And off we go on another trip to see beautiful Bangladesh.
Up north this time towards the area Tetulia
Upazila - famous for it's tea.
We
took the train - Parabath
Express departed from Dhaka airport railway station at around 07.00 am.
Something starts that early - it better be good. At the station we met
up with our guide Tapas - who came down all the way to catch us. Of
course riding a train in Bangladesh is not like anywhere else in the
world. You have to know! If you do not know if you have not done it
before - be aware - it is not self-explanatory!
Ain't looks to bad - does it?
Our guide - Tapas - is the tall guy in the back.
Yeah - well...
Yummy stuff - many vendors tried to sell during stops.
Yeah man!
Look how the guy in the white shirt carries his water...
Bollywood-stars everywhere...
After approximately 5 hours we arrived at the city of ‘two
leaves & a bud’, Sreemangal. We checked
in to the Green Leaf Guest house. After Lunch we went for miles and miles through Tea Gardens - like a green carpet on the
sloping hills:
At the moment it is dry season - so there is not much going on. Just pruning and stuff.
Actually we were told that the tea pickers still nowadays face severe working conditions. They earn about 2 Taka per kg tea which is 0.02 EUR. They will pick 24 kg per day and so achieve an income of 48 Taka - less then 0.50 EUR for a hard days work. They can not increase their income by working more. For each kg they pick more than the 24 they only get 1 Taka instead of 2.
Also it was said that they have special concessions to consume wine. To get addicted and stay bound in this undesirable life.
Since there is hardly any work during the dry season.The woman are allowed to collect firewood to make a bit of money.
The work condition of the tea workers who spend most of their working time under the scorching sun or getting soaked in rains is a concern. A woman tealeaf picker spends almost all her working hours for 30 to 35 years standing before she retires. The working hours for the tealeaf pickers, mostly women, are usually from 8 AM to 5 PM [7-8 hours excluding break for lunch] from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is the weekly holiday. To earn some extra cash, the extra work brings additional grief.
A work elephant
Education, an important ladder for transformation of a community or
society for betterment is at the root of the social exclusion of the tea
workers. There are schools in the tea gardens. According to the
Bangladesh Tea Board (2004), in 156 tea gardens (excluding those in
Panchagarh) there were 188 primary schools with 366 teachers and 25,966
students. Given that the employers provide education, the government
schools in the tea gardens are just a few.
Fearful of their future in an unknown country outside the tea gardens,
the tea communities keep their voices down and stay content with meager
amenities of life. As citizens of Bangladesh they are free to live
anywhere in the country. But the reality is that many of the members of
the tea communities have never stepped out of the tea gardens. An
invisible chain keeps them tied to the tea gardens. Social and economic
exclusion, dispossession and the treatment they get from their
management and Bangali neighbours have rendered them to become captive
labourers.
On our way to the Lake of Lotus - been driven on an open Pick up - falling off any minute.
By chance we came across a picnic outing. Chairs were brought for "the royal family" to sit on and some serious photo shooting was going on.
By chance we came across a picnic outing. Chairs were brought for "the royal family" to sit on and some serious photo shooting was going on.
honeycomb
The boys were singing their heart out during a performance started especially for our visit. That's what I understood at least...
Guests of honor - listening dutifully ;)
"Far from the madding crowd" - true thing - so many people everywhere
"The water of the Lake
is very cool & refreshing - the the hills make the surroundings
gorgeous."
Apparently one can see the border to India from here - on clear days...
Boy - they sure had fun - playing a game where you have to walk towards a turned bowl. You know where it is places - blind and with a stick you have to go towards it and hit it with the stick.
"The Lake is full of
rare blue and pink Lotus"
Picture taken by a colleague - just amazing:
Picture taken by me with an regular cam:
On we went to admire the sunset from a pineapple plantation:
sunset
Ain't look like much - but these are rows and rows of pineapples:
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