On January 18th we set off on our visa run to India. The prevalence of fancy cabs, which lacked dents and had mostly complete paintwork, was one of the first indications that we had arrived in a slightly more developed country.
However, the OH&S standards, particularly when it comes to maintaining power lines, are quite similar between Dhaka and Kolkata.
We took the opportunity to partake in the fancy beverages available in the tourist zone of Kolkata.
We also enjoyed copious amounts of cheese, not easily available in the 'Desh.
In addition to the trials and tribulations of the visa process we did manage to do quite a lot of sight-seeing, including Victoria Memorial (pictured below), Kali Temple, Birla Planetarium and wandering the many busy and narrow streets of the city. We also went out to the Marble Palace and miraculously got away without paying any baksheesh to the multitude of "guards", "guides", "gardeners" and general helpers.
The flower market was a particularly colourful and crazy environment. We visited here on a longer walk that took us past some fantastic colonial architecture as well as many people living their lives on the street. The contrast between rich and poor in Kolkata is quite striking and constantly apparent.
And then there was the visa debacle... we turned up the first day to be greeted by a counter that never opened (due to a spontaneous public holiday) and then returned to the same urine-stained section of pavement the next day to try again. Having submitted forms, waited 2 hours, had an interview, waited another 30 hours (luckily not outside the window this time) our visa application was promptly rejected.
Another day... another form... we went round the carousel again just with more butt-kissing this time. Eventually the all-powerful secretary decided to give us 30 days instead of 3 months and told us we would have to wait until Monday for the privelege.
So the expected 3-4 day visit turned into 9 days, but it wasn't all bad as we had a lot of fun in between visits to the High Commission, and enjoyed the change of scenery.
The madness of Old Dhaka is enough to unsettle even the most hardy of travellers… but Libby seemed to be in her element – side stepping over unsavoury areas where the concrete didn’t quite cover what it was meant to, and braving rickshaws and other faster, horn blaring modes of transport in order to get some great photos.
On our Friday (official day off) we headed to Gonokbari which is the women’s vocational training centre of CRP. This is the halfway hostel where women practice independent living before being discharged home with their new-found skills.
After the EBP seminar, we headed out to visit some OT students who were doing a rural placement and joined them on a few home visits. We also visited a school where the students had organised an inclusive sports competition (ie games were designed that could include a young wheelchair user). The foreigners became the chief prize-givers.
Everywhere in Bangladesh, foreigners draw a crowd. Here we stopped for cha in a small village not used to visitors and were quickly surrounded. It is probably time we started counting the crowds we attract and identifying when new records are established.
On Libby’s last full day in the ‘Desh we hired a car to take us to Comilla, a town near the Indian border which is renowned for some Buddhist ruins. With traffic congestion and some difficult roads, we spent much more time in the car than out exploring but managed to have a nice day and see some interesting sights nevertheless.
