Peru - Rain Forest 2008 Saugatuck

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After more than a year of studying, fundraising and preparing for the trip, we were finally leaving for our long-awaited trip to the rain forest -- a ten-day trip to Peru.

Day 1 … Thursday 6/5/08

We met up at the school and boarded the school bus by 6:40 a.m. Eighteen 7th and 8th graders, two teachers three parents and two grandparents. And luggage, lots of luggage. A duffel, back pack and fanny pack for each of us. The packing list was very detailed so we should be in good shape.

Julia is so excited. She keeps saying “I can’t believe this is really happening, it still doesn’t seem real.” Check-in and security went smoothly except for the fact that Julia and I were both issued boarding passes for “Julia Vernier.” I had to make a trip back to the check-in counter to get one with my own name on it.

Out of Grand Rapids airport and a connection in Chicago went smoothly. For many of these kids this was the first time they had set foot on an airplane. Had only a few lectures and lessons about the importance of keeping their passports with them at all times, sticking with the buddy system and other handy travel tips.

The flight out of Chicago was delayed and the connection in Miami was quick. Only the fact that our connecting flight was also delayed allowed us to catch that plane. Onboard we all got our paperwork for customs and immigration. The movie was Seven Dresses.

Arrived in Lima around 10 P.m. and headed toward immigration. Three of our travelers had to fill out their papers again because they had lost them, but a very helpful security lady got us all through it smoothly.

We waited and waited next to the luggage carousel among the mob of people and bulky steel luggage carts. No luggage came for any of us. Not a scrap. Obviously our connection in Miami was too close for the bags. It took a good while for Mr. Gust to make all the arrangements for our luggage to be sent on to our camp when it arrived, and tired travelers started to crash out on the floor.

Because our morning flight to Iquitos boarded at 4:30 a.m., we stayed in the Lima airport overnight. We met up with our guide “Arie” who was very cheerful and took charge of finding us food - McDonalds! - and a semi-secluded hallway to catch a nap in. Ian found Sherpa hats made of lama wool, and his first couple bottles of Inca cola. We all got snacks and then settled into our hallway. After a couple of hours of attempted sleep, the cold marble floor sapping our body heat and chilling us to the core (well at least the adults) we were given the bum’s rush by the floor polish guys and slept the last half of our night on some more comfortable chairs.

Why such an early flight you ask? The story is, that the airport in Iquitos has a garbage dump at one end of the runway that attracts birds and makes mid-day travel (when the birds are thickest) too dangerous.

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Photos

Bus to airport
Julia is ready with a copy of her passport.

Julia catches a nap in Lima-under a quilt made by her great grandma :)
No luggage arrived with us in Lima. After traveling for about 13 hours most of the group grabbed a nap while Mr. Gust filled out all of the claim slips for our luggage and arranged to have it sent to our camp to meet us. This meant that American Airlines had to fly our luggage to Iquitos, then put it on a boat for a 4-hour trip down the Amazon to our camp. A dose of luggage kharma for the airlines!