Call me Palm Tree

My trip down to Old Dhaka has yielded even more photos for the enjoyment of all. My intention was to visit Lalbagh Fort, a national historic site on the shores of the Buriganga River, but these were foiled by the fact that it had closed unexpectedly due to yesterday's holiday. I was, however, allowed to walk down the path leading to the neighbouring mosque and was therefore able to take a few pictures of the Fort regardless of its closure. People in Old Dhaka are even less used to seeing foreigners than those in Bijoy Nagar, so I was subject to much more staring and the source of much more laughter than usual. Not only that, but two different people referred to me as "Palm Tree!", much to my guide Firoz's enjoyment (and my own, too). Speaking of Firoz, his photography skills might just be catching up with his keen interest in taking pictures for me - see for yourself. It's also quite clear, given the height from which it was taken, that I took the one highlighting the pathway full of Muslim men on their way to and from the mosque. That's generally the perspective from which I've been experiencing Bangladesh.

According to my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, construction on Lalbagh Fort began in 1677 but was never completed due to internal conflict within the royal family of the era. The mosque, however, which you can see in one of my pictures was completed on schedule. The large pink building is the Mausoleum of Pari Bibi, "the only building in Bangladesh where black basalt and white marble and encaustic tiles of various colours have been used to decorate an interior"; too bad I never got to see said interior.

Speaking of interiors...it's time to showcase my own. I took the opportunity granted to me by the quiet weekend to take some pictures of the guest house, my home for the next five months, worthy of the sharpest-eyed Remax realtor. It's very comfortable here, and even more so when we get a hot water line hooked up to one of our showers. It looks like I'll be able to resume my fitness regimen of sorts, too. This morning, while running up and down the stairs for the first time, I found out that there's actually a 'fitness club' on the 11th floor of our building, only four floors down from my own! I couldn't believe my eyes - I'll be paying them a visit tomorrow.