Chau Peru.....Just Kidding!

Sunday, May 1, 2:06 am

It was supposed to be my last day in Peru on Friday. However, I missed my flight out of Pucallpa. For several reasons in which I don’t want to go into any detail. Fortunately, I have a very generous and forgiving father who was able to get me another flight out on Saturday (24 hours later).

My flight was scheduled to leave Pucallpa at 9:55 pm on Saturday night (yesterday). I made sure that I was quite early this time to check in and make my flight out of Pucallpa. I arrived at the airport at five minutes before eight o’clock. I stood in line. After trying to keep an old man from pushing his way in front of me in line, I stepped up to the check in counter and placed my bags on the balancia. The check in lady then informed me that instead of being able to have two 50 pound bags I was only allowed 50 pounds in total. I had two bags, one suitcase and my backpack. The two combined totaled 13 kilos overweight. I then proceeded to open up my suitcase and take out what weighed the most. I also got rid of a few more clothes to give away. I’d already given away 80% of my clothes. This was ridiculous, I was able to get to Pucallpa with 2, 50 lb bags when I came both times. AND I would still be carrying nearly all of that weight, the only difference was that 13 kilos would be with me in the passenger section and the rest would be down below

With everything rearranged I placed the bags back on the scale. My suitcase was super light, I really had nothing in it but a few clothes. I was still ticked off by the rule that was sprung on me.

Everything was checked in, and the lady told me to go through security by 9:30. It was now 8:15. Steph, Rach, Anthony, Ever, and I decided to wait upstairs for a little while and have our last hangout time together in Peru. We played with photobooth and were in the midst of making a little video when the power went out. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that on the way to the airport there was a pretty crazy lightning storm going on. Great. This was not a good sign. If the lightning storm continued I wouldn’t be able to leave Pucallpa.

The power was out for about 10 or 15 minutes before the generator kicked in. by this time it was 9:10 pm. I decided to make my way downstairs to go through security, which, by the way is a complete joke. I made it through with my pretty sick looking pocket knife. I didn’t even realize it was there until after security. Apparently they missed it as well, or didn’t care.

I said my goodbyes to my small group of friends. They left, and I promptly got teary-eyed. I boarded the plane, sat down and then the tears really started flowing. It hit me that I was really leaving. And while I was happy to get back home to see my family and friends, I was triste to be saying goodbye to the place I had called home for the last 8 months. I bawled until the lady next to me asked if I knew if the flight was completely booked. I turned to her teary-eyed, apologized for my puffy, tear-stained face, and told her I didn’t know. We then started a friendly conversation for the next hour, in which she talked the majority of the time. She and her daughter were on their way to Lima to see the Hannah Montana concert in Lima the next day. Our conversation moved from why I was in Peru to what it’s like in the US, to what the average age of getting married in the US is, to why kids marry so young in the selva, to disciplining children, to her lancha building company. She showed me several of her pictures of her lanchas, her kids, her coworkers, and her family, all on her fancy Canon or Nikon, I never did figure out what it was. We talked about where her lanchas travel to, and how Iquitos is a party city, where they constantly have music playing, so much so that you start dancing as soon as you get off the plane in Iquitos.

We chatted about a few more things before she gave me her card. She told me to call her the next time I was in Pucallpa and asked me to take her to my church when I visited. Just before we landed she asked if we could take a picture together so she could add a few more interesting things to her camera to show to the next stranger with willing eyes and ears.

I was supposed to get to Lima at 11:05 pm. But because of the weather I didn’t get into the tarmac until 11:25 pm. I still had to ride a stupid tram to get to baggage claim, I then had to wait at the conveyor belt for my luggage because they didn’t transfer it directly onto the plane. It was 12:00 am by the time I got my luggage. I ran with my stuff towards the Delta check in. My flight was suppose to be leaving at 12:45 am. As I came into the foyer where I was suppose to check in, I heard the announcement over the intercom that Delta flight to Atlanta was leaving. There was no one at the Delta desk. NOT ONE PERSON! I panicked and found the first uniformed person I could find. I explained my situation in panicked Spanish, he told me that everyone had left and the flight was closed. He then told me to go upstairs to the Delta office to see what they could do for me. I ran to the elevator, pushed the button a million times and waited for what seemed like hours for the door to open. I then rushed to the Delta office. And to my luck, no one was there. Apparently they all decided to leave for the weekend. I ran back downstairs to try to find help elsewhere.

A LAN worker told me to go to the Tripulaciones desk to explain my situation. I waited at a check in desk for 30 minutes before someone decided to “help” me. Teary-eyed and super frustrated I told the guy that his airline and the weather had made me miss my connection and asked what he could do for me. He told me that he could do nothing, he said it wasn’t their fault because the delay had been caused by the weather. I about broke down right there in front of all the LAN workers. My dad called me then, we had been communicating through texts the whole time. He was on hold with Delta. I decided there was nothing more I could do but wait, in Starbucks.

So here I am. It’s 3:00 am Peruvian coastal time and it looks as though I will be staying here until who knows when. Delta didn’t think it was their responsibility to put me up in a hotel or accommodate me in anyway, except for not charge my dad for the change in flight. So, I’m here in Lima until my flight leaves at one-twenty-something on Monday morning. I still don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ll try to get ahold of Chris Clouzet to see what he’s up to. If that doesn’t work out, Steph and Rach are flying in tomorrow afternoon at 12:30. What a crappy mess this has all turned out to be. I was hoping to be on a flight and arriving in Atlanta in 4 hours, writing a sentimental blog about what I miss/will miss about Peru. But, that wasn’t in God’s plan and I can’t say I understand why I’m in this situation. Maybe I never will. All I can do now is wait, which I have been trained very well for in the last 8 months. I’m too frustrated to cry, too tired to think, and too upset to laugh at this situation. Also, the American girl across the way from me is talking non-stop about how much she knows about traveling, South America, and life. It’s getting obnoxious, but maybe it’ll be a blessing in that her talking will keep me up for the next eternity of waiting. Also, maybe she’ll agree to watch my bags when I have to pee. Luckily Starbucks has a good selection of music to keep me awake as well. Ok, now I’m just rambling. I’m sure I’ll have some good stories to tell after this. Until then…..