Farming and livestock

As I head north I watch the land roll by. Small herds of cattle stand waiting and the fields are being prepared for the spring. People work hard here, that’s for sure. I pass a group of women carrying large bundles along the roadside and even the children do their part. Like other river deltas, Bangladesh is a very fertile place.

There are no rocks, stones, boulders or pebbles. No sandy beaches. It’s all silt and mud washed down from the Himalayan mountains over millions of years. Most people farm. Though I see people farming every day, I haven’t seen a tractor. But I am also aware that there is hard work for little return, and I get that some, if not all, of these people are struggling. In Chandura, about half way to my destination of Sylhet, the river flows to my left and I watch a number of small boats going about their business. Fishing is a bit thing, and supplies most of their protein, and the throw nets are so skillfully.

It’s pretty hot today, and the gauge in the camper tells me it’s 32c. I don’t need a dial to tell me that it’s also very humid. I occasionally get stuck behind a slow moving cart and the owner is often friendly enough to let me by, but not always. Some parts of the road are quite narrow. I arrive in Sylhet a little later than expected. Some of the roads are less navigable than others, and the Bangladeshi people, especially the children, have found my appearance to be very distracting. They do like to come up and stare at you, or prod in some cases. A young boy, who started out trying to sell me a bowl, ended up just holding onto my shirt tails as I bought some fruit and vegetables in his town. OK, I bought the bowl!

I dodge rickshaws all the way in on the main road. I am ‘booked’ in at the Hotel Dallas in an economy room that costs just BDT 400 (About $10) For that I get a much more reasonable room than I anticipated. I thought I would get a cupboard in someone else’s room!

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