Sat 21 May - Arrival in Peru

So touch down at 06:55am on this 'White Crystal Mirror' day - (reference comes from dreamspell calendar).

Typically a mirror day is all about the self reflection in the world.. whilst the Crystal day is about co-operating, and working together... an interesting 'flavour' for the day, as the events will soon spill out...

Upon arriving in Lima, not having any checked in baggage I walk out of the arrivals to see the usual sea of people, and taxi drivers ready to offer rides... Not wanting to take a cab straight away, I decided I would walk right past everyone, and then found a way back into the terminal from the other side. Once back in the Airport, I looked for a place to take a 'bus' and it seems my western eyes couldn't see the usual signs of public transportation...

My initial plan had been to take a bus all the way from Lima to Cuzco, saving my money, and meaning I could last longer... I also, by this point had the phone number for both Puma and Don Americo Yabar in Cuzco... unfortunately I didn't have any change for the telephone, and the credit card reader didn't seem to be working. After trying to get change, and trying to buy a credit card, with my english, I decided to sit for a moment, and see what felt most appropriate...

Once I started questioning my next step, it became clear to me that I wanted to just get on a plane to Cusco, and not worry too much about saving money everywhere just yet... if I could just get to Cusco, I guess I imagined things would be a whole lot easier... So I start looking to buy a ticket to Cusco.. At first, these people approach me, and ask me if I want a ticket to Cusco, and being wary of getting ripped off, I kindly decline their offer of a ticket for $86.. the price comes down to $82, but I want to check the price with the airline, and they tell me it's $78. Even though a few dollars isn't that much, on principle, I feel like I don't want to get ripped off, so I stand in line for the official sales desk, where the line of only three or four people seems to be taking a painfully long time. Eventually, a man comes to ask me where I'm headed, and seeing that the plane I want to get leaves fairly soon, he leads me out of the line, and we promptly begin to walk briskly to the travel agency upstairs. Once we get there, he starts telling the man to start making out a ticket for me, and as excited as I am to get my ticket, when I hear the price of $86, I suddenly stop the whole process... The man takes a flight coupon from the travel agent, and starts running with me downstairs, keen on helping me get the fair that I think is correct.

Cutting a long story short, I end up finding out that the official fare has changed to $82, and upon paying for that, after running around, I get a ticket, get checked in, and am ready for the flight that leaves in 30 minutes... Unfortunately, with a bit of delay in getting some money changed, and waiting in line to pay the airport tax, I end up getting through security, rushing to the departure gate, to be told that the boarding of the plane has been finished, and that I've missed the plane... Disappointed after all the running around, and with another man that turns up, just moments after me, we start to walk back to security, when a man from the airline catches up with us, and says that we can still make it. Rushing back, we get our boarding cards torn, and we're just waiting for ground staff to get a bus to take us to the plane, when the technical difficulties the plane was having appear to be resolved, and the plane starts to move away... watching helplessly for the second time, the staff are really apologetic, but at the same time, can't do anything else.

I end up leaving the security area, and as the tickets are being sorted out, the man who sold me the initial ticket, Carlos, gets summoned by the airline staff, and he promptly takes me upto the travel agency office, sits me down, and starts telling me he can get me a ticket for the 3pm flight. I've already tried at the airline desk, where they told me that the flight was fully booked, but Carlos assures me, that as long as I pay in cash, a ticket can be arranged for me. Taking my passport and leaving me there, he promptly disappears... Worried after about 10 or 15 minutes, I start asking people questions, and the old lady sitting next to me assures me that here it's normal for them to take your identity documents and disappear for anything from a few minutes, to 5 or 6 hours, whilst they are sorting out a ticket.

As I start listening to this lady, and trying as best I can to converse with what little spanish I have learnt so far, I discover a 'Japanese' connection. It seems this lady had just returned from Japan, and was waiting for a flight to be arranged for her to Buenos Aires, in Argentina, whilst I was waiting for my ticket to Cusco.

Already having spent money on a ticket to Cusco, which I'm told I can change into a ticket from Cusco to Lima, and is valid for a year, but just no longer on the journey Lima-Cusco, I'm beginning to wonder if taking a plane, with limited financial resources at my disposal was such a wise idea after all.... But now I'm kinda gonna have to, so I resign myself to the fact...

After going through security, and paying Airport Tax again, I finally arrive on the other side, with a few hours before my flight...

In the cafe on the other side, I run into a few other people that were also queueing for tickets earlier that morning, and seeing them there I decide to join them... especially after discovering that they're all travelling on the same flight.

It turns out that two of the staff were Air Canada staff, and so being on standby, they had lost their seats on the earlier flights, and so were hoping to make it to Cusco on my 3pm flight.

I finally got some change and decided to phone Americo Yabar, and Puma again. This time, though no Americo, I did get hold of Puma, to learn that he was leaving later that day for a few days, going to the glaciers.. I thought maybe I could tag along, but it was becoming clearer that for now I was on my own.

Eventually, when the time for the flight comes, it seems that there aren't enough seats for my Air Canada friends, and we end up parting company.. (part of me wonders if my ticket purchase wasn't the one that pushed them off the flight.. but then I'll never know...) Taking the details of a few youth hostels in Cusco, from the Lonely Planet guide the Air Canada guys had, I board the flight, and and hour later I'm there!

At the airport, this lady ends up taking me in a taxi to a hotel, where she says I can have a room for 20 Soles (about 6 dollars), with a private bathroom... Not having the strength to struggle anymore, I decide for now, I'll take the room, and when the chance to save money comes, I'll be able to do that... till I make contact with anyone I'd have to make do alone...

Having dinner in a vegetarian restaurant for 10 soles, tired, I end up going to sleep early, eager to meet the new morning, in my new home for the next 4 months...