Tk.

For dinner went to Arirang, Korean BBQ, with Megan and her coworker Aaron who is in medical school at Brandeis. Inquired whether Aaron had plans for Eid break, and he is going to India. So no luck seeing if he’d want to explore this country.

4^th-2nd in Dhaka 9/27

My cook Sujit went home for the weekend. His home is in the southeastern part of the country, near Chittagong. He got a replacement cook in his place, Debu.

Today I was sick, food poisoning. I went to class just to tell them I was sick. I drank saline solution, which Debu got for me, and it tasted not so good. I asked Debu to buy me some Tang to make it taste better. Felt bad that I had to put him through me being sick. He made me bland food so as to not upset my stomach.

Played Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 to pass the day.

4^th-3rd in Dhaka 9/28

Today I feel a lot better. I had some nausea at some points, but overall ate well. Dinner was even fried rice and chicken. Had iftar food at Farah’s (well most of it, left the fried stuff and spicy stuff.)

Altaf, the brother of my father’s coworker Anwar who helped me gain my affiliation with BUET, and I met up after my bland lunch. We met in Gulshan-2 and chat for a bit. Then decide to go for a drive around Dhaka. We stop by Parliament, just to look at it, but are quickly scolded for stopping! The area is quite sensitive right now due to the status of the current government. We end up going by his family’s home. On the drive, hear all about his family, Anwar, and himself.
Met Altaf’s mother, father, and grandmother. I would have to say, it was my most successful Bengali conversation thus far. I understood them pretty well, and I was saying things which I could not have said before arriving here. They took a picture with me. They were pretty excited that I could speak Bengali, and at a proficient level.
Anyway, we started the drive back to my house, but realized he would never back home in time. So we got a bus for me, and I took that home. I got great GPS mapping done today everywhere I went. Very successful.
On the bus I got to stand in the doorway, not hanging out of it, but in the staircase. People jammed around me on all sides. When someone gets off the bus, I have to find a way for them to get past me. Some guy on the bus talked to me, but I really couldn’t understand most of what he said. He did ask for my phone number, and heeding advice from past Fulbrighters, I said no.

Farah’s driver then picked Megan and me up to go to her place. It was a get together to honor the anniversary of the death of her father in law. It’s a reason for family to meet and pray and eat. Men and women separated during the service, and the women left ¼ of the way through. So I was now alone with all the men. Could understand some of the words the leader said, but not comprehend full sentences. Iftar was served while we were outside. We ate, I finished only some because of stomach pain. The men then prayed after Iftar. We left soon after, with a prepared dinner for us to eat later.

Spent the rest of the evening playing RCT3. Really wanted to finish the level.

So excited for this last weekend of baseball. Such a heated race in the NL. 7 teams, 4 spots. It’s gonna be good! Of course, I’m only rooting for the Mets.

4^th-4^th in Dhaka 9/29

New fruit I like. It’s called a pomelo. It’s somewhere between a grapefruit and an orange in taste. But it’s enormous. Huge pulpy pieces inside that are pink, but kinda sweet, a bit sour.
My cook served it to me one day, and now I’m hooked.
It’s twice the size of a grapefruit, with a thick green skin. It seems to hold up well in the fridge when peeled. It is way too much to eat at one sitting by yourself, so that’s a good thing.

Audible signals are used very much in handling vehicles here. For example, when crossing an intersection, since you aren’t going to stop, you honk, to let others know you are coming. If you are a rickshaw or a bike, you ring your bell.
Tapping is frequently used to warn someone when to stop. When backing your car up, the attendant working the parking lot will tap the trunk of your car, and as you get closer to something behind you, he taps more frequently. A final louder tap signals you to stop.
On the buses, the doorman taps the side of the bus once hard to tell the driver to stop/wait for a passenger. Twice means “go.” Don’t know if you tap the bus yourself if they’ll make a stop for you, still working this one out.

Today went exploring with Megan. Decided to take a bus to Motijheel, as far as we could go. But ended up getting off at the Hockey stadium, because a match was happening. Watched for a second. Went past DCC, and then headed south into Old Dhaka. Explored the streets for a long time. Making random turns, not really knowing where we were going, enjoying the stares. Passed many shoe makers in this part of Old Dhaka. Lots of cloth sellers and iftar food. Many times she says, “Oh, I’ve been here before.”

Then we come upon a bridge like structure. I see it heads south somewhere, and we decide to follow it upon my persistence that it’ll head to the river. That I think it may be the China Bangladesh Friendship Bridge (one of 2 bridges across Buriganga River…well it was the other one hah.) We finally found the river. She had never seen it. Of course, my first time.
We peek through the wall next to the river, and see all the boatmen, with their canoe-like boats. One comes up to ask us if we want to take a ride. We decide to go ahead. However, after this one gets in a fight with another over who gets to take us on a ride, and a large crowd gathers, we leave, avoiding what is transpiring.
We walk 200 yards or so down the river to another break in the wall. Instantly a boatman in his boat asks us if we want a ride. No other boatmen are hassling, so we feel safe enough to go this time. We tell him we want to just go around for 20 minutes for 50Tk. We got in, and he rowed us up river slowly against a good current. Everyone on north riverbank stares at us while bathing. River is about 500m across. We see all the boats, all shapes and sizes. Ours is the smallest type. The boats floor can easily be taken apart. We have a mat to sit on while he rows. We hear the Azan from the river for the 4:30 prayer. That was neat. He turns around, we float back. We tell him to land where we started. He rows us in past big ships the whole way. We pay 100Tk for the trip. We don’t know a good price anyway. 100Tk is twice as expensive apparently (after consulting my teacher), but this guy was a much safer choice than those fighting over us.

