Worth a Thousand Words

Bangladesh: Last Minute Shopping

2013-05-20T09:25:00.001-07:00

As the day got closer to departure date, I was faced with two more tasks: first was to shop and the second to meet with Peachy.

I mentioned in the previous post that relatives in Barisal gifted me with money when we visited them. Tradition dictates that I spend it on jewelry for myself. I didn't touch the money until two days before departure because I wasn't keen on spending it on jewelry. I was thinking about buying clothes with it. But I wanted to avoid getting disowned by my SIL (joke) if I persist in breaking tradition, so I got her to take me shopping for....jewelry, what else.

Gold prices were sky high so I knew that the money wouldn't get anything worth keeping. Besides that I prefer silver than gold. I own more silver than gold jewelry. However past experiences have made me aware that not only are the silver jewelry in Bangladesh below standard (versus let's say Mexican silver jewelry), the selection is extremely limited. Apparently Bangladeshis don't care much for silver. For them it's gold or nothing. But not all can afford gold, especially at prices these inflated; so the next best thing is to get gold plated jewelry. The base metal is silver. They use a lot of gold in plating the metal that it's worth spending money.

Our destination was nearby Mouchouk Market. The proximity of the market to my SIL's place is not the only inducement, it is also filled with stuff I really like to take home.

View of traffic from overhead pedestrian bridge.

This is why I just love this market:

My SIL has a PhD in bartering that I got more pieces than I thought I could afford. I wouldn't shop without her in Bangladesh.

The market is paradise for fabric lover.

When he saw me photographing the fabric across his stall, he called me and asked to have his picture taken and asked if I would post it on facebook.

This was the fabric I was photographing. It's an ornate fabric used for wedding sari.

Bangladesh being a Muslim country, you would only find male shopkeepers.

I could stay here all day browsing at the merchandise.

We also couldn't forget to take home Bangladeshi delicacy in the form of its sweets. These dessert items are made of milk and cane sugar and are seasoned with various spices. They are really delicious.

Finally I got to meet Peachy, who as I mentioned in the previous post is a Filipino expat and as of this writing is married to her Bangladeshi Prince. It was very nice to meet my first blog friend there.

Felt like I've known her forever.

And last but not the list, I got brave and had my hand done with henna. However because of time constraints, I managed to twist my SIL's arm to do it for me. She did a good job, methinks.

This ends my Bangladesh vacation/journey. Thank you for reminiscing it with me.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

Bangladesh: In Search of Armenian Church

2013-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

The 3-week vacation was winding down oh so quickly, I checked my very short list of what to see or do in Bangladesh and I found out that I've only checked one of them (which was to see Cox's Bazar - the side trip to Tecnaf was the proverbial icing on the cake). Having only 2 items on my list, I was hellbent on checking the last item on my list and that is to see the century-old Armenian Church, which I found out existed via a fellow blogger Peachy. Peachy is a Filipino expatriate who found employment in Dhaka, of all places. Not only did she find job there, she also found her Bangladeshi Prince. They are due to marry any day now. So romantic!

No elbow room.

It's faster to walk than to take the bus.

Kid hitching a ride on the chicken cart.

Anyway, just like our other outings my SIL didn't go with us. With me were all men guards - husband, BIL, cousins + little nephew. I don't remember the day we went to seek the church, but the streets were jampacked with people. No room for elbows even. My BIL mentioned to me that in 2000, the population of the city was around 2M, presently it's doubled he said. I asked him if all of the 4M were out on the streets today, because it felt like it. It was suffocatingly scary. I had to hang on to husband's arm for dear life. (Wiki said presently the city has 7M people, and the metro area has 12M people.)

Kid bus barker.

Old Lady.

Breathing room, you say?

We took a taxi from home and traveled to a part of Dhaka that I've never seen before. The roads are wider, although not without traffic jams and there were more greenery. I was told this is where the foreign consuls live and work. No wonder.

Iftar food roadside.

More fried food for iftar.

People rush to buy breaking fast food.

I don't really know why we stopped where we stopped, but we did. From there we walked a ways to get to another taxi, except that there were just people on the road and buses, no taxis. Even the rickshaws were unwilling to take us to where we wanted to go. Until I saw a horse carriage. First time to see one in the streets of Dhaka and first time to ride in one. The reason why there's a lot of people out is that it's Ramadan. Every one wants to leave the city and go to their respective hometowns to celebrate Eid.

Posing at the entrance of the church.

A little hazy sky.

Late P.M. sky.

My nephew was excited to ride a horse drawn carriage, a first time for him too. Then we reached the end of the line again and we had to take another form of transportation. This time we managed to cajole rickshaw drivers to take us there. We were in 2 rickshaws. No one seemed to know where the Armenian Church is, many don't even know there is an Armenian church in the city.

We got lost, but thank heavens for cell phone we managed to direct our rickshaw driver to find the church. It's the part of Dhaka that is really unseen. It's so raw, so organic. The rickshaw passed by marketplace where there was no road but he managed to pass. It was an adventure.

