Beverly Hills, CA - Sixty-five countries, including first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards'. The 2010 submissions are: Albania, 'East, West, East,' Gjergj Xhuvani, director; Algeria, 'Hors la Loi' ('Outside the Law'), Rachid Bouchareb, director; Argentina, 'Carancho,' Pablo Trapero, director; Austria, 'La … [Read more...]
Old Dhaka, Bangladesh – June 2010
Few tourists ever visit Old Dhaka Bangladesh, but for those adventurous travelers with a penchant to experience new cultures, food and acquire new experiences, than Dhaka is an excellent city for you. With over 14 million people it is rather crowded, but is fairly spread out and doesn't have that huge megalopolis city feel. Old Dhaka is located along the banks of the Sadarghat River and area of town similar in feel to Varanasi, India. Old … [Read more...]
Visit Bangladesh – January 2010
Visit Bangladesh is certainly not a country you typically see in the tour brochures and magazines. Its not the current "hot spot" for travel and you would be hard pressed to find people who could quickly point out its exact location on a world map. However it is a country that has not been "polluted" with the bad side effects of tourism and this is uniquely refreshing in this increasingly "smaller" world where you can jump on a jet and be in most … [Read more...]
Spending Taca in Bata in Dhaka
Bata shoe stores are everywhere in Dhaka! Most people assume Bata is from "their home" country based on the companies' large International distribution. Desher's told us Bata is their own company, others said it is Canadian. In actuality Bata is based in Switzerland having been founded in 1894 in what is now the Czech Republic. The founder said, "Work collectively, and live individually" We made it safely back and are now in Thailand. What a … [Read more...]
Sundarbans Tour, Bangladesh
The following is a description of a 4 day 3 night guided tour to the Sundarbans in Southern Bangladesh. This trip was taken in January during the winter season (cooler with pleasant at times warm days and cooler nights, but not too cold). The Sundarbans are the world's largest Mangrove swamp with the majority of this swamp within Bangladesh while part of the swamp is in India. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main purpose for most … [Read more...]
Gridlock & Road Rage in the Desh
Hanging out in Dhaka now outside on a porch overlooking down on the dark restless city listing to the most peaceful soothing relaxing calming sounds of Enigma which are effectively drowning out the incessant noise of the horns below. A cool exotic breeze is flowing and this is as far from "home" as you can get. Got all our tours setup today for the rest of the trip - heading down deep into the mangrove swamps into the largest Unesco heritage site … [Read more...]
Back from the ‘Desh
Had a great few weeks in Bangladesh. Nice to visit a country that hasn't yet been discovered by foreign tourists. Spent a week in Dhaka and vicinity exploring the countryside and then another week in the south. The Sundarbans are the world's largest mangrove swamp and a visit here is for nature lovers and those trying to see the extremely rare Royal Bengal Tiger. Girl who wanted her photo taken, Dhaka Boys in old town, Dhaka … [Read more...]
Dhaka, Bangladesh
If you are looking for a country that often many westerner's cannot even identify its location on a map, a place where foreigners are generally treated with care and respect, a country that has not been polluted with tourism, the "land of smiles" and a country where you will rarely see foreign tourists, then consider a trip to Bangladesh. However note that tourism can be difficult for independent travelers. Airfare is generally fairly … [Read more...]
The Land of Men with Flaming Orange Beards
As soon as we stepped out of the shiny terminal of Lahore International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan, my uncle Waheed and I were overcome by the smell of kerosene. I thought at first that there must be a spill nearby, because it was so strong. Eventually we found our ride among all the cabbies and rickshaw drivers, who were jostling among themselves for customers. It was a twenty or thirty minute slog to get into the city from the airport. It was … [Read more...]
Where can you find Islands the Shape of Palm Trees?
All my preconceived notions about the rigid cultural conservativism of countries in the Arab peninsula were thrown out the minute I entered Dubai, a sprawling and mushrooming megalopolis rising up between the fringes of the Arab deserts and the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia may still be the country of chokingly strict laws, but Dubai seems to be the total opposite. Actually it is one of two major cities in the United Arab Emirates, a country roughly … [Read more...]