The rumours of a second bomber didn't materialize, though one of our sources called us and said he heard an explosion. False alarm. I don't blame him. Closing doors sound like bombs. Dogs bark gunfire.
I visited the actual bomb site which I hadn't seen the day before. Everyone was busy sweeping up glass. Amazingly the shops next door were open, even without doors or windows. I was actually able to make photocopies at the business centre next to the bombing. All the Afghans who walked by the site clucked their tongues in sadness.
Shooting-wise, I had my long-overdue first crap day. No shoot worked out, a surprise cameo by the director of the Golden Globe award-winning director of Osama showed up to the film festival I was covering for the Afghan film piece and refused an interview. The top Afghan actress refused an interview. The lynchpin of my female journalist piece told us to go to her house 40 minutes away, then turned off her phone and never showed.
Did a phoner with Canada AM. As usual I discussed what I was going to say for 10 minutes with the producer, and then the anchor (ah Marci) didn't ask me any of the questions. Murde! I think next time
I'm going to just launch into my spiel, say everything I want to say in one fell swoop no matter what the question is, and then if they ask any stupid questions afterwards I'll hang up. :)
I'm going to just launch into my spiel, say everything I want to say in one fell swoop no matter what the question is, and then if they ask any stupid questions afterwards I'll hang up. :)
Visited a metalworks yard. I love how Afghans (men at least) will jump out of windows to get their photographs taken. It's so refreshing, and they love it when you show them the shot. Long live digital.
The highlight of my day was lunch... finally had lunch! And it wasn't in the hotel--Mokhtar took me to Amin restaurant where we got a plate of yoghurt, some unrecognizable milk dish, a plate of crudités, a bowl of soup, a heaping plate of rice, and a huge hock of beef. For $6. I asked what happened to all the extra food and apparently it's swept off the plate, into a cauldron and doled out to the poor. Mokhtar was a dear... when he saw that I was concerned about the waste he went outside and fetched one of the car-washing street boys and gave him my leftovers.
