Last Weeks in Peru and back to USA

After an eight hour wait in the airport, Aeroconder informed the twelve of us waiting to fly into Lima that our flight was (arbitrarily) cancelled. Just like that! One of the passengers, a very tall German, started yelling expletives (half in German) and demanded to speak with the person in charge of Aeroconder. Unfortunately, it happened to be a Sunday, which is the day everyone goes to church—everyone including people in the airline industry—so there was not much chance of leaving the Andes at that point.

Where efficiency is concerned, Peru seems diametrically opposite of Germany (when in Frankfurt and Weisbaden, everything seemed so infallibly punctual). I ended up spending my extra time in Ayacucho on the phone trying to convince Continental not to fine me 50 dollars for changing my international ticket since I couldn't be in Lima for my scheduled departure. It was all very hectic and frustrating and I almost decided to hire a private van and make the nine hour trip to Lima by ground but couldn’t since everyone who drives vans was at church too.

When I finally arrived in Lima, I was surprised by how foreign the bustling city felt compared to the rural Andes. From what I saw, Lima seems much like any cosmopolitan metropolis in the US. My taxi driver, Miguel, gave me a city tour and told me about growing up in the Amazon before migrating to Lima in search of better economic opportunities. It was all very interesting but I was too tired to pay much attention and I think I actually dozed off during one of his monologues. I didn't mean to be rude but I was really tired.

At ten in the evening, I tried checking in for my flight only to be told I didn’t have a reservation. I drowsily explained in slurred Spanish that I did, indeed, have a reservation but had to change the date of my ticket because Aeroconder is ridiculously incompetent. Half an hour later, the lady at the check-in counter finally handed me a boarding pass and directed me to the gates. After paying all sorts of departure taxes, I figured sleep was near. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. After going though security, I had to get my passport stamped and visa checked—turns out, my Peruvian visa expired sometime two months ago! Three policemen consulted with one another before concluding I had to remain in the country indefinitely or pay a huge fine, which I had little doubt they would pocket. Just a few days ago I was bemoaning how much I would miss Peru but, at that moment, I was most definitely ready to leave. After practically yelling that I was a student who was working in the highlands with CARE, the police briefly re-consulted and then, to my surprise, actually apologized and pointed me to my gate.

So, finally, I'm back. I’m spending the next two weeks here in the U.S. teaching Hatha yoga and taking intensive Russian classes since I leave for Moscow at the end of this month. So far the only word I know is “Vood-kah” (to keep warm of course, lol).

PS: The photos below were taken during my last weeks in Peru. Check back early November for postings in Russia.


. . . and here's some interesting NYT articles on Peru in today's newspaper (10/25/2005). I hardly see the country mentioned in mainstream media . . .


Peru's Fugitive Ex-Leader Trying to Regain Presidency:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/25/international/americas/25fujimori.html

EXCERPT: The only thing standing between Alberto Fujimori and a real run for the top office in Peru is about 10,000 miles of Pacific Ocean - that and a worldwide Interpol arrest warrant. He is wanted on 4 charges of human rights violations and 18 charges of corruption, stemming from his tenure as Peru's president from 1990 to 2000. Without direct flights between Tokyo and Lima, Mr. Fujimori would have to change planes somewhere, probably in Dallas or Los Angeles, where he would run the risk of arrest. A private plane would be expensive, and any planes available in Japan would have to stop at least once for refueling, executives at rental companies said. "Submarino?" Mr. Fujimori joked in an interview on Monday, offering in Spanish an alternative means of crossing the Pacific.


Tangles Strands in Fight Over Peru Gold Mine
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/25/international/americas/25GOLD.html?incamp=article_popular_3

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