Traveling: Views and Destinations

The one glorious aspect of the countless hot, sticky, cramped hours I've spent traveling between cities in Bangladesh is hands-down the view of the countryside that passes beyond my window. I love it, and haven't yet tired of it.

The biggest difference between my twenty-hour roadtrips from Chicago to Maine and the ones to and from Chittagong is summed up in one term that my students just learned in our Econ unit: population density.

While one can travel 50 miles in the U.S. without seeing a sole person, that just wouldn't happen here in a country of more than 162 million inhabiting an area the size of Wisconsin. The majority of the population is still rural (although Dhaka is now receiving a thousand immigrants a day since food prices have risen and rural jobs are scarce.)
Through the windows, along the railway and roads, you'll see the two toned grounds of brick factories. The unbaked-grey and warm-red bricks interrupt the green landscape all throughout the country.
For the last few months, the greens have faded into dusty winter hues. But the rains will come soon!

Most of my train journeys so far have been the Chittagong-Dhaka express. Almost everything goes through Dhaka, be it imports from abroad or passengers in transit. Except for the ridiculous traffic, I do enjoy the eventful weekends I get in this nation's capitol.

The number of food options are at least double those of Chittagong. Despite all the choices, my friends and I chose a favorite chicken place last December called the Kosturi Kitchen, and we make sure to hit it up at least once every visit.
Something else Dhaka has, that Chittagong hasn't caught onto quite yet, are coffee shops... with coffee... and WiFi. It's so luxurious. At least to us country bumpkins from Bangladesh's smaller cities. Maybe coming straight from the States, this little cafe called Cup o' Coffee Club in the upscale district of Ghulshan wouldn't be so glamorous. For example, this little mouse that joined us on the counter while we sipped lattes probably wouldn't be nearly as welcome in the Wheaton, IL Starbucks. But when I alerted the waiter about this furry critter below, he smiled and said "It's okay."
Alyssa and I decided he was right, it was ok, or at least that a little mouse oughtn't interrupt our caffinated conversations over Skype with friends back home....