tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146959592024-02-21T10:06:09.384+06:00Kristin BoekhoffKristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-31301953918683472222010-05-26T08:33:00.001+06:002010-05-26T08:35:32.491+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Typical Day</span><br />March 25, 2010<br /><br />Many people have asked me what is your typical day like? I think that yesterday was a good example:<br /><br /><ol><li>Drive to my bank in Farmgate</li><li>When I get there they tell me I have gone to the wrong branch, so I drive down to Motijheel</li><li>My motorcycle runs out of gas on the way</li><li>I walk my motorcycle to the gas station and refuel</li><li>I arrive at the Bank and they tell me I have to go home and get more paperwork</li><li>I go to an investor meeting at the Sonargaon Hotel</li><li>I go to Dhanmondi to visit my architect and discuss the resort master plan</li><li>I drive back to Gulshan, run home, shower, and change</li><li>I go to tango practice</li><li>I go to a party at the U.S. Ambassador's house</li><li>I drive to the airport to pick up my interns</li><li>I take my interns out to dinner and tell them they will have a crazy summer!</li></ol>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-70964978398475740652010-03-18T16:26:00.005+06:002010-03-18T18:12:07.136+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Company Formation in Bangladesh - Part VII<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Annual Registrar of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC) Filing</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>March 18, 2010<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(For an index of all of my Company Formation in Bangladesh blogs, click here: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/12/forming-company-in-bangladesh-like-road.html">Forming a Company in Bangladesh</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span><br /><br />In this blog entry I will discuss:<br /><ul><li>First Annual General Meetings</li><li>Overseas document attestation</li><li>Annual RJSC Filing</li><li>Filing documents with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC)</li><li>Audited Financials</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Annual General Meeting</span><br />Within 18 months of forming your company with the RJSC you are required to hold a first annual general meeting. There you can make resolutions, update the shareholders on the progress of your company, etc. Before the meeting, you need to create an agenda, signed by either the Managing Director or the Chairman; after you have the meeting, you need to type up minutes of the meeting (which can include any resolutions you may have passed). These minutes need to be signed by all of the Board Members present at the meeting. The signed minutes then need to be filed with the RJSC (see below).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overseas Document Attestation</span><br />If one (or more) of your Board Members resides overseas (or is traveling overseas at the time when they need to sign a document), you will need to have the foreign signature attested by the Bangladesh Embassy in their country of residence (or visitation) before it can be filed. The process for each country is different, so check with the Bangladesh Embassy in the country where the signatory resides for the specific rules.<br /><br />I can tell you that the rules for the U.S. are quite cumbersome; it took me six weeks to have one document properly attested. The Bangladesh Embassy in the U.S. said that for them to attest it, it had to be signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka (if the document originated overseas, which it did) and the United States State Department first. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wouldn't attest it until the Ministry of Commerce had attested it, and the Ministry of Commerce wouldn't attest it until the Chamber of Commerce had attested it, and the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't attest it until it was notarized. Also, the U.S. State Department wouldn't attest it until it had been attested by the Secretary of the state where the signatory resided, and they wouldn't attest it until it had been notarized by a U.S. notary; hence the six weeks! So if you want to have a document (that originates in Bangladesh) signed in the U.S., you must follow these steps IN ORDER:<br /><ol><li>Have the people who live in Bangladesh sign the document</li><li>Have the document notarized by a Bangladeshi notary public</li><li>Take the document to the Chamber of Commerce and have them attest it</li><li>Take the document to the Ministry of Commerce and have them attest it</li><li>Take the document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have them attest it</li><li>Send your document to the person in the U.S. who will sign</li><li>Have them sign the document in front of a U.S. notary in the state where they reside</li><li>Send the document to the Secretary of the state where they live (i.e. Florida Secretary of State) and have them attest it.</li><li>Send the document to the U.S. Department of State and have them attest it.</li><li>The U.S. Department of State will then send the document directly to Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, D.C. for the final attestation.</li><li>The Bangladesh Embassy will send the document back to the U.S. signatory who can then mail it back to Bangladesh.</li></ol>The U.S. State Department and the Secretaries of the various states all have websites that explain the exact procedures for their attestations. Start with the Bangladesh Embassy website in the country you need the signature from though...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Annual RJSC Filing</span><br />Each year Bangladeshi companies are required to file certain documents with the RJSC:<br /><ul><li>Minutes of the annual meeting</li><li>Annual Report</li><li>Audited Financials</li><li>Form 23b</li><li>Schedule X</li></ul>Fortunately, they have simplified this somewhat by allowing you to file various forms online (though because Bangladesh law does not accept the submission of hard copies you will still need to drop off the originals at RJSC...)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Filing documents with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC)</span><br />The best place to start is the <a href="http://www.roc.gov.bd:7781">RJSC website: http://www.roc.gov.bd:7781</a>. <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(Note: this system ONLY works in the Internet Explorer internet browser!)</span> All of the forms are online, so you can take a look at them, but my recommendation is to sign up for a user ID. First, you will need to create a General User ID. Go to the RJSC home page and scroll to the "Online User Access" section; there click "Create New User (General)". Create your user ID. This ID gives you limited access, but what you really want is an entity ID because that allows you to file documents online. It is a bit more difficult to get an entity ID because obviously they don't just want anybody to create an account for your company! (Which is a good thing!)<br /><br />To get an entity ID, you need to first have a General User ID (which you signed up for above). Then you need to click the "Create New User (Entity)" link under the "Online User Access" section on the home page. If you are the managing director (MD), you should get permission, if you are not the MD, you will need to get a letter from the MD to be able to get an entity ID; just follow the steps on the screen. I went down to RJSC in person and they set up the account with me online, so the RJSC technician just cleared me for permission right away (since I am the MD). I am not sure how easy/ difficult this would be if you were sitting at home trying to do it. If you can afford the trip and are the MD it is probably just easiest to make a trip to the RJSC and have them do it for you (if you are not the MD, go with a signed letter from the MD giving you permission to set up the entity ID).<br /><br />After both of your IDs are set up, you can log in to file your forms. "Under Online User Access" click "Entity Sign In". Enter your user ID and password (again, you must use the Internet Explorer browser). The first page it will take you to is the list of all of the annual files (annual returns) that you need to submit. You need to submit these four items:<br /><ul><li>Balance Sheet</li><li>Form 23B</li><li>Profit and Loss Account</li><li>Schedule X</li></ul>Before you are allowed to submit any other changes (including your minutes of your first annual general meeting (AGM), board resolutions, and annual report).<br /><br />Click on the file name to edit the information. You can save your file at any time by clicking the "Save" button on the right. <span style="font-weight: bold;">You need to pay the fee and submit all of the paperwork to the RJSC the same day that you click the "Submit" button</span>, however, so don't click "Submit" unless you are sure you can get everything done that day! To go back and see your saved files, go back to the Home page and click "View/ Edit Submitted Returns". (Even though you didn't actually submit them yet, your forms will still be there...)<br /><br />When you are ready, click the Submit button, print out the Acknowledgment Page and take that to any BRAC Bank branch to pay the required fees. Then take the Acknowledgment Page and the bank receipt with printed copies of the online documents and any other hard copies that you might have (like your audited financials) down to the RJSC<span style="font-weight: bold;"> ON THE SAME DAY.</span><br /><br />After you have submitted these four documents, you will be able to submit your minutes, resolutions, etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Audited Financials</span><br />Every year you will need to have an independent auditor review your books and create an audit. My auditor is Nurul Faruk Hasan & Co. and they are absolutely fabulous! If you need an auditor I highly recommend them; they are efficient, professional, timely, and reasonably priced. Unfortunately they don't have a website, but their phone number is: +88-02-884-0438. Each year the audits need to be filed with RJSC.Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-17771658631538019492009-06-08T07:06:00.009+06:002010-03-06T10:51:54.319+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamida's House</span><br />June 8, 2009<br /><br />I have sad tidings today. My boua's village house was completely destroyed by hurricane Alia. Her parents, two brothers, and two young sons are now all living together in a tiny one room jute hut. Hamida's possessions are bundled together outside under a makeshift shelter. With the monsoon season upon us, the living conditions are quite desperate.<br /><br />Hamida has tried to go to a bank to get a loan, but they would require her to repay the loan in 6 months, something which she just can not afford to do. I am trying to help her out as best I can, but because all of my money is tied up in my company right now, I am unfortunately not able to offer as much assistance as I would like. Consequently, I am asking my friends and family to contribute anything they can. I am trying to help her raise $1,500 to rebuild her home. If you can find it in your heart to donate something (even $25 helps), please click the "donate" button below. The money will go to my personal account, then I will withdraw the money in taka and give it to Hamida to rebuild her home.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here are some photos of her home:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamida and Her Brother</span><br />A photo of Hamida and her brother with what remains of her house in the background.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17pyIY7Zz166U4ZTqxcG86tcIpKB5JTz0b_vlc-mcR0rj8Sa2Fhw41FTEKviGX3A2ZtkrFE3byfjgVHzu14OGiIRp6XicsbLRd8pLe1DIoP2i2RlEViCmMlYg6oi8alKHW7Cu/s1600-h/Hamida-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17pyIY7Zz166U4ZTqxcG86tcIpKB5JTz0b_vlc-mcR0rj8Sa2Fhw41FTEKviGX3A2ZtkrFE3byfjgVHzu14OGiIRp6XicsbLRd8pLe1DIoP2i2RlEViCmMlYg6oi8alKHW7Cu/s320/Hamida-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344760040214216514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Hamida's Possessions<br /></div>All of her things are tied together outside, exposed to the monsoon rains.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKfefoBHVnHthw4VbmWJHWq5WIzllBRq9yHWJXCq-_pke0GHDN9-O2J4qP4uKgyfIWPSSwW3NvOKAiz2i75wyBubjjizjsY8lF6MPAySgwiELZ3ckfY-94LUoB0TEhMW6C1u9/s1600-h/Hamida's-Things-2-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKfefoBHVnHthw4VbmWJHWq5WIzllBRq9yHWJXCq-_pke0GHDN9-O2J4qP4uKgyfIWPSSwW3NvOKAiz2i75wyBubjjizjsY8lF6MPAySgwiELZ3ckfY-94LUoB0TEhMW6C1u9/s320/Hamida's-Things-2-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344760046507861506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamida's Old House</span><br />What remains of their old house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2mHTbJMqtRM7ARd4fc7khBX2a-IWa5QlEVFBANSzDIXIaHmmTgux8Lmr7-sJ1ZiyBRGTu66_JLhFoAYHXFBPHiC_o4bnFNJbZddTRppe0xQ-opsnNGtrPBgZNfcF2gr0v_tf/s1600-h/Old-House-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2mHTbJMqtRM7ARd4fc7khBX2a-IWa5QlEVFBANSzDIXIaHmmTgux8Lmr7-sJ1ZiyBRGTu66_JLhFoAYHXFBPHiC_o4bnFNJbZddTRppe0xQ-opsnNGtrPBgZNfcF2gr0v_tf/s320/Old-House-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344760045082960482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">One Room House</span><br />This is the small jute house where Hamida's parents, her two brothers, and her two young sons currently live.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqed_YDizClBtHQuAKOwug5Vw977pA1DaU8AFvIzbZubZQcNknMBI7X1d9BI1azfh1lozvSuMm4LPsS_fWGJHp9B238fLJMktTHWDkvuoDQ7Bk4saOixaUkAaTbI3FC292nVvP/s1600-h/One-Room-House-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqed_YDizClBtHQuAKOwug5Vw977pA1DaU8AFvIzbZubZQcNknMBI7X1d9BI1azfh1lozvSuMm4LPsS_fWGJHp9B238fLJMktTHWDkvuoDQ7Bk4saOixaUkAaTbI3FC292nVvP/s320/One-Room-House-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344760047468464498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Hamida thanks you for your support!!</span><br /><br /></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-4102704423224016402009-06-01T07:35:00.002+06:002009-06-01T07:57:26.211+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Company Formation in Bangladesh - Part VI</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Amending Your BOI Registration</span><br />June 1, 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(For an index of all of my Company Formation in Bangladesh blogs, click here: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/12/forming-company-in-bangladesh-like-road.html">Forming a Company in Bangladesh</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)<br /><br /></span>On the back of my Bangladesh Board of Investment (BOI) registration letter it says that I need to get prior permission from the Board of Investment to change anything material about my company, including the ownership. Since I will be selling shares to raise equity for my resort, I went to the BOI yesterday to find out what the procedure for that is. Apparently I don't need approval before I change the ownership, I just need to file for a registration ammendment.<br /><br />When I first registered my company, my sister and I were the only two owners, so I had to register the company as a 100% foreign-owned. Some of my investors will be Bangladeshis, however, so I now need to change the type of company to a joint venture company.<br /><br />In order to ammend my BOI registration I need to submit the following to Deputy Director Jebun Nessa:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cover Letter -</span> addressed to the director (Mamdood Alamgir) requesting a registration amendment</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Revised Form 117 or Form 12 from the Joint Stock Registrar -</span> this should list the old/ existing owners and the new owners</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Joint Venture Agreement with Stamp -</span> this should be between the original person and the new person. Needs to outline who gets how many shares as a percentage and what the roles of the new investors will be (i.e. shareholder, board member, etc.)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Particulars of the Shareholders - </span>chart of all of the shareholders that includes: name, address, designation (i.e. "shareholder" or "managing director"), nationality, and equity percentage</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Decision of the Board of Directors -</span> minutes with date outlining the decision to change the ownership from 100% foreign owned to joint venture which includes the names of the new shareholders, position, etc.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amendment Fee of 1,000 Tk -</span> needs to be a pay order or bank draft made out to: "Executive Chairman and Member Secretary BOI"</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Passport Copies -</span> of all of the new shareholders. She said this was optional, but I think it is better to submit it; probably just the first page with the photos and particulars is sufficient.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Copy of the Original BOI Registration Letter -</span> she didn't mention this, but I think that it would facilitate them finding your file. (I would staple it to the back of the cover letter.)<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-526791806343238612009-05-17T16:29:00.002+06:002009-05-17T17:30:27.437+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Company Formation in Bangladesh - Part V</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Investor Visas and Work Permits</span><br />May 17, 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(For an index of all of my Company Formation in Bangladesh blogs, click here: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/12/forming-company-in-bangladesh-like-road.html">Forming a Company in Bangladesh</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span><br /><br />In order to apply for my work permit, I needed an investor visa; in order to apply for my investor visa, I needed my Board of Investment (BOI) registration letter. As I mentioned in my previous post (<a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/02/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-4.html">Company Formation in Bangladesh - Part 4: BOI Registration</a>), I submitted my BOI registration documents. They told me it would be ready in 10-12 business days, so I went back about 15 business days later to pick it up. They hadn't even started it. They told me to come back in two days; which I did. Again, they hadn't even started it and told me to come back in two more days.