Clean Feet!

That is what we have for the first time in 4 weeks!  Our last two days here in Dhaka have been a welcome back to civilization for us both.  First things first, upon our arrival to the Pan Pacific Hotel we dropped off our bags and parked ourselves at the poolside bar, where we sipped on Heinekens and snacked on french fries.  Next, hot showers.  It's amazing how many more parts you're willing to clean when the water is warm and you no longer have to worry about a urinal claiming your soap.  After two restful nights sleep sans mosquito nets we are preparing to leave Bangladesh.  Although we have been invited back, we have yet to plan our retrun trip.  It's been an experience we won't soon forget.  Thanks for coming along for the ride! 

Signing off, Tom and Courtney.

Strike!...And We're Out

Surprise!  We are back in Dhaka.  Given our track record in all things transportation, we decided not to fill you all in until we actually had our feet on the ground in the city.  Thanks to an impending nation-wide strike that will supposedly take place tomorrow (our original departure date) we decided to push our return up a day.  Jasim claims that the strike has been organized by an unpopular group and therefore will only be 'minor' and 'probably over by lunch'.  Never-the-less, it was not a day to travel, and the prospect of being stranded on the boat and/or missing our flight was altogether unappealing.  So, here we are.

Our bus ride back to Dhaka was, to our pleasant surprise, somewhat less harrowing than our first trip.  Only 11 hours (as opposed to 12), significantly less swerving, and only minimal honking by Bengali standards.  And, after lunch, Jasim treated us to a delicious Bengali dessert that they call 'yogurt' but is much more likened to caramel custard.  How did it take us 4 weeks to learn this existed?  We will most certainly be getting some more tomorrow. 

We revisited an old haunt for dinner-the Italian restaurant where we had our 'welcome to Bangladesh' meal.  Pizza and chicken parmiagiana, hold the rice!  Clean plates all around.  Tomorrow Jasim has informed us he will be back early to pick us up.  We believe him, he blew into our room at 530 this morning like a tornado.  Tom reminded him that we were not leaving for another hour to which he frantically responded 'oh yes yes, I know, relax'.  What a guy.  We will miss him. And, what do you know?  He loves NY!

We're Off to See the Village

With our time here closing in we decided to make an excursion into the village with our translator, Jasim.  We went under the guise of going to see the local clinic here.  A short walk across an expansive field where farmers were busy plowing in anticipation of the upcoming rainy season, and past a few cows having breakfast, we made it to the clinic.  It is only staffed one day per month by paramedics who also visit clinics on the many other local Chars.  Today's agenda, a lesson on diarrhea and how to manage it at home.  We think this may not have been a coincidence.  We sat and listened to the teaching session where the assistant described how to make the rehydration liquids to the locals who had gathered. 

Pretty soon, as seems to always be the case, a critical mass of children had accumulated.  The lesson deteriorated into games of Simon Says and plenty of picture taking.  Seemingly out of nowhere the children produced a puppy for Courtney to play with.  It didn't take long for the children to mimic Courtney whenever she said 'puppy' a chorus of 'puppy, puppy, puppy' came back in reply.  Meanwhile Tom was busy outwitting a few 8 year olds in a complex game of 'Simon says' involving those now famous red plastic chairs.  When it was time to leave we were marched out of the village led by a mass of children waving long pink 'balloons.'  Clearly an effective use of family planning, no wonder there are so many kids in this village!

The River's A'Rising

We looked across the river last night from the deck of our ship and realized that the neighboring Char we had just recently visited (AKA Coney Island) was partially submerged.  The very place we had parked our boat and walked ashore was no longer.  We also noticed,while reading on the deck of our houseboat that, for the first time, it began to rock back and forth.  It seems that a combination of rain and melting glaciers from the North have caused the river to rise over 3 meters in the last month.  Soon the water will be high enough for the hospital to move on from the island where it has been docked for over a year.

There have been quite a few rain showers the last few days.  We managed to squeeze in a short run between storms this morning, after which, Courtney was approached by a couple of local boys outside the houseboat.  Much to their delight she pulled the headphones out of her IPOD and began to play them some music.  What do you play for Bengali 8 year olds who speak no English?  Billy Joel, of course.  'We Didn't Start the Fire' was, as always, a big hit.

