Question: Do you enjoy helping poorer countries like bangladesh

Ken Gibbs answered on 20 Mar 2012:

Yes, most definitely yes !

While Bangladesh suffers more than its fair share of calamities because of where it is – from cyclones/hurricanes, from spring tides, from flooding, monsoon rain and even hail stones sometimes the size of cricket balls, at the same time it has a very rich cultural Islamic and Bhuddist history. Often the smell of frangipani and jasmine will be heavy in the air, and on the water, the lotus flowers are stunningly beautiful. Women take pride in their saris and even the plainest will often have beautiful but simple embroidery on it. I remember waiting for my cycle rickshaw to get to work one morning and hearing a sitar teacher warming up for his first lesson in an almost otherwise silent moment. Pure magic, it was. The foods in Bangladesh range from the ordinary, wholesome to the delicious, spicy, and what wouldn’t I give for another “Prawn Mughlai” ? The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Bangladesh are what sets it aside.

Come to think of it, I could say almost the same about the desert areas of Baluchestan in Pakistan – only the smells there are the roses; the tastes are the bread, the nuts, the Bar-B-Q lamb; the sounds are the goat bells and the the imam calling the faithful to prayer; and the sights are the camel trains with snow-capped mountains behind and the fearsome cold. Every place has its own character if you but want to look for it.