<br /><br />Though I was quite annoyed, I remained positive and upbeat, but I firmly refused to leave that day until they had given me the BOI registration letter. I sat in Deputy Director Mizanur Rahman's office until he got annoyed and kicked me out. (For the Industrial Side of the BOI, this is who you talk to about getting BOI registration.) Then I followed my registration folder around making sure that it got to the next person in line andthat it never sat on anyone's desk longer than a few minutes. They were all very annoyed with me, but I was always friendly, so they didn't get angry. The document was almost done, but then the power went out at 4:30pm. I knew the power would not come on again before they left at 5pm, so I reluctantly agreed to go home that night after making them promise me that they would finish it first thing the next morning.<br /><br />The next day I came back at 10:00am (a half an hour before the BOI opens to visitors) and again sat in the manager's office until I did finally get my registration document around 1pm.<br /><br />With my BOI Registration Letter in hand, I was ready to apply for my investor visa ("PI Visa").<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Investor Visa</span><br />You apply for your investor visa at the Board of Investment. It is on the same floor as registration (18th Floor), but you need to speak with Deputy Director Nafriza Shayma. Fortunately, she does seem genuinely concerned if you do not get your documents in the alotted time. Unfortunately, her staff is not as on top of things as she is.<br /><br />To apply for your investor visa, you need to submit the following to Nafriza's department:<br /><ul><li>Cover letter addressed to Mamdood Alamgir (for the Industrial side of BOI) explaining that you are applying for a PI visa which lists the documents that you are submitting; also say where the letter of recommendation should be sent. It can only be to one location and it needs to be to a Bangladesh embassy or consulate in your home country (i.e. "the Bangladesh Embassy in New York.) (You need to return to your home country to get your investor visa. You can not get it in Bangladesh and you can not get it in a nearby country like Thailand or India; believe me, I tried!)<br /></li><li>Copy of the BOI Registration Letter</li><li>Copy of the decision of the Board of Directors of your company to employ you (needs to be signed by the Chairman and Managing Director and stamped with your corporate seal.) This letter must list your name, what position you will have, your annual salary, housing allowance, "dearness" allowance, overseas allowance, house rent, conveyance allowance, entertainment allowance, bonus, other fringe benefits, monthly expenditure for household expenses like servants, car, club subscriptions, etc., and any remittance. (Only list those items that are applicable.)</li><li>Copy of your company memorandum & articles of association<br /></li><li>Photocopy of your passport (all of the pages)</li><li>Several attested (signed and stamped with corporate seal) passport photos<br /></li></ul>They told me it would take 7-10 days to complete. I came back on the 11th day, and of course it was not done. So again, I waited all day and Nafriza made sure that her team finished it for me that day. (She was quite polite and offered me tea which made waiting much less frustrating than the first time around.)<br /><br />After I had the letter, I had to go back to the U.S. to get my visa. I went to the Embassy in New York. To apply for my visa in New York, I needed:<br /><ul><li>Local Visa Application Form</li><li>Cover letter explaining why I wanted the visa. I included all of the particulars of my company: company name, company address, names of managing director and chairman, certificate of incorporation number, trade license number, tax ID number, and BOI registration number. I also wrote a flowery paragraph about how much I love Bangladesh and its people. (Which I did on recommendation of a friend and I am happy to say that it was so well received that I was given a five year investor visa when I was told that it was only possible to get a one year visa when I applied!)<br /></li><li>Several passport photos</li><li>Copy of the BOI letter (BOI sends it directly to the Embassy, but it is good to submit a copy along with your application just in case it didn't arrive.)</li><li>Copy of my resume</li><li>Money order for $131 (check the visa fees in your country as they may vary)<br /></li></ul>I dropped off the visa application form in the morning and was able to pick up my visa in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they made a mistake on my visa and stamped it to say that "working was prohibited" which of course negated the whole point of the visa, so I needed to go back the next day and have them redo it. (Fortunately I checked before I left the country!!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Work Permit</span><br />Upon returning to Bangladesh I was (finally!) ready to apply for my work permit! Two days after I got back, I went back to BOI and submitted the following paperwork, again to Nafriza's department:<br /><ul><li>Cover letter addressed to Mamdood Alamgir (for the Industrial side of BOI) explaining that I was applying for a work permit and listing all of the documents that I was submitting</li><li>Four copies of the Work Permit Application Form (with passport photos attached)</li><li>Copy of my BOI Registration Letter</li><li>My resume</li><li>Decision of the Board of Directors regarding my employment (see Investor Visa section above)</li><li>Full copy of my passport (all pages, including my new investor visa)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Pay order for 5,000 Tk (see below)</span><br /></li></ul>Again they told me it would be 7-10 business days. When I returned 14 days later, again, it was not done. They told me that I needed to submit a pay order for 5,000 Tk. Annoyed I asked them why they didn't tell me this before and they said that I only needed to pay it if my application was approved. So my advice to you is to call Nafriza 3-5 days after you submit the application and ask if you now need to bring down a pay order. Or, assume that your application will be accepted and submit the pay order when you apply. (Though I am not sure they will accept it from you at this point...)<br /><br />You can get the pay order downstairs at The City Bank in the BOI building. Just go first to the side WITHOUT the tellers and tell them you need a pay order. They will fill out some paperwork and direct you to the teller side to pay. Pay for the pay order, then bring your papers back to the non-teller side and they will issue the pay order to you.<br /><br />After I submitted the pay order, the man who works for Nafriza told me to come back in three days. Of course, I didn't listen to him and I waited to speak to Nafriza herself. When I did, after a bit of coaxing she agreed to push through the paperwork that day and about two hours later I had my work permit!<br /><br />I have discovered that the best way to deal with the BOI is just to schedule several days to go down there and wait for all of your paperwork to go through. Sit in the hallway so that everyone sees you as they go by. Be polite, but resolute that you will not go until everything is done. Give them the time they say it will take (i.e. 10 days), but go on day 11 at 10:30am when they open and tell them that you won't leave until you get your documents. Then sit there all day (bring food, water, and some form of entertainment with you!) Every 30 minutes ask what the status is of your paperwork to make sure that it doesn't just sit on someone's desk collecting dust.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Opening Your Bank Account</span><br />So today I FINALLY opened my bank account! I went down to my bank (HSBC) and submitted my tax ID, trade license, BOI registration letter, and work permit to my banker. She told me that she would open my account by the end of the day and mail me my checks. (My banker is VERY efficient!)<br /><br />When I commented on how convoluted the company/ bank account process is here, she told me that because of the craziness that I went through with my bank account, they talked to the Board of Investment and made it standard procedure to open a non-operating bank account for people who are trying to set up companies. (If you recall, I had to get special permission to open mine...) Well at least going through this process improved the system a tiny bit!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conclusion</span><br />I would love to say that this will be my last company formation post and that I will no longer have to deal with the BOI since my company is now registered, but (alas!) I still have to apply for my liquor license. Plus, I need to get prior approval from the BOI to change ownership of the company, which means that whenever I get a new investor I need to talk to the Board of Investment first. So, alas, I am afraid the saga is not over yet...Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-45728142347053328292009-05-08T09:12:00.004+06:002009-05-08T09:45:20.931+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">New Panigram Blog!</span><br />May 8, 2009<br /><br />I have been a bit remiss in my blogging lately due to an unscheduled trip back to the U.S. to get my visa upgraded. (Yes! I now finally have my investor visa!! I will finally pick up my work permit next week!)<br /><br />I did want to write a quick post to announce that I have completely revamped the <a href="http://www.panigram.com/">Panigram Resort</a> website. There is a lot more information up there now and the look and feel is more professional. Plus, I have started a new <a href="http://www.panigram.com/latest-news/">blog for Panigram Resort</a>. Right now the subscription process is a bit awkward (we are still tweaking several things on the site), but if you want to <a href="http://www.panigram.com/wp-login.php?action=register">subscribe to the Panigram Resort blog</a>, click the photo of the yellow mustard field that says, "Sign up to be notified when Panigram opens". There you can select if you want to receive a resort opening notification and/or subscribe to our blog.<br /><br />To avoid spamming everyone, I will just be sending out a monthly digest notification to blog subscribers so they can see the new postings for the month.<br /><br />Other exciting news, Panigram's <a href="http://www.panigram.com/responsible-hospitality/">Responsible Hospitality</a> page now ranks 13th on Google's results list (second results page). Since this is our mantra, I am happy that it ranks so prominently. Maybe it will even make it to the first page soon!<br /><br />I have had more press lately too. You can check out the latest news in the <a href="http://www.panigram.com/press-room/">Panigram Press Room</a>.<br /><br />Finally, I have also created Facebook and Twitter accounts for Panigram Resort:<br /><br /><p><strong>Panigram Resort on Facebook:</strong> <a title="Panigram Resort on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Panigram-Resort/33392081908?ref=s" target="_blank">Become a fan of the Panigram Page!</a></p> <p><strong>Panigram Resort on Twitter: </strong><a title="Panigram Resort on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/PanigramResort" target="_blank">Get our tweets!</a></p><p>In the next few weeks I will be continuing my blog postings on company formation in Bangladesh and rammed earth mud construction...<br /></p>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-61940575579879867132009-03-19T06:36:00.001+06:002009-03-19T06:41:01.593+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part III - Preventing Erosion</span><br />February 29, 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(For a list of all of the Rammed Earth Construction blog entries, go to the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-building-workshop-february.html">Index Page</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.)<br /><br /></span>Coming soon!<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span>This is Part 3 in a 6 part blog series. For a list of all blog entries on rammed earth construction, please see the <a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-building-workshop-february.html">index page</a>.Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-72171187277414523882009-03-10T08:45:00.025+06:002009-03-10T13:03:48.325+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part II - Mixing the Mud</span><br />February 28, 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(For a list of all of the Rammed Earth Construction blog entries, go to the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-building-workshop-february.html">Index Page</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.)</span><br /><br />Selecting the right mud mixture is key to building a successful, durable mud or rammed earth building. Different kinds of earth have different qualities, and mixing them in the right ratio is what provides cohesion. First, here is a brief overview of the different types of mud that we will be using:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AGGREGATE</span><br />The aggregates will bear the weight of the walls and strengthen the structure. Any of these aggregates can be used in rammed earth construction. You should chose the one that is most easily available in your area. For our rammed earth project we used both pebbles and brick chips.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Pebbles</span><br />The pebbles are about 1/2" to 1" in diameter. Pebbles are large (comparatively) and round; like marbles, if we pile them on top of each other, they will just roll apart. Consequently we need other types of earth to adhere the pebbles together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWoWmpj4ETMGLDYpkX61YDlA6juiyvgd6WvOmlU7io4w2OgrgxorIuJsxBiRcW0ejF7Wk4OIFjcfNig5wcVed9y3BnPGmgH9KStELFRao8S45iryMf1FHwkbjhE9cHK1K3_5V/s1600-h/Pebbles+With+Pen+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWoWmpj4ETMGLDYpkX61YDlA6juiyvgd6WvOmlU7io4w2OgrgxorIuJsxBiRcW0ejF7Wk4OIFjcfNig5wcVed9y3BnPGmgH9KStELFRao8S45iryMf1FHwkbjhE9cHK1K3_5V/s320/Pebbles+With+Pen+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311442577698730370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHO78-g4J_15TlDYSoK92VW5ICGHkNJ_kRvMBOjBPlb_EPmZKh7-T-h8EuJ9TfGxZtkuDEje_2V4Odi3lVsoyS4J6U9ENL72SWJqoFSQhRmuNYapVofmk5RgjL2fXKVfdrUfZ/s1600-h/Pebble+Aggregate+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHO78-g4J_15TlDYSoK92VW5ICGHkNJ_kRvMBOjBPlb_EPmZKh7-T-h8EuJ9TfGxZtkuDEje_2V4Odi3lVsoyS4J6U9ENL72SWJqoFSQhRmuNYapVofmk5RgjL2fXKVfdrUfZ/s320/Pebble+Aggregate+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311417190237865762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Brick Chips</span><br />This is a readily available form of aggregate in Bangladesh as there are many brick fields. The brick chips are also 1/2" to 1" in diameter. Though they are not as round and smooth as the pebbles, they will also slide if merely piled on top of each other.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKHHYJow1LXg5VRbaxHtqv2BFC-ff6v4hADU9dEGBi0Hf8CPRl-t0D5m-moKOGxgULZDmzTpBK8j7qsj90GU8ICbuWsXHPmKymNXmiwfag56xunzQGsAWZ1lLp-eec6ZEZRrO/s1600-h/Brick+Chips+With+Pen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKHHYJow1LXg5VRbaxHtqv2BFC-ff6v4hADU9dEGBi0Hf8CPRl-t0D5m-moKOGxgULZDmzTpBK8j7qsj90GU8ICbuWsXHPmKymNXmiwfag56xunzQGsAWZ1lLp-eec6ZEZRrO/s320/Brick+Chips+With+Pen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311391951426117714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePlavKVKu9mAlV6IpNFrxz6HE5hDAdNwLw_pP-BsBD-2bNuG2wGvlkpA9mIMxJ26cw8p6RlGbmwFlXhgMBnDlwXNX9VKtFgS535wY_umDmoiG05Fn-GMlIy24Af6vmu-HwEig/s1600-h/Brick+Chip+Aggregate+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePlavKVKu9mAlV6IpNFrxz6HE5hDAdNwLw_pP-BsBD-2bNuG2wGvlkpA9mIMxJ26cw8p6RlGbmwFlXhgMBnDlwXNX9VKtFgS535wY_umDmoiG05Fn-GMlIy24Af6vmu-HwEig/s320/Brick+Chip+Aggregate+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311417190034392818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Crushed Concrete</span><br />This is a great way to recycle old buildings. Pieces of old, crushed concrete (or rubble) can be ground into 1/2" to 1" pieces and used as aggregate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Gravel</span><br />This is another good form of aggregate that is often also used in concrete. Gravel is not very easy to come by in Bangladesh, however.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">EARTH</span><br />The earth is what holds the walls together. It is important to get the right mix of earth and aggregate so that you minimize shrinkage (and therefore cracks) and erosion while maximizing strength and durability.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Sand</span><br />Sand is important for strength, cohesion, and shrinkage. As any child who has ever played on the beach can tell you, wet sand is a great building material. The water molecules act as a glue that holds the sand together. Wet sand can be molded into an infinite variety of shapes. When the water evaporates, however, the bonds are broken and the sand reverts into a shapeless pile. Conseqently, another type of earth is needed to hold the sand particles together...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDjEzjUNfth1q17AJB6RKFJMPfY3cvqOXxnvjG_MoOBwyXSU4kCTrIbluPehdRcuC8cRk21Sv0p61to8CEHuYB4Z_VRzDh58DmoFEFhulY4EsBd0itfik4VOyIlp017poxxGk/s1600-h/Sand+and+Water+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDjEzjUNfth1q17AJB6RKFJMPfY3cvqOXxnvjG_MoOBwyXSU4kCTrIbluPehdRcuC8cRk21Sv0p61to8CEHuYB4Z_VRzDh58DmoFEFhulY4EsBd0itfik4VOyIlp017poxxGk/s320/Sand+and+Water+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311417188462777218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">6) Clay</span><br />Clay is a very plastic material. Because of its oblong shape, clay particles slide easily over each other. Wet clay slides the easiest (picture two pieces of glass with a thin layer of water between them and you will get the idea.) When the water dries, the clay shrinks, bringing the clay particles closer together and making it very hard. Because clay shrinks quite significantly, however, many cracks will form in the wall (picture a dry field of mud) unless aggregate is added. There are different types of clays ranging from sandy to sticky. The stickier the clay, the tighter the bond, but the more cracks you will have. On our project we used two different types of clay: "sticky clay" and clay that we dug up from the project site which was redder and sandier. You can tell how sticky the clay is by squeezing it in your hand. The more it holds its shape, the stickier the clay is.