The last few months of my life have been a blur. A good blur. A great blur in fact. When you’re too busy living to blog regularly, what else could it be but great?
Something great led me to book a 48 hour trip to Bangladesh. Fifteen wanderlust-adventuring personalities connected through ‘Trekk Up Dubai’ to embark on what can only be described as the most random thing I’ve ever done.
Every single person I told about my trip prior to departure questioned my sanity. I’m talking about friends, coworkers, and even my pharmacist. The three words that were reiterated were: crazy, dirty and poor. I was told Bangladesh was ‘even worse’ than India. Naturally, I ignored the nay-sayers and stocked up on hand sanitizer and mosquito repellant.
Destination:
- Chittagong, Bangladesh
Itinerary:
- Salt farm
- Boat Tour
- Ship breakers shipyard tour
- Textile factory
- Rickshaw ride
Culture and society:
- Conservative. Predominantly Muslim.
Food:
- Very similar to Indian with a twist of local spice.
Highlight:
- When you’re travelling on a time crunch, it’s sometimes quite hard to remember people you met along the way. I may not know their names but I will never forget the faces of those I crossed paths with in Chittagong. The locals are incredibly warm and even after a half second of eye contact, they are somehow able to leave an unimaginable impression on you.
- The most curious ones would approach our group to ask where we were from and to shake our hands; then quickly walk away (either to continue on with their work or to quietly observe and analyze the random group of foreigners).
- It’s so easy to forget how fortunate we are and too often our actions are influenced by an over-privileged attitude to our first-world problems. One of the most significant moments of the trip for me took place on our way to dinner. We passed a man who no longer had use of his legs and watched as he dragged himself into a public washroom. Despite the adversities he faced on a daily basis, he had this profound respect for himself and for his community and it literally made my skin tingle. It was a gentle reminder to be grateful, but even more so, a reminder to be humble.
Till next time! xo
Scl Scn (Social Scene) 