Maybe in three weeks

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is LINDA J. TANNER of Bonita Springs, Florida:

On my first of eight trips to Africa, I went with a girlfriend to Kenya. I had arranged with my husband to call him in Minnesota at a specific date and time. When the chosen date arrived, we were at the Sweetwaters Tented Camp in Nanyuki. I went to the front desk and asked, “Do you have a telephone?”

The man answered, “Yes,” and pointed to the black, rotary-dial phone on the desk.

“May I use it?” I asked.

“No.”

“Is there another phone I can use?”

“No, that is the only phone.”

“Could I use the phone tomorrow, please?” I asked.

“No, maybe in three weeks.”

“Why in three weeks?”

“That’s when it should be fixed.”