<br /><br />The trick is to find the right mixture of clay, sand, and aggregate. A good rule of thumb is 40% aggregate, 30% sticky clay, 30% mud from the site. You should do tests, however to determine what the right mud mixture is for you.<br /><br />On our project, the "sticky clay" was too wet to mix in with the aggregate and site mud. (If it is wet, the mud just clumps together and doesn't blend in with the other components.) We tried to break it into smaller pieces and set it in the sun to dry, but it was too labor intensive to be able to practically implement on a large scale. We did end up using the dried sticky mud to create the clay plastering, however. Our final ratio was 5 parts clay from site, 1 part brick chips, and 1.5 parts pebbles. Because we had to omit the sticky clay, our mixture was not as strong, so we had to insert more erosion breakers. (See Part III - Preventing Erosion for more information.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TESTING YOUR MUD</span><br />There are several tests that you can do to determine what type of mud you have and how well it will work in rammed earth construction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Squeeze Test</span><br />This is a simple test to determine the quantity of clay in your mud. You take a handful of moist earth (not wet, not dry) and squeeze it. The degree to which it holds its shape after you open your hand is an indicator of how much clay is in the mix.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red Earth Squeeze Test</span><br />This earth was taken from the project site. Unfortunately the photos are a bit out of focus, but I think you can still get the idea...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kAoF2mlzioO1vBgw414-Z8dLGWjH5bc1vQ-dj5xOvgiutBNgmhNZ-ZbeWAHqF-29jXDD0oelzn8CMZDc6HymeCLeBIxrZwSr4XAWsCI9DGtVadMUNqAroAzaAzTJ_icFFqjy/s1600-h/Red+Clay+in+Hand+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kAoF2mlzioO1vBgw414-Z8dLGWjH5bc1vQ-dj5xOvgiutBNgmhNZ-ZbeWAHqF-29jXDD0oelzn8CMZDc6HymeCLeBIxrZwSr4XAWsCI9DGtVadMUNqAroAzaAzTJ_icFFqjy/s320/Red+Clay+in+Hand+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311391953149388818" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To determine how much clay is in the earth, squeeze it tightly in your hand.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSfQrBmdjyqZ0Po8Iv3gi_inXMAGRubteGARCBYYnRLupAjgVjevH1wCmxUfGJJJUb0qe9YgPmz4ISnMZccm0Ff89TnMAVEsoiFzUU7ImkyJb3UAjZJ89_jFiI2J9YN7cD6i7/s1600-h/Red+Clay+in+Hand+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSfQrBmdjyqZ0Po8Iv3gi_inXMAGRubteGARCBYYnRLupAjgVjevH1wCmxUfGJJJUb0qe9YgPmz4ISnMZccm0Ff89TnMAVEsoiFzUU7ImkyJb3UAjZJ89_jFiI2J9YN7cD6i7/s320/Red+Clay+in+Hand+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311391959255154626" border="0" /></a>Because it retained its shape, there is clay in the soil.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4vPyrc0JcksHoO3IkTBVCEx1pcj4YmDW2ALOeqf55L_k4e6To4Q4DH6FmSZpge6goKlgrhVzfHULW8-Fj5JbXeU3pXBFQ8TmFPy9Y9dqmzme-9ZZg34Cke_85VJGFU1PpRzp/s1600-h/Red+Clay+in+Hand+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4vPyrc0JcksHoO3IkTBVCEx1pcj4YmDW2ALOeqf55L_k4e6To4Q4DH6FmSZpge6goKlgrhVzfHULW8-Fj5JbXeU3pXBFQ8TmFPy9Y9dqmzme-9ZZg34Cke_85VJGFU1PpRzp/s320/Red+Clay+in+Hand+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311391962858937794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sticky Clay Squeeze Test</span><br />This clay was brought in from another site. It is true "sticky" clay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPU7ZUZgoRyNqbVNe0pq0LhptEb_7V-MZQnX9jHXguo09FjDJVhY3cA9IQbSyoUtW7Lc7MT1WGBhr6Wm6oEUiiQ9ifKLG2lQg0fH3VpuztHyImGbyZldUok5pH5cC59nMGTvt/s1600-h/Sticky+Clay+in+Hand+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPU7ZUZgoRyNqbVNe0pq0LhptEb_7V-MZQnX9jHXguo09FjDJVhY3cA9IQbSyoUtW7Lc7MT1WGBhr6Wm6oEUiiQ9ifKLG2lQg0fH3VpuztHyImGbyZldUok5pH5cC59nMGTvt/s320/Sticky+Clay+in+Hand+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311395951042080674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTiWZT81sJU5K59AUX6B_1bEKW_J4R43s_8jjMjPB3BCYHcQpgcTT2rBkOi4YaFwc8FiZMmppujCkwG9_MHjDHJWM-Q8uiqXQzEUg_smji33fXxjNmZwdHehPa1XTgKeXo2Cl/s1600-h/Sticky+Clay+in+Hand+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTiWZT81sJU5K59AUX6B_1bEKW_J4R43s_8jjMjPB3BCYHcQpgcTT2rBkOi4YaFwc8FiZMmppujCkwG9_MHjDHJWM-Q8uiqXQzEUg_smji33fXxjNmZwdHehPa1XTgKeXo2Cl/s320/Sticky+Clay+in+Hand+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311395948783404658" border="0" /></a><br />You can see that it keeps its exact form after performing the squeeze test<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmoUjXii6WIkrjo_R77TceOAbQWLqmS14_Yn6Wlitvwxi8wlOuijuJBDQU62BAeouSz5tpotXCIRk86WEWH8jYSll_qI5X2u8rjRwq87dcmkh_vKeTaxQgFg3Tvt9Izr46k9p/s1600-h/Sticky+Clay+in+Hand+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmoUjXii6WIkrjo_R77TceOAbQWLqmS14_Yn6Wlitvwxi8wlOuijuJBDQU62BAeouSz5tpotXCIRk86WEWH8jYSll_qI5X2u8rjRwq87dcmkh_vKeTaxQgFg3Tvt9Izr46k9p/s320/Sticky+Clay+in+Hand+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311395952823586034" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Rolled Arch Test</span><br />This is a simple test to determine if your clay is "sticky clay". Take some moist clay or earth (again, not wet, not dry) and roll it into "snake" then bend the "snake" into an arch. If there are cracks at the top of the arch, it is not sticky clay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT2EPG3UMWVJXnpCa6Uaq5cFOXOJY5IwANppuydK7OYQA-R_qjIRSnkjZd49lH_o4BzH-XcPX6Sxd3jS06A_ITVY-cCIjKeTjoOj5PLWkJfyVNoQddfqA-bzrj1yvf84YZ-by/s1600-h/Roll+Test+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT2EPG3UMWVJXnpCa6Uaq5cFOXOJY5IwANppuydK7OYQA-R_qjIRSnkjZd49lH_o4BzH-XcPX6Sxd3jS06A_ITVY-cCIjKeTjoOj5PLWkJfyVNoQddfqA-bzrj1yvf84YZ-by/s320/Roll+Test+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311402696786141490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Shrinkage Test</span><br />This is the best test to do to see if your mud mixture will be appropriate for your walls. I suggest making several different mud mixtures altering the quantities of the various components and then do shrinkage tests for all of them to see which one works the best.<br /><br />To do a shrinkage test, you put your mud into a cylindrical container and ram it. We used large plastic pipes that were cut on the sides and then bound back together with rope. Using two pipes (so the mud did not come out of the seams) worked the best. You add a layer of mud mixture to the depth of your knuckles if you stick your hand into the dirt. Then you ram it until it sounds more like you are ramming stone than mud. You add another layer and continue ramming until the pipe is filled.<br /><br />When the ramming is finished, remove the pipe. Then on the top of the rammed sample draw a ten centimeter line - clearly marking the ends. (Make sure the measurement is exact.) Then let the sample dry for a couple of days and come back and re-measure the line. The rammed earth should shrink less than 1% if properly mixed.<br /><br />If your sample shrinks too much, try using less water or adding more sand. It is also better to let the sample (and your walls) dry slowly instead of quickly in the sun.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shrinkage Test Sample</span><br />This mud was rammed in a cylinder and then marked with a 10 cm line.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxasR6DZrZB98se4c1ebQVCK97gMM9fdkzCrvP-0X6XtHVE0EE-zg365QV_xusKAzyhc_F28-623zJsP7J2VLRJRFm4EdaXPzt6Grz1InwAOie1KXSKRabG0Q2y8LOzKcZZkO/s1600-h/Shrinkage+Test.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxasR6DZrZB98se4c1ebQVCK97gMM9fdkzCrvP-0X6XtHVE0EE-zg365QV_xusKAzyhc_F28-623zJsP7J2VLRJRFm4EdaXPzt6Grz1InwAOie1KXSKRabG0Q2y8LOzKcZZkO/s320/Shrinkage+Test.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311401202863475410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CREATING THE OPTIMAL MUD MIXTURE</span><br />In order to create the optimal mud mixture, it is important to understand the properties of the various materials and how increasing or decreasing their quantities will affect the performance of your mixture.<br /><br />The most important component of the mixture is the clay. The shape of the clay particles gives it its unique properties. Clay particles are long and round, so they slide over each other easily when they are wet. When the water evaporates, the particles move closer together, making the clay very strong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kTyluYMY87UIX5YbOccZaE_0zX1nsgw-l4crk_dp2C_zlXTQlFxq-y3a-_F33nZfQ5WHUgPsWF4Qivn4x5htXYrFBES5rmw80GCQkfqwjg2SfEiW_HN0RAQEn0lh4cYgoGlB/s1600-h/Clay+Particle+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kTyluYMY87UIX5YbOccZaE_0zX1nsgw-l4crk_dp2C_zlXTQlFxq-y3a-_F33nZfQ5WHUgPsWF4Qivn4x5htXYrFBES5rmw80GCQkfqwjg2SfEiW_HN0RAQEn0lh4cYgoGlB/s320/Clay+Particle+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311417187319025202" border="0" /></a>Furthermore, the dried clay acts as a water barrier. The molecules pack so tightly that water is not able to enter the wall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvAX91yN6__hiyLisIOkrc_6A5IGgqk_YgUpWv0FcD7lcz20ikxBI2dLYrYp7wXR7_klFdnVYGwvtU3aBpdeLAdz5c72yduFpMypCCr1BCiCBW45A55M_hqxkVonrqWjkDML5/s1600-h/Clay+and+Aggregate+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvAX91yN6__hiyLisIOkrc_6A5IGgqk_YgUpWv0FcD7lcz20ikxBI2dLYrYp7wXR7_klFdnVYGwvtU3aBpdeLAdz5c72yduFpMypCCr1BCiCBW45A55M_hqxkVonrqWjkDML5/s320/Clay+and+Aggregate+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311421356420543698" border="0" /></a>The degree of the stickiness of the clay depends upon its shape. Thinner, oblong shapes are more sticky thank round shapes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1E-vXWGJK3cCn35vCyhNciBM7B3fFYitAAVL_hFB0tI-u1Kp8O4KHc1PfAEp-lfM5bFJkWQAM3OBbUfMBP5qYyV5kYNYezQocvLtRLLdd3TH3AbIciY2eib_2Q-2lgRLJbsa/s1600-h/Sticky+Clay+Illustration.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1E-vXWGJK3cCn35vCyhNciBM7B3fFYitAAVL_hFB0tI-u1Kp8O4KHc1PfAEp-lfM5bFJkWQAM3OBbUfMBP5qYyV5kYNYezQocvLtRLLdd3TH3AbIciY2eib_2Q-2lgRLJbsa/s320/Sticky+Clay+Illustration.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311424268461263730" border="0" /></a>While sticky clay is very strong, it also cracks and erodes more easily. It cracks because of the shrinkage. To decrease shrinkage, aggregate is added. The more (and larger) aggregate you have, the less shrinkage occurs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSfgJSno0Uo0rbW0hyphenhyphenQSJxwss2DjEYd8xFW-owArp-brIGwaUSRvsI6mz-giFVC1WeIXZVORlnejhdMSdz-5aWnUTzhdU1KACxwTfm8BiZq4zH8fpaCzaN0Rbu8ym18vUfsec/s1600-h/Shrinkage+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSfgJSno0Uo0rbW0hyphenhyphenQSJxwss2DjEYd8xFW-owArp-brIGwaUSRvsI6mz-giFVC1WeIXZVORlnejhdMSdz-5aWnUTzhdU1KACxwTfm8BiZq4zH8fpaCzaN0Rbu8ym18vUfsec/s320/Shrinkage+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311417190587778786" border="0" /></a>While mixtures of 100% clay or clay with only sand would not be good for exterior walls, they would make very strong compressed bricks. (Rammed earth bricks are another great, sustainable building material. You can even make interlocking bricks that eliminate the need for mortar.)<br /><br />Erosion occurs because of the speed of the water running down a wall. Clay only walls are very smooth, so the water builds up speed and takes particles off of the wall as it runs down. Clay is naturally water resistant, however, so a clay and sand wall would actually have more erosion than a clay only wall even though it would be slightly rougher because the shape of the sand breaks some of the "locks" that the clay particles have with each other. Using a large aggregate, like pebbles or brick chips, however would significantly roughen the wall surface which would decrease erosion. (See Part III - Preventing Erosion for more tips on how to reduce erosion.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1slpYVqeMpPUkZ9ziaUXWEX5pWmDPC0Qu1d505rm0tztSvm373OrbiuUuAekr-bxv49m1MJoYjyu0Bz6LvjUPGRzTW4sh6cdjsYIRlSMqZ3K_JHnga6kAFzeQCBVCcPlrNNpG/s1600-h/Erosion+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1slpYVqeMpPUkZ9ziaUXWEX5pWmDPC0Qu1d505rm0tztSvm373OrbiuUuAekr-bxv49m1MJoYjyu0Bz6LvjUPGRzTW4sh6cdjsYIRlSMqZ3K_JHnga6kAFzeQCBVCcPlrNNpG/s400/Erosion+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311426302472458242" border="0" /></a>So when creating your mud mixture, you should consider the following factors:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Will the wall be inside or outside?</span><br />Inside walls can have more clay and less aggregate because they will not get wet (and therefore will not be subject to erosion).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. How many external erosion barriers will you have? </span><br />External erosion barriers are architectural elements that break the speed of the water. (See Part III - Preventing Erosion for more details.) The more erosion barriers you have, the less sticky the clay you can use and/or the less aggregate you will have to add. Because we were not able to use the sticky clay on our project, we had to add more external erosion barriers to compensate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. What type of mud is available to you?</span><br />One of the primary goals of using rammed earth construction techniques is to be sustainable. Consequently you should try to use as many materials from on the site as you can. (This will also help reduce your costs.) Determine what you will need to add to your local mud to make it work for your project.<br /><br />After you have created your mud mixture, do some shrinkage tests to fine tune your mix.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MIXING THE MUD</span><br />Finally, when you actually begin mixing the mud, you want to mix it in smaller batches to make sure that all of the different elements are well blended. (We used small baskets called "<span style="font-style: italic;">tukri</span>" to measure out our parts.) You also need to make sure that you wet the aggregate before you mix it with the mud. Wetting the aggregate makes the mud stick to the sides of it, making it "dirty" for optimal mixing.<br /><br />The clay should be fairly dry when you first mix it, however. If it is too wet, it will clump together and will not mix in with the other elements. We ran into this problem on our project site and attempted to dry out our sticky clay.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drying the Sticky Clay</span><br />Several of the local children joined us to make mud paddies to dry out the sticky clay. Unfortunately, even with all of the extra help it would have taken us weeks to get enough dried clay to add to the walls. (And our workshop was only 10 days!) Consequently, we decided to just use the clay from the site in our mud mixture and we compensated for the reduced strength by adding additional external erosion barriers.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvHQ_ZISHj43Bli5AQnRXMzk85uXiR0PJZnw41k3NiCKwbNFleJzrQCjXz2mCxlN0FxNU7C5VxSPFHoEL4ZGna5Q0p9_9kQ2orjvISqo7q5JRUS2dAzA2K_dl6VZvcUHdK2ab/s1600-h/Children+Drying+Clay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvHQ_ZISHj43Bli5AQnRXMzk85uXiR0PJZnw41k3NiCKwbNFleJzrQCjXz2mCxlN0FxNU7C5VxSPFHoEL4ZGna5Q0p9_9kQ2orjvISqo7q5JRUS2dAzA2K_dl6VZvcUHdK2ab/s320/Children+Drying+Clay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311432099192245122" border="0" /></a><br />We also "graded" our earth before mixing it. We put it through a metal screen to separate out the larger particles and then used the fine clay particles in our mixture. Again this helped us achieve an even consistency and a good mix.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grading the Mud</span><br />We poured the mud through a wire sieve to separate the course particles from the fine.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgdRWcGlFAGSEui-koCc6SKKkTH5b0sfaFkdmDF5wm3727S-e_te4mDXpm6ebxz73yVEdLlb3elWWGnUYuZczCJBC5IGbSjvhDJIhcDwQaILlF2CDeillLCELK39DCSJY1PdE/s1600-h/Sifting+the+Soil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgdRWcGlFAGSEui-koCc6SKKkTH5b0sfaFkdmDF5wm3727S-e_te4mDXpm6ebxz73yVEdLlb3elWWGnUYuZczCJBC5IGbSjvhDJIhcDwQaILlF2CDeillLCELK39DCSJY1PdE/s320/Sifting+the+Soil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311430942166975010" border="0" /></a><br />After you have mixed your mud, you want to make sure that it is damp. Add just enough water so that when you squeeze a handful of your mud mixture together it retains its shape. If the mud is too wet, however, it will be difficult to ram.<br /><br />You should mix your mud mixture a day before you want to actually ram it. Be sure that you cover your mud mixture so that the water doesn't evaporate. Waiting over night allows the water to more fully penetrate into the clay making it more malleable and ideal for ramming.<br /><br />We mixed the mud both by hand and using an electric mixing machine.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A NOTE ON ADDING CEMENT</span><br />You will notice that cement is not listed above under the possible mud mixture elements. Many people mistakenly believe that adding a little bit of cement to the mud mixture will make it stronger. The opposite is actually true. Because cement particles are small and round, they actually interfere with the natural locking mechanism of the clay particles. As an analogy, picture our two plates of glass with the water between them acting as the clay particles. They move smoothly and when the water evaporates the plates move together and become stronger than just the single glass plate. Now put some sand (our analogy for cement) in between the two glass plates. Not only do they no longer move as smoothly, but when the water evaporates, the two plates of glass no longer sit close together. If we were to apply pressure to them, they would probably crack because of the sand holding them apart in some places.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The moral of the story is: do NOT add cement to your mud mixture!