Just a quick update to say that it was a long day of travel, but we’ve arrived safe and sound in Lima, Peru.
The flights down here were long, but fairly uneventful. The first flight was great: It was almost two thirds empty, so we all got to stretch out across empty seats. I slept for most of it.
Mexico, briefly
Transiting in Mexico City is a pain. Mexico, like the US, is one of those countries that annoyingly lacks transit passenger status, so everyone has to clear immigration, pick up their bags, go through customs, and then re-drop their bags for connecting flights. These all were accomplished with long lineups and a fair bit of chaos. The bag drop line for connections was so long that they sent us out and in again through the departure gate. The good news is, we had plenty of time to connect, so even after all that, we had a chance to wander the airport, eat some typically awful airport food, and even browse at the Mexican candy shops.
One amusing anecdote: At the security check, Marie and I got stuck behind a couple with one of those little dogs that I have no idea what breed it is, but looks like something out of Legally Blonde. In fact, the woman holding the dog could’ve belonged in that movie, too; her clothes, suitcases, everything was pink. (She was brunette, though). Anyway, this couple apparently had no idea how to go through airport security, since they had to open their rather large bags and unpack and repack literally everything… while we all waited stuck behind them. All while holding this dog. A bit odd.
The second flight departed about an hour late, due to them needing to identify and remove bags from some passengers who failed to make the flight. But other than that, it was fine. We got upgraded to exit row seats, so we again had plenty of room to stretch out. I watched a movie, dozed a bit, and tried to ward off the splitting headache that I always get on long flights.
Oh, and someone actually bought a first class seat for their dog. Yes, really. No, it wasn’t the Legally Brunette lady.
Welcome to Peru
We got into Lima just before midnight, sped through immigration, and went to baggage claim. While we were waiting for our bags, I spotted a Claro kiosk on the other side and went over to try to buy a local SIM card. No dice: after 20 minutes in line, I was informed that I was at the wrong place; this kiosk was only to rent SIM cards, not to buy them — this after having specifically asked before getting in said line, and being told the opposite. Total fail. I’ll have to find a shop in town tomorrow where I can get one. Meanwhile, I’m relying on the spotty hostel WiFi.
We found our pre-arranged airport driver rather easily, and hopped in the cab along with another passenger from Phoneix. By then, we were all thirsty as heck, and I hadn’t managed to buy more water since getting off the plane. The driver was nice enough to pull off to a roadside stand so we could pick up a few bottles. Then, about halfway into the city, he had to pull over since the muffler came off the car. No worries; he jacked up the car, fixed the muffler, and we were on our way again in no time flat.
I’m writing this from our hostel in Miraflores, right next to Parque Kennedy. I can’t wait to start exploring the city tomorrow. But for now, we’ve been up for a million hours. So it’s time to sleep.