Finally we arrived at the place. It's locked, but online tips tell people to seek out this particular guy who holds the key and he will let you in. We gave a donation for his effort, hope it goes to the church. The guy was not difficult to find, especially since my companions all spoke the language.

Cousin who lives nearby met us at the church.

Unfortunately the key keeper could not let us inside the church, which was also locked, because someone else holds the key to that. We would have to be content with the compound, looking at the church from outside.

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Bangladesh: Cats, Food, Etc (24-hour Day Trip to Barisal)

2013-05-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived in our destination way past lunch time. The husband and FIL stayed in town (which isn't too far from where we were going) to fix something, which is why we were here in the first place. We moved on to meet the extended family. I was very excited for two reasons, one, I was going to see pishi (aunt on paternal side) again and two, I was finally setting foot on real Bangladeshi soil.

BUT there was a downpour on the way to the house. We were walking, the road was not wide enough to accommodate a car. We were without any umbrella, but thankfully there was a structure nearby that is like a roadside fruit stand. We were told at night, they open to sell some goods. And so we ducked in there to stay out of the rain. We must've stayed there for about half an hour until some relatives arrived with umbrellas. The paths between the fields were very muddy and slippery and the drizzle was continuing, so I didn't get to whip out my camera. Safety first.

We visited with relatives; I finally got to hug and kiss pishi again, she made me feel very welcome when I first visited a few years ago and she was the only one in the family who learned Tagalog (Philippine language). In between munching some snacks and gulfing down sweet coconut water, I found out that pishi owns cats. And I went crrrrrazy.

The kitten was loud. Definitely got my attention.

I got spotted.

I think it wants its mommy.

The mommy wasn't too far away.

She found her mommy.

The kitty is still yapping.

Mommy inspects laundry.

One more shot of mother and child.

When my husband and FIL arrived, we were served a feast, which we enjoyed to the fullest. Then as the tradition, when you first meet your in-laws they give you jewelry or money so you could buy jewelry. It's rude to refuse this generosity.

Bangladeshis are extremely generous, like for example the cleaning lady at the school where my SIL teaches made rice cakes for us (hubs and I) to try while we are on vacation. These we took with us on this day trip so we can munch on them during the long travel.

I have to show this to you, below is a cucumber. Have you seen this size of cucumber before? And it's all organic! The Bangladeshis are big on cucumber either as part of a salad during meals or as a snack, eaten as is with sprinkled chili salt.

Our journey back to Dhaka was an adventure. We first made a side trip to say hello to maternal aunts living in town. On the way to the dock, we experienced long delays. It seems that everyone wanted to go back to Dhaka at the same time we were. The line of cars seemed like a few kilometers long. It was hot, very humid, we were not moving and the road was lined with small eateries with blaring music. You'd think you're somewhere else other than a Muslim country. I don't know what to expect really, but I didn't think it was ear-drum shattering loud noise, which I cannot even call music when played that loudly. Needless to say, I began to get cranky. Somehow, though, our luck changed and we finally got to be the front of the line and was able to board a RORO. It was nearly 10 PM.

The ferry ride at night was much more enjoyable, because the heat dissipates with the cool breeze. We walked up and down and tried to sightsee; but eventually we all couldn't stay up anymore. We all went to the van and slept; I was woken up when we were a few blocks from home in Dhaka. We arrived at home at 5 AM. This day trip to Barisal is exactly 24 hours long.

Once Upon A Road Trip

2013-05-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

I do my share of road trips. I love it for so many reasons. I love it especially because even a short haul drive would get me reenergized. There is something therapeutic about the open road. And if you live in California just like I do, you'd know there's plenty of destinations for any kind of road trips in your agenda.

Sometimes it's not the destination that matters, it's just the trip. And I love doing skywatching when I'm sitting in the passenger's seat with my camera ready to click anytime.

I was browsing at my albums a few weeks ago and I stumbled upon these photos I took on the drive back from the Central California coastal town of Cambria a few years ago. I remembered that these photos were earmarked for a Skywatch post, but that didn't happen until now.

Open road, wide open spaces.

Blue skies, sunny and clear day with wispy clouds.

The Pacific with the Morro Rock.

The landscape varies from mountains.

To pretty as a postcard vineyards.

Spotting old structures along the way is fun for me.

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Bangladesh: 24-hour day trip to Barisal, Part 3

2013-05-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

After reaching the bank on the other side of Padma River, our journey to Barisal still required about 3 hours more by car. However, I was really busy sightseeing. Along the way, I saw with my own eyes the Bangladesh jute industry at work.

