Take A Ride With Me

Zipping off to school

Traffic ahead.

Traffic

Bus, rickshaw, and baby taxi headed towards us like bullets.

Experience it for yourself. Put on your 3D glasses =).

Roads of Anarchy - Driving In Bangladesh

Traffic in Bangladesh is horrendous. The roads are packed with people, rickshaws, buses, baby taxis, and cars. Even the most practiced of drivers will find it difficult to navigate the Bangladeshi roads. Local drivers took my parents and I where we needed to go by car. Drivers slam on the brakes every couple of minutes and lay on the horn to encourage other drivers to go faster or move out of the way. This makes for a loud and jerky ride. Avoiding close run-ins with other vehicles can be quite exhilarating though.

In some parts of Bangladesh there are no traffic lights, signs, or lanes. It's complete anarchy. Unbelievably, in the midst of all this chaos; cars, rickshaws, baby taxis, and buses somehow maintain their own law and order. In newer areas there are traffic lights and lanes and traffic cops. What astounded me is that cars would go regardless if the light was green or red. What's the point then? The traffic police seem to understand the futility of their work and do little in the way of policing.

Pedestrians are not granted right of way and accidents are a common occurrence as are hit and runs. Even ambulances are not granted right of way! Perhaps because it's hard enough just going forward. But where's the empathy in that?

Westerners will find driving in Bangladesh is like riding a roller coaster; a mix of fun and thrills and of fear and shock.

Farashgonj

Rooftops

Reminds me a bit of New Orleans.

Palm tree

Clothes drying

Sawmill. You can see the lumber.

Buriganga

There's still some green even in the city.

Lovely palms.

Just like in Makkah and Madinah, construction is going on everywhere in Bangladesh.

Welcome To Our Home - Farashgonj, Old Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the epitome of city living; many buildings, cars, and people. There is a distinciton between old and new Dhaka. Old Dhaka is south and old, really old (buildings, family roots, etc) and new Dhaka is north and well, new, "modern." You'll find out why I put quotes in a later post. Both of my parents' homes are in Old Dhaka.

I arrived in Farashgonj, Dhaka where my mom's family lives. Downstairs, my cousin Nisha waited for me. "Welcome to our home," she said with a big smile. She took me by the hand, showed me where to leave my shoes, and led me up the stairs. Through a door, I saw a dignified old woman, skinny, fair-skinned in a white sari sitting on a bed. I recognized her as my mom's mom, my nanubhai. I buried my face into her shoulder and cried. So many years, I thought. I heard my mom coming up the stairs and anticipated her tears, heartache, and joy in seeing her mom for the first time in 23 years.

I got a tour of the house, which has been in my mother's family for 50 years. The big house consists of five stories, two of which are unfinished, four bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms. My parents and I occupied the spacious third floor, which had a bedroom, chaat/rooftop, and a bathroom with a toilet!

Hundreds of years ago this area was a French port hence the name Farashgonj. Before partition, Dhaka including Farashgonj was mostly Hindu. After partition, Muslims from West Bengal and Bihar settled in Dhaka and some Hindus moved from Dhaka to India. My maternal grandparents moved to Farashgonj from Calcutta. Papa's family home in Gandaria is a stones throw away from my mom's home in Farashgonj. From the chaat I saw the Buriganga (Old Ganga) river. I saw weather worn houses and palm trees, and rickshaws weaving through the narrow streets.

This would be my home for the next 10 days.

Hello Mother - Thoughts On Going To Bangladesh For The First Time

For me, being Bangladeshi, but born and raised in America is like having two mothers. An adopted mother, America and a biological mother, Bangladesh.

My adopted mother, America, provided me with many things: shelter, food, education, comfort…endless opportunites that my biological mother, Bangladesh, could not have given me. Despite this, I yearned to see my biological mother because with her I shared an unbreakable bond. I shared with her my complexion, eyes, hair, smile, and voice. I wanted to meet her. To know her. To know what she looked like and what she smelled like.

The time had come for me to meet my biological mother. I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. After 22 years, I would finally get to see her. But, I wondered, will she love me? Will I love her? Landing, I saw her vast green rice fields, marshes, and brown buildings. I didn't expect her to be so beautiful. I was happy to see her.

Hello, mother.

