I wrote a scene where my MC is stuck in a terminal at the Cairo international airport, thanks to her tendency to skip through time and space without control. It's modern-day, so they won't let her leave without a passport.
Now, originally, I had her find a two-toned pharaoh coin on the ground, which, according to my research would be worth one pound. This tells her where she is, and she uses it at a payphone to call Western Union, to arrange a cash transfer, so she can buy clothes and food.
The problem is, I just found a tourist website that says payphones in Cairo only accept prepaid cards, which you must purchase from vendors. Is this true at the airport? If so, would she be able to buy a prepaid card with her one-pound coin? Or would they be a bit more expensive?
If she can't afford to use the phone, does Western Union accept collect calls? I know they have a service to help people who've been robbed while on vacation, allowing you to get your money via password, instead of identification, but I don't know if this service goes so far as to let you call collect. I couldn't find anything on their website and when I Googled it, I found a bunch of ads for calling prison inmates. . . .
If there's no way for her to call, can she arrange the cash transfer in person, at the Western Union branch at the Cairo airport? I had the impression that without ID, she had to call, give them her bank account number and a password, then pick up the funds in person, using the password. But I could be wrong. I can't find what I'm looking for at the Western Union site, and the last time I tried to contact them, I got no reply.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Now, originally, I had her find a two-toned pharaoh coin on the ground, which, according to my research would be worth one pound. This tells her where she is, and she uses it at a payphone to call Western Union, to arrange a cash transfer, so she can buy clothes and food.
The problem is, I just found a tourist website that says payphones in Cairo only accept prepaid cards, which you must purchase from vendors. Is this true at the airport? If so, would she be able to buy a prepaid card with her one-pound coin? Or would they be a bit more expensive?
If she can't afford to use the phone, does Western Union accept collect calls? I know they have a service to help people who've been robbed while on vacation, allowing you to get your money via password, instead of identification, but I don't know if this service goes so far as to let you call collect. I couldn't find anything on their website and when I Googled it, I found a bunch of ads for calling prison inmates. . . .
If there's no way for her to call, can she arrange the cash transfer in person, at the Western Union branch at the Cairo airport? I had the impression that without ID, she had to call, give them her bank account number and a password, then pick up the funds in person, using the password. But I could be wrong. I can't find what I'm looking for at the Western Union site, and the last time I tried to contact them, I got no reply.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!