Today started with a bang, three bangs to be exact. Don't know exactly where it came from or what it was about. But every day is punctuated with stray gun fire and assorted scary noises. Funny, because I feel pretty safe, perhaps therein lies the danger.
Last night, after another long, hot day, we decided a few beers were in order. Four cans of 'past their sell by date' Amstel later we were debating how long after the curfew it was safe to stay out: before making the short dark walk back to our hotel. We settled on 15 minutes, but not before checking with the 12 Australian soldiers who were protecting their Ambassador, while he indulged in a 'tinny or two', if it was cool.
Fact: it's not safe here...
Our driver told us that this morning the car in front of him was hit by a hand grenade. Obviously a pretty stupid car-jacker, the smart ones use hand guns and drive off in liberated vehicle.
But generally, I'm pretty happy to wander around and am greeted by smiles and a hello by most. Especially the children.
Our action turned out to be a huge success, especially working with the local community. They have seen that it is possible to challenge authority, peacefully and get results. It may not be much, but we have now seen three massive radiation sources removed from the community. The way they talk I think just maybe we are helping to plant some of the seeds of a revived civil society. I only wish we could do more.
Bumped into the man from CNN this afternoon, and he told us how much he enjoyed the action and how impressed he was with how it worked out. Apparently 'Atlanta' loved it. "Only one problem," said the giant Czech, "they took out the best quote." Since CNN were keen on the idea of a GP-US Army joint operation, they asked me at the scene, "This is pretty strange, have you ever worked with the army before." "No," I replied: Last time I met any one from the US military they threw me in jail for a week."
There have been a number of other pretty interesting developments today, but more about that later.
Still haven't managed to sell Sara yet. Before we left we reckoned we'd be able to get at least 40 camels, but now I reckon we'd be lucky to get even a single pack.