Hotel Pacific Dhaka City

... new clothes and shouting "Eid Mubarak" so that was fun. We met the other volunteers, Sophia from Sweden, Emily from the Netherlands, Laura from Ireland, Norman from Germany, Richt from the Netherlands, and 3 ladies Sonia, Marie and Vicky from Yorkshire. So it was nice to join in with them.
Although it was Eid and most of the services were suspended for the holidays there were still things we could do and I spent some time with the Physios and we both spent time with ...

... med følelsen af at jeg er glad for, at udstationeringen ikke faldt på mig. For jo flere gange jeg er her desto mere går det også op for mig, at det kan blive en rimelig nederen by i længden – alt er jo ved det samme: trafikken har ikke ændret sig, vores chauffør gør mig mindst en gang om dagen køresyg samt rulle vinduet ned for at skælde på rickshaw-kørerne på trods af, at det er ham der ikke overholder færdselsreglerne, kvinderne har stadig ikke l ...

... been extraordinarily warm and welcoming to us.  The work we'll be doing here, it is hoped, can make a real difference for sustainable forest management and economic livelihoods here.  So we're excited at the prospect, if a little overwhelmed.  Feels like a lot of weight on our shoulders.

Now we're back in Indonesia, getting ready to finish our data collection on the island of Sulawesi, one of the top coral reef destinations in the world.  Should be fun!

... construction. How random would that be... Although the roads around my hosts' house had numbers instead of names, it was quite a challenge to find my way back. Both the vertical and the horizontal roads were labeled with the same numbering system. Enter confusion... As I was circling the same block for the 5th time, 2 beggar girls got attached to me. They kept repeating "We are hungry boss..." until I found the gates of the Rahman ...

... my day on this agenda please let me know. I met a wonderful young lady tonight over dinner with fellow Fulbrighters, who all inspire me to think, debate, and wonder about the future of not only our own nation, but our impact on the greater world... there was a girl from TRAVERSE CITY MICHIGAN, who is spending a few months in Dhaka. Its crazy to find someone on my first day in Dhaka Bangladesh who literally lives 5 minutes down the street from me in Northern Michigan- Fort ...

... that the last travels from the US that came across this land border was over three months ago and they were Indian American US service men. Once across the border, the road narrowed to a dirt path with beautiful green rice paddies on either side, and a long row of Indian cargo trucks carrying heavy stones parked to one side waiting to enter India. Because they are overloaded, they risk sinking into the paddy fields if they park too far ...

... Bangladesh for ourselves, so on we went. The boat trip down from Dhaka to Manshua was wonderful! For less than ten dollars for 22 hours of travel we had a brilliant cabin (cleaner than our hotel room), beautiful scenery, and wonderful company. When we eventually reached our destination I didn't want to get off. But I did get off and we've now arrived at Hands On Disaster Response's 6th project in Reyenda, Bangladesh. Woo Hoo. It should be exciting....but no expectations.

... We went to Sylhet two days ago which is on the Northeastern border of Bangladesh to see Tea Plantations!!! It was fun. We toured a Tea Factory and had tea with a tea researcher at the tea research center. Afterwards, we went to another town where there is an airforce base and thanks to my grandfather's incredible credentials (Wing Commander and Freedom Fighter) as well as connections (my great uncle was Air Marshall Khandoker who was the chairperson of the army ...

... that there are some 600,000 cycle rickshaws in the city, so it's a pretty competitive business to be in. His rickshaw is the most beautiful one we've seen with candle holders on the handlebars, and trails of brightly covered plastic trailing from here and there. We don't fit inside the canopy, so he supplies us with an umbrella to protect us from the searing sun. As we get going our guy tells us that he knows we were staying in the hotel in Old Dhaka ...

... You walk along the natural stream that comes from the waterfall, it's very peaceful, and all you can hear is the water trickling along. As you get closer to the waterfall you can hear the sound of the water falling 200 feet, truly magical. At the foot of the fall you can have a picnic, take a dip in the water or take horse rides through the fall. Please be aware the water is freezing cold in the winter season. After running ...