So long Chilmari...

Our work in Chilmari is done! We left the guesthouse at 5:40 am to catch a boat to Gaibandha. As we piled all of our stuff and somehow ourselves onto a Rickshaw down to the river, the sun was rising. It was so nice and peaceful without hundreds of eyes staring at me, horns honking, bicycle bells ringing, people crowding the streets, naked children running around, cows pulling trailers trodding by, and large trucks stirring up sand. It was just us, the red sun rising, the cool 70 degree weather, rice paddies, and a river. I was glad to see this side of Chilmari before I left.

The three hour boat ride was uneventful and our training session went well. We then took a van to Rangpur where I will be visiting the medical college tomorrow. After almost checking into possibly the worst hotel room I can ever even imagine, we found a new state of the art place! I mean to tell you that I currently have air conditioning, fast internet, television with a movie channel in English (that is currently showing Twilight), and possibly even warm water to shower with!!! If only I had a "tall toilet" then I would be in paradise.

Just a side note to relay the difference in what things cost here. When we received our bill for 7 nights and 16 meals at our guesthouse, it came out to.....$89 for me!!!!! Jasim and I just had dinner complete with tea for two for...89 taka (let me remind you its 70 taka to the dollar)! Apparently when its potato season and they are in great supply, you can get about 35 lbs of potatoes for a dollar!! I can't even imagine how cheap rice must be.

I almost forgot to mention before that I found a profession here that would be quite successful in NYC...a umbrella technician. Seriously! There was a guy on a char we visited a few days ago that drives a bicycle full of parts and makes house calls to come and fix your umbrella! When I told Jasim of the hundreds of broken umbrellas that litter the city with each storm we have, he was shocked that we don't have an umbrella technician.