Bangladesh is the top supplier of jute in the world. Jute (saluyot, in Philippines) is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was once classified with the family Tiliaceae, more recently with Malvaceae, and has now been reclassified as belonging to the family Sparrmanniaceae. "Jute" is name of the plant or fiber that is used to make burlap, Hessian or gunny cloth.
(wiki)

First the people harvest the leaves of the plant for food. Then, they let the plant grow taller to get longer fiber. Once it reached the optimum height, they cut the stalks off from the bottom. They let these stalks rot in water for about 2 weeks to make the fibers soft and easy to separate. Next, they pound the the stalks to separate the bark/rind from the fibers. Then they dry the fibers under the sun. When the fibers are collected and are drying in the sun, the core of the stalk is dried for firewood. Nothing is wasted. This plant is like the coconut. Every part of it is useful.

With the Western world shunning the use of the unfriendly plastic bags, the need for environmentally friendly, bio-degradable, and cheapest natural fiber for the production of burlaps and bags are on the rise, which is good for the economy.

In the background, is the jute plant and the foreground are the cores of the stalks that will be used for firewood.

Leaving the stalks in water to rot.

Ladies separating the bark from the core. The bark is the jute fiber. They are doing this manually by the very narrow sidewalk of the main road. This would be the only truly dry spot.

Fibers drying.

More ladies working.

Every available space is used for drying.

Some are ready for manufacturing.

Tying the jutes for processing.

Getting ready for transfer to the factories.

The dried fibers are on the way.

I bought a jute carpet/rug on my first visit in 2008 and I love it. I didn't get anything this visit.

As you may have guessed by the inferior qualities of the images here, these are all taken as we were traversing the road to Barisal. While I was snapping, my in-laws were telling me what's happening with every shot I was taking. I was very fortunate to see it, it was something I never expected to experience.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

I Came For the Wildflowers; I Ended Up Skywatching

2013-05-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

I thought we know all about the East Bay Parks near where we live but we found out we still didn't know the Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve. Thankfully my husband was chatty and told a friend of ours - great hikers both he and wife - about our search for wildflowers around the neighborhood. He mentioned about this park where they would walk and find wildflowers.

One Saturday, after a heavy lunch at my brother's house, the husband still aching to do a photowalk with the wildflowers of spring, we drove to where we were directed. It's entry point is through a housing complex in the middle of nowhere. I like this housing area, the houses are pretty, mostly 3-5 bedrooms $400,000 per. Despite its distance to the city proper, its location is set in the valley between rolling hills. I did not realize that there was a regional park in its midst.

I was ready with the hat, but I was wearing a heeled flip flop. I never wear the right shoes for the right occasion.

What a gorgeous cloudscape.

Wouldn't you love living here?

There wasn't really enough wildflowers to see and photograph.

We were all alone, except for these couple.

We didn't do the entire 2 1/2 mile, as I wasn't properly attired, re: shoes not for climbing and walking. Up there the sky was gorgeous, the sun was warm, the breeze cool, and the shooting was exciting.

We didn't mind not finding a field of wildflowers, the sky show was plenty enough for us.

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Bangladesh: 24-hour day trip to Barisal, Part 2

2013-04-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

Once we were in the river, there were plenty of things to see. It was a busy river. So I too got busy shooting.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

Bangladesh: 24-hour day trip to Barisal, Part 1

2013-04-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

My in-laws on both sides hail from Barisal, which is both a division and a district. In fact my husband was born in Barisal. I was getting curious about the place and was itching to see it. Even though I didn't pray for it, somehow the forces of nature made it possible for me to visit it.

We left Dhaka at 5 AM. Barisal is only 142 kms from Dhaka by road. But there is no direct road route. There is no freeway with 65 mph limit. One has to cross the Padma River. It is the same Ganges River in India and changes the name to Padma River when it enters Bangladesh and pours into the Bay of Bengal, which is a part of Pacific Ocean.

The road to the river is clear early in the morning.

And so knowing all that, you know our travel was loooong. We arrived at the river bank to take the RORO (roll on roll off) ferry at about 8 AM. There were a lot of people and automobiles waiting, we waited for about an hour. I took that time to people watch. I really enjoyed watching this one guy who was cooking breakfast just in front of the little eateries. He was like a well-oiled machine, making paratha (bread) and scrambled eggs in a snap.

He got a break and another guy took over cooking duties. I find it amusing that the food is being prepared at the front of the restaurant. I suppose it is such, so that people will see the food and be tempted to go and eat. I was too, even though I know the food was full of dust, that's part of the seasoning right?

We were eventually loaded into the ferry. It was an unforgettable experience. There was chaos, cars outmaneuvering vans and buses and people everywhere. It was a hoot. As we slowly drifted along the Padma, I was giving my camera a work out.

It was a hot day, with the sun out in full force, but the sky was hazy.

It's a very busy river. Some parts are shallow and aside from the ferries, there were smaller boats transporting passengers and ones carrying some building materials, i.e. sand for construction.

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Silverado Trail

2013-04-21T22:59:00.001-07:00

One sunny and bright weekend day we found ourselves aching for a scenic drive. A few hours of not doing chores, not gardening, not vacuuming or doing the laundry felt like a semblance of a vacation, which we didn't have any yet and one whole quarter of the year has passed by. Napa was our choice; this time Silverado Trail was our route. Most people take Highway 29 when they visit Napa and with good reason. That's where most big name wineries sit next to each other, plus the shopping can easily be accessed from there.

