Memory Burn

Something funny is going on with the technology in this town (Stone Town). Yesterday I spent nearly an hour trying to call home yesterday: firstly the payphones in the whole area were not working, and I had to keep going from internet cafe to internet cafe trying their phones and listening again and again to the same recording "The number does not work, The number does not work", (In Swahili, mind!). It turned out that --for some reason-- the standard Canadian country code, 0-1 (which you have to put in front of the number when calling internationally) is different here, so you have to start with 3 zeros, and then the number. Once I figured this out (rather, once somebody told me) I was able to get through. Happily.

This morning I went to get my memory card burned to a CD. I got a bit spoiled with this technology last year, in Central America, where there were internet shops on every corner and everything was cheap. I had only seen one sign for this service in Stone Town, so I went there first (even though there internet was slow beyond belief), but it was closed. So I went to two others places, and neither of them were able to do it. I went back to the first place, now open, and was told they only burned cards after 2 PM (why?), and I am leaving at 12. Finally I found somewhere that did it, albeit for twice the price of the first, and gave them the card. That was an hour ago. Finally I went to check what he was doing, and the computer was in pieces, all over the floor. "Is not working!" he says, "Oh," I say.

Hey, at least they have power!

N.