Marion. Alone in Bangladesh.
Marion took the time of 3 weeks to travel around the country individually and to come with the people to contact. This earns our greatest respect… Her itinerary conducted her from Dhaka via Chittagong and Bandarban to Rangamati and further from Paharpur via Rajshahi to Natore, Puthia, Kushtia, Jessore and Narail, next from Khulna in the Sundarbans via Kuakata and Barisal back to Dhaka. Just the distance traveled thereby is already an “adventurous” achievement (in spite of the available infrastructure, who was on tour in BD know what we mean). In addition the merciless vehemence of the impressions which have to digest, apart from the fact, she was on tour in an male society! This is here poignantly feedback…
I am real very much discordantly. First: my guide has made his job really wonderful. His organization on site, the realization and the contact with me, has helped me very much to feel safe in his and Faruks (our driver) presence. Both have given their best to make my stay pleasantly as possible. Certainly, it was not always easy for the guide, because the catalogue of impressions which me occupy mentally very much in this absolutely other world and to give it a serious consideration I needed a lot of time. The conditions in this country have shaken me very much! I have already seen in Africa and South America a lot of poverty, but the conditions in Bangladesh have shaken me. I don’t mean not the comfort or the (so-called) progress, but the basic living conditions of the people in all areas, mostly worried to me the population density and the Islamic man’s world with her behavioral habits.
The highlight was the 4-day Cruise in the Sundarbans. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, although regional very splendid, was because of the police and military presence sometimes a little bit uncomfortable for me. The simmering conflict between the government and there living indigene natives is thereby omnipresent and also physically always concrete. Apart from these the people themselves are everywhere really friendly, open and helpful und I have regretted often very much not being able to talk to them directly.
The visit with my son with our friend and his school close to Bagerhat was very successful. The children had rehearsed some presentations for us and we have been “spoilt” very much. The people are really very charming and everything was also done there to offer us a pleasant stay.
Kind regards, Marion (in January 2012)