We're flying somewhere between LA and Panama when I wake up. It's about 6:15? our time and I feel better but still tired. Ryan's already awake next to me and people are hunched over throughout the cabin sleeping. The sun is up already but Ryan saw the sunrise and reports that it was pretty. We're served breakfast which is good because I'm getting pretty hungry. Another COPA failure, they are slow at getting food out! We overhear there is a choice between waffles or eggs. After a discussion over the cons of each entree, I choose eggs (yes they could be cold or dry and Ryan chooses waffles (potentially cold or soggy). My eggs look more like a yellow circle of egg product with mushy salsa on top served next to 3 soggy tator tots and a questionable piece of sausage. Its not too bad though, and there is a roll and coffee. Ryan's waffles are definently sog-riffic and come next to 2 pieces of limp hopefully cooked bacon. I hope the syrup made the waffles better, I refrained from trying them or my sausage. Oh, and there was a small dish of honeydew and canteloupe too.
By this time we can see ocean and some islands out the window. I feel like we must be getting close. As we start to descend into Panama City you can see a whole downtown with skyscrapers out the left and an immensley shallow beach that seems to go on forever until it hits a solid wall of jungle to our right. In the row next to us the hippy girl with a guitar and British man seem to have become friends. But the poor woman ahead of Ryan is stuck getting chubby hair guy's belly in her face as he scrounges around in the overhead for a pen. Once we land and are in the jetway I realize how hot and humid Panama is. The view around the airport is jungle with mountains in the background sticking out and reaching up into the clouds.
There isn't much time before our next flight since COPA boards an hour early. They're already boarding when we land but we search for a bathroom. It's only men's so I leave Ryan and come across 2 more men's before I find a women's. The line is out the door, there are only 3 stalls inside. I hear the intercom announcing our flight and I'm still 7-8 people back in line so I give up and go meet Ryan. On the way to the gate we pass the devil child and his parents and they recognize us.
We board right away. The plane is not too small, not a prop plane but a jet at least so we're happy. There is a man in my seat but he needs Ryan to help him lift his bag into the overhead. Ryan is nice and helpful and obliges. We are across the aisle from each other and Ryan is sitting next to an old lady who asks him if he is traveling to Peru (aren't all of us on this plane going to Peru?) but he misunderstands and tells her he is from the US. We both fall asleep before the plane takes off and feel much better when we wake up just in time for lunch.
There is a choice between chicken and rice with fried plantain or spaghetti with meat sauce. I go for the spaghetti and Ryan gets the chicken. Both get good reviews. OUr meals come with mini-oreos that are vanilla on the outside and chocolate on the inside. Ryan takes my trash onto his tray so I can start this journal. I forgot alcohol is free on international flights, the man next to me is drinking red wine and sleeping intermitedly.
The steward hands out custom forms so we fill those out and wait to land in Lima. And use the bathroom.
We made it to our hotel. It's not the hotel we thought we were staying at so I'm glad we paid for the airport transfer because we would've ended up at the wrong place! So we land in Lima and make it off the plane fine. Guitar-girl is brushing her teeth in the bathrom and there are only 2 stalls. I guess they aren't into large bathrooms. We make it through immigration and get our baggage just fine. Also slow, though. I withdraw 300 soles from an ATM but Ryan's card wasn't recognized so we'll have to figure that out tonight. Our taxi driver was waiting with a sighn with our names, although it said ANDREW M GABRIELLE G and Ryan seemed peturbed they got his name wrong. Maybe I'll call him Andrew and see what he things. Probably not, though.
The drive was nutttttty. There are police/military all along the streets in camo with guns and riot shields (later we learn there is the APEC conference in Lima and all the presidents and first ladies are in town still). There was also a woman officer in realy tight pants. The cars have different names here but we did see a Chili's, Burger King, KFC, Adidas, Papa John's, and a place called Beer Chicken. Weird.
We end up at this other hotel which seems nice, to find out our group meeting is tonight at 6:30 and our ride to the airport leaves tomorrow at 3am!! That's midnight our time! Sleeping tonight will be interesting.
On the flight there weren't enough pillows so only the women were offered them, the taxi driver carried my bags, and I get to go first for things. In the US its all the same. Our room is orange. I mean really orange. The walls, drapes, beds. You walk in and you're like whoa, orange. And musty smelling.
We walked down the street from the hotel and found a gas station to buy bottled water. Only 1 sole for a bottle! It was next to a Dunkin' Donuts, too! We walked around near the hotel an a little before meeting at 6:30. There's a gas station down the middle of the street. Like, along the median.
Not all the group was there, but we met 10/16. There are 3 from Miami: David, Stephanie, and Sebastian. Kim and Katharine from Toronto are moms, Chenine from Denver is 28, Tom from the UK is 25 and Sylgie his girlfriend is Norwegian and 30. After the meeting we went to dinner, on a street called Pizza Ave, which was an entire alley of pizza restaurants. We chose by picking one with free drinks that looked the busiest.
It was fun to get to know some of the group. Chenine is also going to the Amazon. I wonder if we'll meet up with others after the Inca Trail portion of the trip? I guess we'll find out. IN the center of Miraflores (the part of Lima where the hotel was located) we saw a large church, rows of easels with artists selling paintings down the street and a craft market and a concert - and the biggest McDonald's I've ever seen. We meet at 9 in the morning to catch our flight to Cusco (the original warning of 3am was a false alarm!) So for now we're off to watch the one movie in English on TV and sleep!
No comments:
Post a Comment