Asalam Walekum from Dhaka, Bangladesh

Not knowing much of Bangladesh when we arrived on 4/2, the plan was to chill out with Sam and Heather for awhile before heading out to "get to know" the rest of the country. We've been here for 2.5 weeks and never got past the chillin' stage. We're officially done backpacking and have become full time leeches. But how can you blame us when they invite us to their luxurious home,
take us out to all the best restaurants and parties in town and give us full access to Taju (their "tank" driver) and Nilu (their housekeeper who cooks, cleans and does everything in between). OK! So we haven't seen the Sundarbans or Bangladesh's other 2 UNESCO World Heritage sights. We haven't seen Cox's Bazar, considered the world's longest and broadest beach or Kuakata beach, where you can watch the sun rise and set over the Bay of Bengal.

But what we have done is shop, shop and shop! Bangladesh is known for its ready made garment industry. Just look at the tag on your favorite piece of brand name clothing and there's a good chance that it was made in Bangladesh. If your not too picky about a loose thread here or a small hole there, then Bangla (AKA "Bongo" by expats) Bazar is ‘the’ place to go as they get all of the over runs and seconds. Here's Sam, Heather and Erin displaying their purchases after our first trip.

After all was said and done, we calculated that we spent about $100 (7000 Taka) total between the 4 of us. Shirts were between .50 and .90 cents. Jeans were $3.50. Button downs were about the same. You get the picture. Not only is the clothing cheap, but you can also get great deals on pearls (pink pearls are the specialty), software, DVD's and handicrafts. Erin and I bought so much "crap" that we had to buy another suitcase (got a great deal on that too) to get all of it to our next destination.

Aside from the shopping and restaurant outings (usually followed by ice cream or gelato), Sam and I managed to play 18 holes (here's something you usually don't see golfing)


and the girls have had their fair share of pedicures, massages and visits from the salwar kameez tailor.
I’ve also done a ton of reading while Erin scores 100% on her Sodoku daily and is now on chapter 2 of her ‘Learn to Speak Spanish’ book. It’s just what the doctor ordered. But the best part for us has been the ‘getting to know Sam and Heather’ aspect. They don’t have a TV (by design) so we’ve spent a lot of our evenings just talking about everything and anything. Sometimes it’s during a card game and sometimes it’s over tea, but every time it’s something new.

Thanks guys! We appreciate your hospitality and are ever grateful for your friendship. Here’s to our next vacation abroad. CHEERS! (as we clink our glasses and carefully look each other in the eyes).

Quick Facts:

• Bangladesh has 147 million people in a country roughly the size of Iowa (the US has 298 million).
• There are reportedly 600,000 rickshaws in Dhaka.

• This country (from the list of ones that we’ve been to) by far takes the trophy for “worst driving”.
• Heather and Erin went to the same high school together and Heather and I worked together for a short stint when I lived up in Lake Arrowhead. She is currently teaching 1^st grade at the American International School in Dhaka.

• Sam is the Founder and CEO of bGlobal Sourcing which does Business Process Outsourcing for companies around the world. They are less than a year old but are already making a name for themselves, signing on new clients daily and expanding to a bigger office (Sam after a long day). If you ever need to create a website (amongst other things) be sure to check out http://www.bglobalsourcing.com/

FMP