Boating on the Ganges

Yesterday we went for a boat ride on the Ganges River. I hadn't realized until I came to Bangladesh that the Ganges River delta is the largest in the world and forms the river network that makes up most of southern Bangladesh. 


It was lovely to be away from the hustle and bustle of life in one of the most densely populated countries in the world and to relax and see all the wonderful things the river had to offer.  


It's always an adventure when you step out the door here.  Since there were eight foreign volunteers on the boat trip, we made quite a convoy of rickshaws barrelling down the street to get to the river. There are not many westerners here in Bangladesh so we always get lots of stares everywhere we go, let alone with eight of us.

Our boat was a lovely little wooden boat with a woven mat covering painted slats and a curved roof to shade us.  

We were taken on a two-hour tour up and around a series of islands.  One side of the river was very industrialized with metal buildings lining the river, work boats moored, and people going about their business.

The other side of the river and the islands were low-lying rural lands and such a joy to see after all the people and urban spaces we have been living in for the past three weeks.

There was a steady stream of boats going past us.  Everything from boats laden with hay (anyone else think the man in the photo below looks like Santa Claus),

to boats transporting motorcycles,

to barges traveling so low in the water we had no idea why they were even still afloat.

I feel like I got a peak at such a different part of Bangladesh yesterday.  

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