Walk the Block

Well actually, I walked a few blocks today. As of now I have over 14.000 steps! I did touristy things in Gulshan and had such a nice walk today through Baridhara! Today was the first day I felt fully back to normal; no sniffles, no jet lag, no achiness! 

Today, I visited the city center of Gulshan which was bustling with mini malls, markets, rickshaws, motorbikes, cyclists and all the traffic that comes with that. Technically. I'd been to this area before when we went to the ball. But it was night at that time and I had no point of reference for knowing where I was. This time I went to Aarong which is a large department store with lots of clothing and housewares. The clothing was quite beautiful and great quality. But I wasn't in the frame of mind for shopping and especially not trying things on.  As it is, I'm not a big shopper and I don't want to buy too much too soon before I explore other options.  I think most things in that store were ready made. But, the textiles, in general,  were so unique that I may go back. One thing I do know though is, I'm an extra large in that store and the attendant actually suggested a XXL... not sure how I feel about that. That said, I am probably in the 95th percentile for  women's height here (and probably the 90th percentile for men's height too lol) and shouldn't be too  shocked. 

Outside the shop there were murals in the style of what you see on many rickshaws here.  I took some photos with some of them. 

Sopura Silk was the next stop.  There were some ready-made items there but mostly there was fabric and since I had no vision for a future outfit, it was just window shopping for me. 

After that we crossed the busy road with a 2-foot median in the middle which I climbed on and walked over to Pink City which is a shopping complex, not to be confused with Pink Palace which is in Old Dhaka.  Maybe about 7 or 8 floors of shops. (Side note: Jaipur in India is also known as the Pink City.  I visited there 10 years ago now!)

We then went to another market to pop in a couple jewelry stores, a supermarket, and outdoor market.  I thought about getting some sweets, but then had second thoughts about buying food that may have been sitting out too long.  The fruits and veggies looked succulent and delicious though! 

Instead, I got some wrapped candy which looked like Guyanese fudge and tasted like it too... creamy condensed milk goodness.

I went home, had lunch and made some more tweaks to my business blog, recorded my itinerary for upcoming travels, and watched a little Netflix at the same time.

Then, I headed out again around 3:45 to walk around Baridhara.  I passed a few embassies including the Palestinian embassy which had large photos displayed of the devastation caused by air raids during the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I really love walking in a new place.  You see so much more that you miss while in a car.  The greenery here is really beautiful and the lake though criticized for smelling bad, was quite peaceful and serene. 

Though there is political violence and conflict going on in Dhaka for various reasons (garment worker strikes, opposition political party protests, upcoming election rallying, etc) I am staying in a safe area. The hallmarks of a posh neighborhood were all present can you tell?

I'll rattle off a few, there was a lady walking with a yoga mat, public service signs about keeping the area clean, pampered dogs taking a stroll before dusk with their dog walkers.  I even made a new friend, a student studying English out walking a poodle.

I sent this photo to him via WhatsApp and got this message back. If he only knew how old I was LOL

Had a full day today and look forward to what the rest of the week will bring! Going to help make some dinner now!