trying to exchange money

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hello again! My pizza was delicious! Hawaiian style (thank you mat). I went to bed super early yesterday because I was tired... also because the electricity went out and they didn't get it back on for like 3 hours (by then i was sleeping). I knew it would be cold but it is like really cold at night! I slept with two comforters and sweat pants. This morning, was also cold when i left but I just got back and now it is hot.

So... I got up this morning determined to exchange some money because I had like none left. So I ask the counter where to exchange money, they said there is a bank in the mall so I got directions and walked to the mall. (Kind of freaky because I was scared of getting held up by knife point and them stealing my passport!) Got to the mall and there are like 8 banks in it. Waited in line at every bank all of them told me they do not take travelers checks! even the foreign exchange place didn't! But they said there main branch did and told me it was on independence avenue across from the post office, and pointed right.

So i head out the doors they pointed too, just to be swarmed by taxi drivers! All asking me where I wanted to go. I tried to just get directions from them because I knew it wasn't far, but they wouldn't tell me because they wanted to drive me. So I finally gave up and took a taxi. I told them i wanted to go to the post office because they didn't know which bank i was talking about. I'm pretty sure they drove me in like 50 circles because it took about 10 minutes and i passed the place I wanted to go about 2 times (not the post office, but the bank) so i knew i was close but they knew i was a tourist! So finally they stopped at the post office and charged me 15N so like so i just paid the guy and got out. I exchanged $350 and the bank people called about getting me directions back. And i knew it I was only like 2 or so blocks away from the mall... oh well now i know.

I signed up to take the katatura tour, but I have to wait for another person to sign up before we will go... so probabley tomorrow. The staff here is really nice, and they must live here because it is the same people all the time.

Mat i'm glad you are doing your homework, do the girls miss me? You better be keeping up with your online class too!

Other than that everything is pretty much the same as last night, only with electricity!

Love yous

mat- I will buy some more phone cards, but I can't afford to buy very many. Hopefully the phone at harnas is not a payphone and i will beable to use my cards i already bought. Otherwise I'm really sorry I won't beable to talk to you much. I will try to keep in touch as much as possible though, love you lots! Do the girls miss me?

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Comments

[Eric]

Phone cards
Nikki have you tried to dial the international operator and go throught them with your phone card? I would think that if you just pay the local pay phone fee and then dial the international number on the back that your phone card would work. Or try to dial the number you want using the international area code for the us and the number. Here is what it would be. 001715(followed by whatever number you want to call. so if it were george @ 207-5555 it would be 0017152075555) Hope it helps. Once you figure out the basic needs of money, food, travel and shelter things will go very smoothly. If you are near an American Counsolate then if you were to go there and ask for assistance in someone showing you the ropes I am sure they would be more then happy to. Just make sure you speak to an American and not a National. Well hope all goes well. Love ya Eric

[Aunt Barb]

sooo jealous
Your trip sounds incredible so far. I can't believe you are doing this by yourself. Next time, take me!!!!! Are you any where near Victoria Falls? I think we should have this blogging thing all the time just to keep up with what everyone is doing. It is so exciting to get to read what is going there every day. I look forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

[Nikki J B]

Thanks eric
Hey Eric, I guess I hadn't thought of paying the payphone fee before calling, not that it would have mattered when I was in madrid because I didn't have any euros but I will try that now. Thanks for the tip!

[Mat]

at home on my little vacation
Hey hun, yes, the hawaiian style pizza is great and I'm glad that it was good for you. The girls miss you, all they do is sleep, Brownie follows me and sleeps where ever I sit, Cara sleeps on your side of the bed, it is so cute, it is like she is trying to cuddle up to you, but the invisible you. Anyway, I am at home today on my day off and I don't know what I am going to do. Other than that everything is pretty normal here, not much is happening. Finally getting my xbox taken care of. Thats it. And don't worry about getting more phone cards, there is no reason to pay 20 bucks and talk for a min. Although it would be nice to talk to you, this is a nifty little system right here. and it is cheaper. I'll be back on soon. Don't forget to take lots of pictures. and as always BE CAREFUL. love you Mat ((and to add to Jamie's comment about sleeping, it is probably better than sleeping there than here with me and the girls, you actually get room in the bed and covers to keep warm))

[Nikki J B]

Interesting title
so you think it is a vacation to be away from me! :P I miss ya, i don't think cara misses me she is probabley like "yes she is gone!!! I get a whole side to MYSELF!!". Yes this is a neat system, but I don't think I will have much access to internet at Harnas... i'm not really sure about phone access either :( . PS:I'm calling you soon, you better pick up! LoL Love ya