My Dad was scheduled to arrive in Lima on Thursday morning at 7:15am. When I hadn't heard from him by 11am, I was a bit concerned. By 7pm, I was panicked and by 11pm I was in full blown hysterics. I had meticulously pondered every possible reason for the delay and the fact that he hadn't contacted me, and the most logical answer that I could come up with was that he had been detained by immigration! Then I started pondering which was worse: being a brown man detained in the U.S. or a gringo detained in Peru. Needless to say, I was worried sick. On top of that, I just found out that a loved one at home had recently fallen ill and I had no idea. I haven't felt sad or upset or really any negative emotions since regaining my health, but I was overwhemingly sad, worried and frustrated at the chain of events and my utter helplessness. It's so difficult to be in a remote town 6000 kms away and not be able to do anything to help your loved ones.
Anyway, after an agonizing 19 hours sitting by my computer, wrestling with my ridiculously temperamental internet connection, my Dad finally contacted me. Turns out his first flight was delayed, igniting a chain of reactions that resulted in him having to take four separate flights with no wifi connection to be found. The cherry on top? They lost his luggage too! Luckily, he was reunited with his bag shortly after.
Next on the agenda, I had to make my way to Lima. One of the directors at my school was concerned about my plan to take a mototaxi to the airport, so they ensured I got into a reputable one and snapped a photo of what I presume was the mototaxi's license plate. I clearly told the driver in perfect Spanish, (I even double checked!), that I needed to go to the airport. Somehow, he interpreted that as a bus terminal to Piura. Frantically trying to arrive at the airport on time, I hopped into another moto. For some reason, this driver thought it'd be best for me to take a bus from a different terminal. After convincing him that the airport was really and truly the only place I wanted to go, we set off in the right direction... Or that's what we were trying to do until another mototaxi came careening into the side of ours. Seeing as the only thing standing between me and the metal of the other mototaxi was a flimsy piece of curtain, I was one blessed chiquita to escape with only a minor bump. After making my way to the airport with all limbs satisfactorily attached to my body, I settled into my plane seat for a peaceful journey, whilst visions of reuniting with my Dad danced in my head. The sky, however, had a different idea for our flight, one which didn't involve daydreams and relaxation. Instead, it involved arm rest death grips and silent prayers as we jerked and bobbed our way into Lima. Even the stewardesses had to abandon their drink service and retreat back to their seats at one point! Once again saying a prayer of thanks that I had arrived in one piece yet again, I landed in Lima and happily reunited with my Dad. It's only been 3 weeks to the day since my affair with Peru began (happy travel anniversary to me!), but it feels like forever since I've seen him and the rest of my loved ones. We briefly explored Miraflores and we're now preparing for our early morning flight into Cuzco tomorrow. Look out you adorable alpacas (who are no doubt reading this blog lol) I'm coming for you!
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