Aozora Vegetable Market and the Sadarghat Boat Terminal [Bangladesh Travelogue 3]
Hello! This is yuki.
This is the
third installment of my Bangladesh travelogue.
"What kind of country is
Bangladesh, anyway?"
Some of you might
be wondering that.
Bangladesh doesn't have any
famous tourist spots that
everyone has heard of.
However, even without tourist spots,
the daily lives and warmth of the local people were
shining so brightly.
Today, I will continue to
share more of those
scenes from Bangladesh with you.
I hope you enjoy it!
Sadarghat Boat Terminal
In the capital, Dhaka, there is
a boat terminal called
Sadarghat.
The area around this boat terminal
was a very interesting place!
What caught my eye when I arrived at the terminal was
the same chaotic scene as in the city.
The narrow streets were
packed with people, rickshaws, and cars,
and horns were blaring everywhere.
(A rickshaw is a human-powered carriage pulled by a bicycle.)
It's a place where the kind of energy
that feels quintessentially Asian is swirling.
Wow, it's incredible!
I'm not a fan of crowds, but
in Bangladesh, my senses became numb to it.
People crossing to the other side of the river
go on boats that look like tree leaves.
Somehow,
due to a minor accident,
doesn't it look like they might sink...?
With all the luggage,
I didn't really feel like getting on one.
I also had no business on the other side, haha.
Open-air vegetable market
Bangladesh is a country with many rivers,
and boats are a vital piece of infrastructure.
Around the boat landing,
a market for vegetables
brought in from the suburbs was spread out.
The echoing voices of vendors,
people coming and going carrying vegetables,
the slightly fishy air...
It's so exciting.
Pumpkins and other
gourd-type vegetables were just huge.
Compared to the vegetables lined up in Japanese shops,
I feel a wild, raw power.
While walking,
I am frequently stopped by vendors
and asked various questions.
(For the content of the questions, please see Part 1!)
And after the questions,
it becomes a classic routine in Bangladesh,
"Take my picture"
is how it unfolds.
...Seeing that, the person at the shop next door also,
"Take my picture too."
The stalls are lined up one after another, so
that creates a chain reaction.
It's fun so I don't mind, but
I can't seem to make any progress lol
My memory card is
a parade of men posing for the camera.
Sometimes,
"Sit down and have some cha!"
Some people invite me like that, and
just while I was at the market,
I was treated to cha about three times.
(Cha is what they call tea in Bangladesh.)
What caught my eye was
the green leaves being sold everywhere.
They are a little larger than the palm of a hand,
and are lined up in rows.
I was curious, so I asked.
"Do you eat these?"
"Yes, you chew them."
"Are they delicious?"
"They aren't delicious!
But they get you high."
"Oh, I see...
This is a bit awkward to ask, but
is it a drug?"
It's kind of like a drug, but
it's a little different.
They said this is a leaf called "paan".
I was curious, so I looked it up later,
and it seems people wrap tobacco and other things in it to chew.
It apparently has a stimulant-like effect.
The men working at the market were tough
and very cool.
Sadarghat at dusk
Even after the sun sets,
boats go back and forth from the shore,
carrying people.
A way of life that has continued unbroken.
I thought about it vaguely.
If I come back in 10 years,
what will this country be like?
If it's a country this full of energy,
it might be changing rapidly.
[Bonus] People living along the railroad tracks
From here on,
is a bonus episode.
While walking through the streets of Dhaka,
along the railroad tracks I caught sight of houses
lined up.
As I watched for a while,
"Ni hao!"
A bearded man
called out to me.
On his lap was
a cute little child.
"I came from Japan."
"Konnichiwa!"
"Oh, you're Japanese?
So it was Konnichiwa!
By the way, do you have a camera?
Take a picture of this child!"
"Of course!"
While I was taking a few shots,
the grandfather also came over, so I took one of the three of them.
It's wonderful!
As I was taking pictures,
the children also gathered around.
I always get energy from
the liveliness and innocence of children.
After all,
memories of experiencing human warmth
stay with you more than anything else.
What I can give back is
to help the local people
have a fun time as wellby doing so.
"What can I do for them?"
I have been thinking about that.
I carry around beach balls and kendama,
play the harmonica,
and give them photos taken with an Instax camera.
They are always truly happy with all of these.
I hope that the time they spent with me
remains as
a good memory for them.
Next time, I will leave Dhaka
and write about what happened in another town.
Look forward to it!
Thank you for reading until the end.
Thank you very much.
Have a great day today!
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