Hello 2016

Tomorrow will be a week since we got back from our nearly month-long vacation in Bangladesh and Bali over the Christmas and New Year Holidays. How did it go, you ask? Read this. Another lesson from this trip? Just don't travel during the Holidays. Don't. The fare price is double the regular price, and very crowded too. But the rewards somewhat outweigh all the hassles. We were with family and friends on Christmas day since my nephew had organized a party and invited friends over. So little kids brought their parents too and the house was full of people laughing, talking and eating. So much fun!

We were invited for a NY eve dinner across town and we encountered the famous Dhaka traffic jam. I was trying to hold my pee.

In between Christmas and NY, we traveled by train to seaport city of Khulna for 11 hours to board a 3-night cruise of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans (national forest, half belongs to India and the other Bangladesh). The cruise ship carried 36 passengers, including this lady whose blog I read. Small world isn't it? Before leaving Bangladesh, I paid a visit to another blogger who now lives in Bangladesh permanently.

Now Bali is the part of the vacation that solely for us. WE always do this when we go to Bangladesh, we set aside a few days in a different location just for the two of us to recharge our batteries. Being with family can be too overwhelming as well you know. However, Bali is too HOT!

I'll tell you more about Bali later on. I'm still not fully over my jet lag.

July and August - Recap

I know I've neglected my monthly recap for July because I was travelling. And now that I'm about to do it, I can't seem to remember the earlier part of the month. What did I do before July 22, which was our travel date? I cannot recall, senior moment on my part.

The last week of July we were in India, hot humid India, where we enjoyed the sights and savored the food. To be honest, I think I have had my fill of Indian food for now. I'd be passing up any dinner invites for Indian food, thank you very much.

While in India, I expected the street chaos - traffic jams, no traffic rules, people everywhere. But what I didn't expect and totally surprised was that New Delhi, the capital, is very green. There are many open spaces with greenery and the gov't is keen on pursuing the program of tree planting with the goal of planting a million trees. Way to go Delhi!

New Delhi's subway is the best way to go around. Although the lines are also long and the station can get very confusing and chaotic.

I loved the long road trips from New Delhi to Agra and from Agra to Jaipur and then from Jaipur back to New Delhi. There are so many things to see and enjoy and photograph along the road.

If there is one thing I wish I regret about taking this India tour it's this: I should have travelled in wintertime when the weather is much cooler, even though I'd be risking more crowded sights.

August saw me in Bangladesh, my husband's birthplace. Dhaka surprised me. Coming from New Delhi, Dhaka looked so much more cleaner, I even remarked that while we were traveling from airport to my SIL's apartment.

So many changes in 4 years. Many apartment/housing buildings are up in my SIL's neighborhood. However, my favorite market is still the same as I remembered it, thank heavens.

I celebrated my birthday with my in-laws and friends. They got me cake and hubby's mentor ordered take-out. Hubs also made noodles, in keeping up with my Filipino traditions.

I saw a lot of Bangladesh on this trip. Long train ride to Chittagong offered countryside sights so bucolic and tranquil, it comforts the soul. Long bumpy drives to even deeper countryside showed more of the rural living that can only be seen on magazines nowadays.

Oh and I sweated buckets after buckets on a daily basis. I thought it was monsoon season but where was the rain, and why is it so hot?

It did rain a few times, not the monsoon rains I expected. I don't know what I expected, but definitely not this puny rainfall :)

A delightful bonus was meeting Peachy, a fellow blogger, who I met through blogging. She's currently based in Dhaka and soon to marry his Bangla prince charming, who I also met in person and would vouch that he is indeed pretty charming. Both of them are. I hope them all the best in their married life.

The picture above is from New Delhi, one of the mosques that I captured while driving along the big city for sightseeing.

Three Days

Three days since I got back home and I'm still jetlagged! I feel like a zombie at work.

Back From A Month-long Vacation

Here I am almost ready to head back to work. But ready or not, back to work I will be tomorrow.

Because I know that long time off work usually make me brainless, I have jotted down all my different user names and passwords for the different applications I use at work in a document. Now I hope I can remember the document name I saved them under :)

Anyway, let's leave work off the topic for now and concentrate on reminiscing about the just-concluded holiday. One month is the most time I've taken off and thankfully, I have enough in vacation bank to cover that. I think one month is just the right amount of time to use since we were going all the way to the other side of the globe.

INDIA

India was our first destination. Took a 7-day tour of New Delhi, Agra for Taj Mahal and the Pink City of Jaipur. Weather was horribly hot and humid, unbearable outdoors, especially in Delhi. The sights however were incredible.

BANGLADESH

Total bonding time with in-laws, family vacation to Cox's Bazar and some side trips to Teknaf and Barisal. Visited old friends, got invited to iftars and dinners. Weather was also horribly hot and humid. I looked like a wet rag the whole time.

HONGKONG

A short layover to HK that allowed for a short city bus tour (hop on hop off) and a stop for dimsum and beef noodle soup. Love what little I saw of HK, but weather was also hot and humid, although less than the two previous countries.

Will talk more about specific vacation topics next time. My brain is still foggy from lack of sleep and tired from the long haul travel.

Oh Hi!

I forgot I have a blog!

Been quite busy as you may expect being on vacation. Here now in Dhaka, Bangladesh bonding with in-laws and friends I've met before and now getting reconnected with them.

Been eating too much as usual, but I think the heavy and constant sweating I do more than makes up for the overeating. Been introduced to many new varieties and types of vegetables and fruits.

Not going out too much. The weather has been brutal. Hot and humid to the max, although I must admit that the weather was worse in Delhi.

When we go out and visit family and friends, it's always at nighttime, because that's how they do things around here. Visits are conducted after 7 pm. Mostly it's the time when the weather is a little pleasant. People expect that, don't worry. That is the norm here. I do have to adjust my body for that scheduling, because by the time 7 pm arrives my body normally wants to just sit in the couch in front of the tv and watch some funny shows or baseball on tv.

It's also Ramadan and I've had my share of iftar. More food. And all fried. So afraid to touch another iftar.

However, with all the good healthy food I've been eating (mostly veggies and fish), I've got a big hankering for a juicy In-N-Out cheeseburger with those fingerlicking french fries. It's the first thing I'm going to eat when I get back home.

Will be taking a short trip to the beach in a couple of days; a short break from city life and take in the sights and sounds and smells of Cox's Bazar. I've heard so many great things about this place. It is the longest natural sea beach in the whole wide world after all. I don't have the actual measurements at the moment.

In the meantime, I'm so glad for good internet connection. Happy summer.

Day 7 (30 days of June)

I love this pattern. Can you guess what this is? It's a blanket. I bought one in 2008. I don't exactly remember if this was the same design that I bought. The blanket is sitting in my linen closet, unopened, unused. I don't dare use it for everyday. I don't even think I'd be using it for it's purpose. We bought it so we can hang it on our wall, like a tapestry. We have a floor to ceiling walls, high ceilings too.

This is one of the reasons why I'm excited about going back to Bangladesh. The shopping for fabrics at the bazaar is simply enjoyable.