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CLAY PLASTERING</span><br />Clay plastering is used to bind elements (foundation, bricks, lintels, etc.) to the rammed earth. Because the clay plastering is wet and is made with sticky clay, it gets into all of the crevices of both the mud and the attaching element, working like a glue.<br /><br />Here is the recipe that we used for the clay plastering:<br /><ul><li>1 part sticky clay (dried and ground into a powder)</li><li>1 part red clay from site (sifted through a sieve until fine)</li><li>2 parts sand</li><li>water</li></ul>Mix all of the dry elements together until well blended. Form into a pile and hollow out the center of it. Fill the center hole with water. Then bring material up from the sides to fill in the water hole. Let this sit for a couple of hours so the water can really sink in to the sticky clay. Then come back and mix everything together, adding more water until the plaster is the consistency of clay slip (if you do ceramics) or fairly wet mortar (if you are a construction worker). Make sure you cover the clay plastering when you are not using it so the moisture doesn't escape. The longer it sits with the water, the better the plastering will be because the clay will be able to better absorb the moisture. It is best to prepare the clay plastering in a bucket 1-2 days before you need it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mixing the Plastering</span><br />After the dry elements have been mixed, form a pile with a hole in the middle.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29D-FOGqwhSwQwWK1yR8gRkBv3sCGsLharfVgHrP38pQ0aJqWsrh-aSzpA0Qu4a_tX5Q425B7rhrDrwNObtDPwXtVDxEfhcdE_c2J1FbPNCLI1ACvmsAwmCV5fl6yv6P5C2tA/s1600-h/Mixing+the+Clay+Plastering+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29D-FOGqwhSwQwWK1yR8gRkBv3sCGsLharfVgHrP38pQ0aJqWsrh-aSzpA0Qu4a_tX5Q425B7rhrDrwNObtDPwXtVDxEfhcdE_c2J1FbPNCLI1ACvmsAwmCV5fl6yv6P5C2tA/s320/Mixing+the+Clay+Plastering+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311450446411569106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Adding Water</span><br />Add water into the hole, then bring up the sides to cover the water and let it sit for a few hours. Then come back and mix it with more water until it is the consistency of ceramic slip.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbMZXE1PJNtluGzyE4cYpWcIsVSs_dhP9bmNg2jPH9dM_RRgvsWRvFsRxOIsJzGIilUIct7DagIYu-6EXNuViU5mwrhyc1h1T8xOggeKkHfv_VkqvTu2hNmiXfcSvoF9KNeGd/s1600-h/Mixing+the+Clay+Plastering+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbMZXE1PJNtluGzyE4cYpWcIsVSs_dhP9bmNg2jPH9dM_RRgvsWRvFsRxOIsJzGIilUIct7DagIYu-6EXNuViU5mwrhyc1h1T8xOggeKkHfv_VkqvTu2hNmiXfcSvoF9KNeGd/s320/Mixing+the+Clay+Plastering+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311450449311902962" border="0" /></a><br /></div>This is Part 2 in a 6 part blog series. For a list of all blog entries on rammed earth construction, please see the <a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-building-workshop-february.html">index page</a>.Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-16787583454457045882009-03-10T08:07:00.010+06:002009-03-10T12:51:08.423+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part I - Creating the Foundation</span><br />February 27, 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(For a list of all of the Rammed Earth Construction blog entries, go to the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-building-workshop-february.html">Index Page</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.)</span><br /><br />The foundation construction that Martin and Anna developed is the key to durability of the mud structures. A concrete and brick foundation with a vapor barrier prevents the moisture from the ground from seeping into the mud walls, weakening them from the bottom. Traditional Bangladeshi mud structures build the mud walls directly on the ground. The monsoon rains and annual flooding severely weaken the lower portions of the walls making them susceptible to cracking, collapse, and pest penetration. The brick foundation, however, goes two feet down into the ground and two feet above the ground, raising the walls above the flood plain. A vapor barrier keeps the lower portion of the walls dry. There are mud buildings in Europe that are still standing after over a hundred years.<br /><br />To create the foundation:<br /><ul><li>Dig a foundation hole</li><li>Build a four foot high course of bricks with cement mortar. The walls should be approximately two feet thick.</li><li>Plaster the walls with a layer of cement</li><li>Put a vapor barrier down on top of the brick foundation.<br /></li><li>On top of the vapor barrier you need to put a thin (half cm) layer of clay plastering; this helps the rammed earth stick better to the foundation. (See <a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-construction-part-ii.html">Part II - Mixing the Mud</a> for clay plaster recipe.)</li></ul>Vapor barriers can be made from:<div style="text-align: center;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Polythene sheet (use a double layer and make sure there are no holes in it),</li><li>Coat of bitumen,</li><li>Layer of ferro cement (steel mesh with a coating of cement over it; this is what we used on our project)</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Building Foundation</span><br />The foundation had been prepared for us when we arrived. It is constructed of bricks with cement mortar and a thin plastering of cement on the outside. The top has a layer of ferro cement.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcsfGCDFmbyoFgrG4ccWQ8bmoHF41HO8SOWPZ1WZNWhTePIOH2wKLIivajru6W5kBZIXSl51veHOF3mvUiwF3vDi_lRvHjNaST9ER4BKm8j2xlJwAS-Hqp9jQOiQXNezudYxg/s1600-h/Brick+and+Concrete+Foundation+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcsfGCDFmbyoFgrG4ccWQ8bmoHF41HO8SOWPZ1WZNWhTePIOH2wKLIivajru6W5kBZIXSl51veHOF3mvUiwF3vDi_lRvHjNaST9ER4BKm8j2xlJwAS-Hqp9jQOiQXNezudYxg/s320/Brick+and+Concrete+Foundation+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311380714974447618" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Detail of Ferro Cement</span><br />In this photo you can see the steel mesh of the ferro cement. The craftsmanship of the foundation was quite poor; if the foundation was properly constructed you should not be able to see the mesh! Exposed mesh like this will eventually rust and create many problems down the road.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfoi_jRCzVs7aWquVxb8tMdUyPhCW0msBqz7kw79a1fniZQDA1OCJHaHIy-rE_G9qUrUzLNifFzQmyfER_flX9tkTeY9JzaMKEHdVsIfHsrVLfpsbzTXGCQQwCvHCmX_vZNeD/s1600-h/Ferro+Cement+Foundation+Detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfoi_jRCzVs7aWquVxb8tMdUyPhCW0msBqz7kw79a1fniZQDA1OCJHaHIy-rE_G9qUrUzLNifFzQmyfER_flX9tkTeY9JzaMKEHdVsIfHsrVLfpsbzTXGCQQwCvHCmX_vZNeD/s320/Ferro+Cement+Foundation+Detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311380717271391458" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Illustration of the Foundation Construction</span><br />An illustration I did of the different parts of the foundation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIpVEZOVKXx1kIHMYd1un_xplhkeSrhidGtmxw9wWDaeeXIIXGo4kNwk9bvBaBi4I4VJtet-4W48xMLK303LoijXTOMjpkQu6ZaHuiLncxRP-htmSYQvpR7f9m-lfeFWYRRV7/s1600-h/Foundation+Illustration.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIpVEZOVKXx1kIHMYd1un_xplhkeSrhidGtmxw9wWDaeeXIIXGo4kNwk9bvBaBi4I4VJtet-4W48xMLK303LoijXTOMjpkQu6ZaHuiLncxRP-htmSYQvpR7f9m-lfeFWYRRV7/s400/Foundation+Illustration.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311380871564665682" border="0" /></a><br />This is Part 1 in a 6 part blog series. For a list of all blog entries on rammed earth construction, please see the <a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-building-workshop-february.html">index page</a>.</div></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-71601372958198632522009-03-10T08:04:00.002+06:002009-03-10T12:20:26.192+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Building Workshop</span><br />February 27, 2009<br /><br />I recently had the pleasure of attending a 10 day mud workshop with my friend <a href="http://www.anna-heringer.com/">Anna Heringer </a>and her mentor <a href="http://www.lehmtonerde.at/english/index.html">Martin Rauch</a> sponsored by the <a href="http://www.basehabitat.ufg.ac.at/">BASE Habitat</a>, the <a href="http://www.iab.com.bd/">Institute of Architects in Bangladesh (IAB)</a> and the <a href="http://www.hbri.gov.bd/">Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI)</a>. They taught us how to construct a rammed earth building and we got to test our education by constructing a small structure at HBRI in Dhaka. I think that mud construction could be the future of architecture in Bangladesh. It really is the best construction medium for this climate because the thick walls keep the interior temperature and humidity fairly constant. Plus, it is a durable, renewable, and readily available building material here. I am happy to share all that I learned in the workshop here on my blog.<br /><br />Because it is a lot of information, I will be breaking the information down into several different blog entries indexed here:<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-construction-part-i.html">Rammed Earth Construction Part I - Creating the Foundation</a><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/03/rammed-earth-construction-part-ii.html">Rammed Earth Construction Part II - Mixing the Mud</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part III - Preventing Erosion</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part IV - Ramming the Earth</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part V - Ring Beams, Lintels, and Windows</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rammed Earth Construction Part VI - Rammed Earth Floor</span>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-16656871545328870752009-02-12T12:33:00.005+06:002009-02-12T17:45:32.675+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Company Formation in Bangladesh - Part 4</span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">BOI Registration</span>
<br />February 12, 2009
<br />
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(For an index of all of my Company Formation in Bangladesh blogs, click here: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/12/forming-company-in-bangladesh-like-road.html">Forming a Company in Bangladesh</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span>
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<br />Now that fundraising for my resort is progressing, I have to make my bank account an operating account so that I can take money out. If you recall from previous company formation posts, until all company registration/ work permit issues are completed, you can only open a non-operating bank account, which means that you can put money in, but you can't take money out!
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<br />I knew that the next step in resolving this issue was to get my Board of Investment (BOI) registration, but after meeting with Mamdood Alamgir, the Director of the Industrial Division of BOI, I learned that in order to register with the BOI, I would need to have my land. Of course, in order to buy my land I need my equity money and to take my equity money out of my bank account I need an operating bank account, but to get an operating bank account I need BOI registration - so the "chicken and egg" cycle starts again!
<br />
<br />The last time I spoke with him he mentioned that a lease or registered baina would work as well as a purchase deed. Because a registered baina costs 1/3 the price of the land, I decided to take out a five year lease for just one bigha (out of the 60 bighas) of the land that I intend to purchase. I was hoping that this would satisfy the BOI requirement for some sort of land prior to registration.
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<br />I collected all of the documents on their list and went to BOI to register. Of course, when I sat down with Mr. Alamgir again, the rules and the form had changed and I was now missing my tax ID number (TIN) and my trade license. I was told by the group that I initially hired to register my company that I couldn't get these until I had BOI registration. (Another chicken and egg cycle.)
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<br />The Director assured me that I could get these things, however, if I applied for them in the district where the resort would be located. Dubious, I had no choice but to agree to try to get those items before returning to the BOI to register...
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Items Needed for Bangladesh Board of Investment (BOI) Registration:</span>
<br />Here is a list of items that you need to submit for BOI Registration. Be sure to check with BOI before submitting, however, as the list and forms seem to change frequently! ALL documents need to be stamped with the corporate seal and signed by the Managing Director or Chairman.
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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Vrinda; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Résumé</span> of officers (Managing Director at a minimum) (3 copies)</li><li>Machinery/ Equipment List (3 copies)</li><li>Certificate of Incorporation along with Memorandum & Articles of Association (1 copy)</li><li>Copy of Trade License (1 copy)</li><li>Copy of TIN Certificate (1 copy)</li><li>Attested copy of lease agreement, deed of sale, or registered baina (1 copy)</li><li>Project profile with financial statements (if the company is greater than 50 million taka) (1 copy)</li><li>Pay order/ bank draft to: Executive Chairman and Member Secretary for the registration fee</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fees for BOI Registration</span>
<br />As of this writing, the fee schedule is as follows. Definitely check with BOI before ordering your bank draft, however, as the amounts may have changed.
<br />
<br /><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Vrinda; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]-->Project Cost up to 100,000,000 Tk = 5,000 Tk
<br />Project Cost up to 250,000,000 Tk = 10,000 Tk
<br />Project Cost up to 500,000,000 Tk = 25,000 Tk
<br />Project Cost up to 1,000,000,000 Tk = 50,000 Tk
<br />Projecdt Cost over 1,000,000,000 Tk = 100,000 Tk
<br />
<br />Updating changes in BOI registration costs 1,000 Tk each time.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Getting a Bank Draft</span>
<br />Getting the bank draft for the Registration Fee, was, of course, a bit tricky. Banks will not issue a bank draft for money unless you have a bank account with them (that you can take money out of!) Fortunately, earlier I had opened a personal taka bank account that I could take money out of. Sadly, I can not put money into this account, unless it is a wire transfer in or a salary check. (Yes, crazy as it sounds, I have one Bangladeshi bank account that I can put money into, but not take it out of and one Bangladeshi bank account that I can take money out of, but not put money into!)
<br />
<br />Fortunately, the day I went to the bank (where I have my personal account) the man at the counter was sympathetic. I did not want to waste time or the money going through a wire transfer from the U.S. Of course I did not know about the "you can only get a bank draft by taking money out of your own bank account rule", so I did not have enough money in my account to cover the registration fee. Luckily, I had just withdrawn some money from my U.S. ATM card and the banker was able to accept that receipt as proof that I had just brought the cash that I was using into the country.
<br />
<br />Unfortunately, I think that having a personal bank account here is the only way to get this bank draft. It is relatively easy to open a foreign currency (i.e. dollar) bank account in Bangladesh from what I understand, but opening a personal taka account is much more difficult (another "chicken and egg" scenario!) I was able to do it because I originally came to Bangladesh on a student visa. You might check with the bank to see if you could get a bank draft from a foreign currency local bank account though...
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bangladesh Tax ID Number (TIN) and Trade License</span>
<br />After the BOI rejected my application because I did not have my tax ID number (TIN) and trade license, I contacted my local agent in Jessore to see if he could get them for me. He found out that we had to get our tax ID number first, and that as a foreigner I could not get that in Jessore (the district where the resort will be developed.) I could either apply for it in Khulna (the main town of the division that Jessore is in) or Dhaka (the capital city). Since Khulna is closer to Jessore, I had my agent go there. He was able to get the TIN quite quickly (the next day). There was no fee for the TIN, but apparently we had to pay a 6,000 Tk "expediting fee". Bangladesh is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and I would love to say I flat out refuse to pay bribes, but sometimes you just can't get business done unless you do!
<br />
<br />With the TIN we were able to apply for our trade license. The BOI guys told me that I had to apply for that in the upazila where the resort would be built. My agent had reservations about applying there, however, because the land owners don't know that it is a foreigner buying the land, and we don't want them to find out until we have purchased all of the land, because otherwise the prices will go up a lot! Fortunately, Koli is quite smart and resourceful, so when he applied for the trade license he told them that HE was Kristin Boekhoff! I had a good chuckle about that since a few months ago I had disguised myself as a Bangladeshi man to go look for land, and now a Bangladeshi man was disguising himself as a white, Christian woman in order to get a trade license! Ah, what we will not do to get this project off the ground!!
<br />
<br />The trade license application took a little bit longer, because the councilman had a death in his family and was out of the office for a few days. I did get the license about a week later, for 1,000 Tk - plus a 2,000 Tk donation to the Chairman's "poor fund" (as Koli calls it). I am not at all happy about these bribes, but I honestly don't know what I can do about it. If I don't pay, I can't get my trade license which means that I can't start my company...