Next, we passed by the Ahsan Manzil, a pink mansion along the river. It’s been refurbished and is now a nice museum. Megan and I were just looking at it through the fence. Then some guys came up behind us and started talking to us in Bengali. We conversed back. Asked them what the building was. They asked the typical questions: how we know Bengali, where we are from, why we’re here, how long we’re here, and are you two married? By this point, a crowd of 20 have gathered around us. After the conversation, the one who was doing most of the talking told all the others to disperse. There’s always one guy who seems to want to watch out for you. For example, sometimes, when kids are chasing you begging, a random person will shoo them away.

We then meandered back through Old Dhaka. Passed through the Hindu part of Old Dhaka. Saw some temples but didn’t walk in. Walked all the way back to Motijheel. There we got some quick dinner/snack and water around iftar time. We then caught a bus back to Gulshan area. Had dinner at Café Mango, a western style coffee shop and restaurant.

Overall, one of the better days I’ve had here so far.

4^th-5^th in Dhaka 9/30

The Pack lost again in football. sigh. But tons of big names lost. Very exciting weekend.

Went to post office with Farah and Erin. Erin was mailing a letter she wrote to her husband in Bengali (he’s Bangladeshi.)

4^th-6^th in Dhaka 10/1

Saw a television shop which was playing cartoons on their TVs. In front of the store window sat about 4 young boys watching. The store owner was yelling at them from inside the window to leave.

Texting the US costs me $0.02. Apparently my phone cares only if I call internationally, not text. Pretty neat.

Apparently an NCSU doctoral student contacted Dr. Haque. He is from the architecture department, but still interested in GIS. Dr. Haque thought I’d set up the contact, but I told him I had no clue. Another NCSU student involved with Bangladesh! Who would’ve known our campus has such a connection here.

Today went on a class trip. We visited Bangla Academy, a place which started in the 1950s. There goal was to promote Bengali as a language, as Urdu was being forced upon them by the West Pakistani government. Today it still functions to produce texts in Bengali and about Bangladesh. Around their building are some monuments to the national poet and the language movement heroes. Pictures of the beginners Bengali class' teachers, Nadia and Farah.
Next was Shahid Minar, my second visit there. Real short, enough to take pictures. (me there below)

Next was Dhakeshwari, the main Hindu temple in Dhaka, built in the 12^th century. Rumors say that the city earned its name from this temple. It was my first time in a Hindu temple to my knowledge. Walked around shoeless, looked at the shrines, and pond nearby. (Pictures below, thought it was neat how it was surrounded by apartment buildings, not there when built 900 years ago. Last picture is a workshop making Hindu statues)

Last stop was Lalbagh Fort. It’s huge, but doesn’t look it from the outside. Tons of green areas. They were shooting a movie while we there, ha, of course…my 3^rd film shoot I’ve seen. Famous Bangladeshi actress apparently, all the guys were trying to snatch a look. It was built in 1677, but at that time the river passed right next to it. Now the river has shifted to over a kilometer away. It’s pinkish-orange and all in Mughal style architecture. From the walls of the fort you can see the life of Old Dhaka below (last of 5 pictures.) Pretty neat visit.

Four young boys were incessant on following us everywhere we went at Dhakeshwari and kept asking us to take their picture. Talked a decent bit of Bengali with them too. (they are in one picture.)

We had yogurt lassies afterward at a small shop. Got brain freeze.

And my world was turned upside down today!
Radiohead’s album is coming out in 10 days! They are notorious for delaying, stalling, and taking breaks. It feels like they’re never getting anything accomplished as a band. 5 years since the last album. And all the hints of a release date seemed to point to next March. But today, they announce, nope 10 days! No band announces music release just 10 days before. That’s why I love them. The things they do are just as amazing as the music, artwork and all. The album looks great, and I can’t wait to hear it. Digital release in 10 days (online buying.) Here’s the most original part of it: fans making the purchase get to name the price, you can even it buy it for free. Radiohead knows their fans are dedicated enough, and will pay what they feel its worth to them (you can tell, thanks to several hundred dollar concert tickets.) Then in Dec the hard copy comes out…also original kind of release too with a large package of things if you desire to buy it, that’s at a set price of $81. They are doing all of this without a label, and it has many record companies worried. If the best band in the world can run a massive online distribution themselves then what’s to stop smaller bands?
I had to write "Radiohead new album in just 10 days" on a piece of paper to get it out of my system/comprehend it/accept it/handle it.

Pizza for dinner. And it was good.

4^th-7^th in Dhaka 10/2

Class was good today. My listening skills are improving says Shakil. I also feel I’m retaining more words quicker. Conversations were good today. It’s the conversing that I feel raises my confidence. But listening helps too.

After went to Dr. Haque’s office. Met with the NCSU PhD student who is doing his field work here in Dhaka (his hometown.) Cool to meet him. Refreshing to hear someone talk about familiar things. For example, I asked where he lives, and he said off of Avent Ferry. It’s nice to hear those words out of someone’s mouth.
Dr. Haque and I then went through my GPS tracking. Saw all the places I went show up on GIS. I got the unit back for a little longer now, but don’t know where I’ll be headed that I can add onto. We’ll see. And below are pictures from his office window, 19th floor, pretty lucky. It faces north to the Banani/Gulshan/Baridhara residential zones. Most of the city is to the south.

Went to Banani to get my package from the American Center. Mom sent one.

Stopped by the Dominous Pizza. But only got a shwarma. Pizza looked good too though.

Started a Bengali journal today. Its just random things written in Bengali.

There are frequent power outages. Enough that finding an apartment with a backup generator is very important. I’ve been in the marketplace when power has gone out, and we’re all standing in the dark. Generators kick in pretty quickly, and electricity returns usually within less than 5 minutes.