Internet Cafes

What do you think of when you think of an Internet café? Do you think of Starbucks with a barista bringing you a coffee and a snack as you commute with the world? Nay, in the developing world, it’s usually a hole in the wall, maybe a carrel maybe not, sometimes with kids running around, many times so cramped that you are pointing your head at your lap to see the screen. Populated by students and techno-nerds (I say that affectionately since I’ve often been accused of being one). Frequently nobody speaks English, of course they don’t, I don’t speak Hindi. Connections vary, from the painfully slow to the fast, from very cheap to very expensive. Don’t even think about Macs – this is a PC world.

I’ve been whining about the internet access and connection speeds lately. All true, but…, that’s the challenge. At the end of the day it is working, not as well as I’d like but working. In an ideal world, I’d get back to the Hotel, they would have a fast wireless connection. Skypes would be clear, Gotomypc would be as fast as lighting, and a barista would bring me coffee and a snack or depending on the hour a scotch.

I’ve been running around looking for someplace to work. So what, a pedi-cab took me 10 miles the other day and the price was less than $2. And everywhere I go I see something new. I beginning to learn how to adapt, and change how I use the internet to communicate while I am traveling in the developing world. So the next time you think I’m whining send me a note telling me to stick it in my ear.