Post about Post (and the Internet)

There isn't really any sort of address system out here. There are no letter boxes, and street and house (pictured) numbers are pretty useless as nobody has any maps that pinpoint where they might be anyway.

A couple of weeks ago we bought a table and chairs for outside which had to be delivered. I am always fully prepared when my address is required and this time was no exception, armed as I was with my Street and House Numbers as well as a GPS co-ordinates and a print-out from Nokia Maps.

All of which prove useless.

What happens is a couple of Indians (not a racist remark, just an accurant one) will jump into a van with a vague awareness of directions such as 'up' and 'down'. When they can't find the house due to the map not having been given to them, they call my mobile after which fifteen minutes of Pidgeon English will commence and at the end of which I will invariably just offer to 'meet them at the supermarket' and have them follow me home (something, I might add, I always suggest at the time of purchase before being reassured that the drivers know Muscat like the back of their hands).

We are trying to get a phone-line and Internet installed in our house. We asked if they could check our address (street and house number) in the system to see if the service is provided where we live. They said they couldn't check that sort of thing. The biggest telecommunications company in the country can't check your address to see if you can use the internet.

What we need to do is provide the number printed on a metal box which is apparently near the house but which I have as yet been unable to locate, so they can put that in their system and let us know if we can get online. I can't wait for tonight's conversation with Omantel's customer service team.

Me: I asked the other day about getting Internet in my home and was told that in order to find out if that's possible, I was not asked for a simple thing like my address but instead asked to locate a box with a number on it, a task to which I have taken the liberty of photographing every single box near my house in the hope that one of them will contain the information needed to be able to join the 21st century, although I already suspect that I am completely wasting my time as whatever it is you need me to do is beyond rational and logical thought.

Omantel: Not can do.

Me: Thanks, bye.

You are reading this courtesy of the Internet I have at work. I have no idea how I'd cope without it.