However, travel guides and sites always suggest the tourist to take the equally scenic Silverado Trail, which one website called the other Napa. Shame on us for not venturing out this way before, but better late than never.

And so with our usual road trip buddies with us, Sunita and her husband Rocky, we drove out to Napa and sightsee. It's a blessing to live in the Bay Area, where there's so many things to see and do that you can live here for ever and not be able to see all and do all.

Join me as we drive the Silverado trail.

The wildflowers were the main reason to go visit, but as usual we were a tad late.

Having realized that we would never be able to view the wildflowers we decided to just stop and visit wineries. No tasting for us this time. One doesn't have to have wine to enjoy the valley.

Are we in Vegas? Greece? Rome? Where are we?

The first winery we visited was Darioush with these columns, so out of place in Napa Valley in my opinion. It does make for a perfect photo site.

This beautiful girl was having a photo shoot. She really is beautiful in person.

There is also this sculpture infront of the columns, which to me look like a vessel for Olympic torch.

Then the garden of Stag's Leap Cellers beckoned us from the road so we stopped.

Follow the sign.

Beautiful gardens, but the clientele were a bit more "fashionable" than we expected, so I didn't even go inside the tasting room. Instead I lingered to take photos of the flowers.

And the whimsical sculpture.

Then we reached the end of Silverado Trail and continued on to Highway 29.

Where we spotted more signs of spring.

As we continued to traverse this busy highway, I tick one of my wish list. I've always wanted to stop by Beringer Winery because I'd like to see the mansion up close. So we stopped, but I did not get to see the interiors of the mansion because well I found out I need to buy a ticket to the tour to see it. Not feeling "touristy" that afternoon, we said no to the tour, but instead browse at the gift shop and the surrounding gardens.

I can live here. Just like in fairytale, isn't it?

The gift shop area.

Sunita and me

Before going home we stopped by Dean and Deluca for a little snack. One of my fave things to do in Napa is to browse at the wonderful gourmet offerings of this purveyor of good food from all over the world. I'm like a kid in the candy store.

On the way home I took this drive by shot of a little cottage on the road. I love it's landscaped front yard, so clean and neat.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

SIGNS, SIGNS

Sunsets From Random Places

2013-04-18T10:32:00.001-07:00

Today I'm feeling a little sad....Boston explosion and Texas explosion....so I thought I'd post random sunsets from random places. Sunsets make my soul quiet; it gives peace. Some of these shots you may have seen before. I hope that doesn't matter.

2/2/11 Puerto Vallarta

2/2/11 Puerto Vallarta

11/30/10 East Bay

11/15/08 San Francisco

11/29/10 Cambria

11/15/09 Over the Mediterranean near Barcelona

7/01/10 Above Cancun

11/22/09 Alexandria

12/31/11 Berkeley

Thoughts and prayers go to the people of Boston and West, Texas in this very difficult time.

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Bangladesh: Time to Go Back To Dhaka

2013-04-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

The fourth day of our mini vacation to the coastal town of Cox's Bazar was unfortunately our last day. When my family got back from an early morning walk to the beach we only had enough time for breakfast before our ride arrived to take us to a 4-hour drive back to Chittagong where we were taking the train back to Dhaka.

We passed by many small towns with bustling marketplaces by the roadside.

We were all prepared to sit nonstop as we travel 4 hours, until the driver told us if he have time he wants to show us something. The proposition came out of the blue, yet we thought since we outnumber him 8 to 1 we must be safe wherever he wants to take us.

Entry to the upcoming Buddhist temple.

While the cornerstone for the temple has not yet been put on the ground (at least I haven't seen any construction work yet), the 100-foot lying Buddha is already getting visitors.

Monk

Aside from the monk, there was only one other person inside the compound. He was focused on what he was doing and did not acknowledge our presence, until I went up close to see what he was doing. I think he's a monk in training.

I'm guessing he's building the side wall for the temple?

The sign is ready.

They are open for donations. I didn't even know that Buddhism is thriving Bangladesh.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

Skywatching while walking.

2013-04-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Sunita said her friend wanted to meet us - hubs and I. She had been talking about us over the years and it's time we meet. So she set up a lunch date at her house and she was cooking. I like her home-made Indian food better than any restaurants I've eaten.

After lunch, we decided to go out for a walk. We were all one in choosing Point Pinole Regional Shoreline because not only is it huge (2135 acre), it is also so close to where we all live.

It was a February day, a holiday, but surprisingly the park was almost empty. It must have been the cool weather. Anyway, we took our walk after heavy Indian meal and I took pictures.

Entry at the bridge above the railroad track.

So alive.

Headed towards the marshland.

Easy path.

Sunita and me.

