To the Garden

119 Km to Tetulia

On the Road to Tetulia after leaving Dhaka we saw many amazing sights, including this elephant. We have just returned to Dhaka and will go to Sylhet(tea area) in the morning.  We had many incredible experiences which we shall share soon!

Bangladesh Ancient Culture-Young Country

Wow, this is a place to visit. There is something  very magical about this ancient culture yet very young country. What we have noticed is that the people here are incredibly kind and helpful. They have born witness to so much suffering, yet they are amazingly positive. 

We visited the National Museum today and got to see some of the culture from this ancient civilization. Landing  in Dhaka last night we got the VIP treatment again. Getting off the plane we were met with someone holding a placard with our names and were escorted to a waiting car.  Our driver navigated miraculously through the tumult that is Dhaka driving with horns tooting all around like bats navigating in close quarters to avoid collision.   On the way to ours hosts magnificent home in Dhanmondi we had a delightful conversation with  our escort Mr. Galib. Still recovering from our 40 hours in transit getting to Bangladesh from SFO we posed for picture on the roof (see pics). On our way back from the National Museum we snapped a pic from the window of our car(see pic)

Leaving the USA and Into ASIA

We departed San Francisco Sunday 4/3 at 1:30am on Cathay Pacific and it was a very  enjoyable flying experience. Kudos to Cathay for making a 14 hour flight thoroughly enjoyable (see pic). After arriving in Hong Kong, where we have a 12 hour layover, we were greeted by an airline representative with a placard bearing our names(see pic). We got the royal VIP treatment and were expedited though the airport and ensconced into the First/Business Class lounge. We were singled out for the royal treatment because a couple weeks previous they had changed our departure times  by about 12 hours on both ends. A very unexpected surprise but very welcome. Refreshing in this day and age of diminished expectations. Once we got settled in, we called my parent with Skype from my computer (see pic).

On the plane I finished the audio book Banker to the Poor  by Muhammad Yunus. I could not recommend a book more. Read it and weep tears of joy for the "Quiet Revolution" that is helping to eradicate poverty in the world. I'm so excited to be visiting the the Home of the Grameen Bank. 

Soon we will be landing in Dhaka and staying with the family who started the garden in Teatulia.

On April 8th we will be in Tetulia Bangladesh where we will present a check to build a new  library. There is still time to make a donation ($5-10 is fine) of any  size at our website http://www.teatulia.com/library_project_mailingb.htm Upon my return I will send you a canister of our tea as a thank you gift for your donation.

Cathay Pacific Rocks!

Headed to Bangladesh on April 3rd

In less than a week we  depart for  3 weeks in Bangladesh . We will be visiting  the garden in Tetulia where our tea comes from and traveling around the country. Please check in regularly  on this blog or through our website as we share this adventure with the world. We are currently raising $2000 to build a  school library in Tetulia, we have raised $400 so far, and ask that you please consider  donating through the Teatulia web site .  We are very excited to have the opportunity to visit Bangladesh and look forward to sharing our adventure.

East meets West-Agriculture is the Root of Culture

I have been reading "The Road Back to Nature-Regaining the Paradise Lost" by Masanobu Fukuoka .

The "Fukuoka method" is the farming practice  used to grow our tea in the Tetulia region of Bangladesh. 

Pictured below, in the green shirt, is Inam who is the youngest of the three Kazi brothers, who along with their father are responsible for starting the garden. The shot was taken at the New York Gift Fair

last week. 

Team Teatulia at the January Fancy Food Fair in SF

Chris, Don, Linda and Elizabeth take a moment to be "Twittered"

The True History of Tea

 "I wonder why the Japanese do not care for bitter things. In the great country of China they drink tea, as a result of which there is no heart trouble and people live long lives. Our country is filled full of sickly-looking, skinny people, and this is simply because we do not drink tea. Whenever one is in poor spirits, one should drink tea. This will put the heart in good order and dispel all illness."

This quote is from Japanese Buddhist monk (1141-1215) Myoan Eisai who  believed Japan could be saved by the teachings of Zen and that if  Japan took to drinking tea they could be restored to health. This quote is situated in the time frame after Eisai returned from studies in China and Japanese tea culture began to flourish. Eisa planted some of the frst tea gardens in Japan that still exist to this day.




from the "True History of Tea" by Victor H. Mair and Erling Hoh