cell phones

[Reynolds, Laurie]

I know I have had several private e-mailings with folks about staying in
touch with home while walking, but at the risk of repetition, I'll just
throw in some observations.  Two years ago we did not see many pilgrims with
cell phones.  Some said they would be a real pain to recharge and that the
costs were very high.  I did not even explore that option, but I knew I
wanted to be in contact with my family -- kids still at home, aging parents,
etc.  I was able to buy a prepaid international calling card (NOT my AT&T
calling card that gets added to the phone bill) and called back virtually
every day from a pay phone for 18 cents a minute, no connection fee.  You
can do the math, it's a very cheap way to check in and make sure all is
well.  In preparation for my camino this May, I've done a fair amount of
hunting around to find a smilar card, and the best I found was at
www.bestcallingrates.com  (click on international origination phone card).
I have bought an AT&T prepaid international calling card with the 18 cents a
minute fee and it works great.  I know that because my husband is currently
in Spain and has been using it to call home.  All you need to be able to use
the card from Spain is a pay phone and the AT&T access code in Spain (which
is a 900 (toll free) number) and then follow the instructions you get by
e-mail when you buy a card.   This involves typing in a pin number, and if
you have trouble, you will be connected to the AT&T people, the same people
who would help you if you were using your expensive AT&T calling card (about
$2 a minute).  So the difference between the regular calling card and the
prepaid calling card is huge. Hope this isn't too repetitive of what has
already been said.  Buen camino to all, Laurie