This is the time for new experiences

On the ground in Bangladesh and the first thing on my list is to get to the site of the spill and see if I can get some b roll (the major oil spill the US still has done a shit job of covering that occurred within the biggest mangrove forest on the planet….the one with the sanctuaries created just for the dolphins …the endangered dolphin I keep talking about…the Ganges river dolphin and his friend the other endangered dolphin the Irrawaddy).  Obviously the spill was going to have to become part of the story I was going to try to tell.

I thought…maybe I can get the boat I hire in close enough to shoot some of the slick on the top of the water…maybe the wrecked ship far far away? What I had forgotten was where I was. The wild west!….Where rules are…for SISSIES! :) LOVE places like that!

So where does the boat guide take me? He pulls up and ties to the …….WHOA THERE PONY! Ok. Just to keep Jennifer safe a few more days…lets play a new game with this post. Lets call it…you make a guess…but I have really said nothing. Comprende? ;)

So…my guide takes me right up to this amazing GARDEN! …Yes!...A GARDEN!.....And we get to actually walk across the top of the garden and HONEY is everywhere. All over the top of the garden. I literally walked through the honey. And you could look right into the hole in the garden and see that all the honey that had been in the…..honey holder…was gone. And just so you know that would be 300 tons of honey (which sucks bc this honey was toxic honey). And yes. I know..toxic honey? It is a rare form found only in the tropics. So that is why you have yet to hear of it before.

I am then told I can go to see where villagers are harvesting the honey (also horrific…given this was toxic honey). But to get to this next location I have to cross a 30 foot long half foot wide plank of wood which is about 20ft off the water. I KNOW! I KNOW!…..JENNIFER!…You can deal with all these other ridiculous things and now you pause? Few things apparently intimidate me. One is heights. And tight line walking. BC NO ONE SHOULD EVER HAVE TO DO THAT! But here…this is the normal way to get back and forth across from boats to land. My guide who has nimbly crossed over already says to me in an attempt to cajole me across: “Jennifer…this is the time for new experiences.” Well that did it! And away we go! Adventure number 2 officially begun!

You see the bamboo contraption in the background? That is a dock! YES! A dock! To use to get to your boat! Seems way wrong to me. Way wrong. (Photo: JLewis)