The eucalyptus trees are plentiful here. They were initially planted as a buffer against explosions. This place used to be the site for manufacturing gunpowder and dynamite.

Hubby found a walking buddy.

I really enjoy this view any time of the day, any season of the year.

I love old eucalyptus trees.

We went to the marshland today.

Can you tell it was breezy and cold?

Pebbles and shells.

Skywatching.

Mt. Tamalpais in the background.

Reaching out to the skies.

I have walked here many times for years, but I never have stopped and bird watch. I hear they have a good list of birds that either call this park home or frequent visitors.

SKYWATCH

Bangladesh: Wrapping Up our Time in Cox's Bazar

2013-04-07T17:48:00.001-07:00

The long drive back to Cox's Bazar from a day in Tecnaf did not offer much in terms of drive by shot opportunities. It was raining hard. Along the way, despite the drizzle, we stopped to look at a little waterall that the moonsoon has brought about.

My FIL was very happy, it was his first waterfall sighting. Then I remembered mine was at Yosemite. That people can sometimes go their whole lives without seeing a waterfall or the ocean. I felt lucky and blessed.

In this age of social media craziness, I was pretty sure these boys would end up putting this on facebook or something like that.

Amazing how close the sea is to the agricultural land.

Not too far from here we stopped to stretch our legs. It was another hour before we arrived at our destination. We found a solitary figure fishing.

The next morning after breakfast we were checking out and travelling 4 hours to Chittagong, where we would catch the train for a 6-hour trip back to Dhaka. Before breakfast my husband and in-laws took an early morning walk to the beach. I was already in the showers when they were going and so I decided to stay in and take pictures of street scenes from the balcony.

Birds on a wire.

This sampan has a lot of people on it.

Then I spotted my family coming back to the hotel.

I was spotted by the hubby.

Of course he has to take a picture of me.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

February in the garden

2013-04-03T12:36:00.003-07:00

February is an interesting month. It could be super wet. It could also be really dry and spring like. The latter is the kind of February it was around here. If you don't look at the tree buds blooming you'd think it was late spring.

Two consecutive weekends in February we tackled some gardening projects. The backyard is always alive in late winter to early spring. Weeds take control claiming every space in the yard, even in between the paved/cemented areas. Green is a good color to look at. It soothes the eyes they say. But it's still weeds and February is the time to start weeding.

And so for those two weekends we did just that. We hardly made a dent if I'd be honest with you. I look at the backyard and more weeds grew replacing the ones we pulled. We just couldn't keep up.

Unbeknownst to me my hubby took a picture of me while I was making our vegetable nook ready for tomatoes (a payback from the many times I took candid shots of him without his knowledge). I pulled the weeds, dig up the soil mixing it with soil ammendments and the following week we were ready to plant our tomatoes. We have also planted on containers strawberries and mesculun (lettuce). I remember how much fun it was two summers ago when we had a bumper crop of lettuce. I would go in the backyard to harvest from our containers lettuce for our dinner salad. I am hoping the same thing this summer.

Our fruit trees have started to show beautiful blooms, despite our failure to prune them in the fall. Fingers crossed as to whether that omission would make an impact on summer's production.

This was February in my garden:

Busy.

Beautiful weeds.

Purple pleasure.

Succulent.

Apple blooms.

Still apple blooms.

More apple blooms against blue sky.

Unpruned plum branches.

Plum blooms.

Adore the blooms, not so much the fruit.

White hyacinth perfumes the surroundings.

Year-round source of Vit. C.

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Bangladesh: Day Trip to Tecnaf

2013-03-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

Our second full day in Cox's Bazar was spent on a day trip to Tecnaf, about 3 hours drive away. Tecnaf is the southernmost point of mainland Bangladesh. St. Martin's Island is the souternmost point. It is located near the Myanmar border.

The drive was long along narrow road. At one point there was an accident that halted traffic. While waiting for the traffic to get going, I took out my camera, rolled down the window and took some photographs.

As we continued with our drive the landscape had changed a bit. Now we see mountain ranges. Myanmar seems so close. In fact there were checkpoints along the road.

And the skies looked angry. We got a good dousing.

We stopped at a random town, parked by the marketplace, crossed the street, passed a mosque and the town hall towards a little plaza. Taking shelter in the plaza we explored the plaques around the plaza and then went back to the market to see what they're selling. We could probably get something to eat. Samosas were sold and bought and decided to go back to the van and continue our travel. It was raining heavily.

Excitement washed all over me as we passed sampans (boats). I knew we were near wherever we were supposed to be going.

Finally we arrived at Tecnaf. What I saw was a quaint fishing village in an organic, non-touristic scene. There was another group of 3 I believe which are like us the only tourists here. Coincidentally, they also are from California, and also from the Bay Area - about 8-10 miles from where we live. Small, small world.

I watched with amazement the colorful sampans, the activities that happen by the beach, fishermen coming in from a day of fishing and locals waiting to buy the fresh fish. The beach is littered with ocean products. All this while there's a mild drizzle and wind gusts that range from mild to holy cow!

