Lighting up a city

Two delights have mesmerised me since childhood: fairy lights and fireworks. Events that feature both are sure to make me smile. I got to experience some beautiful lighting displays in Bangladesh recently.

My hosts took me to the rooftop restaurant at the Dhaka Regency Hotel one evening. High above the traffic and noise of the city below is a mystical oasis of light and space. We ate pizza under the stars and overlooking the airport nearby.

The entrance would appeal to a certain target market (not us)

We had the whole rooftop garden to ourselves

Private dining

Even the rooftop pool looks enticing

17 March was a national holiday in Bangladesh to commemorate the centenary of the birth of country's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Large public events were planned throughout the city of Dhaka. They were then cancelled due to the risk of spreading COVID-19 but a delightful fireworks display from four city locations went ahead and we enjoyed it from the rooftop of my host's apartment building.

In the meantime government buildings and public spaces were decorated with miles of LED fairy lights. Ten storey buildings were draped in strings of coloured lights to represent Bangladesh's national colours (green and red). Others featured every colour of the rainbow. Imagine Christmas lights and multiply them by a hundred.

Others buildings featured changing light displays on a continuous loop. We sat opposite this ICT Tower for ten minutes, delighting in its rotating display, which was far too grandiose for my phone to capture.

Driving around a crowded city becomes a magical experience when surrounded by millions of LED lights.

The noisy streets of Dhaka

I blogged about traffic in Dhaka while travelling to Bangladesh last year. We may complain about traffic jams, commute times and the state of roads in developed countries, but Bangladesh's traffic is something else altogether.

The whole city is actually really noisy. Dhaka is one of the world's most densely populated cities and there are people everywhere. The days are a clutter of traffic from Dhaka's 8 million residents plus 5 million commuters to the city. Car horns and bicycle bells ring out constantly as cars, rickshaws, CNGs and pedestrians make tiny gains among endless traffic jams. I'm happy to not drive myself in Dhaka and instead enjoy the skill and experience of our driver, who can navigate traffic jams and potholes with ease.

This video (not mine) shows a typical but not especially busy Dhaka street.


Here are some of my photos of street scenes around Dhaka.

A typical street corner

The road outside our office

Just one street over from one of the main roads, we were held up by traffic of a different sort. This area is a large scale building development for a new subdivision. The roads feature even more bumps and potholes than usual. I have no idea where the cattle were coming from or heading to, but just one block right featured typical traffic chaos!

A woman moves cattle and a goat just one street away from the main road

And then this happened. The photo isn't clear as it was taken through the car windscreen. A truck in front of me had about 15 young men on the back. The truck clipped a vehicle that was passing on the left. The two drivers got out of their cars and started yelling at each other, along with about 10 of these guys. Everyone else was trying to drive around them (many car horns tooting!). The truck driver got back into his vehicle and took off with a few passengers missing. The guy in white and a few others managed to jump onto the moving vehicle. Others decided to walk.

Jump on or you'll miss your ride!

From 7pm, articulated tucks and large delivery vehicles arrive. They aren't allowed to drive on the roads during the day so deliver goods and supplies overnight, racing along expressways and main streets. There are no lights on rickshaws or bicycles to see them approaching or passing these huge vehicles at night. They bravely (or recklessly) weave in and out among the traffic armed with little more than a bicycle bell. Even on a quiet side street, it's not uncommon to hear car horns through the night or someone blowing a whistle at 3am.

The evening commute out of Dhaka

Each morning I enjoyed a moment of calm around 5am as the first call to prayer rang out, then it was back to constant chaos and noise. It's a world away from the peace and quiet of lockdown in New Zealand.

A whirlwind trip to Bangladesh

This is a very surreal post to write. What a week it has been.

For several weeks I've been excitedly looking forward to returning to Bangladesh for a second stint of professional volunteering. Two weeks of workshops and meetings were planned in Dhaka, then a similar week-long programme in Kathmandu, Nepal. I prepared early, updated all my travel immunisations and planned ways to minimise risk while still making the most of this incredible opportunity. My plans were guided by one principle: safety first.

