DAY 1: LOS ANGELES – ATLANTA – LIMA

DAY 1: LOS ANGELES - ATLANTA - LIMA

I boarded the plane at LAX (Los Angeles Airport) just after 8:00 am and landed in Atlanta four hours later. An hour after that, I boarded the plane to Peru. It was packed mainly with tourists. Actually, the two girls who sat next to me were going to stay in Ayacucho for two months to teach English to little kids, but before doing that they were going to hike the Inca Trail and visit Cusco, two things that were on my itinerary as well.

The plane arrived in Lima after 6 ¼ hours. During the flight, I received immigration and custom forms. After going through immigration and customs, I had to pass through the throng of people showing signs with last names. I saw my transfer guy showing a sign with my name. His name was Luis, and he drove me to my aunt’s house in a nice and comfortable van. By the way, a good tip for a transfer would be about 10% of the bill.

In order to leave the airport you should make previous arrangements with a travel agency (such as Inca Trail Reservations) or just take a taxi from the airport. From the airport to Miraflores a regular taxi charges something around S/. 40.00 (Forty Nuevos Soles) or US $13.00 (Thirteen American Dollars). If you do not have an arrangement to be picked up, do not take a taxi from the street, make sure you get a taxi from a recognized company at the airport.

Having flown through four time zones since leaving California in the morning, I had “lost” three hours. Even so I was exhausted by the end of my first day in Peru.

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