Eid holiday

This week is the Eid holiday, which is the Muslim equivalent of our Christmas, and is at the end of the month long Ramadan, when Muslims celebrate by getting together with family and buying one another gifts. On Thursday night, I went to my first Iftar banquet (Iftar is a nightly feast that Muslims have each night during Ramadan to celebrate the end of the day's fast). The place I went to is just around the corner and was very nice, as was the food, but unfortunately my belly didn't think so, and I came down with a caase of Bangla belly the next day which lasted all weekend.  In fact I was so sick this morning, that I couldn't go to work. I did however, drag myself out of bed on Sunday afternoon as I wanted to go for a walk down to Road 11 in Banani, which I had been told is the most interesting shopping and eating strip in Dhaka, Although it is still a typical crowded, ram shackle Dhaka street, it does haave a huge variety of shops, restuarants and take away food places and I ill definately be going back to sample some of the food and goods on offer.

The staff here at the guest house have been really kind in looking after me while I have been sick, they keep bringing me big jugs of coconut water, and hot rice soup, which are traditional cures for an upset stomach, but unfortunatelt I can't stand either, but the staff are so insistant tat I need to eat something, so I have just been taking the tray when they come to my door, then pour it down the sink so that they think that I have eaten it.

The following photos are some that I took on my walk to Banani. Most of them are of Banani lake and the shanties town that lines the banks of the lake. Dhaka has numerous man made lakes which were built to help alleviate flooding in the wet season and to also beautify the city, but unfortunately, they are all now very polluted and not very pretty at all ) I would hate to fall into the water). However, many of the cities poor inhabitants have made some of the older lakes such as Banani, home, as being next to the water allows for easier travel using traditional wooden boats, or rafts made from old cement bags stuffed with straw. While walking Iwas joined by a couple of little companions, who I think were brother and sister. Unlike a lot of the children around the city, who spend all day begging (usually for an adult, not themselves), these 2 little ones just wanted to walk beside me and hold my hand. The only thing that they wanted was for me to take their photo.
Tonight I am feeling really drained, but I am much better than I was this morning so hopefully I can go to work tomorrow, which is the last working day of the week. I will just be so glad tto get out of my room.

 Local Transport

Going to town for the afternoon

My poor attempt at a panoramic shot

 Hard living

I counted 16 people living in this shack, but avazing they waved nd smiled at me (hard to imagine being happiy when you have to live like this)

 Hundreds if not thousands of people living together in very misable conditions

 Mother and child on a raft made from cement bags and straw

 Typical Dhaka apartment building (this one was called the Tropical Oasis). It's quite amusing to what their idea of western style and luxury.

 My young friends

New luxury apartments going up beside the lake and although froma western perspective, there is not much taste or style, the photo provides a contrast between the rich and the poor)

 Another effort at a panoramic

Rickshaws are used to transport literally everything in Bangladesh. This one has a 44 gal on drum on it, which is used to go around to garages to collect waste oil, which is then used as fuel in the furnances of the numerous brick factories (hard work peddling this around all day, especially as the brick factories are all on the outskirts of the city; 10 or more km's away)