Not All in Bangladesh is Poor

October 29th, 2008 by Sexy Mom · Viewed 1012 times · 10 Comments

One of the countries close to my heart is Bangladesh—I have seen it grow over the last 10 years. I saw how every time I came, even though it was only a few months in between, there would always be something new—a new road, bridge, school, health center, establishments, restaurants, and many others. It’s like it has been catching up with the Philippines already, at least with the capital city Dhaka and the other key cities.

Bangladesh is in Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India. It has a population of 144.66 million (2007), 36.3% of which live below $1. It used to be called East Pakistan but gained independence from Pakistan about 30 years ago. It has a total area of 144,000 sq km, which is a little bit smaller than Iowa, making it one of the most dense countries in the world.

This is Dhaka, the capital. Despite being a poor country and devastated by natural disasters and periodic floods every year, Bangladesh has been steadily growing, and gradually developing as a peace-loving country by being the biggest contributor of UN peacekeepers.

The seat of government—the Parliament, an architectural wonder.

A government office, conceived by one of Bangladesh’s best architects.

Not all in Bangladesh is poor. Here is the Bashundara City Mall, an 8-story shopping mall built about 5 years ago.

A culture of prosperity and Western-style consumerism has emerged in Bangladesh.

Look at the mall’s dome, it’s impressive.

Blouses anyone?

The local traditional dress, salwar kameez (also spelled shalwar kameez or shalwar qameez), styled the modern way.

Lots and lots of colorful sparkling bangles.

A trade fair in the mall.

Called the baby taxi, it is one of the modes of transportation in the city.

And here’s the lobby of the refurbished Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

The rickshaw is still used as a mode of transportation in Bangladesh.

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Tags: Information · Travel

10 responses so far ↓

Dexter | Tech At Hand Dot Net // Oct 29, 2008 at 4:07 pm

I am working with lots of Bangladesh here in Saudi Arabia. And I must say that my impression with them is they are poor country. But upon seeing this photos I must say that they are not.

Sexy Mom: thanks Dexter. as i mentioned, 36.3% of the total population of 144.66 million live below $1 a day.
hazel // Oct 29, 2008 at 4:22 pm

may mall sa dhaka? bakit hindi ko yan nakita? was there for a nego in 2006, and my boss brought me to this place that begins with the letter a. hahaha forgot na. pero maliit lang sya at yun lang daw ang mall sa dhaka.

Sexy Mom: the name of the shop is Aarong, where they sell handicrafts. it is a chain of government-controlled shops. the mall is near Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, erected about 5 years ago. maybe your boss did not also know it existed. when you go back to Dhaka, ask about it and see for yourself. such a huge mall, but there was no supermarket in it.
francesca // Oct 29, 2008 at 8:26 pm

sexy dine, are you there for business or for tourism?

Your post about Bangladesh is an eye opener, sa dami nang bombing sa Pakistan, some are afraid na to go there.

Type ko yung mga display clothes…
Sarap mag shopping…
haay, pera lang problema.HEHE

Sexy Mom: I came to Bangladesh for development work. The clothes are very colorful—type ko din. I often wore them during my stays in Bangladesh.
Ruby // Oct 29, 2008 at 9:50 pm

Hi Dine!

Wow! very good collection of photographs. They are very colorful and nice.

Take care

Regards

Sexy Mom: thanks, Ruby. i have a good collection, some are not even digital.
Kyels // Oct 29, 2008 at 11:05 pm

I’ve always thought that Bangladesh is a poor country but upon seeing the photos in this post, I realized it’s a beautiful country.

;D

Sexy Mom: Bangladesh is a poor country, yes, but it is a beautiful country, too, including the countryside.
myepinoy // Oct 29, 2008 at 11:28 pm

with all the help it gets from rich nations and if their leaders change, bangla will be richer than the philippines.

Sexy Mom: true, myepinoy, but the problem is same as ours—leadership and politics!
julie // Oct 30, 2008 at 8:31 am

Yes, the image I have of Bangladesh is flooded streets, overly populated housing areas and scruffy children. Much like our country.

Kung sino pa yung konti lang ( or misused) ang resources, sila pa ang malaking population. Sigh.

Sexy Mom: still continues to be the same—i have pictures of what you have in mind.
hazel // Oct 30, 2008 at 9:19 am

ms dine! we stayed at the dhaka sheraton! kainis hehehe

Sexy Mom: anyway, there’s a next time, i am sure.
ezekiel // Oct 30, 2008 at 12:50 pm

hello po. i’m just new in blogging, i watched the phil.blog awards and found out that you won the Best Blog for Family and Living.. Congratulations po.

Sexy Mom: thanks, Ezekiel!
Wil // Nov 2, 2008 at 12:50 am

My boss is actually from Bangladesh. Were you able to travel to the countryside?

Sexy Mom: Yes, each time I come to Bangladesh, my itinerary would always include a visit to the countryside, and I have seen some of the best and worst parts.

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