During our time there, we saw a sampan come in from the sea and was helped to get to the beach (parking). It took a lot of hands to accomplish this task so my dear hubby and his cousin lent their stong arms to join the locals while I took pictures.

Hubby in white shirt and cousin in black.

SOME OF THE LOCALS

We went back to our hotel in Cox's Bazar with me wishing I was staying in Tecnaf at least for a whole day. The fishes were so fresh, we all wanted to buy some but there was no point since we were staying in a hotel. Needless to say, I pretty much enjoyed my rainy experience in Tecnaf with the local fishermen.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

Bangladesh: Twilight Scenes @ Cox's Bazar

2013-03-27T20:56:00.001-07:00

We left the beach for lunch at a restaurant near our hotel then decided to take a little nap afterwards. It was too hot anyway to stay in the beach. We all agreed to go to the beach and watch the sunset.

Despite the fact that we were there early, there wasn't a proper sunset to see. But no complaints from me. Just look why I ain't whining.

The horses returned to the beach at twilight. Pardon the grainy images, this would be SOOC.

The "shops" opened after iftar - the time when fasting is broken and we went shopping for shells and gifts for people back home.

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Bangladesh: Beach Stories from Cox's Bazar

2013-03-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

STORY 1:

STORY 2:

STORY 3:

Random one-photo stories.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

A Day In The City (Part 2)

2013-03-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

After a half day of fun in the ballpark, we still have a lot of time to kill before dinner. So we drove around and headed for one of our favorite neighborhood in the city - Mission District. Like last year when we heard about a convenient store that sold great Cuban sandwiches, this year we found another spot. Word is they serve really great sandwiches. So we went.

Murals and graffitis abound in the Mission (drive by shots).

Rhea's Deli is in Valencia corner 19th Street. We ordered the kimchi tri-tip sandwich. At about $9.00 it was big enough for two. It was great. They have many varieties, wonder if I can try the others some day.

Parked across Rhea's, it caught my eye.

Love everything about this scene.

We continued to drive around inspired by the great weather and the joy from the fanfest. Yes we hit the waterfront and then out of nowhere he suggested we go photograph the Palace of Fine Arts.

Here are the skinny on the Palace of Fine Arts:

Constructed for the Panama-Pacific Exposition
Architect Bernard Maybeck
Area is 17 acres
In Beaux-Arts architectural style.

To cap our day, we went for an early dinner at Yuubi Sushi in Balboa (back to Mission we go).

Monk fish liver (foie gras of the sea)

Yakitori - pork belly and beef cheek.

A very pretty sushi - yummy too.

We ended with this plate. We said no to desserts, we were stuffed.

On the same street, we passed by this Russian bakery cum deli. No amount of self control kept us away, so we went in with the excuse of getting some coffee. We saw that they have all the typical Russian goodies you want. We got 2 slices of yummy cakes to go with the coffee, but made sure we keep this in our list of must-go when in the city.

SKYWATCH

A Day In The City

2013-03-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

The city is only about 20 miles away but we never go as much as we want to. On the occasion that we have something to do in the city we try to clump all of them together to get the toll fee worth crossing the span.

And so on February 9, we did such a thing. The main purpose for coming to the city was the annual San Francisco Giants Fanfest. This would be our second time to go.

It was a clear day in February, plenty of sunshine.

Cloudless blue.

We got lucky and found street parking some 5-6 blocks from the park and had this view while walking.

Walked past this quiet neighborhood.

Simultaneously the Animal Rescue Group was conducting a Furfest just a few yards from the park.

We're almost there.

The park's address is 24 Willie Mays Plaza.

Can't wait to get in.

They are the defending World Series champions coming into the 2013 season.

40,000 strong was the number of people in attendance.

Sports Radio station KNBR 680 sponsored the affair and set up shop broadcasting their shows live from the field.

Others either bought or brought snacks and just soaked up the sun in the bleachers.

We walked around the park exploring nooks we don't normally get to see and take photos from that vantage point.

Sergio Romo (left) and Ryan Vogelsong (middle) answered questions from the audience at the Q&A stage.

On the way out we saw the manager, Bruce Bochy signing autographs.

On the way back to the car, we passed:

This beautiful day is not over yet.

To be continued........

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

Bangladesh: Cox's Bazar (Part 1)

2013-03-13T21:36:00.002-07:00

A source of pride for the Bangladeshis is Cox's Bazar, a fishing town in southeast Bangldesh close to the Myanmar (Burma) border. Many consider it to be the longest sandy sea beach in world. But Guinness Book of World Records lists the one in Brazil as the longest at 254 km. Cox's Bazar's however is unbroken at 125 km long.

FROM HOTEL BALCONY

Excitedly I woke up early to sneak a peek at the beach from my room's balcony. It was drizzling with grey skies. Got a little worried that the beach day might be a dud.

