Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! Thank you for taking interest in my journey. I will try and post at least once a week so be sure to check back for new entries.
To start things off, never assume that your flights are going to be on time. I knew from the beginning that my ticket was too good to be true, but I had high hopes. My first flight was from Denver, CO to Miami, FL. I left DIA at 7:50am and arrived at MIA around 1:15pm. After that I was suppose to be on my flight to Lima, Peru at 4:03pm and arrive at the Jorgé Chavez Airport at 8:45pm. From there my plan was to stay the night at a hostel near the airport and be back at Jorge Chavez for my 5:30 am flight from Lima to Cusco where Viviana (the director at the orphanage) had arranged a taxi driver to meet me and take me to Calca, Peru where I will be living for the next six months. Upon my arrival in Miami I discovered my flight to Lima had been delayed from 4:03 pm to 11:15 pm. I went through security again to reach my gate and waited 10 hours for my flight. To top things off, the terminal I was assigned to was a primarily Spanish speaking division, so while in Miami I felt like I was already in Peru. i had a reservation at a hostel in Lima that I would no longer be needing since my flight got in at 4:30 am and my next flight was an hour later so I called to cancel and it cost me $25 (I didn't end up having to pay since it was an uncontrollable situation but I went to the airlines and complained anyways, in return I recieved a $20 voucher to good ol' Mickey D's). Finally around 10:30 pm I boarded my flight. If you ever fly to South America I highly recommend Taca airlines otherwise known as Avianca. I felt as if I was flying first class, free new release movies, pandora, games, excellent food and not to mention the woman I sat next to was great (Ashraf, if you read this, good luck on your trip and all your future travels).
Arriving in Lima was when the homesickness really started to kick in. No familiar faces, different language, the smell. I was nervous on top of it all which didn't help. We got in around 4:30 am and by the time I got my luggage and re-checked it in, I had missed my flight to Cusco. I wouldn't have cared except Viviana had arranged for a taxi to meet me when I landed at 7:50 am so he could take me to Calca and I had no way of reaching her or the taxi driver to let them know I was running late! The travel agent got me a ticket for only 30 minutes later, so all I could do was pray that he was still waiting for me (that's what I get for not traveling with a cell phone, bad idea).
Thankfully, when I got to Cusco, the man Viviana hired was waiting outside with a sign for me.
The drive from Cusco to Calca is one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. The mountains, the villages, the insane (but surprisingly safe) taxi drivers who pass whenever they feel like it and if another car is coming it just swerves a little towards the edge of the road; the numerous amounts of stray dogs and overall the stupendous views that leave you speechless. The taxi ride was great, lasted about an hour and only cost me $30 (I gave him $50USD or $100SOL because he waited all that time).
Getting to Viviana's I was not sure what to expect, but I am confident to say I already feel at home. Her house is beautiful and so colorful on the inside. She has roosters and ducks which live right beside my bedroom and the room her and her husband have given me is unbelievable. I am very excited to meet the children tomorrow and explore the town a little later on today. I know my stay here will be something unforgettable and although I'm already homesick and have to get use to some changes, I look forward to everything coming my way.
Peace and and love for now,
Ayla
