First Panicky Day In Kano

OK, I woke up after one of the worst sleeps of my trip. I was up all night working through scenarios and options. I counted the number of N500 bills. Ten. To rent a room here another night would be six of those. My ATM card didn't work the day before and I wasn't sure today was going to be any better. I didn't know how to make a international phone call on my cell phone. I brought it for emergencies and it was looking like I might be in an emergency. The only thing is that I didn't how to use it. I had tried to turn it on the previous night but the battery was dead so I recharged it during the night. So how do you call America on an AT&T Wireless phone from Nigeria on the MTN network? Do I need to know some cryptic code for making an international call?

I got up and swallowed one of my dwindling anti-malarial Savarines. Then, I went out. It was about 7:30. On my way out I asked if they had any N2000 (US$18) rooms. Nope, not available. Hmmm... There's a place in Lonely Planet called Tourist Camp where they say rooms are N2000. I can't stay in the N2850 room if I'm running out of money.

But first task--internet. I had given my parents a heads up that I might need backup. And I had some audibles to consider. I limped toward the internet cafe. It took about a half hour to get there. On the way, I stopped at an ATM. I placed the card, entered my PIN, and waited for the telltail sound of machines counting money. Nope. Same cryptic error message as yesterday.
I tried to cross streets but was over-cautious after being hit dead on by a full speed motorbike the previous day. I wasn't exactly at my nimblest either--you can limp walk, but it's hard to limp run when traffic is aimed at you. I still had to do it, though. I was in Nigeria after all.
I had gotten up early enough that when I got to the internet cafe, it wasn't open. Dammit! It's Sunday. Is the damn internet cafe closed like in Bobo-Dioulasso? What's with these internet cafe's closing on Sunday? But alas, they were in the process of opening. They would open around 9am. I took a walk. Not exactly a relaxing walk. There would be no relaxing for a while.
My parents had responded to my email. Whew! I checked some options. No buses. Nothing on getting to Calabar. It was easy to find information on rates for international calls. But the logistics of how to actually make an international call weren't anywhere in the FAQs at AT&T Wireless. And that's what I needed. But a little googling and I finally found it. You press 0 and keep it pressed until the '+' appears. Then you enter the international code and then the number. That's what I needed and I don't have the faintest fricking clue why the logistics of making an international phone call are not in the AT&T FAQs.

I had what I needed though. I updated my facebook status since all my facebook friends were freaking out. Then I limped home. It was about 11. Checkout time at the La Mirage is noon. There is a place across the street called the International Hotel. I thought I'd check it out and see what rates they offered. The cheapest room there: N800 (US$7). The cheap rooms were in Block A. The woman tried to upsell me to a N4000 room, but I said I was happy with the "general toilet". My room turned out to be N1155 (US$10). I could stay here a couple days before having to kill myself due to running out of money. Much safer. I took the room with the general toilet in Block A. Or as I would affectionately come to call in: Cell Block A. My room has a bed, a desk, a ceiling fan, and a TV. The lock was a huge padlock.

I went across the street and up to my room on the third floor. I packed. I tried to throw my backpack on my back but it's a lot harder than you'd thing when you have tender arms from falls and motorcycle crashes. Then I had to go down to the bottom down a narrow staircase with legs that barely work. It wasn't easy, but I made it, checked out, and then went across the street. It was easier going up. But, I was still ready to collapse as I unloaded my baggage on the bed in Cell Block A.

I went down to their bar and has a N200 Star. Then I went back to my room and called my parents. I had to pull the trigger on a Western Union transfer. The ball was in motion. And hopefully that ball would land before I ran out of money.

It took one more phone call to get the details straight and then it was just wait.

I was hungry, so I decided to check out a place called Dunkin' Peppers. The font was the same as Dunkin' Donuts. On the way, I got a meat pie, but Nigerian meat pies are not like Ghanaian meat pies. Nigerian meat pies are gluteny and chewy and not terribly tasty whereas Ghanaian meat pies are flaky and crumbly and buttery. I ate it but it wasn't very good. Then I headed to the Dunkin' Pepper door. Once inside (a man opened the one way-mirrored door from the inside for me) I found a sort of fast food type place. The counter had "Dunkin' Interncontinental" written across it. Maybe it was actually related to Dunkin' Donuts. I ordered a chicken and fried rice. It was pretty spicy and pretty good. N650 which took another one of my rare N500 notes. But it would be only meal of the day (besides that crappy meat pie).

I left and went back to my hotel. I drank Stars until it was too dark to read and then went to bed. It wasn't fun sleeping. I still was sore all over and changing my position in bed took a force of will. I watched bad movies until they became soccer in Arabic and then the power went out. The generator soon started up (it's right outside my window) and the lights and fan came on at least. I turned off the TV and tried to sleep. A mosquito kept me up for a while but I couldn't defend myself from mosquitos all night. I eventually drifted off.

Monday, November 17, 21:10 Nigerian local time