<br />
<br />To apply for a trade license you need the following:
<br /><ul><li>a certified copy of the company’s articles and memorandum of association</li><li>a copy of the certificate of incorporation</li><li>statement of bank solvency (I used a copy of the initial bank statement for my corporate account - the one that showed the two initial wire transfers into it)
<br /></li><li>the company’s tax identification number certificate</li><li>a copy of the rent agreement for the company’s office</li><li>three passport photos
<br /></li><li>particulars of the managing director (name, marital status, address, parent's names, etc.)
<br /></li></ul>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Land Requirement</span>
<br />Originally Mr. Alamgir told me that I could use a lease, even for an office space, to fulfill the BOI land requirement. When I went to him with the lease agreement for the one bigha for five years, however, he told me that would not be sufficient to operate a resort. I explained to him that I knew that, but that I couldn't buy all of the land until I get my equity money, and I can't use my equity money until I get an operating bank account, and I can't get an operating bank account until I get my BOI registration!
<br />
<br />Fortunately, he understood my dilemna and said that he would try to help me out... (And no bribe was needed! At least there is one honest man in the government!)
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Submitting the BOI Registration</span>
<br />Surprisingly, after I did have my trade license and TIN (and all the rest of the required info), submitting the BOI Registration Application was quite easy! I just went to the reception area on the 19th floor, handed it in, and waited while the woman there entered the information into her computer. When she was done she gave me a receipt with a number that I could use to check the status of my application online. Yes! Online!! (<a href="http://www.boi.gov.bd/boi_service_tracking.php">http://www.boi.gov.bd/boi_service_tracking.php</a>) Sadly, the online status doesn't seem to be working for me; I keep getting a page load error... but, theoretically it is still exciting!
<br />
<br />I was told that it should take 10-12 business days to get BOI registration. After that, I apply for my investor visa...
<br />Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-74542256478898459672009-01-19T13:47:00.002+06:002009-01-19T14:03:02.038+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamida Goes to Cooking School</span><br />January 19, 2009<br /><br />We decided to send Hamida to an Italian cooking school to increase her food repertoire. We told her that we would pay for the classes and if she learned well and did a good job of preparing food for us for three months we would increase her salary by 1,500 Tk/ month (which is a significant increase in salary for her!) She was extremely excited by this. I think that cooking is her favorite part of her job and she likes learning how to cook new things. She was also very happy about the prospect of increasing her salary, so she told us that she would work really hard and learn the new menu.<br /><br />Today was her first class. I was quite surprised to learn that the class was entirely in English because we were told that there would be someone there to translate into Bangla for her. The foreign language didn't seem to phase Hamida though. She was very excited by the class and told us that she was trying very hard to learn. She proudly showed me her new Italian cookbook (which thankfully is in both Bangla and English) and pointed out which items she learned to cook today.<br /><br />Normally Hamida works from 8am-1pm and then goes home. Since we really depend on her now, it would be very troublesome for her to go without working for two weeks, so she will now go to school in the morning and then come to our house in the afternoon to do her regular chores. Tomorrow she will cook her first Italian meal for us. I am so excited!Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-83472194897782172012008-12-29T17:21:00.003+06:002008-12-29T17:29:22.352+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Election Day!</span><br />December 29, 2008<br /><br />Today is finally election day in Bangladesh! I gave Hamida the day off so that she could go vote.<br /><br />Motorcycles are not allowed on the road today, so I have been staying inside. So far there does not seem to be any violence...<br /><br />The polls closed about an hour an a half ago here. I am interested to see who won the election - the Awami League or BNP... Either way Bangladesh will still have one of the battling begums in power, but hopefully they will have learned a little from the two years that they have spent in jail and will keep some of the positive, anti-corruption policies instigated by the Caretaker Government.<br /><br />I have read several articles in the paper about the police arresting people who are trying to buy votes here. Apparently in the past this is the main way that candidates won elections - by giving poor people money, food, or clothing to vote for them. Despite very strict rules set by the election commission, it seems that some people are still trying to work around the system.<br /><br />It is very interesting to have been in Bangladesh these past two years. I arrived in October 2006, three months before the originally planned election. I witnessed the hartals and riots that crippled the country as the two main political parties fought over who would run the Caretaker Government during the election period. The fighting became so bad that the army stepped in and took over the government. They set up an Election Commission and have spent the last two years trying to create a fair voting system.<br /><br />Since the ballots here are not electronic, it will probably take several hours (if not days) to get the final results. I am now interested to see if the losing party accepts the election result or if they will result to rioting. I hope it is the former... Bangladesh has been so peaceful for the past two years!Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-11666153377165779652008-12-29T16:56:00.005+06:002008-12-29T17:19:02.048+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">I Visit My Land and the Nearby Pottery Village</span><br />December 26, 2008<br /><br />The best Christmas present that I could have received was finally being able to visit my land! It was even more beautiful than I imagined it. For photos, you can visit my Flickr site at: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/37702165@N00/sets/72157604389628506/">http://flickr.com/photos/37702165@N00/sets/72157604389628506/</a>.<br /><br />I also discovered that there is a pottery village only a ten minute walk from my property! I think that people would be really interested to visit it. When I was there they were making <span style="font-style: italic;">tila </span>(pots) for collecting the sap from the date palm tree which is cooked into <span style="font-style: italic;">ghur</span>, a delicious brown sugar. I even got to taste some of the juice directly from the tree!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Potter</span><br />The potter spins his wheel, which is made from a board on a tire.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4x7ahpHKf35IE3hvJrotSpyPI67Lyxm8StQ6xaFcmDWqV35vTlJDPecteRzNPSZCxFWZqbdcN6dxQgNujjrQiSWpgdW2cPqaR0Z3Zlx8wA0Npo0GFNaVI_3SkKW8hFddH5I6z/s1600-h/Potter+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4x7ahpHKf35IE3hvJrotSpyPI67Lyxm8StQ6xaFcmDWqV35vTlJDPecteRzNPSZCxFWZqbdcN6dxQgNujjrQiSWpgdW2cPqaR0Z3Zlx8wA0Npo0GFNaVI_3SkKW8hFddH5I6z/s320/Potter+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167852919168082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Forming the Pots</span><br />He then begins to work the clay into the pot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtI-ArDi1SSZWxCSAxA82WMxjHsVtr1AVqISfvqkRcmadRY0nBtSBkl-2e5WKsrKdicUJsvqfcXSxxYSFk6DBs1ez-n3fClpLrV2sKfASBw4VVIbqsgCyVkta6L1DBeqy7JhOi/s1600-h/Potter+3+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtI-ArDi1SSZWxCSAxA82WMxjHsVtr1AVqISfvqkRcmadRY0nBtSBkl-2e5WKsrKdicUJsvqfcXSxxYSFk6DBs1ez-n3fClpLrV2sKfASBw4VVIbqsgCyVkta6L1DBeqy7JhOi/s320/Potter+3+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167849933347250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pottery Building</span><br />The pottery wheel is in a small bamboo and thatch building. There are several of these pottery wheel buildings in the pottery village.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUjAiZJX8-IDUFCDHB-_utdnn85FWcrkDLBEdHdQcbgNj4PAzQzBWnD-XguOBady-5ynwQSON_6Lz5jhoNpwUmP3GL_0TUiCeD0-kYrkfgelVVuzOFc6OjsFg3bjVDoWnUfJ8/s1600-h/Potter+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUjAiZJX8-IDUFCDHB-_utdnn85FWcrkDLBEdHdQcbgNj4PAzQzBWnD-XguOBady-5ynwQSON_6Lz5jhoNpwUmP3GL_0TUiCeD0-kYrkfgelVVuzOFc6OjsFg3bjVDoWnUfJ8/s320/Potter+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167854786930962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Woman and Rice</span><br />An old woman is grinding rice in the same building. (It has nothing to do with the pottery, I just like the photo!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJ9wobro2M7owYkyqvF8ruH8rl8Rmzpb_27b_xCvO7bNS5OSgOWFWurOFbrBd-2x4mjvqG8jEaemTyI7NraLN57kEsuYBtJzg6KtPrA3m0dtGVSMgKDM8dlaPaa30uNozqDFs/s1600-h/Woman+Grinding+Rice+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJ9wobro2M7owYkyqvF8ruH8rl8Rmzpb_27b_xCvO7bNS5OSgOWFWurOFbrBd-2x4mjvqG8jEaemTyI7NraLN57kEsuYBtJzg6KtPrA3m0dtGVSMgKDM8dlaPaa30uNozqDFs/s320/Woman+Grinding+Rice+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167851180675410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drying the Pots</span><br />The pots are actually made in two pieces - the top half and the bottom half. After they have dried a bit, they are assembled. These are the top halves. Manure (used for fuel) is drying on the wall in the background.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhTJIGLH6xq9rly9pAIXIXVZ4X2Yhyphenhyphen0qhufjbneXdq-dm2HnSrSr_Z4-7xyPZm7_Xq0X8q7ohiwXXzru_bGHzsMRw6tucWTHGFJ4m1wT7zbJjgj4DWUNQzwfwxvMsmXmvSdAj/s1600-h/Pots+Drying+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhTJIGLH6xq9rly9pAIXIXVZ4X2Yhyphenhyphen0qhufjbneXdq-dm2HnSrSr_Z4-7xyPZm7_Xq0X8q7ohiwXXzru_bGHzsMRw6tucWTHGFJ4m1wT7zbJjgj4DWUNQzwfwxvMsmXmvSdAj/s320/Pots+Drying+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167282075496626" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whole Pots Drying</span><br />The assembled pots drying before they are placed in the kiln.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9YcSC88x-63iJE6DPxNH_vG-9aFYbrFA-nxx_ploSEPKeDYSsQKI20V1QyWIecpW4xlFOpgqn6r7IUP5AYY448_PnS62buBhu6W9N0-2aCSFFc6nQP8hyphenhyphenNwYjndOKNz64Ka7/s1600-h/Pots+Drying+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9YcSC88x-63iJE6DPxNH_vG-9aFYbrFA-nxx_ploSEPKeDYSsQKI20V1QyWIecpW4xlFOpgqn6r7IUP5AYY448_PnS62buBhu6W9N0-2aCSFFc6nQP8hyphenhyphenNwYjndOKNz64Ka7/s320/Pots+Drying+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167287858814930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kiln</span><br />After the <span style="font-style: italic;">tila </span>have dried they are placed into the kiln.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbWleqEGcFFNXbnw-h2461f9op4Njn04-hODvHUOykSJeHhlJlSL3tEq0YLcYDqGML3ZoCGLWqL8m3SO2w0vw_W1ECLGj_gn3avQpA9jVrrD3zzaqwtSKRV8d4XXjGvs7EZXY/s1600-h/Kiln+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbWleqEGcFFNXbnw-h2461f9op4Njn04-hODvHUOykSJeHhlJlSL3tEq0YLcYDqGML3ZoCGLWqL8m3SO2w0vw_W1ECLGj_gn3avQpA9jVrrD3zzaqwtSKRV8d4XXjGvs7EZXY/s320/Kiln+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167262093717842" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Inside the Kiln</span><br />This is what the kiln looks like on the inside.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7k65lgwNaUMHYz_JUS_wCSsjFe2RyPbl5UFyj2bCL7VDdyLWygySg-9hD0IIF9cZ-QrbTi0GvpNf5kC16APt02H7TB8I_rZ185nPC7UE3OM3fm9aDe6J8wD4H5FNfOzDUGcsH/s1600-h/Kiln+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7k65lgwNaUMHYz_JUS_wCSsjFe2RyPbl5UFyj2bCL7VDdyLWygySg-9hD0IIF9cZ-QrbTi0GvpNf5kC16APt02H7TB8I_rZ185nPC7UE3OM3fm9aDe6J8wD4H5FNfOzDUGcsH/s320/Kiln+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167276386469826" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Tila!</span><br />After the tila pots are finished, they are hung from the date palm trees to collect the sap. This sap collection is done every winter. Each tree will fill two tilas a day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2KDaA0L93c9gpWIwnZFOzvDVrb6IOK20NnAut8fgO0gkkm7eixJRHKnXXAfsI3BCJbI2YfZWIBx0li4EYjxxvAJiSQTM0AV4G4z3q1wU_2g56Fn-_-QPPoTecIiZ4RrbA3Vs/s1600-h/Ghur+Collection+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2KDaA0L93c9gpWIwnZFOzvDVrb6IOK20NnAut8fgO0gkkm7eixJRHKnXXAfsI3BCJbI2YfZWIBx0li4EYjxxvAJiSQTM0AV4G4z3q1wU_2g56Fn-_-QPPoTecIiZ4RrbA3Vs/s320/Ghur+Collection+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285167257179504706" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-22648634863302635212008-12-29T16:30:00.003+06:002008-12-29T16:54:33.129+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Christmas in Jessore</span><br />December 25, 2008<br /><br />I took my motorcycle from Dhaka to Jessore on Christmas Eve. I needed to go deal with some issues with my land and couldn't bear the thought of being in a crowded bus for 6 hours, so I strapped a bag to the back of my bike and took off. It was cold and foggy in Dhaka when I left. As I drove further south, the clouds lifted and the landscape became cleaner and greener; I knew I was approaching Jessore!<br /><br />I don't celebrate Christmas anymore, but Koli (my agent) really wanted me to celebrate with his family. He is Muslim, but as a child he went to a Christian school and would go out singing Christmas carols with his friends. While I was there a group of Christian carolers did pass by his house. They sounded more like a political rally than "Silent Night", however!<br /><br />Koli wanted me to bake him a "Christmas cake", which I believe is the tradition in Bangladesh. Since we don't really have Christmas cakes in the U.S., I was going to make them a gingerbread house instead. They didn't have an oven, however, so we had to buy a cake from the store. Bangladeshi food is prepared on burners, so most Bangladeshis don't have ovens. Only a few rich people who like to eat Western food have them.<br /><br />Instead of the gingerbread house, I decided to do stockings for the children. This too proved to be a bit of a challenge since most Bangladeshis don't wear socks! It is so hot here and you take off your shoes whenever you go inside, so most people wear sandals. Some of the men wear socks when they wear suits, however, so we were able to scavenge up a few. I suppose that I complicated things a bit too when I told them that all of the socks had to be different so the children could tell which ones were theirs... In the end, we scavenged up several socks, a couple of hats, and one glove for Koli!<br /><br />I explained about Santa Claus and his reindeer which really amused the children. I also told them that each year Santa makes a list of the children who are naughty and nice. The nice children get presents and the naughty children get coal or rocks.<br /><br />Then when all of the kids went to bed, Koli, Shompa (his wife), and I filled the stockings with candy and oranges. I was surprised that the socks (real socks!) were only half full. In the U.S. we use giant oversized socks and every year they are brimming with presents. I honestly think our Bangladeshi stockings were probably more authentic!<br /><br />Since they don't have fireplaces in Bangladesh (it is hot here!) we pinned the stockings on a line above the door to the kitchen. In the morning the children all came down and got their socks. The kids were particularly delighted with all of the candy which is relatively expensive here and therefore is not eaten as often (and certainly not in such large quantities!)