And then it all changed. Covid-19 was declared a pandemic just as I was flying out of New Zealand. The risks increased exponentially while I was en route to Dhaka in a half-full plane. The country I'd left was very different to the one I returned to a week later.

The hysteria became palpable. Online shrieks ranged from "New Zealand has closed its border!" through to "you'll have to be in total isolation once you return!", "travellers should immediately put into quarantine or be arrested!" and "the government is covering up the truth!" It was then followed by some really bizarre advice from a 'surgeon': "drink water as it kills the virus. Also, the virus can't live in climates over 27°C (nope - Dhaka's average daily temperature is 30+°C) and take vitamin C and D supplements to build your immunity (in just one week!)". While drinking water and building your immunity is always a good idea, these messages are not helpful and only serve to spread misinformation. Seriously: wash your hands.

It's so hard to discern facts from among all the conjecture, unqualified social media commentary and random conspiracy theories, especially when you're relatively isolated in a developing country whose health system is not equipped to manage a pandemic (if any country's health system is).

Basically, there are (were?) four sources of truth for kiwi travellers planning a return journey. Since then, a dedicated Covid-19 site has been developed. The rest is mostly noise - including chain mail and click bait from well-meaning friends and family on Facebook. Don't @ me.

• Ministry of Health 
• SafeTravel 
• HealthLine NZ
• Your airline

But, despite how drastically circumstances changed, I actually had a really good time in Bangladesh and packed in as much activity as I could into what ended up being a flying visit: just five days in Dhaka sandwiched between two days of flying.

I tweeted much of my experience of getting home safely using the hashtag #TravellingWeka so won't repeat myself here. Instead I want to share my experiences in Dhaka and remember the good times long after the new post-Covid-19 normal emerges. One good thing about two weeks of self-isolation is that I have plenty of time to do this. 

Travelling to Bangladesh: memories and reminders

Just a few days after returning to Wellington, life has quickly resumed its patterns and routines. Although there's a sense of comfort in familiarity, it's hard to comprehend just how different things were for me one week ago as I experienced a sensory overload on the other side of the world.

My short time in Bangladesh has taught me more than I could have imagined. I was excited but more than a little anxious before leaving New Zealand. Government travel advisories saying "don't go there" didn't help ease my anxiety and I learned that there is a big difference between helpful caution and destructive anxiety. Dhaka took the honour of being the second least liveable city in 2018, second only to war-town Damascus in Syria. Looking around the streets, it's easy to see why and it would be even easier to fall into a state of despair. But through it all, I was struck by the sense of hope that was visible every day among the people living in adverse conditions and poverty.

I experienced moments of satisfaction, pure joy, novelty and delight that far outweigh the one or two moments when I felt unsafe. This sunset is one of those special moments, as dawn and dusk last just a few minutes and the sun doesn't shine directly during the day in February. These are the memories that I want to capture and remember for next time, along with some helpful advice. Next time? Yes, I'd love for there to be a next time.

The sun setting over Dhaka

Bangladesh: memories and reminders

• Pack tropical strength (80%) insect repellent in your carry on luggage if you're flying in at night. You'll need to apply it liberally as soon as you enter the airport and the moment the sun goes down every day. 
• Check whether your antihistamine tablets are drowsy or non-drowsy before taking them in the morning. Falling asleep in the back of a car is ok. Falling asleep at a business meeting or workshop would not be good.
• Bathrooms and toilets are referred to as "using the wash room".
• Traffic.
• The food is really goooood and, being considered an honoured guest, you will be fed constantly. Try to combat this by only eating breakfast and dinner. Also, walk up the stairs to your hotel room, even if you get strange looks as you pass a staff member waiting to open the elevator for you.
• Stay away from raw salads, fruit you haven't peeled yourself and anything else that may have been washed in tap water unless you've built up an immunity that complements your Hepatitis A immunisation. (Although ... how do you build immunity to something you can't/don't eat? Hmm.)
• Sunrise and sunset happen really fast (within minutes). If you do capture one, it's a magical experience.
• Don't wear jeans with a belt next time you travel internationally. Just buy smaller jeans or pants without any potential for setting off metal detectors. It's one less thing to handle as you empty the contents of your backpack for inspection several times at every airport.
• Although a large screen laptop is wonderful to work on, it's too darn heavy to lug around the world.

