A slow start.
At the airport in Chittagong, Molly and I were given star treatment. As females/tourists/Westerners, we were whisked to the front of the immigration line and processed immediately. This meant we were also the first people to exit the airport. We walked through the double doors into the bright sunlight and were confronted with a giant crowd staring… at us. Um, I don’t know how to describe it… Overwhelming? Awkward? It didn’t take long for a security guard to offer to help us find transport and only a tiny bit longer for our very own entourage to form. Our guidebook suggested 150 taka would be an appropriate price for a ride into town. Every driver was asking for 400 taka. We tried to negotiate a bit but finally it came down to this: “I feel like we’re in a zoo. Let’s just pay it.” as we climbed into the cage that is a baby-taxi.
Outside the airport are fields, gardens, and greenery. It’s not often that the area surrounding the airport is nicer than the city itself, but for Chittagong I’d say that’s true.
We checked into our hotel and inquired about visiting a village in the Chittagong Hill Tracts the next day. We knew we needed a permit (and an armed guard!) but we didn’t quite know how to get it. Unfortunately, we were informed that the permit office was closed for 3 or 4 days due to Eid. Boo. That was one whole day in our itinerary deleted. We decided to take a nap and worry about it when we woke up.
After several hours of sleeping we were ready to figure out what we were actually going to do in Bangladesh now that our most anticipated plans were foiled. We knew we wanted to go to to the beach, so we set out to get a bus ticket. Not so easy. Again because it was Eid, all the luxury buses were sold out and no one was too keen to sell us a local bus ticket. Finally, a friendly man helped us. We had our tickets and were ready to explore the city.
Um… there’s not too much to see in Chittagong. We ended up at the Zia Memorial Museum which had raised its price from 2 taka to 75 taka. That’s quite the price hike! (Still only a bit more than $1 though.) (Note: You are not allowed to bring in backpacks or cameras. We learned the hard way and Molly had to leave her dSLR with a guard.) The museum is a memorial to President Zia who was assassinated there in 1981. The display is mainly photographs and his personal belongings, like a shirt from Harrods.
The next morning we had some time before our bus to the beach so we decided to explore some more. The guidebook suggested visiting Foy’s Lake for a morning stroll. Boy were we confused when we were dropped off at an amusement park by the same name. It was never clear to us if there was access to an actual lake or not. After several inquiries on Molly’s part we just decided to drop it. Instead we headed to one of the other few sights in town, the World War II Cemetery. After stopping about a bajillion times for directions (which included being led inside a hospital and consulting with a doctor who had a patient), we finally made it there. It was a nice little spot but not really much to speak of. We were mostly excited to finally be able to take a few photos.
I have to include this headstone because the groundskeeper cleaned off the bird poop with his bare hand, just for me.
After the cemetery we hopped on the bus to go to the beach. The estimated 4 hour journey took 6 and a half. The animal markets were busy selling cows for the upcoming Eid holiday and the crowds were spilling over into the streets, making it difficult for vehicles to pass.
All of these photos were taken from the bus window before it grew dark.
On their way home with cows in tow.
Cows in the back of the truck.
Only a few days left for these little cows.
[Are you wondering what I’m talking about when I keep saying Eid? In short, Eid al Adha is a time for Muslims to get dressed up in their finest clothing and celebrate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God. Families who can afford it slaughter an animal (cows, sheep, goats, etc) to share with family, friends, and the needy.]
xo, jill
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