<br /><br />After the stockings were open, they wanted to sing Christmas carols. (Bangladesh has a strong tradition of singing.) I taught them how to sing Jingle Bells. Duti, Koli's six year old daughter, caught on really fast! She only knows a few words of English, but after just two choruses she was able to sing along!<br /><br />All in all it was a very nice Christmas. Next year though I want to bring them a gingerbread cake...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hanging the Stockings</span><br />We hung the stockings (and hats and glove) over the door to the kitchen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQd6-N8X_oxohnpQ0al4Q7r1YE4s_cOASJ4RL_jwjlB1ykh7xq9SDsNpCLHg2MFfKs_i6WaPzLFB2MMOoaiHbbb7AseRQ6dCrKhJEtdAkx51qeszGNw7aBrO-t64iYlSgiAsV/s1600-h/Stockings+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQd6-N8X_oxohnpQ0al4Q7r1YE4s_cOASJ4RL_jwjlB1ykh7xq9SDsNpCLHg2MFfKs_i6WaPzLFB2MMOoaiHbbb7AseRQ6dCrKhJEtdAkx51qeszGNw7aBrO-t64iYlSgiAsV/s320/Stockings+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285162098829331810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stockings After Santa</span><br />One of the full stockings (which for some reason is inside out.) We kept adding children who would be celebrating with us and so had to keep finding socks! Santa eventually ran out of candy so Koli (the glove) ended up getting a rock for Christmas. The children found this hysterical!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSy2rKLn3af8kAcUufRXbcTqIciQlV_WxkS1iNK2AyobU8HqhI2w7A3qeHvUsuSwPJixdAxohF-VN04nTPSftml1xz5fM2OhYCwEKba8sbOyu-I95UmcUlj4hJRUlonp1JgGC/s1600-h/Stocking+After+Santa+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSy2rKLn3af8kAcUufRXbcTqIciQlV_WxkS1iNK2AyobU8HqhI2w7A3qeHvUsuSwPJixdAxohF-VN04nTPSftml1xz5fM2OhYCwEKba8sbOyu-I95UmcUlj4hJRUlonp1JgGC/s320/Stocking+After+Santa+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285162093627100418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Duti and Candy</span><br />Koli's adorable daughter, Duti, with the candy from her stocking.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiSoTmqnX7IZA8yEm5JPFuns7-ERqvL_50LleCqtFIfH6zaPLau55Xp4ktMPOoR79CAecVKvGvkiNfN6wD6qIcaIOGxMg5oXCFLdoWZwKSOAoBdKMnEt5l0zqiq-ps0EuxKh-/s1600-h/Duti+and+Candy+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiSoTmqnX7IZA8yEm5JPFuns7-ERqvL_50LleCqtFIfH6zaPLau55Xp4ktMPOoR79CAecVKvGvkiNfN6wD6qIcaIOGxMg5oXCFLdoWZwKSOAoBdKMnEt5l0zqiq-ps0EuxKh-/s320/Duti+and+Candy+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285162093906034034" border="0" /></a></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-61588531305411891812008-12-23T16:35:00.001+06:002008-12-23T16:35:50.915+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bangladesh Election</span><br />December 23, 2008<br /><br />The election is coming in just a week (December 29)! There are now signs posted all around Dhaka and men and women with bullhorns ride rickshaws through the streets shouting out support for their favorite candidate.<br /><br />Apparently this year the candidates are only allowed to post black and white advertisements, so you see them taped to power lines all around the city like little flags. Sadly, I think the signs are pretty ineffective, because you can make out anything on them unless you are standing right next to the sign.<br /><br />So far the election has been quite calm; it is very unlike the scene two years ago when I arrived - the time when the elections were <span style="font-style: italic;">supposed </span>to be held. So far neither party has rioted or decided to boycott the polls. I will be interested to see what happens on election day and the few weeks immediately after it...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flags and Fliers<br /></span>Gulshan-2 Circle was decorated for Independence Day (December 16th). They kept the flags up and candidates have put up their fliers all around the circle.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKEw4pB8NERzaQ_xuVVn9E1RqCAZy4GR99ZVgg_l-WEBGwzRmzNoTNFrtUkc5BOJAIWKcNv_GJmulAZoLmJwjymR4lFfb2rYtWCAy5yn0TU_CaWwyYS-qwS_NzDy4ZeJhyphenhyphene_N/s1600-h/Election+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKEw4pB8NERzaQ_xuVVn9E1RqCAZy4GR99ZVgg_l-WEBGwzRmzNoTNFrtUkc5BOJAIWKcNv_GJmulAZoLmJwjymR4lFfb2rYtWCAy5yn0TU_CaWwyYS-qwS_NzDy4ZeJhyphenhyphene_N/s320/Election+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282929907624296882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Black and White Banners</span><br />You can see all of the advertisements on the power lines in this photo.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1X7yc1B5glge1QhYtjG0yBX0Qjk2L_3Y_y6Ii3jW7CJU8ejX8ZnzNoXLFWey_btizwL0yjwepaJGngqNN8DNrCREFTqBCyQX0zek7lzVxsU1EmybNiYbFTRrnDMyZVSSp2yg/s1600-h/Election+3+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1X7yc1B5glge1QhYtjG0yBX0Qjk2L_3Y_y6Ii3jW7CJU8ejX8ZnzNoXLFWey_btizwL0yjwepaJGngqNN8DNrCREFTqBCyQX0zek7lzVxsU1EmybNiYbFTRrnDMyZVSSp2yg/s320/Election+3+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282929913726899602" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Close-Up</span><br />Here is a close-up of one of the posters. All of the fliers have the photograph of the candidate on them.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQMdE10pNqJgcE9X_IluK4ajt3W71AYDx-_hxZaytIMDOYQ861kTrXztyqZjL_U6kCieUKEbacUiXbZhpRfoYHn-btSBocUq4oJ0J__dXfJK9W2myiAMLNcB3OATD6coB5Yc5/s1600-h/Election+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQMdE10pNqJgcE9X_IluK4ajt3W71AYDx-_hxZaytIMDOYQ861kTrXztyqZjL_U6kCieUKEbacUiXbZhpRfoYHn-btSBocUq4oJ0J__dXfJK9W2myiAMLNcB3OATD6coB5Yc5/s320/Election+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282929911252984578" border="0" /></a>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-42014467873625154722008-12-09T10:07:00.002+06:002008-12-09T10:16:16.025+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamida Makes Me Cry</span><br />December 9, 2008<br /><br />Today is Eid ul-Azha, the biggest holiday in Islam. It is a day when Bangladeshis celebrate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Issac by sacrificing an animal - usually a cow or goat. One third of the meat goes to the poor, one third to neighbors, and one third to friends and family.<br /><br />In the days leading up to Eid ul-Azha the streets of Dhaka are filled with animals in the markets and tethered outside of people's homes. I normally prefer to stay inside on this day because while I respect the cultural practices of the Bangladeshis I don't like to see the actual slaughtering.<br /><br />This morning Hamida came into my office and excitedly told me that I can see cows from my window. I thought she meant that there were a bunch of cows tied outside in my neighbor's yard, so I followed her to the balcony to see. Sadly, what she really meant was that all of my neighbors were slaughtering animals in the yard! I was quite disturbed by the scene and yelped and ran back inside. Hamida started rolling on the ground she was laughing so hard...<br /><br />I guess cultural differences can be entertaining from both sides of the fence...Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-74895623884688178332008-12-01T16:52:00.007+06:002010-03-18T18:15:24.314+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Forming a Company in Bangladesh</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Like the road system of Bangladesh, the path to company formation is fraught with potholes, u-turns, and unpaved roads, but for the intrepid entrepreneur starting a business here can be very rewarding – both economically and personally. Foreigners are allowed to 100% own land and companies and they can repatriate 100% of their profits – a rare financial find in the developing world. Businesses also bring jobs to the country’s 150 million inhabitants, many of whom live on less than a dollar a day.</p> Since forming a company in Bangladesh is a complicated process, I have decided to document the process in the hopes of saving the next entrepreneur a bit of time navigating through the system.<br /><br />I will use this as the index page for my blog entries so others will be able to link to this single blog entry and will be able to easily find all of my other posts on the subject. I will update this page whenever I add a new entry. If any one else has any other tips that they would like to add, please feel free to add them here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Company Formation in Bangladesh:<br /><br /></span><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-have-company-may-8-2008-six-months_3955.html">Company Formation Part I</a> - 5/8/08<br /><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/05/company-formation-part-ii-may-26-2008.html">Company Formation Part II</a> - 5/26/08<br /><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/06/company-formation-part-iii-june-17-2008.html">Company Formation Part III</a> - 6/17/08<br /><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/02/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-4.html">Company Formation Part IV</a> - 2/12/09<br /><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/05/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-v.html">Company Formation Part V</a> - 5/17/09<br /><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-vi.html">Company Formation Part VI</a> - 6/1/09<br /><a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2010/03/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part.html">Company Formation Part VII</a> - 3/18/10<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-have-company-may-8-2008-six-months_3955.html">Part 1</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>Starting the process</li><li>The different types of companies in Bangladesh</li><li>Forming/ incorporating a company</li><li>Registering with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies<br /></li><li>Obtaining encashment certificates</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">In </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/05/company-formation-part-ii-may-26-2008.html">Part 2</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>Steps you need to take to form a company (from A to Z!)</li><li>What order everything needs to be submitted in</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">In </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2008/06/company-formation-part-iii-june-17-2008.html">Part 3</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>"Commercial Side" vs. "Industrial Side" of the Bangladesh Board of Investment</li><li>Opening a corporate bank account</li><li>"Non-operating" vs. "Operating" bank accounts</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">In </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/02/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-4.html">Part 4</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>BOI Registration</li><li>Fees for BOI Registration</li><li>Getting a Bank Draft</li><li>Getting a Tax ID Number (TIN)</li><li>Getting a Trade License</li><li>Land requirement of BOI Registration</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">In </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/05/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-v.html">Part 5</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>Investor Visa Application Process</li><li>Work Permit Application Process</li><li>Finally Opening Your Bank Account!</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">In <a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part-vi.html">Part 6</a> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>Amending Your BOI Registration Letter</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">In <a href="http://kboekhoff.blogspot.com/2010/03/company-formation-in-bangladesh-part.html">Part 7</a> I cover the following things:</span><br /><ol><li>First Annual General Meetings</li><li>Overseas Document Attestation</li><li>Annual RJSC Filing</li><li>Filing Documents with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC)</li><li>Audited Financials</li></ol>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-5454831709603250142008-11-13T07:57:00.005+06:002008-11-13T08:39:48.491+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Photographic Boat Tour on the Padma River</span><br />November 9, 2008<br /><br />I just got back from a two day boat tour that my roommate, Mikey, organized. He also taught a photography class while we were on board. I was eager to sign up because: a) I would like to improve my photography and b) I was eager to finally see the wooden Contic boat that I have heard so much about.<br /><br />The boat was very nice. It had six cabins that held two people each. Mikey and Osama (from Contic) slept on the deck and the crew slept in the back by the kitchen. The food was very good and it was lovely to be out on the river, watching the scenery go by.<br /><br />My only complaint was that I would have chosen some more picturesque villages to stop at. The first site wasn't bad - we saw some boats being fixed which was quite interesting - but the second site was a manure farm by a brick factory. I think that a river boat ride on the river near Panigram would be much more beautiful! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Contic Boat</span><br />This is the boat with its sails unfurled. Contic is trying to revive the ancient wooden boat making techniques. This boat design is thousands of years old. Boats like this are still around, but now they are powered by engines instead of sails. The sails on this boat can't be tacked, so it can only go one direction - the direction the wind is blowing! In olden days the boats would be filled with cargo and sailed to their destination and then pulled back by men and cows! These sails are mostly for display. We used the motor most of the time we were on the water...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksJT9uieDg1RdhDAjeJxlikq4bfgIOkwqBD4LoHqDz_INDlW7eLQP3UUyQLMWLCUUocEihepmS3iH-3OVPqRXWy2VZLG-Ei746ZBbB2SOjrTFQ29jRLdfZvWvC-auqAp3XKJW/s1600-h/Boat+5+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksJT9uieDg1RdhDAjeJxlikq4bfgIOkwqBD4LoHqDz_INDlW7eLQP3UUyQLMWLCUUocEihepmS3iH-3OVPqRXWy2VZLG-Ei746ZBbB2SOjrTFQ29jRLdfZvWvC-auqAp3XKJW/s320/Boat+5+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960053699551058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Boat Deck</span><br />The roof of the boat is made of bamboo. We went up here to take photos and enjoy the breeze.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9LYGQyr7Dv3HfFpKE5BnBhG1g7S9vhgGrcwcjf4VQquYZhMBJI-AkhO6r4kzywhwkZpUcO5KeEDSSl62O_tFx8W0pLgnizfmvnM_XsrvC2g61PDT7vi60kFmLx2lFCm2vPLb/s1600-h/Ropes+4+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9LYGQyr7Dv3HfFpKE5BnBhG1g7S9vhgGrcwcjf4VQquYZhMBJI-AkhO6r4kzywhwkZpUcO5KeEDSSl62O_tFx8W0pLgnizfmvnM_XsrvC2g61PDT7vi60kFmLx2lFCm2vPLb/s320/Ropes+4+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267961008378028402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Driver</span><br />This is the guy steering the boat. I really like the carved elephant rudder.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14H1mwfqOv2_-CuU-RuKakLN6PkZDteMZfb0_NeRUL2eajUQmgKRnxSfH0AVkuVRlWdVM_afuX3lKPTGNTml9to7NTP_IpZXJVPihJmmaJlNNO9hzBSz1ybX87XiCGIx8Clw7/s1600-h/Driver+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14H1mwfqOv2_-CuU-RuKakLN6PkZDteMZfb0_NeRUL2eajUQmgKRnxSfH0AVkuVRlWdVM_afuX3lKPTGNTml9to7NTP_IpZXJVPihJmmaJlNNO9hzBSz1ybX87XiCGIx8Clw7/s320/Driver+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960061848656578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mending a Boat</span><br />At the first village that we stopped at, men were mending a boat. They were putting a new bottom on it. Even the locals stopped to observe the work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFb57yzfBNknTRTmGw3DxoKccw4TWs2vcz1V0qyjiVZ_vvgUy6p1GwIRAz96KTyLI1IrvrmaSWojw7jh0TQ549aHZw9S-NbYvtaf46eq5_OhAZWyMkGrXLvtgSw6l8pCpVwIv/s1600-h/Men+Watching+Boat+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFb57yzfBNknTRTmGw3DxoKccw4TWs2vcz1V0qyjiVZ_vvgUy6p1GwIRAz96KTyLI1IrvrmaSWojw7jh0TQ549aHZw9S-NbYvtaf46eq5_OhAZWyMkGrXLvtgSw6l8pCpVwIv/s320/Men+Watching+Boat+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960991198306162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Boy Carrying Pack</span><br />I took a few photos of the kids on the beach.