You know there are times when living out here in the campo is a bit like living in the third world...
Trying to run a small pin money internet business requires two things; power and an internet connection...
For the last three days we have have high winds and lots of rain...Lots and lots of it...Culminating today with gale force winds and the occasional burst of torrential rain.
I did a shopping run into Granada this afternoon and due to the weather and heavy traffic took rather longer than the two hours this exped normally requires. As the third hour approached I was actually returning home, still on the Granada ring road when my mobile rang...Big Green and White Jeep behind me with a big blue light bar across the top so I just let the phone ring...
At the first opportunity I pulled off the road and tried to return the call; it was from my wife on her mobile; I got an immediate Network Busy signal from Movistar, so back into the traffic and yet more rain...pulled off a second time and tried again in response to another call; still Network Busy...Yet again back into the traffic and the rain and eventually into the village which lies about 10Kms from home; I tried again no response but as I hung up my phone rang again and this time I was able to answer it...one very worried wife wondering just where the hell I'd got to since I was now well over an hour overdue. Having set her mind at rest she informed me that the power in our village was off and had been for nearly 90 minutes. The reason she was using her mobile rather than the landline was that we have one of these wireless phones and it relies on mains power for the wireless connection.
So just five minutes from home I set off and arrived just as darkness was falling. in the pouring rain I unpacked the shopping. Our kitchen and bathroom have no natural light from windows (they dont have windows!) so everything was haphazardly stowed in the dark.
I then set about lighting up the Flying Scotsman Stove referred to in earler posts on this thread. This at least gave us light in the living room.
Finally after I had been home for nearly two hours mains power was restored...We then played catch up by making coffee and dinner and then set about warming up the computers...great we have power, we have internet, god is in his Heaven and all is well...well for ten minutes anyway...the power went off again...half an hour then it was back...then it was off again...We have a UPS on our main computer as it is particularly sensitive to power breaks, but of course having been without power itself for so long meant that every time the power glitched so did the router so my wifes computer kept losing its internet connection...
I suspect that although the main Telefonica switching centre in the village is self powered there must be a mains supply driving the computer network that keeps it operational; I also suspect that this mains supply has its own UPS to take over when the mains goes down; so having been down for the best part of four and a half hours I guess the batteries in their UPS are just about flat because now every little glitch in the village power is dropping our ADSL connection.
Life for us here revolves around the computers and the internet, so we need constant power, and for the most part we get just that but it seems that somewhere in the power network to the village something isnt quite weatherproof; the first sign of rain and it breaks down. When the phone system goes down we have to walk to the end of the street to get a decent signal for the mobiles because they wont work in the house... the village cell mast did work properly for two weeks last year though...
The Rio Cacin flows through our village in an underground culvert and even in high summer there is always a plentiful supply of water...so how come a) the water from our taps isn't drinkable (not even the locals will drink it!) and b) without any notice the local water company cut off supplies to the village at least twice a week, usually at a time when it is needed the most...like bedtime or first thing in the morning for a shower?
This country has an awful lot going for it; one of the most advanced rail systems in Europe and generally good roads and traffic management systems, good food, but the basic rural infrastructure is a total shambles and the relevant authorities cannot or will not improve these basic requirements.
Having said all that I still wouldnt go back to the UK...