Technology

It is interesting how far technology has come over the many years we have been traveling. We get frustrated when the wifi doesn't work or our connection gets lost while in the comfort of our hotel rooms now, but it was not so long ago that we would have to search out an Internet cafe in some foreign city to try to communicate with those at home. I have been frustrated by many a strange keyboard that took twice as long as usual to use because none of the letters corresponded. Or spending money to write e mails that would vanish into thin air.

When we were in South America 38 years ago, we would feel grateful to receive the occasional letter, and we seldom phoned home because it was just too difficult or expensive. I remember calling home from Thailand years ago. We ended up spending $40 on a phone call with our kids to hear that they hated the babysitter we put in charge of them! 

Now we are able to call relatives in Europe and it sounds like they are across town.

The internet allows us to make reservations online for buses ,planes , trains and hotels at a moments notice. 

We have also been amused by how connected everyone is to their phones here. And the selfies, oh my! Ten days ago Jim and I barely even knew what selfie sticks were, and now we're kinda thinking of buying one( not really). Kids and adults everywhere here use them constantly. We saw one young Woman wearing a shirt that said " stop taking selfies". I have to agree. 

That being said, though, I love my phone for taking photos and connecting to wifi when possible. It is a wonderful way to stay connected with home, and while some people prefer not to be connected, I find it comforting when I am half a world away. My sister in France and I can email and it's like we are in the same time zone. We don't use our phones for calling as that is still prohibitively expensive, but I imagine that in the not too distant future that will change too. And yes, I know about SIM cards! We did buy a cheap flip phone that we bought a SIM card for and it is nice to know we can call home if necessary. Ah, the wonders of technology!