The End of B*Desh

DAYS 6 & 7: The End

Damn that coconut. Or one of my other indiscretions. I spent the whole night evacuating everything I've eaten thus far in every way my body knows how. We "woke up" at seven, myself completely empty and Imran (I now learn that I've had his name wrong from the beginning) with a migraine and lacking sleep as well, presumably from my symphonic indigestion.

We took a CNG to the anti-climactic Lawachara rain forest. Deep in past the tea and rubber plantations was a national park that promised primates, parrots, and panthers. Instead, it delivered little more than a bird that looked like a robin, a black squirrel, and an empty potato chip bag. There was, however, a rather soothing "rain" effect. The trees kept the temperature of the area low enough to form mist in the morning, so for the first couple hours of the day one could hear the dew falling from leaf to leaf.

On the way out we stopped at a pineapple field, where I picked my very own pineapple. We cut it up for lunch, though I could hardly enjoy it. After that, we started the long journey back to Dhaka. Imran insisted on trying to feed me or talk about the food we had eaten that could have led to my present condition. It did not help.

I drank a Sprite on the ride home, hoping the carbonation would be settling.

I slept delusionally but felt healthy in the morning. I hungrily ate the leftover nan I had been hording and got ready to return to Korea. The airport was more crowded than when I had arrived, masses of people huddled around the entrance to meet relatives returning from years abroad.

After an hour on the ground (there are only 4 other flights leaving Dhaka. This city is inexcusably disorganized.), I and the 4 infants surrounding me depart for our Bangkok layover. Who would've though I could have finished a 400 page novel already? This was a long flight with nothing but Thai folk songs and opera on the radio and E Inside Bollyywood on TV. Suvarnabhumi airport has even less to offer the traveler with 5 hours on his hands. It's good to be back home, where my bed is familiar and I recognize the pop music.

Thailand is so thoughtful. This would be weird in the states.

EPILOGUE
My overall feeling is emboldened, despite the freshness of the memory of illness. I took risks and survived, which is nothing short of courage boosting. Contrarily, I have also been reminded that not all places outside America would be modern and comfortable. Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong had lulled me into thinking that all foreign locales would be air conditioned and accessible, an illusion which Bangladesh quickly shattered. It will be quite some time before I venture as far off the beaten path as this again, of this I feel confident. Although, with every new trip my appetite for exploration is deepened rather than sated. I still am unsure of what new direction my adventure may lead me, but I am ever open to the challenge. I leave you with an outtakes of sorts.

The 10 Facts about B*Desh that Didn't Fit into the Stream of My Story

10. The #1 (and only recorded) hair/beard dye color of choice: Henna Orange
9. Only American song heard: You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift
8. Strangest Deformity: The man whose right arm couldn't grow muscles. No, the cab driver who had a third thumb. No! The guy at the park with a second nose in the middle of his forehead!!! I can't pick!
7. National Sport: Cricket. This is a very confusing sport.
6. The Best Car Seen: Mazda RX8 (shiny!)
5. The 2nd Best Car Seen: Toyota Corolla (it had both rear-view mirrors)
4. Most Interesting Thing Learned: Though we derive our number system from Arabic numerals, the look nothing alike.
3. Most Ridiculous Thing Seen: A cow giving birth in the street.
2. Saddest Beggar Ever: The 3 toddlers, each with their hair in pigtails and babies on their hips, followed by a toothless, one-eyed mother.
1. Most Dangerous Road Stunt: Our bus was passing two other buses on a two lane road. An oncoming CNG went all the way around the buses we were passing (off the shoulder of oncoming traffic's side of the road) to avoid being hit by our bus.