New Thing #88 - Peru (Travel Days)

August 28, 2017

I could really get used to this international travel business. Though, to be honest, I do miss my bed and my routine by the end of it. And this year's adventures started out with some trepidation and fear that I will lose my grandpa while on another continent. My last remaining grandparent is nearing 101 and has been rapidly declining in health over the past few weeks. The mixed emotions from being excited about this trip, but also knowing he has little time left have been weighing pretty heavily on me. To the point where I've extensively researched what it would entail to cut my trip short. For the first time ever, I bought trip insurance when I bought my flight. I've never done this before. I've kind of always taken a chance and hoped that nothing would derail any of the previous amazing adventures I've taken. But something stuck with me when I bought these flights months ago. I couldn't shake the feeling that I should get trip insurance. Just in case. Maybe it was because I was terrified of getting horrific mosquito bites and having to be evacuated back home for medical treatment. (Over the top, yes, but still in the back of my mind. North American mosquitos love me, who knows how their South American cousins will treat me.) Or the possibility that I might fall of a mountain and do some serious damage. Whatever it was, I felt compelled to spring for the extra insurance, and it looks like now I might need to actually use it.

I should back up. My good friend, Brenda – a big staple in my travel blogs – is stationed in Lima, Peru, and I seized the opportunity to piggy back a trip to see her with a chance to see Machu Picchu. I took a newbie with me this time, my friend Sandi, who had expressed interest in visiting Iceland with me last year, but the timing didn't work out for her. I convinced her she should go with me this time, though she's only going to have time for the first half. Either way, it's always nice to have a travel buddy.

Our flight leaves bright and early tomorrow, so we took the time to work this morning before making the quick 4 hour drive up to Chicago. Other than some heavy bouts of rain, we made great time, and enjoyed the generosity of my Aunt Jan and Uncle Robert once again. Thank you to them for allowing us to stay, saving so much money on flights out of StL (they were pretty much double what I paid leaving from Chicago), and parking at O'Hare!

Early to bed, but I still couldn't sleep. I never sleep well before a trip – always worrying about travel snafus – but this time I had the added guilt of leaving my family if they needed me. Our trip is going to be broken in to two sections. The first half is the Peruvian countryside, including Machu Picchu and other archaeological sites, and the other half will be spent on the coast in Lima. Sandi can only join for the first half, and Brenda has to work for the second half. If I need to cut my trip short, I can switch flights to come home with Sandi, and the travel insurance should cover canceling my pre-arranged tours in Lima. I'm hoping it doesn't come to this, but I sleep slightly better knowing I can come home early if I need to.

August 29, 2017

Woke up around 4:30 to shower and get ready before our car service arrived to take us to the airport. I'm not a big fan of the early flight, but it turns out there aren't a whole lot of flight options to and from Peru that don't involve early ass flights. Fortunately, we didn't have to deal with rush hour traffic at 6 in the morning. Unfortunately, I received the news that I desperately didn't want to hear.

My grandpa passed away an hour or so earlier. And the bottom fell out of my world. My sweet, humble, hardworking grandpa. Two weeks shy of his 101st birthday. And my heart broke, knowing how devastated my dad and mom are, and knowing that I have a very difficult decision to make, in a very short time frame.

I missed my other grandpa's funeral years ago because one of my friends in California had passed away and the services were on the same day. My mom encouraged me to be with my friends in CA, assuring me grandpa would understand. I didn't want to miss saying goodbye to this grandpa for something as trivial as a vacation. But I also knew how happy it made him to hear about all my adventures, and how he would always ask where I was off to next. My parents left the decision up to me, assuring me they would support whatever I decided to do.

Thank goodness for my family and for my friends, Brenda and Sandi, for supporting me and being there when I needed them. Though it was truly one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made, I chose to continue with my trip. I knew Grandpa Jones would want me to go, and I knew he would be there with me every step of the way.

It didn't make me feel better or stop the tears, however, and I'm sure that I looked like a hot mess in the airport. Luckily TSA pre-check was quick (best $85 I've ever spent), our flight was blissfully on time, I had an entire row of seats to myself, and I had my own personal TV screen to watch Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. I was able to take my mind off things, as well as not scare my seat mates with my bloodshot eyes.

We arrived in Miami with an hour or so to kill, so we were able to eat a quick bite of lunch, and I could catch up with my family, and talk through the next steps. I'll be gone for two weeks, which is way too long to hold his body, and way too long to wait for my dad and family to grieve. The funeral will be before the first leg of the trip is complete, so there won't be a need to cut it short either. The last thing I want to do is delay closure for my dad, so I made sure he knew that I understood why he needed to go ahead with the service without me there.

Have you ever cried all day while wearing contacts? I don't recommend it. Unless you like everything you see to be cloudy AF.

The next flight to Lima was on an older plane, and we didn't get our own personal TVs. Only the main cabin screen that everyone had to watch. And guess what was playing? Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. Joy. Luckily, the seat next to me was still empty, so I tried to rest and relax on this 6 hour flight. That's never easy when you're woken up with drink requests, dinner trays and the fact that I just don't sleep on planes.

At least we arrived on time, our luggage arrived with us, and we easily found our driver. Brenda had pre-booked our car service, because she avoided driving in Lima at all costs. And after a long ass MF drive, I can see why. Lima traffic is the absolute worst. No semblance of a light system, or at least no one actually paid any attention to green or red. No one understood right of ways – oh, you think you can go now? I think not. It was every man for himself and completely bonkers. I chose not to pay attention, given the areas close to the airport were pretty run down and shady, and the fact that I might vomit if I paid too close of attention to our driver. I now totally understand B's lack of desire to drive, and would probably avoid it as well.

After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at Brenda's apartment, I ate a hasty bite of pizza, took a shower, removed my shot contacts and fell into a brief fitful sleep around midnight. We have yet another ride back to the airport and another flight to Cusco before daylight in the morning.

Did I start this post by saying how much I love international travel? Maybe not so much right at this moment.