Immediately across the hotel is a little plaza (garden). It's still underdeveloped, but if you see on the right side, there is construction going on, another hotel I feel, next to the beach. The colorful roofs on the left are shops and restaurants.

Rainwater accumulated on the streets and this resourceful CNG (for compressed natural gas, which this baby taxi uses) driver uses it to wash the mud off his vehicle.

I spotted a fish all the way from my balcony.

Pleasant surprise to find wild horses (yap there was more than one) were seen walking down to the beach. I don't know what they do at the beach in the morning (and at twilight - photos coming soon).

Meeting at the beach

ON THE BEACH

Wide sandy beach, with only rental chairs, not developed yet. Although we are sure that the next time (if and when) I come here, I would not recognize this place. We have seen many constructions going on while there.

THE HAWKERS

Aside from the water itself it's the hawkers that kept me entertained and gave my camera a work out.

Bananas anyone?

Selling jalmuri - a local snack made of puffed rice and chili and other components.

Selling accessories made of shell.

What about coconuts, fancy some today?

A personable kid selling shell jewelry.

By the look on her face, the boy could be making a sale.

And now for a new kind of selling technique that the Bangledeshi kids have perfected and in fact used on me (and everyone else later). It's like a scam, but a funny kind of scam. May be a scam is not the right word, a trick perhaps, but for the sake of this post let's call it SELLING TECHNIQUE, but here goes......

There are hawkers selling tea and coffee. They walk around lugging thermos. Following them are kids 10 years and above carrying mugs.

Their modus operandi goes like this. They would observe who belongs to what group. They would wait until the group disperses to do his/her own thing. Then they "attack".

Two of them approached a lady offering a mug of tea or coffee.

When the potential customer rebuffed them, they would point to the member of the group/family saying it was from him/her.

Naturally the person would take the offered beverage. I did. The kids would wait until all the beverage is consumed before they ask for payment. I was taken, big time!!!!!

It was more amusing than anything. It was like being punked!

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Bangladesh: A Very Long Day, Part 4 (Chittagong)

2013-03-10T21:56:00.001-07:00

At past 2:00 PM, we arrived in the port city of Chittagong. The train depot was abuzz with activity, people loading and unloading, we joined in the mad rush to get out of the platform area and into the station itself. I didn't even have time to enjoy the view. Yes, it took 6 hours long to travel from point A to B.

My husband and BIL left us inside the station to look for rental van. Here, when you rent a car/van, the driver comes with it. You won't believe how much that was deeply appreciated later on.

When the accounts were settled, we set forth for the next leg of the journey to Cox Bazar. It was my understanding that from Chittagong, it was another 2 hours. Yet, it took us 5 hours to go from point B to C. There was traffic jam involved. While the car was maneuvering in and out of traffic jam so it could leave the town and head onto the highway, I was busy shooting.

Typical street scene.

We were stopped a long time at one point, where the traffic completely halted. Nothing else to do but watch what's going on in the streets. I spotted men hard at work, kids too young to work doing backbreaking jobs.

Bricks that do not make the grade for construction are broken down and then made into bricks again.

Yes I know this is child labor. This boy should be in school, but the reality is he is not working for a big corporation making your electronic gadget for 2 cents an hour. The reality is he is helping his family put food on the table. Just to meet the basic needs. Until there is equal distribution of food (wealth comes later) in this world, we will continue to witness scenes like this.

For whatever it's worth, I watched him for a long time. He seemed very happy, joking around with the two older men, and there is genuine happiness in the boy's eyes.

As we were driving out of the jam, I was happy to see some of the activities by the port/water.

Fixing fishing nets

Hygiene is important.

Brother golden hair.

Loading

Busy colorful.

Bridge out of the busy port city.

Country road.

I was specially thankful that the van we rented came with a driver, because our dark came too soon. We hit every imaginable pothole there was. But my nephew was in such a good mood that he encouraged us all to imagine we were in a park ride whenever we hit a pothole. The trip was more enjoyable then. Not much later, the rain came down heavy. It was dark, raining heavily, and the road was less than rosy. Thank God someone else was driving, someone who knew the way like the back of his hand.

Except for a brief stop for food, we rode for five hours until we reached Cox Bazar in darkness, but could feel and smell the salt sea breeze.

(All images are drive by shots.)

OUR WORLD TUESDAY.

Bangladesh: A Very Long Day (Part 3) Continues

2013-03-05T21:14:00.004-08:00

Six hours. Did I forget to tell you that? It seemed to me like it was a short ride because I was entertained by the passing scenery and the scenes I saw alongside the tracks. The experience was very enriching. I saw so many things, so many scenes, so many beautiful places that hit me deep. It was very spiritual. I felt blessed.

On on that note, let me show you the places I've seen, the scenes I've witnessed and the faces of people that touched me and made my trip very special. It would take extreme discipline on my part not to post all the pictures I took.

River bank scene.

Getting ready for sandbagging.

