How to buy a battery charger in Mumbai.

Last week the battery charger for my camera stopped working. Its one of those little block ones so you can't just buy new batteries. It meant I wouldn't be able to use my camera for the rest of the trip. It is another, in the long list (see below) of electricals that have died in our apartment. But I refused to live without a camera and so began a very long adventure to fix my charger.

First I didn't believe it had just died. It we perfectly fine the week before. It had to be the fuse. Normally I would just go to dad who would look in a draw and sort everything out. But this is India, so I can't. After much questioning I found a little electrical shack next to the internet place I go to. The scary man there popped out the fuse and tested it, everything was fine. The charger was broken.

If I was in England I would have popped online, bought a new one and carried on with my life. But this is India and the post can take up to a month if at all. So I asked a few questions and found a snazzy airconditioned electrical store that might be able to help me. It was near where we live, so one afternoon after school I popped in to see if they could help. They couldn't. But they did give me the address of the Cannon Master Store or something that could. It was in Santa Cruz (15 minutes away) so I popped in a rickshaw and went there.

The Rickshaw left us at some crossroads where there was no shop called The Cannon Support Centre. After asking a bunch of different security guards I gave up and called the phone number I had. I explained where I was standing and they directed me to them. It turns out all we had to do was go through some guarded gates past a bank and up a fancy elevator to the 6th floor of a building where finally there was a small sign advising us that we were at the Cannon Support Centre. It turned out to be an office where they do something I don't understand. I gave my name to the receptionist and then someone brought us free candy and water, which was all very nice. Except when we finally spoke to someone there was nothing they could do. But they could give us an address of a shop that would sell the battery charger, Alfa. It was big they said. Everyone has heard of it. It was in Vile Parle (15 minutes away) so we popped in a rickshaw and went there.

The first rickshaw we popped in was driven by some idiot who thought we would happily pay him 350 rupees for a 20 rupee trip. We wouldn't, so we had a fight and got out. The second rickshaw was lovely, he dropped us off down a small lane full of vegetable carts, household items spread out on mats on the floor and cramped creepy looking shops lining the road. I was expecting something more PC Worldy. But there, amongst the grubby signs, was a little pink one that said Alfa. Our driver happily pointed it out. And then he pointed out another, next door, and another, accross and the street, and another further down and so on. There was about 7 little Alfa signs dotted all over the street. In a slight daze we got out and looked around. A vegetable seller offered to help. "Cameras?" we asked, "Alfa 3!" he replied pointing down the street. And off we went to find a camera charger. Alfa 3 was down a busy little alleyway. Busy because it hosted the Alfa gift wrapping department: 3 tables full of garish wrapping paper surrounded by people waving their Alfa bags trying to get their things done next. Skeptically we walked in and were suddenly surrounded by ipods and flat screen tvs and cameras. I got to the front of the counter slightly dejectedly pulled out my camera and battery to ask for a charger. The man behind looked at me, then he looked at the man beside him who bent down, had a rumage and pulled out the right camera charger! It was amazing! It had an English plug! He yelled over to someone else who brough out an adapter, tested it for me and I paid. The next thing I knew I was out on the street surrounded by the vegetable sellers again.

So in India all it takes to buy a new camera charger is 3 hours, 3 shops and 4 rickshaw rides. I almost got it gift wrapped!

.... I have since lost the new charger and now my battery is dead all over again with no way to charge it. At least I know where to go and buy a new one.