Monday, August 4, 2014

Machu Picchu: Chapter 6, The End

We woke up relatively late the following morning and found sunshine and rabbits in the courtyard.  J2 decided to be brave and come outside for part of the day, and we walked around in the almost but not quite warm weather looking at Scenery and Architecture and visiting the Quirikancha and Museo de los Incas.  We learned a lot of history, exactly all of which I have already forgotten.  In fact, I’ve forgotten nearly all of this day, as the physical and emotional weight of hike settled into my body and mind.  All I know for sure is that my butt hurt one heck of a lot. I couldn’t sit down properly and walking turned into a strange uncomfortable shuffling as the swelling only increased. 

By evening J2 was done, so she went to bed and the three of us fell asleep on some chicken at a chicken restaurant where I did not avail myself of the complimentary salad bar and contemplated the wilted spinach on my chicken sandwich before determining it probably was not properly cooked and ceased to eat anything.

J1 and M had one more day, but Jessica and I set our alarms for 5 a.m. and at 6a.m. a taxi arrived to take us to the airport.  We got our tickets and checked in just fine, and as we waited for our flight to Lima we saw two of our friends from our time living in the Lima airport, including the Turkish tour guide from Miami.  The other, the student at UNC, was trying to get from Peru to Costa Rica, and was told she couldn’t go without a Yellow Fever shot.  She was also told that she would need to get this shot at the airport in Lima or cancel her trip.  I did not feel confident about the idea of getting shots from needles in an airport in Peru, and was pleased that I was not the one facing this choice.  To make matters worse, our flight to Lima was getting further and further delayed, and the odds of her having the time to get the shot AND make her flight to Costa Rica were near zero by the time we boarded.

**IMPORTANT SIDENOTE: This girl was on line with us to board the plane.  I admit we weren’t paying a whole lot of attention to her once she got in line, but I DID see her get in the line several people ahead.  However, upon discussion with J1 back in the US, Julia swears that the girl was also on HER flight to Lima the following day.  MYSTERY!!!!**

The delay wasn’t good for anyone.  Our own flight out of Lima was becoming more of a hope than a certainty.  I had 20 soles in my pocket I had saved specifically to use in the Britt chocolate store in Lima and I realized with a sinking heart that while there was a vague possibility I might still make the plane, I’d never make it through a chocolate store AND on the plane. 

The flight itself was more or less fine other than the fact that J2 sunk closer and closer into the clutches of death and my bottom was made of pain and discomfort as I attempted to sit in the airplane seat.  I wondered sadly if I would ever enjoy sitting again.

When we arrived in Lima we discovered we had to leave the terminal, go outside, and back through security, which was multi-step.  Jessica convinced the people running the first line to let us skip ahead a bit, but the next person we talked to told us we had plenty of time, despite the fact that our flight was leaving in 20 minutes and we were nowhere in sight of the gate.  Also we had to stand in a long line to get our carry on bags searched as well as our persons.  Panic definitely set in during this process.  Eventually though, we made it onto our plane (without any Britt chocolate) where we were able to sit in some of the worst discomfort of our lives as J2 fought for her life and my butt continued to swell like a mylar party balloon.  In this way we traveled to Dulles in  Washington DC where we were met by our Male Protectors and carted away to be quarantined.  


It’s been a good two months now that we've been back, and I admit I have still not fully unpacked.  Unfortunately I'm leaving in four days for Germany and Denmark and I need that bag.  So now the real hard work begins.  

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