Old Dhaka - trip on the Buriganga

After leaving the Ahsan Manzil we walked through another veg market to reach the river. We were off in a so called "country boat" for a short trip on the river.  The road was being dug up that we had to cross a ditch on a plank - it seems that half of Dhaka is dug up at the moment for some sewerage piping project.

 

 

 a ticket guy for using the embankment? either way he insisted on having his photo taken reading the paper

These boats are usually used as ferrys from one side of the river to the other, so have no seats etc. Our tour operator advised us to bring some cushions for our comfort http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buriganga_River, but that didn't stop our legs going dead, and leaving us in fear of falling over and looking stupid when the time came to stand up at the end.

All kinds of incredible sights were visible in our 45mins meander on the black waters of the Buriganga, men washing themselves and their clothes, men diving, vegetables being ferried and carried up the river banks (ghats), big boats, small boats, near misses

the walk down the bank looked perilous and potentially disgusting from the top - but in fact wasn't too stinky or slippy, so our dignity remained intact

setting off

 

I can't imagine what the bird 'fished" out of the river

picking through for leaves among the pile

its a big pile

he was clearing debris from round the propeller

the yellow cloth is round a basic latrine

Despite it being a sunny day, the smoggy haze over Dhaka is present, and why our longer distance pics look so flat

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19349949
I'm not sure if the video works in the UK - it doesn't here, as we are not in the UK...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mfhj5