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlRMa3oGAYJYxShmZ81nPg_zBkLsm7gh2irGsc4PYiQzMb-wEfmqfiEdqZe0l-h12kKEzzFVAnC3HPFP4doHwfD2YGvMxjuSFyqBVB9yx5gafA3rkkkdH-XaNWftqWZfRasFz/s1600-h/Boy+Carrying+Pack+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlRMa3oGAYJYxShmZ81nPg_zBkLsm7gh2irGsc4PYiQzMb-wEfmqfiEdqZe0l-h12kKEzzFVAnC3HPFP4doHwfD2YGvMxjuSFyqBVB9yx5gafA3rkkkdH-XaNWftqWZfRasFz/s320/Boy+Carrying+Pack+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960054643543938" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Girl on Beach</span><br />This is my favorite photo. This girl was really charming, and I love how you can see the boats in the background.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWe4RjmJ66Krk0UbJGe_DrPMY8kqfQ7fTSbBSKumKNNCI5UrNyZ4fKG1Q0bGc2bwgAnz7XiM-oR9T_8N0l_g1BpasZh7bQgC8d58BI3fWLRjsF5rugmP7xMD8Mxe8nl0oTLoRi/s1600-h/Girl+at+Beach+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWe4RjmJ66Krk0UbJGe_DrPMY8kqfQ7fTSbBSKumKNNCI5UrNyZ4fKG1Q0bGc2bwgAnz7XiM-oR9T_8N0l_g1BpasZh7bQgC8d58BI3fWLRjsF5rugmP7xMD8Mxe8nl0oTLoRi/s320/Girl+at+Beach+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960069641347186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksJT9uieDg1RdhDAjeJxlikq4bfgIOkwqBD4LoHqDz_INDlW7eLQP3UUyQLMWLCUUocEihepmS3iH-3OVPqRXWy2VZLG-Ei746ZBbB2SOjrTFQ29jRLdfZvWvC-auqAp3XKJW/s1600-h/Boat+5+sm.jpg"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photographing the Photographer</span><br />The villagers were just as eager to take our photos as we were to take theirs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63yNPZnf7LsjW-u8Bvf6YELb8HRAcwvaLOgrFIDq-os4mt0QimwjD1Zpqx2ulloqt2geV7xYbY6I-o_yXHaC7vOfCUyuXQroKqaJypgv900AMStr5MFE5EKUeBzuNFvddnEV9/s1600-h/Photos+of+the+Photographer+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63yNPZnf7LsjW-u8Bvf6YELb8HRAcwvaLOgrFIDq-os4mt0QimwjD1Zpqx2ulloqt2geV7xYbY6I-o_yXHaC7vOfCUyuXQroKqaJypgv900AMStr5MFE5EKUeBzuNFvddnEV9/s320/Photos+of+the+Photographer+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960998204258162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fishing at Sunrise</span><br />The next morning we got up early to take photos of the sunrise. These fishermen were up early to take advantage of the morning light.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHy6Do1__yb9JWpudJtKAIICxZRsXVWQz_liDmtW2f-TaXTc6D2z0zPVWlTIUut4umUm90xxTHz4qUw5ZZ0hmK2XU6Gofs_ullbQrOoK_Zxfo1GQ7DF8tA_7IEeB_QD3Wv6TZ/s1600-h/Fishing+at+Sunrise+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHy6Do1__yb9JWpudJtKAIICxZRsXVWQz_liDmtW2f-TaXTc6D2z0zPVWlTIUut4umUm90xxTHz4qUw5ZZ0hmK2XU6Gofs_ullbQrOoK_Zxfo1GQ7DF8tA_7IEeB_QD3Wv6TZ/s320/Fishing+at+Sunrise+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960070430510178" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunrise</span><br />This is my favorite sunrise shot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3hR8GQM9pto33NpY3_SwQvc2rzD_31oj16u_JiRQdinZCLcPDF20IB47-OwG912b396beKc8HiG4BNGHduo4hMXkGT-Cpj__WAwZ6uiU_de5vR1cTYo0Ww1qV4k0AWstrcQo/s1600-h/Sunrise+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3hR8GQM9pto33NpY3_SwQvc2rzD_31oj16u_JiRQdinZCLcPDF20IB47-OwG912b396beKc8HiG4BNGHduo4hMXkGT-Cpj__WAwZ6uiU_de5vR1cTYo0Ww1qV4k0AWstrcQo/s320/Sunrise+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267961011682553554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Village by the River</span><br />I love this picture because it really captures Bangladeshi village life - the house by the water, the wooden boats, the banana trees, and the villagers in brightly colored clothing curiously watching the foreigners sail by... I just wish the photo were more in focus!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkzeD-IWoAuSdO-ZbKpzfBPVADu0XW2xsm8IVMkQfeInB3gV9WLi6zh2y2nvq_ZflBzx12kn0XT0kVwBcyxuejqUjMTM4xX44S39DxKofheQGVQFNEpgy-nxf234IuFxiA4Ge/s1600-h/Village+on+the+River+Bank2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkzeD-IWoAuSdO-ZbKpzfBPVADu0XW2xsm8IVMkQfeInB3gV9WLi6zh2y2nvq_ZflBzx12kn0XT0kVwBcyxuejqUjMTM4xX44S39DxKofheQGVQFNEpgy-nxf234IuFxiA4Ge/s320/Village+on+the+River+Bank2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267966102903050482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Manure Village</span><br />The second village that we stopped at was a manure farm. Most rural Bangladeshis use manure as their primary fuel source. It is better than cutting down the trees, but I could have selected a more picturesque location than a manure farm by a brick factory. Still, as this photo shows, beauty can be found anywhere!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFi-aULlvuf92aOgcN8_bg4usr7WiTkksD1BPw-3NebzuRVnLl9MJFGrdw8JiWFmA37oh2CUlPHGPhNxNoXWtNhjfGXBoFwj_4rFvjy1gaDLB_ikNyQZxa93eLKomPirYa9bj/s1600-h/Manure+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFi-aULlvuf92aOgcN8_bg4usr7WiTkksD1BPw-3NebzuRVnLl9MJFGrdw8JiWFmA37oh2CUlPHGPhNxNoXWtNhjfGXBoFwj_4rFvjy1gaDLB_ikNyQZxa93eLKomPirYa9bj/s320/Manure+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267960985668707154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-88634600013778412582008-11-03T13:33:00.004+06:002008-11-03T13:45:12.480+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Cricket!</span><br />October 11, 2008<br /><br />At the Durga Puja celebration I met Kym, who is the wife of the coach for the Bangladesh cricket team. She invited me to come to the game, and since I have wanted to see a game for about two years, I happily agreed!<br /><br />Since she is a VIP, we got nice, air conditioned box seats right over the middle of the field. Kym tried to explain the rules to me. It seems a bit like American baseball, except the batters run back and forth between two sets of sticks (called wickets, though apparently there are six different meanings for wickets in the game!) instead of around bases. Each batter continues to bat until is gets out. Because of this, games can continue for days. The game that I was watching was a one day came, however, so it was capped at 50 overs. Even so, it was quite long and so we just arrived for the second half of the match where Bangladesh was batting. (New Zealand batted earlier in the day.)<br /><br />The stands were packed and there was an air of excitement, because two days before (on the same day we went to the Durga Puja festival) Bangladesh had won their first cricket game in years. Sadly, they did not fare so well today...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cricket Stadium</span><br />The stadium (as seen from our lovely air conditioned box seats!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2hjAfaTSHpon3JATQX6IO8l0V2dUQQ5Grc35YOwReISDUs2CoByY4OX0c8y-oEB2daqp9MNbS_iL5NU3gT9-_-vQ3ACiErKKWjlIJxpaLtzl5nLpyzfgG9n8kl_GbHJzkM1L/s1600-h/Cricket+Pitch+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2hjAfaTSHpon3JATQX6IO8l0V2dUQQ5Grc35YOwReISDUs2CoByY4OX0c8y-oEB2daqp9MNbS_iL5NU3gT9-_-vQ3ACiErKKWjlIJxpaLtzl5nLpyzfgG9n8kl_GbHJzkM1L/s320/Cricket+Pitch+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264333069887750546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Batters</span><br />Batters running back and forth trying to score.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgmTZrHDQnbFDHs6TwJorgpltttMgYkBbBamGCIl4Xc5KW9QiOSqfOIMzNoFHa56lIccSJLhvkoo39twxGTgY-fYI3irNyS2djNgBfTquWb4bAHIkz95XqsNdqFJHfVy-phaU/s1600-h/Batters+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgmTZrHDQnbFDHs6TwJorgpltttMgYkBbBamGCIl4Xc5KW9QiOSqfOIMzNoFHa56lIccSJLhvkoo39twxGTgY-fYI3irNyS2djNgBfTquWb4bAHIkz95XqsNdqFJHfVy-phaU/s320/Batters+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264333062563414738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scoreboard</span><br />The score board was very low tech! There were many guys standing behind it who updated it after every play.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eMp2hc6OqlMgKng70c5_G8A8qBxrACOLGleG3JVLH6pTnILV_Cl-enryFPXSaAyPuUxAwVk8oSFOkYKEx7bp04uTyv39lxxN9_PBqt8ln3k_G4jOyCC2pJ1QVBJ1qBr3jOAi/s1600-h/Scoreboard+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eMp2hc6OqlMgKng70c5_G8A8qBxrACOLGleG3JVLH6pTnILV_Cl-enryFPXSaAyPuUxAwVk8oSFOkYKEx7bp04uTyv39lxxN9_PBqt8ln3k_G4jOyCC2pJ1QVBJ1qBr3jOAi/s320/Scoreboard+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264333070624833058" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-62852051691271499082008-11-03T13:06:00.003+06:002008-11-03T13:33:01.666+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Durga Puja</span><br />October 9, 2008<br /><br />My friend Mikey arranged a trip to go to Savar today to see the Hindu Durga Puja ceremony.<br /><br />Durga Puja is a Bengali Hindu ceremony that celebrates the goddess Durga. Durga is a ten-armed goddess of invincibility and feminine power. She came to embody the idea of Indian independence during the British occupation.<br /><br />For the five day festival, wealthy villagers create painted idols out of clay and straw:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Durga </span>- goddess of invincibility and feminine power<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shiva </span>- god of destruction or transformation<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lakshmi </span>- goddess of wealth and prosperity<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ganesha </span>- god of the arts and sciences; remover of obstacles<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saraswati </span>- hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kartikeya </span>- god of war<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mahishasura </span>- demon who could not be defeated by men, but who was vanquished by Durga (a woman)<br /></li></ul>On the morning of the fifth day the eyes are painted on the goddess. In the afternoon the family members anoint her with spices and herbs and take her to the river in a great procession that the town participates in to be burned.<br /><br />We stopped at a brass shop in Savar and observed the owner's durga puja statues being sanctified and taken to the river.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kartikeya</span><br />Sculpture of the god of war.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmMxejE9EvzBt0aD5AriVwsmDarHVgtCzcMCD5pF7Yu0FXuySnLw1EsPpvxx6guCeRvX4M-CnZCwpbSdxEToS5Yw4Khu2m18g8yKzhXQhJMc94h9NgLvAZHwaaPD2r8NmWwsN/s1600-h/Durga+Puja+9+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmMxejE9EvzBt0aD5AriVwsmDarHVgtCzcMCD5pF7Yu0FXuySnLw1EsPpvxx6guCeRvX4M-CnZCwpbSdxEToS5Yw4Khu2m18g8yKzhXQhJMc94h9NgLvAZHwaaPD2r8NmWwsN/s320/Durga+Puja+9+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264327474103188130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Villagers Celebrate</span><br />The villagers gather around the idols to celebrate. There were several families in Savar who created idols.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgID3CWL1rXy-HAnmIWnDkNBfpoE0JKo44QPypFsMFXxzrGHr_ct9P_f79BD8_LjQ0UrIgBUzSzcC3Mni6FXouI8dKWh7ZML-EGsU7CVthQAl3B7IMtF5gUI4HLHgObXTzxiD/s1600-h/Durga+Puja+7+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgID3CWL1rXy-HAnmIWnDkNBfpoE0JKo44QPypFsMFXxzrGHr_ct9P_f79BD8_LjQ0UrIgBUzSzcC3Mni6FXouI8dKWh7ZML-EGsU7CVthQAl3B7IMtF5gUI4HLHgObXTzxiD/s320/Durga+Puja+7+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264327470350376418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Durga</span><br />Carrying weapons in each of her ten hands.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoddIYAbASxr_oZHJsw1xiuKde4AXiHkXDvPxBBUfOs9cl8kmgtzQOKv3TSDQmPAbww30IDFamPZ66Q_Jq4iEVgT9bC2706r53VIKqGV-ctHUOg8ofHSn0hdYKnfHt9-Sb8Mmk/s1600-h/Durga+Puja+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoddIYAbASxr_oZHJsw1xiuKde4AXiHkXDvPxBBUfOs9cl8kmgtzQOKv3TSDQmPAbww30IDFamPZ66Q_Jq4iEVgT9bC2706r53VIKqGV-ctHUOg8ofHSn0hdYKnfHt9-Sb8Mmk/s320/Durga+Puja+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264327460698214130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Durga Being Anointed</span><br />Family members rub her with spices and burn incense before she is taken to the river.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsfNRiKhFypHc6Vc1OP1O_dMCj0u_04KQPfZ8_SqorqPHrE0WHcgBBBP5Ha_pvJtIvjqq9MASmVpBCNZWElnu-D5wiLRfMCeWECKJtvyRg8b7DMx2SHNXVHAh7JvQ1vXtNXdl/s1600-h/Durga+Puja+4+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsfNRiKhFypHc6Vc1OP1O_dMCj0u_04KQPfZ8_SqorqPHrE0WHcgBBBP5Ha_pvJtIvjqq9MASmVpBCNZWElnu-D5wiLRfMCeWECKJtvyRg8b7DMx2SHNXVHAh7JvQ1vXtNXdl/s320/Durga+Puja+4+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264327469341912738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brass Store</span><br />The brass store itself was quite interesting. They had some amazing sculptures (which I may purchase for Panigram Resort!) and the most incredible chess set that I have ever seen! Here is a close-up of some of the pieces.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_vePRDqUnxJUADqL3IcURVmJD6fukjL9eF5zycCIFYabryriuwYRjEXfkhrSFGlofuYVsXM5JOJmqp41YikRJ58y02A4kFcBmhYhZ87jJDJBvInu0zj4uafIOdsB_lsURihP/s1600-h/Chess+Set+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_vePRDqUnxJUADqL3IcURVmJD6fukjL9eF5zycCIFYabryriuwYRjEXfkhrSFGlofuYVsXM5JOJmqp41YikRJ58y02A4kFcBmhYhZ87jJDJBvInu0zj4uafIOdsB_lsURihP/s320/Chess+Set+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264327461604115538" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-17965144395518776422008-11-03T12:54:00.002+06:002008-11-03T13:05:45.859+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">I Vote for Obama!</span><br />October 7, 2008<br /><br />The American Embassy in Bangladesh has done a very good job helping U.S. citizens here figure out how to vote. They had a few information sessions where we could apply for our absentee ballots and then a couple of voting nights at the American Club where we can turn in our absentee ballots, ask questions, and watch the debates on T.V.<br /><br />It was actually quite exciting to vote! Even though we vote earlier than everyone else and thus can't rush home to see how our vote influenced the latest results, the American Club still had that air of excitement that comes with an election.<br /><br />I am so happy to be an American at this amazing landmark point in our history. I downloaded the debates and nomination speeches from the internet and have been following the election news daily.<br /><br />Happily, the American Club will be showing the results live on TV the morning of November 5th (that is the evening in the U.S.) I expect that the election will be close enough that they won't call it until I wake up! I can't wait!! I haven't been this excited to participate in an election since I was eligible to vote!Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-85987881107050676282008-11-03T12:28:00.005+06:002008-11-03T12:48:17.652+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Oktoberfest!</span><br />October 2, 2008<br /><br />After spending the entire night in the bus station in Munich, I went to back to Mariella's house to rest for a day before heading back to Dhaka. Because Oktoberfest happened to be going on while I was there, Mariella's mom invited me to come see it with her.<br /><br />I will admit that I had always been curious about Oktoberfest, and much of it lived up to my expectations. There were many beer halls in large, very elaborate tents. Vendors sold the largest beers and pretzels that I have ever seen! Girls in dirndl and men in leder hosen danced merrily on top of the tables to the folk music the live band was performing.<br /><br />The part about Oktoberfest that I did not expect was that it is also a giant carnival. There are rides, games, and concession vendors selling gingerbread and candy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer Tent</span><br />The tents were so elaborate it was hard to believe that they were just temporary structures. It was quite difficult to find a seat!