Interesting clouds in the sky west of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun, Mexico on November 1st.

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Not a good first eSIM experience

The last time we spent any length of time here in Turkiye, we had no problem getting an inexpensive data plan on my phone. However, things have changed!

The local providers only have expensive "tourist" plans available for non residents. And there is only one choice... and it costs 1,100 lira ($34.50 USD, $46.75 CAD) for 20GB of data over 30 days.

But because we have WiFi here, and at our upcoming Airbnb in Antalya, we don't have the need for 20GB of data. 

I've always shied away from the relatively new eSIM technology because although it's convenient, it's also normally very expensive when compared to simply getting a local SIM card when arriving in a new country. 

But given our choices here in Turkiye, I looked into the cost of an eSIM. There is one company called Airalo that is the market leader, but there are a dozen other companies in the marketplace that are less expensive. So I found a plan with Maya Mobile that offered 10GB (more than enough for us) for $11 USD ($15 CAD).

I'm pretty good with technology stuff, and found it fairly simple to install and activate the eSIM.

Out for another walk on another beautiful day.

So, the eSIM activated and connected quickly. With a full four bars of signal strength.

I tried it out on a couple of different websites and it seemed fine. Until I went to use it again, and it showed that it was connected, but not connected to the data. I ended up putting it into airplane mode and when I took it off airplane mode, it instantly reconnected again. 

The problem is, that it does this on a regular basis. Sometimes it will disconnect after 30 seconds. It's really frustrating if you're in the middle of doing something, almost to the point of where it's unusable.

So I contacted support and customer service. They got back to me quickly and we tried a couple of things but it's no better. Now, it's been 12 hours since our last contact and they haven't got back to me again. 

A bit frustrating for my first eSIM experience. I've asked them to either refund my money or cancel this eSIM and send another one, but they haven't got back to me yet.

A lot of jellyfish!

This one looks like it would glow in the dark!

Scenery along the way.


An old Istanbul house squeezed between two newer ones.

We've been taking Gus for a walk three times a day. I think yesterday's lunch time walk just about wore him out. But it was fairly warm in the sun, and he seemed to have a lot more energy during the evening walk.

We meet lots of other dog walkers who recognize Gus and say hello to us, but of course he is not with Cheryl, so some of the English speaking ones ask about her. People are really friendly.

Also met another Canadian couple (from BC) who live in the same building. We'll try and have them up for a drink one evening.

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Apple Airpods are back at the low end of the pricing range.

And in Canada...

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