Going on holidays

At the end of this week I am off on holidays for almost 2 months, a chance to get out of Bangladesh for a while. I'm heading back to Morocco and also hopefully southern Spain, so if you want an update go to my Morocco blog: Moroccan Meanderings at http://moroccanmeanderings.blogspot.com/ .

Will I miss Bangladesh?
Getting stuck in traffic - no
Being continually stared at - no
Not being able to have a wine with my restaurant meal - no
The electricity cuts - no
The heat and humidity - humidity no, but I'll be heating to hotter or as hot of a place
Work - no it is nice to have a break
My apartment - maybe

Anyway, I'll be back in August, hopefully totally refreshed and ready for another working year!

Dhaka at night

Even though I have seen some spectacular sunsets, this evening would I looked out a combination of storm clouds and late evening light made quite a spectacular sight. So I tried a couple of photographs of the view from my apartment, one from the side balcony and one from the main balcony that looks over the lake.

Stormy evenings

There have been a few really spectacular storms recently with lots of lightening and thunder plus driving rain. At least I have my back door fixed so it no longer blows open or lets the rain in underneath. Anyway here are a couple of photos of the lightening I took a few weeks ago. Certainly not great, but considering I didn't use a tripod or a shutter release, I suppose I shouldn't complain!! It really is difficult to take photos though but at least digital does make it easier.

Wonderful Dhaka vehicles

Since I spent so much time on the streets getting to work over the last two weeks, I had plenty of opportunity to watch the traffic and even managed to get a few photos of typical forms of transport.

First - Here is a CNG, the Bangladesh tuktuk. Here is is loaded with fruits, no doubt on its way to market. Why are they called CNGs? Because they run on Compressed Natural Gas!

Second, here is a typical commuter bus. I've actually been wanting to photograph one for a while. Note the "decorative" scratching on the sides. What does that tell you about the traffic. At least this one appears to have all the side windows. But look carefully at the photo below - very jagged looking glass in the back window. What would Occupational Health and Safety make of that?

Thirdly, this is the back of a rickshaw bread van.

Lastly, a slightly blurry photo of the local school transport. These young children are locked in the back of a cage at the rear of a rickshaw. Every morning you see "vehicles" transporting 6 or 8 children off to primary school. At least they have air conditioning!!

Arsenic in water

The presence of arsenic in water here is one of the reasons I drink bottled water all the time, even though authorities claim that Dhaka town water is safe!! Could you trust the authorities after this :
From Al Jazeera
"They call it the devil's water.

Much of Bangladesh's water contains dangerous quantities of arsenic, a toxic element that cripples human organs and can eventually lead to death.

The country is now scrambling to reverse what the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls "the largest mass poisoning in history", but it will not be an easy task.

Arsenic was commonly used as a poison in the 19th century, but in Bangladesh, it occurs naturally in the groundwater, which is pumped up by shallow tube wells.

Millions affected

No one has the exact figures of the number of wells contaminated with arsenic. But according to Ruhul Haq, Bangladesh's health minister, more than 50 per cent of the population is affected by arsenic contamination - that is more than 80 million poisoned people. "

and so it continues . . . . .

Even though it is only tube wells that they claim have high arsenic levels. The fact that arsenic occurs naturally is scary, and even though I avoid the water I often wonder how much is in the vegetables I eat. Apparently green leaf vegetables have the highest level. Hmmm . . .

Traffic Jams . . . . . . .

Thank goodness today was the last day of the late start trial!!!! Instead of taking 20 minutes to get to work, this morning hit the jackpot - a mere 70 minutes, that's right SEVENTY minutes. Is it any wonder I am counting down the days until I get a break from Dhaka.

The reason - traffic jams. This morning we spent more than 30 minutes to travel about 2 kilometres, most of the time stationary with the occasional slow motion advance. Here are some pictures to give you some idea. Taking photos helps pass the time.

This is the turn into the road to the school - just this one narrow road into a rapidly developing residential area with a number of schools and a large hospital. Sensible?????

And it is not just the vehicles but also masses of pedestrian traffic who just cross whenever and wherever!

This was a queue we waited and waited in!!

Central Australia

While I am at it, here are a few photographs of Central Australia. I love the outback, the desert, the space and the sometimes spectacular landscapes.

Rainbow Valley

An early morning hot air balloon flight just outside Alice Springs

The Olgas at sunrise

Kings Canyon - I love the cloud formation

A camel safari in the East MacDonnell Ranges