I’m in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where my underwear were made.
The people of Bangladesh are awesome. I have yet to catch one look or grimace that had any bad intent. There is indifference, disbelief, and joy, but no ill-will. No equivalent of “Go Home Gringo” exists.
Their willingness to help me, almost makes up for the complete lack of road signs. If I don’t know where I am or where I am going, I stop and ask somebody and soon a crowd forms, sometimes as many as 10 or 12 people. After a little deliberation, the crowd decides what it is exactly I’m saying and how I should proceed. If I think a taxi driver is sticking it to me,…
I spent the day before I left calling the corporations that made my clothes. So far only Levi’s have responded.
They gave me names of who to contact in Cambodia and where to reach them.
I think it could be a struggle to see the production floor at most of the factories I will be visiting, but I’m liking my chances at Levi’s. I’ll find out for sure in about 1 month.
After browsing this site it sure looks like they are leading the way in the ethical globalization garment front. From the site:
In the late 1980s, employees at Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) began to raise concerns about the working conditions of people making our products overseas. This led executives to begin work on a supplier code…
And so I’m off to discover Where Am I Wearing. The next time I post will be from somewhere far from Ohio. Until then, enjoy this audio-slideshow that introduces the quest.
WARNING: This feature is rated PG-13 for excessive body hair.
I received my passport yesterday complete with Visas for Bangladesh and China. Back in January, I started the process of renewing my old one and getting the visas. I thought I had plenty of time to get all of this accomplished with room to spare. I didn’t. Unless you count two days as “room to spare.”
It took the government 10 weeks!!!! (7 more than their website promised) to get my passport back to me. When I finally got it back I had to use a pricey visa service and expedite all of the shipping.
I’ve changed a little.
In the 1997 photo I was a senior in high school. The world was one big unexplored adventure waiting for me to discover…
– I sound a little like Joe Dirt. There’s nothing I can do about it. People from Ohio aren’t supposed to have a southern accent, but I do. Lucky me.
– I will be calling into the World Vision Report radio program during the WAIW? Trip. I’ll probably do so twice. Once, when I’m ready to leave Bangladesh from Cambodia and again when I’m back home. The format will be an informal chat with the host Peggy who sounds ultra-intelligent. Speaking of which…
– I think my favorite part of the soccer recording is when…
How to collect your one-of-a kind organic cotton, officially unlicensed Touron T-shirt – Email your address to kelsey@travelin-light.com and I’ll send you one right out. If you want it any time soon email me in the next two days. After that I’ll be in Bangladesh and and the United Bangladesh Postal Service just ain’t what it used to be.
Melissa’s entry was selected for its absolute shoe insanity. Who the heck has a 5-slot shoe rotation? Melissa, that’s who.
Keppie’s muse is a grey sweater. That’s exactly the kind of passion I was looking for.
“And the world’s such a toy
If you just stay a boy
You can spin it again and again”
– Jimmy Buffett in Jimmy Dreams
It’s been a while since I’ve held a globe. The World has changed a lot since. I got one for my birthday last month from my in-laws to-be, Jim and Gloria. The globe was Gloria’s fathers. He used it in his classroom. Her accompanying note got me a little verklempt and all.
Overall, globes aren’t that useful as a teaching tool. They are hard to hold and too tiny to show a class. A single finger blocks out about 13 countries in Western Europe. But when I was in school, every classroom had one in…
“Man, did last night really happen?” I reach into the dugout canoe and grab the Head & Shoulders. The bottle falls short of Kyle and begins to drift down river. Kyle grabs it. The shampoo oozes out warm liquid and he gets a good lather going.
A bony cow crosses upriver. A scrawny calf follows, having to swim in the middle. You can tell by the pathetic up and down gyration of its head. They climb the opposite bank and mosey into the jungle.
“Can you believe what he did?” My eyes are shut tight and suds run down my face and back. “I was scared shitless.”
I opened the contest to members of this BootsnAll Board. I’ve added their comments to the contest thread. And I’ve decided to extend the deadline until Thursday the 22nd. Come Friday, I’ll be shipping off the booty to the luck winner.
Some contest highlights:
A pair of crotch-less cargo pants
A running shoe junky with a five pair rotation
A warm-blooded Canadian who wears her beloved flip flops in the snow
A singlet with boob shelf
A $2 rain jacket
A “Lunatic” t-shirt
