From the mangrove jungle to the city jungle

From all the greens of the Sundarbans, we were greeted by all of the grays of Dhaka, the capital city. It claims a population of 15 million inhabitants that are all vying for space in this cramped, chaotic city. It was fascinating to explore for several days, but we quickly got our fill of black boogers (from all the dust and exhaust) and blaring horns that rattle your brain. Dhaka, much like Calcutta, has a rich literary culture and history. It houses several interesting museums and we happened to time our visit with an incredible international photography exhibit. With a central theme of 'freedom' there were exhibits houses at several venues around the city. Beautiful photos revealing social and environmental injustices, including several by local artists. There were journalistic exhibits offering a glimpse into the lives of street dwellers and the cities enormous poor population, putting into context a bit more of the stories of the people you pass daily on the sidewalks. It is Muslim culture to help the less fortunate, so you frequently saw people giving to beggers in this city...which was a welcome sight, but obviously not solving the problem. Another photo exhibit showed portaits of people from a wide range of countries and beside the photo was their definition or idea of freedom. It was a beautiful display of what humanity is all striving for, yet difficult to digest with the sights just outside the door. It is an issue that I struggle with as we travel and I see so many people denied basic freedoms just due to their personal circumstances in society. And yet, Bangladesh is the perfect place to house such an exhibit as they only recently gained their own independence and freedom as a nation. Somehow Bangladesh didn't enter our world history or geography lessons, as it was already established as a nation once we were in school, but my parents generation remembers well its bloody fight for independence from Pakistan in the early 70s. It has a fascinating history and a long violent fight for freedom...that leaves me amazed that they are still willing to welcome foreignors with open arms as guests to their country.