Srimongal Day 3

On our last day we went for a walk through some (Christian) tribal villages in the area - where betel (nut) trees are cultivated, pork is eaten, and toddy drunk

pig acting as a goat bed

It was kind of odd.  A village which had received a lot of external help, and where the majority of people are out at work feels quite strange.

More tea gardens, this time in a CNG

 

 

 

To get to a very popular tourist spot lake

honeycombs

delicious pineapple expertly peeled using a foot-knife

milkman

 

'our' local restaurant - recommended

Pineapple hills

A rest and wash and back to Sri Mongal for lunch (we also visited what our guide called a meany jew (mini zoo) which was heartbreaking - the less said the better.

 

This man demanded this photo

 Transport

 

 

 

rickshaw art

Just waiting for my train

Inventive way of carrying bottles

We had a great visit to Srimongal, if hot and tiring.  We particularly liked using rickshaws and CNGs instead of being in a car all the time, which allowed the smells to wash over us, and as we were not stationary in traffic the heat was not an issue. The trains were also a great way to travel.

The green lushness of the tea gardens seemed to be a balm against the heat, and against Dhaka life.  We could see that the tea pickers had a tough job, and had expressed our admiration for that.

Later in Dhaka at a presentation by SEHD http://www.sehd.org/ - I found out some very startling information - Bangladeshi tea workers are paid 60 taka per day. Not per hour, per day (about 65 eurocents or fifty pence), 6 days per week.  You can't call it bonded labour, as they are free to go, but they are landless and illiterate and from originally from 30+ Indian tribal groups, there is nowhere else for them, so they remain bound to their lives in the tea gardens.

http://www.sehd.org/news/sehd-news/81-the-eu-ambassador-visited-tea-communities-in-their-labour-line-in-srimongol

Srimongal Day 2

Early we set off to visit Lawadarra National Park, and hoping to see Howletts Gibbons

 

 

 

this is a spider - the distance between the two feelers is about 8 cm!!

Although our guide had brushed away this spider's web he didn't notice it hanging on by a thread whereby it swung down tarzan style and hit me squarely between the eyes.  I was extra-ordinarily brave and composed and just hyperventilated quietly instead of screaming and swearing (I am still traumatised!)

snakes on the other hand, especially constrictors with a full tummy are cool

Lon's leech

We heard the gibbons and tried to track them, but no luck. Lon did get a souvenir leech (so did I as I found out later)

Back to the Hermitage for excellent breakfast and rest.

After lunch and the heat of the day had passed we head off again by CNG through the fields of Sri Mongal to Baika Beel wetland sanctuary.

We were able to spot lots of birds with the help of this telescope and the ranger in the watchtower - but our zoom isn't that zoomy.  It was a very tranquil and beautiful place to be.

our driver was off having a snooze

We stopped for the famous speciality of the region, 7 layer tea. Every layer was sweet (for density reasons) there was certainly some ginger in one layer, and lemon in another.