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TIME CAPSULEThe 2001 internet

Internet cafés,
city by city.

In 2001 we updated this site from internet cafes around the world. Below: a record of what each one cost, how fast it was, and whether we could plug in our laptop. A small slice of the early web.

📡 A note on the era. When we travelled in 2001, public Wi-Fi didn't exist. Smartphones didn't exist. To check email or update this website, we walked into "internet cafes" — rooms full of beige PCs running Windows 98, charging by the minute. The table below is exactly what we recorded then.
CountryCityCost per HourName Cafe'FTP & Pop3Connection / SpeedLaptop Accessibility
GreeceAthens3.95 $YesGoodYes
Chios3 $YesGoodYes
TurkeyIstanbul.91 $NoSlowNo
Kusadasi1.80 $YesVery SlowYes
Goereme1.36 $YesGoodYes
SyriaDamascus2 $