malaysia

tara and i flew from dhaka to kuala lumpur, the capital of malaysia. malaysia has a high level of ethnic diversity, including malays, chinese, indians, and other indigenous peoples. (in the twentieth century, this diversity has been intertwined with economic and political conflicts). an officially muslim country, there are also large communities of buddhists, christians, and hindus. after a few days in KL, we traveled to the perhentian islands, a beautiful and quiet set of islands off the northeastern coast of peninsular malaysia.

from there we went to georgetown, penang, an early center of british colonial activity in malaysia. georgetown is the home of fort cornwallis - named after a general whom americans will remember as a first-class surrenderer. georgetown is also home to many interesting and well-preserved buildings, and the architecture of the city blends malay, chinese, and european elements. at china house, we ate in one of the most well-designed and lovely restaurant spaces i have ever visited.

a river otter. hotel pet on the perhentians.

last week in chittagong

i am back in the united states now, after the end of the term in chittagong and some time traveling in southeast asia with my friend tara. i plan to post pics of those travels in the near future. for now, here are some photos of my last week in chittagong.

the first four photos are of kids who live in rooms on the alley just behind AUW. the next three photos are from a trip to a local outdoor market. 

this might be my favorite photo from the year. i love the delight in the smiles and faces of these boys.

i am not sure why these heads were arranged so carefully, as if posed for a picture, on the edge of the butcher's table.

i am hesitant to take photographs of people begging, out of concern that doing so will exploit or objectify or otherwise disrespect them. but this man was obviously delighted to have his picture taken, and to be center of attention for a few moments. at least in this instance, it seemed that taking his picture conveyed his importance, rather than highlighting his lowly status. and what a marvelous smile!