Dhaka market - not for the faint of heart!

Alright, so I did make it to the one of the local markets in Dhaka that just happens to be within walking distance from this hotel and is considered one of the biggest in Dhaka.  This city is around 15 million people with very limited city planning and with that comes a real hodge-podge of big buildings and then small markets and then shacks and then a hotel.  So it seems completely normal to have a huge open air market right across from a major hotel.  And this is a serious market.  

What do you want?  You can buy it if it is a basic good - wood, unprocessed food, containers etc.  They have it.

I ended up going to this market 3 times today because I figured out what it had to offer and then brought more of my team back to see it because it was just so interesting.

Keady Sale is our weekly farm sale back home and it is every Tuesday in the summer.  Fresh fruit and fresh veggies are there at Keady in addition to some mennonite pies, maple syrup, crafts, kettle corn (mmmmm), and then of course the cattle and ducks and pigs that are for sale.

This market is like that but so different.  It is every day except Tuesday, it has the basics, but their build is that it also has the fresh cuts of meat, because they kill the chickens, fish and goats right there on site.  This tour was not for the faint of heart (keep that in mind as you look at these photo's), so be prepared for the photos.  And as you can imagine the aroma of this market was unique to say the least.

Chickens everywhere.

And they kill them on site and throw the parts they don't want on the street and then they burn those parts to the best of their ability.  

Once you get inside the building, there are veggies everywhere, and paper and salt and rice.

This is a busy place and the pictures can't capture just how much trade is going on here.  From here I ventured to the fish and goat area.

I have some great videos from this time.

And here are the goats tied up.  They seemed very passive and I wondered if they knew what was coming, but somehow I don't think so.

The Bangla people are very inviting and happy to show you what they have and are fine with having their picture taken.  I have become much more comfortable with talking with strangers whereever I am and asking to take their photo.  It really is a treat to make these connections.  I can walk along and hear "Hello Brother, where are you from?" and I will just say back, "Brother nice to meet you, I am from Canada or Amar desu Canada".  The basic Bangla I have learned seems to really impress people and they are surprised to hear that I have been in Bangladesh for a month( it also means it is harder to pull a fast one on me!).

Back to the outside and into spices and clothes and other things (like wood, knives, containers etc)

I don't know why, but I just love these markets!  The sites, the smells (good and bad), the commerce, the people.  It is just so exciting!  When I get back home next week and am just another person going about my life, it is going to be hard not to just strike up a conversation with a stranger - and maybe I should do that more in life....everyone has an interesting story to tell if I just take the time to stop and listen every once in a while.