Putt putt putt. We’re going shopping with Grammy again! It’s about an hour on the motor van to Panchbibi, and by motor van I mean a motorized bike sort of thing with a flat bed on the back we all sit on. Lisa and I jump on the back, our feet dangling just inches from the ground. Did you ever have one of those old school station wagons you could sit in the back facing the car behind you? I loved that seat! And that’s the “seat” Lisa and I were in the whole trip. First thing Grammy wanted to do was name the putt-putt, and we eventually agreed on Mr. Puffin Toot! Lisa and I had quite an entertaining view on Mr. Puffin of what people do AFTER we pass. Some try to hide their curiosity but can’t help looking back 3 or 4 times, others hold a captivated stare until we are out of sight, and still others just point and laugh hysterically! Bikes, motorcycles and buses coming up behind us to pass seem to speed up right next to us, then take their sweet time with their close-up view before finally passing. And goodness do they like cutting things close! I’m still getting used to it, but they come up and pass so close you can easily reach out your hand and touch the bus!
On our quest for a big container in Panchbibi we discover a number of “naughty” salesmen as Grammy likes to call them. One salesman even changed the price when we came back after looking in other shops! The others gave us such high prices some local girls just laughed at him and later told us it should only cost about half that much! Silly man! We may be white, but we’re not completely clueless about Bengali prices J Luckily, the Waids have connections there, and we found their nice Muslim friend who helped build their orphanage. He agrees to help us and goes ahead to try and get the big container Grammy needs from the naughty salesman who changed the price on us. Maybe a Bengali can get us a good deal if we stay out of sight? We wait in the shade under some hay atop bamboo poles….a Bengali gazebo? Almost instantaneously it seems a crowd gathers…they seem friendly but just stare and stare with such intense curiosity! Our friend tells them to go, asking them how they would feel if they went to a foreign country and everybody just gathered around and stared at them…..2 men left(we weren’t really bothered by it, our friend was just trying to be polite I think). Then a woman pipes up saying she’s a woman, so it’s ok for her to stare at other women (us). Then another man speaks up and wants our friend to translate to us that they have never seen foreigners before, so they are just very happy today because they get to see us! We laugh, it was innocent enough! They see we are happy too and feel no need to leave. Then they bring us chairs! Grammy compared us to monkeys at the circus….they just loved to watch us! I found it rather entertaining myself….a win-win situation J
The Waids’ friend was able to get Grammy her huge container for a better price, and after a bit more shopping we load it up on Mr. Puffin and squish ourselves around it. As we putt-putt out of Panchbibi the crowd follows us…it looks like a parade as we turn the corner and this mass of people just follows us! A little later we have to stop and wait for a train and are once again surrounded, people getting out their phones to take pictures of the wondrous sight passing through their village! It makes me curious as well…what will they say when they go home and show their friends and families the pics?
On our way again, I can’t help but laugh at the bikers we pass that, after seeing us, pedal faster to catch up for a better look. The ones that are able to catch up often fall back, catch up, fall back, and catch up again before they have the courage to practice an English phrase they know…..“Sister, what eez jour country?” or “What eeez jour name?” After a beautiful bright orange sunset over the rice fields, it begins to get dark, which means we now get flashlights in our faces from the curious people we pass. One group of boys gets so excited they start dancing as we pass and point, “How are yoooooooouuuuu!” A few other kids break into song as we pass…it just makes me smile J
So that’s my experience with Panchbibi. Naughty salesmen and many curious but very friendly people. Thanks Mr. Puffin for the good times!
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