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw37FiyAqyDbjXwJrEuwQ58WZPUQK9z5vCX33nxsz9c0-laq_mVfzGyDKe9atGA3X8ohNQVAEOUV63Tm69glB7fFn69eGzb72vYulfau8lacyV6QOvM_Qrjop-ZG6ObNjfx0hn/s1600-h/Beer+Tent+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw37FiyAqyDbjXwJrEuwQ58WZPUQK9z5vCX33nxsz9c0-laq_mVfzGyDKe9atGA3X8ohNQVAEOUV63Tm69glB7fFn69eGzb72vYulfau8lacyV6QOvM_Qrjop-ZG6ObNjfx0hn/s320/Beer+Tent+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264317652407021490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dancing on Tables</span><br />Men and women dancing in a drunken frenzy on the tables.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG30zR_6tUOJpWyUNikMyVGxGMMm9KjrKZg4bm2WslnUYX1-GVQ6h6ACNL0QQPw1m4VQ9bYiEp9mbB_LkRQCYQpKhD1qoaBEM9ce0YJHI-AUWACCLNvmw2CFEkFZZCrPEDDBcP/s1600-h/Beer+Tent+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG30zR_6tUOJpWyUNikMyVGxGMMm9KjrKZg4bm2WslnUYX1-GVQ6h6ACNL0QQPw1m4VQ9bYiEp9mbB_LkRQCYQpKhD1qoaBEM9ce0YJHI-AUWACCLNvmw2CFEkFZZCrPEDDBcP/s320/Beer+Tent+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264317655193405170" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carnival! </span><br />This was probably the largest carnival that I have been to! There were tons of rides! This photo was taken from the ferris wheel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStE0dF2sGBrq5_KTCmc5OOu2LRKN3olrSG0jkP6I4FNy7dE4X3mhPkT_o0g6FHRjq39axOKIYhHZKLKosq-3_tYFTbYCtuq4fr7rTckjm_irFuDGNKXZHtRwBFyEsBCZOUpnA/s1600-h/Oktoberfest+2008+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStE0dF2sGBrq5_KTCmc5OOu2LRKN3olrSG0jkP6I4FNy7dE4X3mhPkT_o0g6FHRjq39axOKIYhHZKLKosq-3_tYFTbYCtuq4fr7rTckjm_irFuDGNKXZHtRwBFyEsBCZOUpnA/s320/Oktoberfest+2008+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264317655284848642" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ferris Wheel</span><br />Aforementioned ferris wheel...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxf-g2rkVMZYMY2gDi1czCDIx6HokKBu9TitBpms4NxiBvf3tlobLpMq6lk3T6-OdtQ6g-gsd0AZ2LCfMocrtkCmNe5Z2v5gFlkpfKkTchOXRJETbb0smKQr1z8KXl1nu-ZNh/s1600-h/Oktoberfest+2008+6+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxf-g2rkVMZYMY2gDi1czCDIx6HokKBu9TitBpms4NxiBvf3tlobLpMq6lk3T6-OdtQ6g-gsd0AZ2LCfMocrtkCmNe5Z2v5gFlkpfKkTchOXRJETbb0smKQr1z8KXl1nu-ZNh/s320/Oktoberfest+2008+6+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264317665815096658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Candy Vendor</span><br />Mmmm... Candy... My brother-in-law would be in heaven! The honey roasted nuts were my favorite!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPYfNxAHOFi6wv4Ue39Mg9BcoV4_i4xxFN8aXMjiqLKotzLO0iTw2EnefuY6Y6h-OEE96NawMD2EeU3h3UgAmoyqF0uLU-iHkYzYeLqQlkrTgUl7VLTnZiVtZXOCvtzRDDk__/s1600-h/Candy+Stand+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPYfNxAHOFi6wv4Ue39Mg9BcoV4_i4xxFN8aXMjiqLKotzLO0iTw2EnefuY6Y6h-OEE96NawMD2EeU3h3UgAmoyqF0uLU-iHkYzYeLqQlkrTgUl7VLTnZiVtZXOCvtzRDDk__/s320/Candy+Stand+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264317655689344850" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">For more photos you can visit my Oktoberfest 2008 Flickr page: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/37702165@N00/sets/72157608349666212/">Oktoberfest Photos</a><br /></div></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-52181354129117441482008-11-03T11:41:00.005+06:002008-11-03T12:26:52.843+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Montenegro Coast, Mountains, and Skadar Lake</span><br />September 22, 2008<br /><br />After a couple of days in Kotor I headed along the coast of Montegro. I stopped briefly in Budva and took a lovely photo of Sveti Stephan. I wanted to continue on to the mountains, but it was getting dark, so I stopped in Cetinje for the night.<br /><br />The next day I drove up to Skadar Lake. The mountain road was VERY narrow and quite winding, so I went very slowly. Several times I had to pull over on a tiny little ledge overlooking a cliff to let another car pass. At those times I wished that I still had my little motor scooter!<br /><br />The toe curling ride was worth it though for the spectacular view of Skadar Lake. The lake is extremely large and has several small islands in it. Plus, the leaves were just starting to change, which made it even more picturesque.<br /><br />I continued on through the mountains to the northwestern part of Montenegro and ended up in Plitvice for the night. Plitvice is next to the Pivsko Jezero River which is a fantastic shade of turquoise. The river runs in between some very steep mountain cliffs; a very dramatic view. My only complaint about Plitvice is that it was very cold while I was there (I am glad I had the foresight to bring my gloves and winter coat)!<br /><br />The next day I took another mountain drive back down to the coast. Again the view was spectacular, though much different from the view of the days before. I drove through the area where people normally ski in the winter. The mountain tops were bare and beautiful, dotted with grazing cows and small village homes. I got a bit worried at one point because I was getting low on gas and there were not any major towns in sight for hours. Fortunately, just as the gauge hit "Empty" I arrived in one of the ski villages and was able to refuel.<br /><br />After an entire day of driving, I ended back in Kotor for a night. Tomorrow back to Croatia...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Montenegro Coast</span><br />The coastline of Montenegro is very picturesque.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1bTWJX7obNSfQVQMYhIDhol6A2GdVxEG5OK78uiCFqMnMobEE7Siuwozo2h4-a2raEqSeM7u4nb7ckRpkW1tf2A1TexbJRrMXsF1Yu1jcQGVNEU3NY1MeIzdlUp3mFYuUaH2/s1600-h/Montenegran+Coast+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1bTWJX7obNSfQVQMYhIDhol6A2GdVxEG5OK78uiCFqMnMobEE7Siuwozo2h4-a2raEqSeM7u4nb7ckRpkW1tf2A1TexbJRrMXsF1Yu1jcQGVNEU3NY1MeIzdlUp3mFYuUaH2/s320/Montenegran+Coast+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264307837292478066" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Budva</span><br />This is a photo of the old town of Budva, one of many little stone villages on the coast of Montenegro.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9FgsEEcDQrRTHK_DOK_PxenFr9IJhzboN4LJgdpeXtbhWdMolUTcAZvufcv7kU5w_yePJxXcdkneuvcA-DIcuhjhCDiX1HAJpt5DxDqq-nvd-3Kp2ffpTOL21wvzMCo4QYmC/s1600-h/Budva+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9FgsEEcDQrRTHK_DOK_PxenFr9IJhzboN4LJgdpeXtbhWdMolUTcAZvufcv7kU5w_yePJxXcdkneuvcA-DIcuhjhCDiX1HAJpt5DxDqq-nvd-3Kp2ffpTOL21wvzMCo4QYmC/s320/Budva+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264307844485266754" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sveti Stephan</span><br />A small little medieval town on a tiny island off the coast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMvb1LHYjgeNS4bnrHnw26YQYUNTPsV8CX6RhRB-M9knq5UagxHZo06vOWOYmaPfXjrKGVG8QNQv4PXw489pDp3pXjSEKbALjf4O0VEVwT6aEZjGDV__On8W_JUsP5D-QkBIV/s1600-h/Sveti+Stefan+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMvb1LHYjgeNS4bnrHnw26YQYUNTPsV8CX6RhRB-M9knq5UagxHZo06vOWOYmaPfXjrKGVG8QNQv4PXw489pDp3pXjSEKbALjf4O0VEVwT6aEZjGDV__On8W_JUsP5D-QkBIV/s320/Sveti+Stefan+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264307841997320098" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Skadar Lake<br /></span><span>Looking at Skadar Lake from the mountain path. The lake is really beautiful!</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugOMNRAL9jYpeccH_XGo43l7RqwU61486oD9WthDhEpWegs_Yok2e-EQWOhEhEkkBmrvL9ZQUImb4Q-gM4VReci3lENpRjGNtAKqI32leNhUhx7oGXuHWiCK3H3dVRPuUsoya/s1600-h/Skadar+Lake+5+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugOMNRAL9jYpeccH_XGo43l7RqwU61486oD9WthDhEpWegs_Yok2e-EQWOhEhEkkBmrvL9ZQUImb4Q-gM4VReci3lENpRjGNtAKqI32leNhUhx7oGXuHWiCK3H3dVRPuUsoya/s320/Skadar+Lake+5+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264312063580637122" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Islands of Skadar Lake</span><br />I would love to buy this island! It is so picturesque (and a nice size for a small resort!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MBZhAPSqcSJNr86uWHS1AmCjfYARv3jarX6AV8p6RPRtHqrsOHIH7wTUciJjBGGRToXJy4mVWI-YB9FXKlzWHG9Sr2UEbHHAmCGrlMtPTqHdXqzLu6aNpq1mI6k0SQF-r600/s1600-h/Skadar+Lake+4+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MBZhAPSqcSJNr86uWHS1AmCjfYARv3jarX6AV8p6RPRtHqrsOHIH7wTUciJjBGGRToXJy4mVWI-YB9FXKlzWHG9Sr2UEbHHAmCGrlMtPTqHdXqzLu6aNpq1mI6k0SQF-r600/s320/Skadar+Lake+4+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264307856267026194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leaving Skadar Lake</span><br />I took this photo as I was leaving Skadar Lake. The lake turns into marsh land on the western side.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpyZl-aJ834aLPzWamtJjOLYzTlNTz9MMAZxphITnxLiXti0j1_c1DNxFMmfzTyOqwP-sGcbpkpgeVlCv-4xCEdsiDGtC6aM6l3zjGBaEvJD4nZQUwnNgRkV6Ky5erP0kAxGt/s1600-h/Skadar+Lake+3+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpyZl-aJ834aLPzWamtJjOLYzTlNTz9MMAZxphITnxLiXti0j1_c1DNxFMmfzTyOqwP-sGcbpkpgeVlCv-4xCEdsiDGtC6aM6l3zjGBaEvJD4nZQUwnNgRkV6Ky5erP0kAxGt/s320/Skadar+Lake+3+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264307848993590450" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mountain Village Home</span><br />This is a charming little farm house that I came across while driving from Skadar Lake to Plitvice.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUq5dgHHkZ7O3IYN976Xnn3EuZUbDN_snwUdQ1CQagUJcLS37_vGGoNGEgPxF4jzxR9PUEOGHTIp4P3S8tQ5SMjMAcfBGfBp6rZ1hOiwPtLSf-6cs8W94fjuJQPCpGTJiywm1G/s1600-h/Montenegro+Mountains+2+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUq5dgHHkZ7O3IYN976Xnn3EuZUbDN_snwUdQ1CQagUJcLS37_vGGoNGEgPxF4jzxR9PUEOGHTIp4P3S8tQ5SMjMAcfBGfBp6rZ1hOiwPtLSf-6cs8W94fjuJQPCpGTJiywm1G/s320/Montenegro+Mountains+2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264312071389206818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Plitvice</span><br />The beautiful turquoise river of Plitvice. Sadly it was very cloudy the day I took this picture, so you can't see the true color of the water; it is a Caribbean blue!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Uod7rHJ13q264YszO0kS1FuzaGLVX7VPug0h_TQ0s0cwtbZfXJleMoJtNODkjoIh-qvviQnHzRlzd30qBjSZ0KojmPGEKxrFxVZ18b2Djtojwy_HTpKOoa40pLd73_zVSgSs/s1600-h/Pivsko+Jezero+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Uod7rHJ13q264YszO0kS1FuzaGLVX7VPug0h_TQ0s0cwtbZfXJleMoJtNODkjoIh-qvviQnHzRlzd30qBjSZ0KojmPGEKxrFxVZ18b2Djtojwy_HTpKOoa40pLd73_zVSgSs/s320/Pivsko+Jezero+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264312082476040578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Through the Mountains</span><br />Taken while driving through the mountains on my way back to the coast. It was nice to get a taste of fall! Since I have been living in Bangladesh for two years, I haven't seen fall in awhile!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdal0mkVZZZ5uu7LvaWYwR0F0xvwC3rq1tkFJwHxtFDvXu2vqw9TYkgOcsAMYe4CvediHGAQOgI2oyeIKS-eac0R9X52O7jH8600vLgbhYgCStr3gQil-fehqTsOpI6eGpkWPd/s1600-h/Montenegro+Mountains+9+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdal0mkVZZZ5uu7LvaWYwR0F0xvwC3rq1tkFJwHxtFDvXu2vqw9TYkgOcsAMYe4CvediHGAQOgI2oyeIKS-eac0R9X52O7jH8600vLgbhYgCStr3gQil-fehqTsOpI6eGpkWPd/s320/Montenegro+Mountains+9+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264312081426085890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mountain Top</span><br />This is the view at the top of the mountain. It was quite windy and cold, but also very serene. In many places I drove through the clouds because the mountains were so high!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYT2llEENz44ynQuoQ0NgCFDZUoosJxu2WMGZJbfs8AWWYw3hkAJEYqT4DXfWcGQoNvVz219hyphenhyphenCkrD3Jq3d1w42eOJqW-qj6pSbrEdjuDVSb0qsa2y5TNt49u26nmKvS2ELJrS/s1600-h/Montenegro+Mountains+4+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYT2llEENz44ynQuoQ0NgCFDZUoosJxu2WMGZJbfs8AWWYw3hkAJEYqT4DXfWcGQoNvVz219hyphenhyphenCkrD3Jq3d1w42eOJqW-qj6pSbrEdjuDVSb0qsa2y5TNt49u26nmKvS2ELJrS/s320/Montenegro+Mountains+4+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264312073758313442" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />For more photos you can see my Montenegro Flickr Page: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/37702165@N00/collections/72157608286269514/">Montenegro Photos</a></div></div>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14695959.post-37315851553610672722008-10-27T08:51:00.009+06:002008-11-03T11:41:28.185+06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Entering Montenegro</span><br />September 19, 2008<br /><br />It was a quick drive from Dubrovnik down to Montenegro. As I turned the corner past the border crossing, the view of the Bay of Kotor opened up before me. I stopped in Herceg Novi for a couple of hours before proceeding on to Kotor town. Like Croatia, Montenegro has many charming old stone towns running along the coast. The mountains in Montenegro seem larger, however and are closer to the water, providing some spectacular backdrops.<br /><br />After enjoying the view of the water from the ramparts in Herceg Novi I continued on along the coast to Kotor, the main coastal town in Montenegro. After checking in to an apartmani I walked to Old Town. The old city is built at the foot of a large mountain. The castle is perched on a cliff above and looks over the town.<br /><br />I noticed a T-Mobile store in the town square, so I went in to pick up a new SIM card for my phone. It has been so nice to be able to easily switch my phone from one service provider to another as I travel. Five dollars and five minutes later I had a new Montenegro number!<br /><br />I will spend a couple of days here in Kotor and then will take a tour of the mountainous region...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Herceg Novi</span><br />This is the first town in Montenegro that I stopped in.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-rRjhX0ogHdU2Nxd5_D39dGraJCbv4G05bqoUf289gpp4T3WkLLbYTwBLtiy8C1IBBlfolj4b1fWMCVFi0bOc4pVSc6EL248v3oaa7k1KwWhPmjUkustEYDPp0gDpFTOglG1/s1600-h/Herceg+Novi+1+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-rRjhX0ogHdU2Nxd5_D39dGraJCbv4G05bqoUf289gpp4T3WkLLbYTwBLtiy8C1IBBlfolj4b1fWMCVFi0bOc4pVSc6EL248v3oaa7k1KwWhPmjUkustEYDPp0gDpFTOglG1/s320/Herceg+Novi+1+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264300675817396898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bay of Kotor</span><br />After stopping in Herceg Novi, I drove along the coast of the Bay of Kotor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMejpm1dj4Iv7hkGRfu_47g_vEedOFoBgahc0-znHDMLpZKbMb_E8vlXacVPOyfs3Z_nmV7bIfZrL4k0g3Tk6Dh6rhtw38LDXfWWvDiwL1c38tR7a3dRlQNOxBpXo4TFWcsOC/s1600-h/Bay+of+Kotor+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMejpm1dj4Iv7hkGRfu_47g_vEedOFoBgahc0-znHDMLpZKbMb_E8vlXacVPOyfs3Z_nmV7bIfZrL4k0g3Tk6Dh6rhtw38LDXfWWvDiwL1c38tR7a3dRlQNOxBpXo4TFWcsOC/s320/Bay+of+Kotor+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264301319449748962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kotor</span><br />I stayed a few nights in an apartmani in Kotor and went exploring in the old town during the day.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuH_u2B34X7EiM2JLF9-pRoky0KiAKfJEk6Q9_p-V3uR25I1NSXeJa0V7cKtQEiyKvh45iPB06zCsDxOycc2pGGjNZGdGrnGJzH89d5FNStwoyUEGjFFaXfnqJwMCpxYMDhJMa/s1600-h/Kotor+6+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuH_u2B34X7EiM2JLF9-pRoky0KiAKfJEk6Q9_p-V3uR25I1NSXeJa0V7cKtQEiyKvh45iPB06zCsDxOycc2pGGjNZGdGrnGJzH89d5FNStwoyUEGjFFaXfnqJwMCpxYMDhJMa/s320/Kotor+6+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264301323440706866" border="0" /></a><br />For more photos you can see my Montenegro Flickr Page: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/37702165@N00/collections/72157608286269514/">Montenegro Photos</a>Kristin Boekhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07928545688361979127noreply@blogger.com0