seekingmygreaterperhaps

Hola!

In October we had a week off of school, and I checked off a huge bucket list item by going to one of the wonders of the world in Peru. But that post will come next. Before I got there, I explored some really amazing things in Cusco, Peru.

Getting to Cusco turned out to be really horrible for me. There were 7 other people from my school going to Cusco the same day as I did, but I’m the only one who was on a SKY airlines flight. There is a flight that leaves from Lima to Cusco about every 30 minutes, from what I could see on the monitors.

I boarded the flight, everything was going fine until we approached landing in Cusco. There was a little bit of turbulence, and the seatbelt sign came on- it was on the majority of the trip. We begin the descent, we are so close to Cusco that we are almost at eye level with the tops of the surrounding buildings, and I suddenly feel the plane start to come back up. Hmm, that’s weird. Maybe the Cusco airport is in a valley so we just saw the tops and then they get farther away again? False. Our pilot came on the speakers and said that we wouldn’t be landing right now, so he was turning our plane around and going back to Lima. All the way back. To Lima. I still have so many questions remaining about what actually occurred as we were approaching the runway.

[My friend John (the Ironman legend), had some great insight. While we might never know why they couldn’t fly the plane, pilots are trained and it is better to be inconvenienced than for something really terrible to have happened. It’s easy to say that now, after everything is out of the way, but I suppose I agree.]

Okay, well, we went back to Lima. They told us to get off the plane and that someone would be at the gate to give us further instructions. Odd, but alright. We get off the plane, and they just tell us to go get luggage and go back to the check in counter at SKY. So we have to leave the airport (I didn’t check luggage), and re-enter. Surprise, surprise, no one is working the check in counter. There is an angry plane full of people wanting to know how they will get us to Cusco, and then some employees show up and are just chatting behind the counter, very clearly stalling because they don’t know what to do. I see the time wasting away, and I’m checking my LATAM app on my phone. There are still another couple of flights tonight, let’s wait to see if SKY will rebook us on one of their flights tonight. The line doesn’t move. The LATAM ticket is still a little bit expensive, so I really want to wait to see what is happening. However, I have a tour booked for tomorrow, and I want to get to Cusco so I can start acclimatizing to the altitude before my big hike. The line still doesn’t move.

Ah, screw it. I booked the LATAM flight. I have faith that they will get me to Cusco. It was an unexpected travel expense, but I recognize how fortunate I am to be in a place where this was not prohibitive. Most of the families on my flight probably couldn’t make that same choice. While I hate wasting money, I am glad I did because the email I got from SKY airlines rebooked me on a flight at 10 pm… the next day. With no hotel, taxi, food, etc. Since I chose not to take that option, they gave me a voucher for $37.

(An aside- I am currently trying to use said voucher. I vowed I would never fly SKY again. But for an upcoming trip to Chile, I am trying to go to the lake district, and one of the only companies that goes is- you guessed it- SKY. So I thought, hmm, okay, I’ll use the voucher at least! Incorrect. It is turning out to be nearly impossible for the website to accept the voucher. I contact them and they say it’s active and should be fine. Just another headache.) My recommendation- don’t fly SKY.

Attempt #2 at going to Cusco was a success! I landed safely. I chose not to pay for data on this trip because I would be hiking a lot without any service anyways, and most places have wifi if I need them. Every airport I’ve been in lately has wifi. Oh, except Cusco. So there was no calling an Uber for me… which left me with the option of a taxi. Ugh. I hate airport taxis. They prey on tourists like myself, and I always get ripped off.

Well, unfortunately, this was no exception. I spoke in Spanish with him, directed him to my hostel and gave him the address. He drove me to the historic square and then told me this was as far as he could go because the road was closed in front of my hostel. I pointed and said, well it’s that way and quite a walk. I see cars going that direction, to which he said, nope- get out. He price gouged me even though he didn’t even take me to my final destination! So, out of the taxi I get, with my backpackers backpack, and my daypack on my front.

In Quito, my backpack got slashed when I was walking in a similar fashion, and my anxiety (and maybe some PTSD) kicked in, as I had to walk through the very crowded tourist square. Contrary to my taxi driver’s directions, my hostel was not just on the “other side” of the square. I had to walk uphill (both ways, with no shoes on!) to arrive. Cusco is at 3,399 meters / 11,152 feet above sea level, which makes breathing a bit of a challenge when you first arrive. I was winded and had to take many breaks just to arrive to my hostel. I was… pissed. But what could I do? Nothing. So I trudged on, and eventually made it safely.

As I’m reading over this post, it feels very complain-y. Hopefully to you, it feels more like, wow! That is a wild adventure, and I’m sure glad Michaella made it safely! To which I would say- yes! That’s the vibe I’m going for. Landing in Cusco was not gentle. My first night, after a shower and just laying in my bunk bed, I thought- I really hope it goes up from here. And it did! But this post is quite lengthy already, so I’ll wrap it up and get the next post underway shortly. The next Cusco post will feature my adventures, I promise.

Thanks for reading!