Rickshaw Rest Stop

This is a roadside restaurant for rickshaw drivers and others who are looking for the basics – bananas, bread, and a cigarette. (Others nearby offered slightly more filling options, including eggs and noodles.) Because of the food price increases, rice has become unaffordable for people at the lowest income levels – like rickshaw drivers. They might only eat bananas and biscuits after pedaling their rickshaw around all day in the sun.

Gulshan Circle

We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking Gulshan Circle 2 today, so I could take some semi-aerial pictures of the circle. Only half of the actual circle in shown here, to give a little bit more detail. This was lunchtime on a Sunday, the first day of the workweek here. (We were off for Columbus Day. Thanks Columbus!) Anyways, you can see tons of people waiting for the bus, and get a general idea of the traffic flow.

Gas station

OK, so I’m back in Dhaka, but I can’t resist sharing a few more pictures from Thailand. They’re just so … pretty.

A fill-up spot for scooters.  Scooters and motorcycles are a main form of transport in Phuket,  Thailand’s largest island.

No Rickshaws Allowed

In the free-spirited nature of Dhaka traffic, usually the rickshaws park directly under the “no rickshaw parking” signs. There were no rickshaws in the immediate vicinity of this sign when I stopped for this picture.

How’s my driving?

This is a close-up of one of the three-wheeled baby taxis here – the CNGs.  The sticker says “Dial for Traffic Complaints.” We spent a long time pondering what exactly constitutes a traffic complaint – driving against traffic, honking excessively, turning out of the wrong lane, cutting people off, swerving madly, etc. are all totally normal traffic behaviors here.

Electric Baby Taxis!

Recent weeks have brought a technological breakthrough to Dhaka – electric baby taxis. The streets here are packed with the tiny, tinny green three-wheelers, commonly known as CNGs here because they run on Compressed Natural Gas. Basically they’re three-wheeled mopeds with a passenger seat. Recently we’ve started to see electric baby taxis designed just like the old CNGs, except electric. They’re much quieter – noise pollution is a huge issue here – and should help with the air pollution as well.

The waterfront

Boats on the Buriganga in Dhaka.  This is the main hub where most ferries leave for other cities around the country, as well as the transit point for boats bringing in agricultural goods from the surrounding countryside.

Rickshaw stop

A rickshaw stop in our neighborhood.