US Healthcare, Maybe Not So Bad Afterall

Yesterday we took a trip to the nearest government hospital--about 30 minutes by boat and then 2 hours by car.  And, only one flat tire along the way, par for the course.  It was an eye-opening experience for us both.  When we arrived we were greeted by the chief of anesthesia who offered us some coffee and then ushered us to the pediatric ward.  We like to keep these blogs light, but there was nothing light about what we would see.  First a brief walking tour through the 'wards'.  The ward was a large communal room with high ceilings, dirty floors and foul odors.  It was divided into sections by 4 foot concrete walls.  There was the neonatal unit, a series of filthy cots each occupied by a tiny baby wrapped in dirty blankets, typically a mother and some other 'attendants' as well.  Some babies had feeding tubes in their noses which were manned by the mothers themselves.  Others with tiny IV's.  Most of these babies, we learned, were born at home and then brought to the hospital for problems that are all too common in this country-infection, low birth weight, prematurity.  The young children's ward was another series of dirty cots where kids with pneumonia, sepsis, TB, skin infections, even leukemia, received treatment.  The remainder of the wards for various age groups were more of the same.  On our rounds with the head of the pediatric division we learned just how dire the situation is.  As we walked he explained how the hospital is run.  Although this was a government hospital, almost nothing is provided spare the beds and some blankets.  Once a diagnosis is made the doctor informs the parents what is needed, antibiotics, chemotherapy agents.  And, the parents must go out and buy the medicines to bring back to the hospital... if they can afford them.  We felt terrible for the patients but also for the physician who seemed at his wits end.  Towards the end of rounds we were asked a poignant question, 'if pressed do you think you could work here?' 

We were relieved when rounds ended and it was time for us to leave.  We had been looking forward to our escape to the mainland as an opportunity to buy some bananas and perhaps some other goodies.  Jasim guided us to a local fruit stand where, we not only procured bananans, but a cluster of coconuts.  The shop keeper promptly pulled out a large blade and chopped the top off of one and popped in 2 straws for us to enjoy.  Jasim could not believe that in the US coconut water comes in a box for 4 dollars instead of 25 takas (roughly 40 cents).

We arrived back at our boat.  We were to have another interesting meal...goat.  A few donors to Friendship were visiting from Sweden so it was considered a special treat, no parts were spared.  We had joked about fish and chips the day before and to our surprise a few "french fries" accompanied our meal.  These days, that's enough to make us happy!

Happy Bangladeshi Independence Day

We woke up yesterday morning and wandered over to the main boat for breakfast where we learned that it was Independence Day.  "Celebration?" we asked.  Apparently, there would not be fireworks, but we did manage to convince the boss that this called for a night of  'improved diet'.  We would look forward to it all day.

After dinnner, as we were relaxing enjoying the breeze in the main room, the crew began to close all of the doors and windows, despite our protests.  Apparently we were about to be treated to our first "cyclone."  High speed winds whipped walls of sand around and the current managed to rock our little houseboat.   The whole storm lasted about 30 minutes then blew out just as quickly as it blew in. 

Who Doesn't Love a Bideshi?

Lets go for a walk.  Seemed like an innocent enough idea.  As we made our way across a field of tiny onions we were approached by a 12 year old girl and her two young siblings.  "I am Misthi" she proclaimed, followed by "I am Rufti" and "I am Mulani" as she pointed to her brother and sister.  They deftly began to guide our walk towards their village, prompting us to sing and dance with them along the way.  We entered a maze of chicken coups, cow troughs, and animal families (nursing goats, tiny puppies).  Our guide scurried away and returned with two plastic red chairs which she placed in a clearing between two houses.  She gestured for us to sit and promptly we were surrounded by a herd of children.  Some more dancing ensued as each child tried to be at the center of our picture/video taking.  We attempted to make an escape but the children had other ideas.  It was time for us to visit the adults who were working in the field.  We were less guided but more pushed/prodded by the hoarde of children now in charge of our fate.  We paid a quick visit to "Auntie, Uncle, and Abba" and then decided to return to the boat.  We had plenty of company for our walk back and finally parted ways when we reached the boat entrance.

Making foreigners sing is apparently a national tradition.  On our visit to "Coney Island" the requests came frequently and we ultimately relented.  We gave them a version of the "Star Spangled Banner" that would have made Roseanne Bar proud.  We don't think we will be getting a call from Bangladesh Idol.