Traffic in Dhaka

Traffic in Dhaka is renown by anyone who has visited or knows about Bangladesh. The word Traffic always has a capital T. Sometimes it is referred to as 'the Traffic'.

A short journey of a few kilometres can take two hours depending on Traffic. What time will you pick me up tomorrow? We'll leave early because of Traffic. See that pile of cars on the other side of the road? Traffic. We're an hour late for a meeting because of the Traffic. Tomorrow (Friday) is the weekend, so no Traffic. I should easily make it to my flight on Saturday night, because no Traffic.

Dhaka is a city of 12 million people, including 7 million who commute into the city every day. Think about it. Traffic. Traffic intensifies during thunderstorms, but also seemingly when it's fine and sunny. Rush hour is complete mayhem, but sometimes there is also Traffic at other times of the day. The roads and footpaths are full of potholes that fill up with rain, making for a bumpy ride. It's all part of the Bengali experience.

Today, the city of Dhaka is officially closed for the mayoral elections. No motorised vehicles are allowed on the roads, although I've seen one or two. That means there is very little Traffic. Vehicles are not vying for open spaces, regardless of whether or not they're allowed to perform a U-turn at a busy intersection or drive on the other side of the road. The car horns and rickshaw bells are mostly quiet and it feels safer to walk around.

Here are some of the vehicles you will see on the road. I've been for a short rickshaw ride and hopefully will have an opportunity to ride in a CNG. Unfortunately I'm unable to take an aerial photo of a really good traffic jam in action, but the gif above almost captures it. (It's a bit more orderly than yesterday's spectacular traffic jam that our Uber was somehow in the middle of.)

An elaborate rickshaw

Rickshaw taxi stand

CNG
because it runs on ... CNG

Pedestrians, rickshaws, CNGs and motorised vehicles
all vie for space on busy roads

A commuter train at dusk
Zoom in to see children hitching a ride on the roof

Downtown Dhaka

After a very short visit to Malaysia, I have now arrived in Bangladesh. Yesterday, I took a stroll around the streets of downtown Dhaka. After arriving in the middle of the night then teaching a full day workshop, it was my first opportunity to actually go outside and experience the capital city. I'd been warned about the traffic, which areas were safe to walk and how to get back to the hotel. I was ready.

First impression: it's mayhem out there. Road rules, including lanes, speed limits and which side of the road to drive on all appear optional. People walk in and among the traffic, barely flinching as vehicles vie for space on the road. You must lock your doors while in the car as you'll be approached for money every time you stop. So far I've had a small child smile and press two bunches of roses into my window and an elderly man put his prosthetic leg onto the car bonnet. Neither left until the car started moving again.

Car horns and bicycle bells toot constantly, even at 3am. I think I've worked out why. They seem to be using horns in place of indicators and as a warning that they're approaching something – anything. A car, a person, a corner, a bicycle ... anything. It makes for a very loud city.

Downtown Dhaka

And then there are the buildings. We may bemoan the rigor of our workplace health and safety rules in New Zealand. However, they're there to protect us. The construction site across the road from my hotel and the cabling I've seen on every power pole would be enough to scare even the toughest tradies!

Construction site

Power cables
This is not an internet meme!

I'm also a huge novelty. Everyone stares at the 'white' woman walking alone down the street. A few call out "hello!" and "you're pretty!", some offer rides on dubious forms of transport, but the staring and endless requests for selfies is sometime I'm not used to. This taxi driver was happy to pose for a photo but quickly lost interest once he realised I didn't require his services.

Taxi stand

Oh, Dhaka. You're like nothing else I've experienced.