Pimp my Rickshaw

As I climbed the stairs after work today...32 degrees...power out again...I spotted some odd sights out the window.

The men were scaling the wall on some kind of make-shift ladder/harness to clean the building.  The sight disturbed me no end and I shivered with the OSH regulations that would be plastered over the walls at home.  They have no such regulations.  You read in the paper everyday of people dying on constructions sights, falling 11 floors to their death and road deaths on a daily basis reaching 11.

In Bangladesh 13,000 people die of road deaths every year.  That's mental.  For a country that does not drink alcohol...that is not drunk driving.  That's just gross incompetence.

However, I also saw some people revamping their rickshaw down stairs.  I did mention the other day to Grant how awesome it would be to buy a run down rickshaw and pimp it out and ship it home.  How awesome would the Walker's look hitting the streets of Auckland  in that machine?  Don't lie you would be so jealous!!!!





Anyway will add more over the weekend on the school updates...oh how it makes me cringe.

Jem

Torn

Confronting moment on our travels yesterday - the tiny homeless baby was crying, lying on her back in the middle of a busy street.  Heaps of people just walking by paying no attention.  No sign of a mother...I stopped, grabbed Grant & broke into tears (uncontrollable).
I faced the conflict of

1. I can not leave this baby.
2. I can not take this baby anywhere. 

We waited, watching, me tearing up and Grant and I both torn.  Thankfully (if you could say that) the homeless women came round the corner, grabbed the baby and tossed water over her bottom, obviously she had had an accident. 

Hard on the heart-strings!!!

Food

I would like to say it tastes like home but nothing here seems to.
It is either totally wrong and does strange things to your insides or it is appetising and cheap.
We try a lot of new things which is fun and I have never been quite so adventurous.






This was my attempt at people pancakes last weekend. More like Mr. Blobby I think.

And this was our dessert tonight!!!!

Trip to Dhamrai

Last weekend we ventured out of Dhaka City for the first time and went to a Hindu Village called Dhamrai, about 20kms out of the city (About an hour and a half drive!!). They make the most amazing brass castings there, all individual and all hand made. They carve it out of wax, then paint thin coats of clay on to it and then pour hot brass in forcing the wax out.

Even though it was a small village, it was still incredibly busy, with people everywhere. Definetely a good trip, and seeing the brick factories on the drive out there and the staggering amount of pollution they create was really interesting. Incidentallly driving on the main road out of Dhaka it was very easy to see how the road toll here is 13,000 every year, with some very hair raising moments with oncoming cars, buses and rickshaws. Getting in a car is definetely not for the faint of heart, especially outside the city boundaries.

 Brass Casting

 Brick Factories

India holiday booked

Hi all

So today we headed to the recommended travel agent and booked our flights to India for the 2 week holiday break in March/April.  This is the plan...

1. leaving 30th March to Delhi for 7 nights (going to try and spend our wedding anniversary in Agra at the Taj Mahal)
2. then flying to Chennai on 6th April for 5 nights to visit the Abrams family (that's the faction that is Darren, Toushka, Millar and Xanthe)
3. heading to Mumbai 11th April for 2/3 nights (definitely 2 nights but leaving mega late on the last night so it is almost 3 nights) - cross fingers our mate will be in residence otherwise it is a quick stop over to see the sights

If anyone has been to India and around these places...has an suggestions of must see places, things to do or places to visit...obviously other than the usual places let us know as we would love the ideas.  Also accommodation ideas would be helpful also as word of mouth is of course handy.

Very excited and already writing ideas down so that we don't forget the options.

Thought I would also add a few new photos of Dhaka.

Building site across from our apartment - ready to have the concrete poured

14 men climb 6 floors with a wok shaped bowl, carrying concrete to be dumped in...14 men, not a pipe pumping the concrete up.  It seems Dhaka is creating employment!!

Vibrant washing on the line. Pity about the dull surroundings.

Jem

TGIF

Me again.
I think this is going to be a regular occurrence now that on a Friday afternoon Grant and I head off for a huge walk and scout around.

Very quiet on the road early this afternoon.  It got worse!!!!

We ventured into Gulshan 1 and 2 today.  Had Movenpick coffee and a scoop...again and did a little shopping.  Grabbed some new DVD's as we have made our way through the last lot and Grant also found a good shop that you can buy a few Western type things. It seems it is much easier for men to buy western clothes here but not so much for women...as all the women's clothes seem to be something Chinese or Japanese women might wear...as you all could imagine that is not really me.

Tomorrow we are heading to Bashundara City...the 12th largest shopping mall in the world. 8 storeys and lots of shops...I don't think it is the cheapest place in Dhaka but it will be nice to even look around.


 Jem
 

Australia Day

I am such a traitor!!! Celebrating this say and actually organising the Sausage Sizzle is the epitome of bad taste being a kiwi. But it was great fun...but the balloons you buy in Dhaka taste awful and by no means they are not the best quality.

Quite a few balloons later and buns and sausages ordered and ready we were able to get things going.  The BBQ was an interesting debacle to say the least with "many hands make light work" not being the saying the depicts this event.  Charcoal BBQ make from an old tub and some baking racks made up our make-shift unit.


Lots of fun and a great event for the school to have the students, teachers, staff and parents all together.  Happy Australia Day to all...even 9000km from Sydney!!!

Check out the school chef...teehee!!!!