Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2012

We had hired a rickshaw driver outside our hotel entrance to tour us around in the city of Dhaka for the day, and he turned out to be a great guide, so we arranged with him to get a car and driver and take us into the surrounding countryside the next day.

One of our first stops was the Goaldi Mosque, built in the 1500s and very nicely restored. While we were checking it out, and making a few photos, we heard/saw this commotion at the madrassa next door. You don’t get much variety day-to-day in the countryside, so a couple of large Americans layered with cameras are downright exotic. The boys’ instructors decided they would probably get everyone back to their studies quicker if they just let them say hello to us, and pose for a photograph. You can see in the formal group shot in the web-gallery (link below), the instructors were less enthusiastic than the boys.

It was inevitable that Randy and I would stand out in a place like Bangladesh. You just roll with it, smile, be friendly, respect local customs. The reception was much warmer than I expected, for a couple of infidels in a Muslim country. We were regularly asked to be in people’s photos, including several men who paired us with their wives, who were often dressed in hijabs, or even burkas. Whatever conservative posture the form of the clothing carried, many of the women showed a real flare in the colors, patterns, and fabrics they would combine in what at first looks like simple, modest apparel.

For the Bangladesh gallery, go to https://www.billdurrence.com/index/G0000xJrK3P2v4ek