Retail Therapy - On A Mission To Find The Perfect Souvenir

Three hours before my next flight, I desperately stalked the stores of Al-Safwah Hotel; on a mission to find the perfect souvenir to remember Saudi Arabia and my umrah. I set a challenging task for myself because I wanted something distinctly Saudi. The challenge comes from what I mentioned in a previous post; nothing comes from the kingdom except oil and dates. I stopped at many stores and left empty handed. I didn't know what I wanted or what to look for.

Then my mind wandered to a T.V special I saw on Saudi Arabia being the trade center of the ancient world. The Saudis bartered with another resource, perfume…frankincense, myrrh, and essential oils. The essential oils were sought after not only for their pleasing smell, but their medicinal benefits. The perfume trade led to bartering for silks in China and spices in India. I made up my mind. I knew what I wanted. Perfume.

Walking in the perfume store, I saw shelves stocked with jars of clear liquid and others with varying hues of yellow and amber. The perfumes were not pre-bottled. I knew I wanted the scent of jasmine flower. The store owner showed me a beautiful bottle in the shape of Abraham's station to put the perfume in.
I found my perfect souvenir.

I love to dot the perfume on the back of my hand. The scent transports me back to Saudi Arabia…to mountains, camels, and bedouins. To morning bazaars, azaan, and masjids. To the land of God and His people.

Part One. Fin.

Not the clearest picture.
Right: My souvenir, amber colored liquid, jasmine scent in Abraham's Station bottle.
Left: Splurge, extra bottle of perfume I bought. I don't remember the name of the scent.
Middle: Given to me for free by the store owner. Beautiful scent, I don't know the name.

The Sheep and The Goats - What I Liked, but Mostly What I Disliked About Saudi Arabia

The sheep and the goats is a reference to the the New Testament parable in which Jesus describes Judgement Day as God separating good people from bad people like the shepard separates obedient sheep (the good) from stubborn goats (the bad). I think my previous posts focused on everything good about the kingdom, the sheep. To present a balanced and fair picture, I'm going to throw in some goats.

One Goat: On our four hour drive from Madinah to Makkah we stopped to use the restroom. I waited to use the toilet when a woman cut in front of me. I didn't think anything of it until it happened a second time and yes, a third time. Annoyed, I left no room between myself and the door. As I stood there barricading the door like a crazy person, I realized that not everyone in the world understands the concept of waiting in line.

Two Goat: Crowds. In almost all the mosques I went to, other worshippers bumped me and stepped on me as I prayed. A big problem, more for hajj than umrah, is trampling. Crowds can get dangerous fast. I tried getting out of a tightly packed elevator when a huge crowd pushed me back onto the elevator. Scary.

Three Goat: Construction work never ends in Makkah especially around the al-Haram. Hotels are being put up left and right to accommodate pilgrims. This gives the area around the al-Haram a modern, albeit cluttered look. In comparing Madinah to Makkah, I liked Madinah a lot more than Makkah and I think it's because Madinah though modern retained some old-world charm like the morning bazaars.

The Skinny - A Review of Dar El Salam, Dallah Taibah Hotel, and Al Safwah Royal Orchid Hotel

We traveled with Dar El Salam (House Of Peace) travel agency. Dar El Salam made my umrah trip so wonderful and memorable that I had to write an exclusive post about their services.

Dar El Salam specializes in umrah and hajj packages. At each location, Jeddah, Makkah, and Madinah, a travel representative from Dar El Salam met with my family and I. The representatives are there to "meet and assist," but they go beyond that. After asking our representative in Madinah where to find rosaries, instead of just giving us directions, he walked us to and from stores. All of the representatives provided us with information and guidance for each step of our umrah journey. Dar El Salam provided drivers and knowledgeable guides for sight seeing in Madinah and Makkah. They offer a breadth of packages. My dad chose the custom package, which allowed him to choose the hotels and number of days. I highly recommend Dar El Salam for your umrah/hajj needs.

http://www.darelsalam.com/

Madinah

Dallah Taibah Hotel (Four Star Hotel)

***** Room

***** Proximity

***** Room Service

***** My Overall Rating

http://www.dallahtaibah.com/

Makkah

Al Safwah Royal Orchid Hotel (Five Star Hotel)

***** Room

***** Proximity

***** Room Service

***** My Overall Rating

Con: The shower leaked water onto the bathroom floor. Not a big deal, but one would not expect leaks from a five star hotel.

Pro: 3 level mall beneath the hotel!!! You don't have to go outside the hotel to find what you want from jewelry, food, clothes, perfumes, rosaries, prayer rugs, etc.

http://www.royaleorchid.com/