Bangladesh...off the beaten path

Tim and I decided to take a detour in our India tour and cross into Bangladesh for two weeks. It was an incredible two weeks that simultaneously rewarded and challenged us. One of the most densely populated and impoverished countries in the world, it has yet to make it onto traveler's radars. This was incredible traveling around and meeting very few travelers after being on the well-worn trail in India. We have never been stared at so much in our lives. We had heard that a crowd will quickly form around you when you pause somewhere...and we were situated at the center of a huge crowd on several occasions. Bengali people had a knack for spotting us wherever we went. And, we were greeted by curious smiles everywhere we went. For me this would quickly turn into a contageous smilefest. Someone would flash a smile in my direction, which would prompt a sincere smile from me. Then their smile would grow in response, and our toothy grins continued to grow until they encompassed our entire faces. This was quite helpful since few people speak english, so a simple smile is the most basic form of communication....and perhaps the most beautiful. We were also invited to several homes, countless shops to have cha (tea) as a guest, and even a medical clinic. Bengali people are quite assertive, and it was nearly impossible to refuse the offer to join them for a cha. Then Tim and I would sit in their shop sipping a cha, while the entire block assembled to catch a glimpse of us. No one had any intention of selling us anything...we ended up in steel shops, hinge shops, shoe shops, etc.
Our first evening in the country, we were strolling around the town taking in the sights. A man shouted to us to visit his shop. We politely declined as we glanced at all the shoes on display on the walls of his shop. With a huge smile, he continued to insist we come to his shop. Tim and I exchanged glances, shrugged and strolled into his shop. We sat in the two chairs as he sat on the small stool at our feet, as if preparing to measure them. The english was limited, but we ran through a typical line of questions: your country? (we always got very excited responses when we shared we were from America...and much praise for Obama) husband-wife? children? profession? you like Bangladesh? By the time we exhausted the line of questions (and asked some of the usual questions back), there was a crowd of nearly 50 men craning their necks to get a good look at us. Then luckily a customer came into the store and the instant party was broken up and everyone made their way back to their shops. We had this experience so many times during our visit. People were so honored to have us as guests in their country. I wondered if that treatment would ever be given to a Muslim visiting our country. (Bangladesh is a Muslim country). We were treated like royalty in Bangladesh, as they are certainly quite the hosts!