Another month passes us by....

Seems the days and weeks pass by faster than we want to.

Was not that long ago ( well at least in my mind ) I was out shooting pics in a dark bar, with a group of Metallurgists playing fast and loud.

Metallurgists for you that don't know, are not just guys concerned about the physical and chemical behavior of metals. Wikipedia Description http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallurgy.

It is how I describe players of heavy metal , though am sure I am not using the right term for these guys.
Though a Facebook connection (as much as loath Facebook) I was abel to go out and take pics of 5 bands playing at the Brunswick Tavern , St Thomas , ON. Been awhile since I had seen some original acts, and was worth the ear splitting decibels and less than favourable lighting conditions (like most bars).

Shout out to Jordan Chatten , of Almighty Promotions, for letting me have the privilege of having access to the show.

Jordan as well as being the promoter and organizer of these shows, bringing groups together,  is also guitar player with Make Haste to Mutiny, local St Thomas band.
he has Rock pose#5 down to a T

Highlight of the night for me was the dueling guitars of Transcend The Skies.

7 string Schecters  !

 

 

Of course pics are not complete without at least one bass guitar shot, and some low B bending action.

 

That was a Friday night, got home , ears ringing. Note to self , purchase ear plugs.
Monday was not far away, along with a 09pm flight out of Pearson International on my way to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Flying emirates again, means taking that same flight as the last times I traveled that way , the 9pm put of Pearson headed to Dubai.
Did stop for a snack at a place in Pearson, called Heirloom Bakery and Cafe. All the seats have an Ipad and power for charging. so after you use the Ipad to make your order, you can either use their device to browse the web or plug inyour laoptop to charge and use the airport free internet service.

Very nice setup, great service and of course usual overboard airport prices , as to be expected.
Food was great , had the salmon sandwich.

Well on the plane we go , 13hrs to Dubai, 8 hr wait and then 5 hrs to Dhaka. Yippee !!!!

For you chocolate lovers out there, Toberlone happiness at the Duty Free shop in Dubai aiport.

Finally after losing 2 days of my life in airplanes, I arrived in Dhaka.
First impression was looking out the hotel shuttle (we use that term loosely) to see the hordes standing at the gate.

Life is a little rough for some here in Bangladesh.  Hate to say but i have a new appreciation for India.

things you notice
Dont see to many nice cars here, most are small and have a few miles on them.
The bus here looking like they have all been in a Nascar , bump and grind , for awhile.

Next to the hotel, was a local Police station. Seems this car had been there for awhile under investigation.

Of course it might have been only a few weeks.
One thing you really notice here is the amount of dust and pollution in the air. Each morning I would look out the restaurant window. you could barely see the past a few blocks as the smog and dust of the night settling on the city.
Bad pic through dirty window, but really can see the smog hanging over the city.

Everything is covered in dirt and grime.
 
Seeing those things you see in movies, like this shot of just about ever wire on the street converging.

saying that of course there are always thos splashes of color that show up or seeing something you dont see to often.
Like this guy, peeling and carving carrots on the side of the road , for sale, quick snack.

or the flower vendor, offering some brightness to the day.

A host from the hotel roof at the end of the day when the sun has had a chacne to burn away that cloud of dirt over the city.

all that craziness aside, the hotel was great. A local place called the Dhaka Regency Resort and Spa. It hads comfortable beds , good restaurant and even a roof top grill/bar. and yes they serve alcohol, except on Fridays which is a religious day of prayer.

At one point we ended up out of the city and after crossing a river , you notice the brick yards , running along the banks of the river.

That is at least 8 brick kilns seen here. Might explain the haze that hangs over the city, as I noticed it was all blowing towards Dhaka.
Things you see on the side of the road, like these stainless steel head boards , waiting for anxious customers.

or if wood is more your thing, nad built and carved headboards available. Next time will find out the cost.

LIke a lot of things on this side of the world, why pay for a truck when a guy with a bike can pump that load of paper across town.

Put it in perspective, the average 500sheet package of paper weighs around 5lbs, so quick counts says he has 340+ lbs running on that side of his cart. It was about 3 wide , so he was pedaling a good 1000lbs down the street.

Remember that next time you think you are working 'hard' for a living.

After all that fun it was time to head back.

5 hr flight from Dhaka to Dubai, so I can sit for 8 hours waiting for the next bus to Canada.

There are worse airports in the world than this one that's for sure.

Just about anything you can imagine is available to drink or eat.

And if you need some relax time you can go stare at the fish.

or of you have the urge to shop and spend money , then how about a new Chanel watch for a little over $5k !

All that happy came to and end , when after 12 hrs in the air, we arrived in Toronto at 3pm  to find out we could not land. Winter storm had wind speeds up above the planes capability. Detour to Washington DC for fuel and to kill some time. Then back to Toronto another hour waiting to land , then another hour waiting for them to clean the snow from the driveway so we could park.
Should have been home by 7pm Friday night, by the time the smoke cleared and I was home it was 3am Saturday.

Ya, international travel is boatloads of fun !!

later....