I am creating this conversation to help with Internet access, and laptop useage while traveling in Latin America.

It is expensive to call back to the states for Internet access, and it is also hard to have a service that lets you access the Internet from anywhere in South America.

I have used AOL access in both Argengina, and Brazil, but had to dial the states from Peru when using my laptop there . Also, many hotels charge extra to use the Internet in the hotel.

Anyway, I think that many of us would be interested in Internet access in Latin America for those of us that take our laptops on trips.

I hav both an HP Omnibook that has been south with me on previsous trips, and a new thin dell. I hate going through safety inspections with the HP because is it really clumsy. On the next trip this month, the Dell is the size of a magazine.

I also have one of the new same HP printers that lets you print 4 * 6 picturers. I took that on the last trip. People really like getting photos printed right on the spot.

Anyway, I would really like hearing about the experiences of others with their computers in Latin America.

By the way, I have only ever found one Internet cafe that would let me hook up my laptop on his network. I have tried several cafe's in Buenos Aires with no luck. I did find one guy in the Palermo section of BA that would. Of course, I have been using his sevice for over a year on many visits, and he always had a nice smile when he saw me.

I've been using ATT Business for years with no problem anywhere in Latin America or Europe. They also have a number in Peru.

I think the guy in the internet cafe likes you.

It also helps to have a VPN client, zonealarm and softhone instaled on your laptop. My baby notebook has all the gismos that let me make calls through my PBX. I split tunnel all the time. Work is tunneled though UK and play through US.