First day in Dhaka

A long flight from Heathrow saw us arrive in Dhaka at around 2am local time. It took a while to get through immigration, find our bags and change some money but we were finally able to meet the local MCC / Prokritee representatives who loaded our luggage into one van and us into another for the drive to the Dhaka YWCA.

To bed around 4am. Some of us slept, some of us didn't. Some of us found the switch for hot water for the shower, some of us didn't! Personally I slept very well, waking briefly at 6am to the morning chorus of crows and howling dogs, then snapped awake at 8am convinced there was a riot happening outside. The Y is tucked away on a side street, but there's a major intersection nearby. Quickly realised that it wasn't a riot, just the sound of life on the streets of Dhaka - constant car horns, rickshaw bells, whistles and shouts.

A good breakfast of omelette and toast then we had an exhilarating way to start the journey - by plunging into the noise, heat, crowds, dirt and whatever else can be found on the streets. A few of us wandered several blocks in either direction from the Y. To the east we came upon a market which was a feast for the senses. Great piles of lentils, rice, spices etc. Lots of chickens & ducks waiting to be purchased. Spectacular mounds of fruit. Fresh naan bread being plucked from the tandoor - I'll be back for some of that!

Lots of friendly greetings - we'd heard that Bangladeshi people are curious to meet foreigners. Understandly some poverty too, with many outstretched hands which are hard to ignore, but there's no way to put something in every single one.

We travelled from the world's 11th least densely populated country to the country with the 11th highest population density, with a significant percentage of it’s people concentrated in Dhaka which has grown from approximately 1million in 1971 to about 20million today. It’s a city that is constantly on the move. Driving around is quite the adventure, with endless honking of horns and tests of which driver has the most nerve before one of them eventually yields. The condition of many of the city buses would make you think there must be constant accidents, but we survived the day with only a few close calls.