Azaans (call to prayer) in Bangladesh were amongst the best that I've ever heard. Following the traditional "South Asian" tone, I had goosebumps when hearing the different voices echoing the call of Hazrat Bilal(ra) from the plethora of minarets across the city in a beautiful way. Perhaps the fact that Sufis spread Islam in Bengal (estimates are of their efforts accounting for 80% of Bengali converts) may have contributed towards this...

- I ate lunch one day at a place called 'Kasuri'. It was traditional food: rice, lentils, fish (including one that is a specialty - very expensive, but not much meat on it and tastes amazing)...simple, yet very delicious. I learned also that the restaurant is very popular with politicians and other bigwigs, who enjoy the simplicity - something that I found more prevalent in Bangladesh than elsewhere - especially with the non-Bengalis, but also with many Bengalis. Additionally, I enjoyed the food more as I was able to eat with my hands as I do at home, along with everyone else at the restaurant, just like the Prophet Muhammad(saw) used to. Food generally tastes better that way, and it's been scientifically proven that our fingertips release enzymes that make it easier for digestion. May Allah(swt) bless the Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) and his family with peace and the highest rewards in the Hereafter, ameen.

- I have never seen more people wearing sunglasses INSIDE as I did at Dhaka airport; the "reffy hero" types were aplenty...

- I learned that Zia-ur-Rahman, who Dhaka airport is named after, was a stabilizing force for the country. After the assassination of the first leader of Bangladesh, Mujib-ur-Rahman (a man of many gloves: he was cheated out of a rightful election victory by the Pakistani Administration pre-1971, revered as Father of the Nation by many Bengalis, personally endorsed the genocide of non-Bengalis when in power) , General Zia-ur-Rahman took over. He reformed many of Mujib's extreme right-wing "Bengali" ideas and introduced a more inclusive concept of "Bangladeshis" - thus opening the doors for the incorporation of non-Bengalis in to the nation-building - at least in theory. It seems right to honour him by naming the airport after him. I also saw his mausoleum, near the Parliament...

- Speaking of the airport, one of my friends wrote me the following: It is an exact clone of the airport in Jeddah. It was built by the Saudis. Now obviously it isn't run smoothly, a bi-product of an uneducated workforce. Computers were only introduced in the last seven years or so, and most of the people using them don't know how to aside from the simple tasks that they were taught to do. Much of the new infrastructure that is being built in the country is by donations and gifts from more richer ones...

- The Bangladesh Parliament is a beautiful building that was used as the Parliament of East Pakistan before 1971, and is actually the shape of the Pakistani flag, with the Crescent and Star - can be seen from the sky...

- All across South Asia, it is a common occurrence to see heterosexual males/females holding hands with one another. It's one thing to see "common" people doing so, but another to see bearded-types doing it as well...

- Regionalism seems to exist within the Bangladeshi context too, just like Pakistan and India; for example, people from Noakhali, parts of Dhaka and Sylhet are different in many ways and have issues with one another. Nevertheless, regional nationalism is relatively less of a problem than in India - and especially Pakistan...
__._,_.___