Good morning from Iquitos Peru!
I'm sorry I haven't posted sooner, but in the flurry of last minute packing and traveling for the past 24 hours I haven't gotten a chance for wifi!
We arrived in Birmingham for our flight to Atlanta in the morning on June 30th at 9:45. The short 45 minute plane ride was the most nauseating flight I have ever been on. The air conditioning wasn't working correctly on the plane and in the 103 degree summer heat of Birmingham Alabama...I have no words.... Anyway getting out into the Atlanta airport air conditioning was heaven. We then got to the international terminal for our flight to Lima. I walked into the bathroom to see a woman and her daughter standing side by side brushing their teeth in the sink. I got positively excited and thrilled for the trip. Nothing reminds of international travel like brushing my teeth in the nasty Atlanta airport bathroom :)
The 7 and half hour flight from Atlanta to Lima really wasn't bad. There was another mission trip group on the plane and all of the girls were matching like Duggar style. It was kind of cute, I wish it was the Duggars. I would have a had a freak out... Anyways I could not sleep on the flight for some reason so I finished my book instead. The movie selection was terrible anyways.
LIMA-- or as I say The City of Ghosts. We arrive in Lima around 11pm, after customs and immigrations blah blah blah line after line it was close to midnight. Our connecting flight to Iquitos wasn't until 6:30am on July 1st, the next morning. So we get a hotel for the few hours. Our handlers load us onto a bus (12am) and drive us through the city of Lima which was almost deserted and looked like someone had leeched all the color out of everything. All the buildings and overpasses were kind of sad looking (hence the City of Ghosts title). As sat there on this 30 minute bus ride I looked around realizing that the graffiti look on everything looked just like the graffiti at home. Bizarre right? Who knew the Peruvian gangs and Detroit gangs had similar taste in artwork? Anyways we got to the hotel at 12:30am. After checking everyone in and sorting through all the bags blah blah blah keycard in hand we get into our room at 1:30am. As we are walking to the elevator the leaders remind us to be in the lobby at 3:30am to be ready for our flight the next day. So, yes we did get hotel rooms for 2hours, if that's what you're wondering. They were gorgeous hotel rooms too. It was breaking my heart, I felt wasteful barely using the room.
IQUITOS-- We arrive at the airport and our Lima travel agent takes everyone's passport to check us all in at once. Which takes 2 hours... We can't even get to the bathrooms without a passport. So starving and really having to use the bathroom I read again, sitting on my lime green carry on. Finally they get us our boarding passes and passports. It's is 5:15am and we are boarding at 5:35am. I walk up near security and immediately zone in on a starbucks. I'm like a moth to the flame of the deliciousness that is iced coffee. I immediately begin an inner struggle, South Americans are never on time right? I have time? I tell my friends to go ahead to the gate and get in line at the powerhouse of coffee chains. I asked for an iced coffee with room, not even any sweetener! As I stand there 5 minutes go by, then 10, and right when I start to get nervous they give me my very mighty complex iced coffee. So now it's 5:40 and I still have to walk through security. I was anxious by then, very very anxious. I flew through security and got to the gate. We walk out onto the tarmak and there are buses waiting there. Buses? Are we driving to Iquitos? No the bus takes out to a hangar where a plane waits. We board a very terrible smelling plane and wait. 45 minutes for another bus load of people! The flight was supposed to leave at 6:20 and we left at 7:10. I guess I was right about South Americans taking their time huh? That's the last time I try to outwit the system on 2 hours of sleep. Not the first time my logic has made me want to slam my face into a wall. Cleverness too late isn't really cleverness at all is it? This next hour and a half flight I don't sleep either. We land in Iquitos, which is beautiful. I saw the amazon river from the plane it is gorgeous! We just got to out hotel after a short briefing, finally getting a shower, and with 2 hours of sleep since I left Birmingham I am writing to you lovely people. See I care about you. Now I'm going to pass out, and my only other problem is I'm already out of books to read!
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