El Andalous - Internet Woes

Sahl Hasheesh from El Andalous Beach at Low Tide

I seem to be going through one of those phases where something is always going wrong. Or maybe that’s just what life is like in Egypt. I have this dictionary on my computer where you can spell what a word sounds like in Arabic (using the English-language alphabet) and it will give you a list of options, along with audio, in return. They also say how commonly the word is used. The word for “repair” was designated as a word in daily use. Says it all, really.

Anyway, my latest problem is the internet. It’s always been a little hit and miss but not so bad, really. Lately, I intended to upgrade my package to greater use as I’m working on the covers for my New Year’s Resolutions series and need to download pictures etc. However, as usual, whenever I try to upgrade or change package, the guy on the desk dissuaded me, seemingly thinking that it would all go horribly wrong (if I upgraded) or that it wasn’t suitable (if I changed package).

I let myself be persuaded and stuck with my normal package, but I was right and I’d used half of my month’s allowance in 7 days. I topped up, so it’s not a huge problem apart from cost.

Then, pretty much just after I’d topped up, my modem battery refused to work. No internet. Disaster!

I had to get a taxi into Senzo Mall to ask the internet provider for a new battery, which was annoying as I’d been there just the day before, so didn’t need any shopping at all. Paying for a taxi just to get a new battery seemed rather expensive, but I need the internet almost as much as I need water.

Unfortunately, this was a Friday (the weekend here) with prayers midday, and this was when my battery decided to give up (I don’t think the battery had given up because it was praying instead; however, when it gave up, I certainly resorted to a few prayers). Consequently, Esmat wouldn’t be available for the next few hours. I went for a swim and took my mobile with me to the beach in case Esmat phoned back to arrange a time to go, which he did.

His uncle, Sayed, came to collect me at 4.30pm to go to the Mall. However, we hadn’t even exited Sahl Hasheesh when the car broke down. I was starting to feel doomed. After a while, the taxi was able to go again, but we were only able to drive very slowly, so Esmat came to pick me up and I swapped cars. Eventually, I arrived.

Once at Senzo Mall, the guy at the internet desk persuaded me that it was a problem with my sim card. I in turn persuaded him this time to let me deposit enough money so that when my top up was used up (which would probably only see me through for a week), I could migrate to a heavier usage account. I came away armed with a new sim card and fully charged credit.

However, when I got back, I realised I should have insisted that I knew what I was talking about. It was a battery problem. The modem still didn’t work. All that money wasted on the taxi!

I tried to phone Esmat to tell him to come back so that I could return immediately to Senzo, but the phone kept on telling me my phone had active diverts. Of course, I had no clue what that meant, so I spent a lot of time trying to cancel diverts that I didn’t know I had. After an hour, I gave up trying to get through to Esmat. I guess he was refusing calls because he was busy getting his other car sorted out and maybe that’s what the phone meant by active diverts (they were rather inactive, in fact).

I got up early the next morning, keen to get to Senzo Mall and get my internet back. However, I’d forgotten that the Mall doesn’t open until 10am. Anyway, I got there by 10.15am and I asked for Esmat to wait for me as I didn’t expect to be long (it’s common in Egypt for drivers to wait).

There was one customer already at the desk and I had to wait for ages. Finally I was served but only to be told that they didn’t sell the batteries. They directed me to the mobile shop, and the guy there in turn directed me back to the internet kiosk. Nobody sold batteries. The guy suggested I try a shop in central Hurghada.

I asked whether I could just have a new modem, since it was still under guarantee, but he said they didn’t have any, and there weren’t any in central Hurghada either. I could put my name on the waiting list if I was unable to get a new battery. Aarrgh! This is Egypt.

I got back in the taxi, apologised for having taken so long, and off we went to the suggested shop. It was around 11.15am as we arrived. However, we got there only to find that the shop didn’t open until 12.30pm. On we went to another shop, which also didn’t open until 12.30pm. It’s a late-night culture here with many shops open until midnight, but are then closed in the mornings. The next shop was open but didn’t sell the battery I needed.

The end result was that I had had another long taxi trip without achieving anything at the end of it. This battery was getting very expensive and I hadn’t even got it yet, if it existed. Esmat volunteered to go back to the shops for me later. As I write this, I am still without internet access and plan on posting this to the blog by having a coffee at a cafe where they have wifi.

I’m getting withdrawal symptoms. If I don’t have internet access, I’m sure my world will fall apart. But at least (touch wood) I have a functioning laptop, so things could be worse!