Today I felt like I was on "What Not to Wear" Bangladesh style, except all my western clothes would be the "not" to wear part... In other words, we went clothes shopping! Bangladesh is well known for their beautiful cloth of every color imaginable. Since Bangladesh is a Muslim country the standards of fashion are obviously considerably more conservative then my usual standards. Saris (cloth wrapped around the body) are for more formal occasions while tunics are worn on a daily basis. Many of the tunics come with matching pants and a scarf to be draped across the chest/shoulders and/or head. The ones we bought today were all hand made and original designs. The linen material is very cooling in this ~100+ humidity! They are also MORE comfortable then any MGH scrubs. I usually wear brown flip flops (also known as slippers), you really cannot beat that. I may have to start wearing these outfits around the halls of Lunder to shake it up!

The women helping me shop at the store were among the most gentle, helpful and professional people I've met. It continues to amaze me how kind the people of Bangladesh are. They are eager to help but not in an obtrusive way. They were patient as they dressed me all while stifling their laughter as I put everything on backwards. In my opinion, the dressing of a sari can be compared to cooking, it's an art! Laura and I chose the fabric and are having them custom made. I was hesitant of how I would be received as a foreigner by wearing their clothes and not being Muslim. I quickly learned how proud these people are of their culture. They are pleased to share their customs and honored to see us embracing it. Many of the workers at the clothing stop asked me to come back to show them my sari once it was completed- they have no idea it may take me that long to figure out how to wear it...

I had lunch at a fancy Tai restaurant. Laura and I are planning on traveling to Thailand while here so this was good practice :-) I spent an hour searching for a hairy spider and salamander that somehow disappeared in my room. I never did find them but somehow hope they made it out to the living room.. or at least Laura's room. (JK Laura! Kinda...)

At the end of the evening I love sitting on my balcony watching the sunset. There is something about knowing that everyone on this planet sees the same sun that I find humbling. The more traveling I do, the more places I want to go. I find my own intentions with better clarity when I'm away from my regular routines. I've never met anyone who told me they regret traveling. Namaste.