evi lemberger: in bazar

in front of the dining room of the hotel, cox's basar, 3rd feb.2012

we are going on a trip. with we, i mean drik, or some people from drik. and their families. that's exciting. seeing moni with his wife, seeing habibay's kids again. his wife. and all the others. quite a lot of names, and cannot even memories all of the people's names i am working with.

we arrived in morning. around 11 am. it was hot, but ok. quick breakfast and then off to the beach. we will play football. or better say, adnan, habibay, his two kids and some other guys ( i am so sorry, i have a terrible name memory, sometimes i even forget the names of my siblings). anyway essentially guys and me.

we are in cox's bazar. one or not the place in bangladesh tourist go to. millions of people come there every year and with 120 miles it has the longest beach in the world.

table football table, cafe, cox's bazar, 4th feb 2012

dogs, cafe, cox's bazar, 4th feb 2012

the cafe is pritty cool. we discover it on the second day. it had table football, barbeque, nice seats, life music, etc. quite unusual.

we wanted to go there in the evening, but the others were not interested. i thought they would understand, table football. how cool is that. but they did not. so we ended up on the market looking at scarves and sunglasses.

i don't know still now, if they know what table football is and how it looks like. i did not ask. dare to ask.

ricksha, cox's bazar, 3rd feb. 2012

cox's bazar is designed for tourists. it has a lot of small shops. hotels are popping up in every little corner, they even imported electronic little cars from japan, who are so quiet that it is almost irritating seeing them suddenly appearing next to you.

and they have rickshaw drivers, of course. and even so the distant between the hotel and the market is about 10 minuets quick walk, we take the rickshaw. they know there business.


teaplace, beach, cox's bazar, 3rd feb 2012

being a big strong guy store, beach, cox's bazar, 3rd feb 2012

the beach is full of people. of course. people from cox's bazar and people who came to cox's bazar already a few years ago, say it is really full. i, experienced italian mass tourist traveler, says it is empty.

they have little shops, with different business models around.

most seen: tea or chai place, coccocunut wagons
kidss' seller: softdrinks, jewellery, sweets, songs
adults' seller: chai in big thermo bottles, bananas

umbrellas and seats with people, beach, cox's bazar, 4th feb. 2012

the people in cox's bazar swim in clothes. that's in a msulimic country. you do not show your body. that's fine. and i am kind of prepared.

one thing i did not consider. texture and color of clothes and attachment to body shape. going into the water is fun, running around with wet clothes sometimes as well, sometimes not at all.

guy, beach, cox's bazar, 4th feb 2012

me: stop, sorry can i take a picture of you?
him: yes ok why?
me: because you look different
him: ah ok fine
me: why do you look different?
him: because i am living with my parents in australia. i was just born here and come back for a visit
me:do you like it here?
him: its ok
him: finished
me: yes
him: ok bye
me: bye

people from bangaldesh love to be photographed. better say, if you do not take an image of them they are annoyed. really annoyed. this guy was not bothered. at least it seemed so.

guy, beach, cox's bazar, 3rd feb 2012

he is the guy with the flyers. first when he gave it too me i wanted to refuse it. initial reaction based on upbringing and living in europe with more flyers than people in a country.

luckily he was persistent. and his dogs.

his dogs licked my legs. i like dogs but i like to watch them from a distant. i do not know them, they do not know me. also i do not lick there legs.

i get annoyed, but than he says that they were his dogs. so i am embarrassed. dog lovers don't understand people who do not like dogs. that's the same with mums and non mums.

anyway i started to talk with him, looked at the flyer closer and realized that this was an amazing material, ecological recycled brown paper. awesome. and even so the combination of life music with barbeque seemed quite tacky for me for get tourist and guest into your place, standing on the cox's bazar beach that was quite cool.

he works at this place. i could come there tomorrow and yes he knows the surf club.

jafar alem, beach, cox's bazar, 4th feb. 2012

he is the surfer in bangladesh. probably the only one. starting of 15 years ago by selling of an australian a surfboard for 2000 thaka, believing for ages to lie on the board would be the way to go, he became the most successful surfer in bangladesh. and probably the only one.

i meet him, by incident, because of an german article about a bangladesh surfclub, about my curiosity and stubbornness to find it and adnan's old contact list.

he is nice, talks very quick. about his past, his present and above all his future. what he wants to do with surfing, why it is important, for him for the people, for cox's bazar.

he also says he is tired, he needs some help, for his surf club, for marketing, for training.

martin, beach, cox's bazar, 4th feb 2012

sometimes he gets foreigners to come to the beach to surf. this time it is a guy from denmark, italy and then two other guys.

martin is actually volunteering in the refugee camp close by. he just discovered the place and jafar.

martin loves surfing. the waves are not the biggest one but perfect to learn, and probably much higher later, during the year, when the monsoon and the cyclone starts.

martin loves the place. being here for 2 weeks he totally feels secure. people are nice, food is good and just feels so secure. i think i can live here for longer. he says.

jafar tries to established surfing. nobody knows surfing in bangladesh. till he came. now he wants to see more people doing what he is doing.

cityscape, cox's bazar, 3rd feb. 2012

detail, market, cox's bazar, 4th feb. 2012

the market reminds me on markets we used to have at home. little jewellery and nippes in between cheep clothes in between sweets and more clothes. at least how our used to be.

we do not have them anymore. we have amazon.

they have it and it is full of people wandering around, looking at the different stales and comparing same things in quality and prize (at least for me) at different places.

i am a bit bored, just a bit after seeing the 10th scarf shop. but the girls and guys love it. that's ok. i guess also a result from amazon: the inability to enjoy wandering around and looking.

photostudio, market, cox's bazar, 4th feb 2012

dried fishes, market, cox's bazar, 4th feb 2012

net, fishing boat, cox's bazar, 5th feb 2012

they are stretching the net out. to make sure it is not detangled. this is what i think they are doing with it. but i did not talk with them.

stupid foreigness. hate it sometimes. above all in combination with having the huge camera and snapping helplessly smiling away. smiling is the best i can do.

it is sunday 6 am. the guys, fisherman, are getting ready for the water. and the fishes.