Sandbags

Not a river

At the many train stops along the way, I captured these scenes:

A pop-up market

Rainclouds followed us. People "ride free" atop the trains, not allowed but authorities could not police every single train.

Goats in town

Another pop-up market

Did I get the cilantro I needed?

Discussion

Three generations?

Grazing in between tracks

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Drawing for Passion

2013-03-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

Each time I see a person painting or drawing I feel envious. I feel the same way when I hear someone play a musical instruments. There was a time when my mother broached up the idea of my learning the piano. I did not know where that idea came from, because we didn't have a piano at home and I never heard neither my parents talk about musical instruments. But I wasn't interested in cutting my playtime to accommodate piano lessons, so I declined. My parents did not push the subject, which made me happy. At around 10 years old, it was guitar lessons. My older brother was willing to teach me and his son who happens to be the same age I am and was in the same class I was. He was very interested. I was interested at first. But I found out that I needed to exert extra effort on account of my short fingers. I persevered for a while, until my fingers started hurting. So I stopped. I picked up the guitar again when I was in college and learned to teach myself. It was the "in" thing to do in college, so I learned to play 2-3 songs and played them over and over again. I even fooled others into believing I can really play.

Anyway, enough of sharing and I'll show you real talent.

The following four images are from my nieces' son, who have shown interest in sketching from an early age. I remember once we were playing Pictionary and he was about 3 years old he insisted he wanted to draw something too. He drew a car and did a marvelous job. He would always sketch something ever since I can remember, he's 16 now. Last year, we were having a little birthday party for a family member in a restaurant and he got bored I believe and started to draw instead of socializing with the oldies. I was nosy and confiscated the napkins where he made his drawings and took a picture for posterity. I'd like to think he has talent and if he's willing to work hard at this, he probably can find something to do later on. After all, he's already passionate about it.

At a street festival last year, I met my husband's co-worker's daughter at the little table they have. My friend, the mother, makes jewelries which she sells at street fairs. The daughter apparently can draw. I'm sure these characters are famous, but I'm not familiar with any of them. Are they anime? The drawings were really good that we bought one which we haven't framed yet, but I think she has potential to make her passion a means of living. I wish her well.

The artist and her works.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

Bangladesh: A Very Long Day (Part 2)

2013-02-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

I saw a lot of rice paddies alongside the train tracks, and I'm reminded of the similar scenes from my home country of the Philippines. Instantly I remember an old Filipino folk song about planting rice. I'd like to share the lyrics with you.

Planting rice is never fun
Bent from morn till the set of sun,
Cannot stand and cannot sit,
Cannot rest for a little bit.

Oh, come friends and let us homeward take our way,
Now we rest until the dawn is gray,
Sleep, welcome sleep, we need to keep us strong
Morn brings another workday long.

Oh, my back is like to break,
Oh, my bones with the damp still ache,
And my legs are numb and set
For their long soaking on the wet.

It is hard to be so poor
And such sorrow and pain endure,
You must move your arms about,
Or you'll find you must go without.

These kids are trying to catch fish by removing the water from one part to another.

Another man trying to catch fish.

People were planting long after the sun has set.

I ask my husband what other crops they plant when the rice is harvested. He said, they don't rotate crops, they plant and harvest rice all year long. My minimal knowledge of agriculture has told me to speak out against soil erosion or something to that effect. Bangladesh is starting to realize the value of crop rotation for soil health and to prevent soil erosion, he said, although they are taking baby steps towards this undertaking.

Bangladesh: A Very Long Day

2013-02-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

August 8 was a very looong day. It was the day when we traveled from Dhaka, the capital city, to Chittagong, the port city, and on to Cox's Bazar where we stay for a few days to give ourselves a little break from the summer heat in the city.

Our day started early 6 AM wake-up call to catch the 8 AM train. The famous moonsoon rains that come during these months only showed up the night before. It wasn't too hard or too long, so I was surprised to see the streets flooded, which delayed us a bit, because the baby taxi (tuktuk) or what they call CNG in Dhaka couldn't cross the high level of water on the street.

The train trip to Chittagong took all of 6 long hours, which I welcomed because 1)this would be my first train trip 2) want to take the chance to see the rural landscape 3)take lots of photos drive by.

It was raining when we left the main station, which thankfully happened to be only 15 minutes from my in-law's place. The 15 minutes ride from the house to the station was enough time to get us soaked from a sudden downpour. I was dripping wet when I got to the station and let the cabin's airconditioning dry me. Thank heavens I didn't get sick.

Interesting is the passing scenery I witnessed as the train journeyed through small towns and green fields, from children fishing to men planting rice. Again, may I reiterate that it was 6 hours long, imagine the number of photos I took. That is why this post is going to be in installments.

Man fishing.

Water was the main theme of the passing landscape. A lot of it. Then I was told that most of Bangladesh lies mostly near the sea level, per wiki the number is less than 12 m above sea level, which is why we often hear year after year there is flooding in Bangladesh. Yearly moonsoon and low-lying area would cause that.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY