It's always somewhat strange when you're sitting on a plane and someone pulls out a prayer rug and starts praying in the aisle next to you. But my stomach was feeling better and I had the exit row so nothing could disturb me. Except I left my hard drive on the plane with all of my footage on it. I still have the tapes but I was going to get a lot of work done on the plane how and now I have nothing. Plus my only entertainment--almost a year of downloaded shows and movies--was on it. Argh.
I had been warned about the heat and traffic of Karachi, but neither were as bad as predicted (though I still haven't been through rush hour). It's noisy and dirty but there are at least attempts to beautify, and the traffic, despite a lack of any rules, seems to solve itself through natural attrition and survival of the fittest.
Filmed the rest of the market vendors--for some reason nothing that was supposed to be set up was actually done, and we had to wander around trying to find people to film. It all worked out in the end, and I continued on to my seed story. We were supposed to leave for Ghotki by train, arriving at 1am, but again when I arrived at the office I was greeted and then asked what I was doing there. This by the man who had been "setting up" my story for weeks. Now we will drive there tomorrow morning, spend the night, then travel to Hyderabad and back to Karachi.
I called PIA, changed my ticket, went to the airport to confirm it, and it seems as though I'll be coming back 10 days early. Huzzah! It's been an awesome experience but I'm burned out and ready to come home.
