Today I wanted to highlight a special program run out of the SF Bay Area which started a fundraising campaign today. KIDmob is an education and design nonprofit which runs workshops in both the Bay Area and in Haiti. Their focus is on instilling creative and critical thinking skills which are otherwise neglected by traditional educational... Continue Reading →
Blog
03/17: Korail Bosti
During our trip last week we were able to walk through "Dhaka's biggest slum Korail Bosti", a settlement of mostly one to two story tin and timer structures backed tight together. There was a large bazaar in the center of the neighborhood, large enough to suggest that people commute in to do shopping. Our walk... Continue Reading →
03/16: Bangladesh War Memorial
During our ride out to the Ganges and Jamuna River crossing last week we stopped along the way to visit Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, the memorial dedicated to the martyrs of the war of independence. The memorial resembles a sweeping crescendo of concrete, while in plan it forms nested concrete walls, with the resultant interior being... Continue Reading →
03/15: Historic Preservation
Throughout the week in Dhaka we came across examples of historic sites in various states of ruin or repair. The March 13th edition of the Dhaka Tribune had an article on legal protections for historic sites, both part of the national constitution and the 1968 Antiquities Act. This building is from Shakhari Bazar in Old... Continue Reading →
03/14: Cricket
A few images from Sri Lanka's victory over Pakistan in Saturday's Asia Cup cricket final. Cricket has a coupe of arrangements and structures which I haven't found corollaries for in other sports. Most of the action originates in the center of the field, with the direction of bowls (pitches) and batters alternating direction. The field (ground) is... Continue Reading →
03/13: Traffic
Dhaka traffic, off all kinds and modes, is a paradox of spatial efficiency and a complete waste of time. A spare-no-inch mentality has every vehicle darting forward until they are physically unable to advance or, rarely, and existential threat (speeding car, merging bus) stops them in their tracks. The traffic is worse than anything I've... Continue Reading →
03/12: Rickshaw Ride
Standing on the side of the road my guide Iqbal stops one rickshaw for a price quote on a destination. As this happens a few other rickshaws queue up behind him. He asks for a few more quotes. They give him gringo prices, inflated foreign rates on account of his pale friend, me. Finally he... Continue Reading →
03/11: Parliament
We had the opportunity to take a tour of the Bangladesh Parliament building yesterday, but could only take photos from outside. While we had a good hour and a half to two hours inside, setting a leisurely pace compared with passed visits, it felt like a very rushed visit. I could have sketched inside for... Continue Reading →
03/10: Garment Factory
Yesterday we visited a garment factory shipping a relatively small batch of clothes to a boutique Italian clothing firm. About a year ago a garment factory collapsed outside of Dhaka near Savar, west of the city. That event marked a surge in interest on the part of the international community and western consumers as to... Continue Reading →
03/09: Ferry Boat Junction
Today we took a bus ride west of Dhaka to the meeting of the Ganges and the Jamuna Rivers, crossing the river by ferry and exploring the ferry town on the other side. Traffic volume and etiquette takes some getting used to. Two lane roads mean three, as a game of chicken plays out as... Continue Reading →
Adam Achrati 