Ninjas Ate My Lunch…So I wrote a blog about it.

Preparing myself for this trip I bought THREE, yes three, brand new pieces of electronic equipment to keep me both entertained and connected while in Spain. I checked and double checked everything, talked for what seemed like forever with my cell-phone carrier about coverage, and got Mario to give me the run down on how to get online while I’m gone.

Armed with my new tiny laptop (Acer baby!), iPhone (with an international calling AND data plan), and Kindle I figured there would be no way Spain could keep me off-line. Oh, how wrong I was. Things were fine during my first leg of the trip, I was texing with Mario in the JFK airport. I even was able to send a mass text when I landed, letting everyone know I arrived safely. That was where it ended though.

I have spent a portion of the last 5 days walking around with my phone out, looking for Wi-Fi (wee-fee as pronounced here) in places where one would think it would be located (hotels, cafes, STARBUCKS in Barcelona). However apparently AT&T sucks and it’s not working. Luckily Carolynn has dependible Verizon and let me send an email to Mario using her phone, asking for help from afar! He gave me some suggestions of carriers here to try, so that’s on my list of things to get done.

Also, the fact that I am able to update my blog is amazing, considering how frustrating it has been to get connected. The city of Platja d’Aro has Wi-Fi “zones” around, one near my apartment. I made my way down there this morning and planted myself on a bench outside the tourism office (a few feet from the beach, by the way ). This was in the center of the designated zone, and there appeared to be connectivity. I clicked “connect” and held my breath the lights blinked….and……..connected! Yes! Went straight to Firefox with my heart pounding.

BUT. Foiled again! For some reason it said I was connected but actually wasn’t. I phoned Mario to see if he could work his technology magic overseas, but that didn’t work either. Annoyed to say the least I decided to find the library where I was told there were at least computers I could use. After about 40 minutes of map consulting and walking around lost I found the biblioteca, which happens to be a very pretty, modern building situated in the middle of a dirt lot. Why didn’t I realize there might be something worthwhile in such a deserted looking area?? Silly me.

So after all that, I am online, with about 2 hours of free service still left. Then I have to bring my passport and get a login and password to continue use. I’m thinking this might be my primary form of connection, and I’ll try to utelize it a few times a week. It’s kind of a trek from my apartment, but it’s worth it to feel a little more in touch .