Our Trip to Peru (Arriving in Lima)

Me sitting atop one of the ruins overlooking the ancient Inca city.

Since we are currently spending quite a bit of time here in Livingston, I thought I would tell you all about some of our previous journeys. I'll tell them in multiple parts so as not to get too long winded.

Several years ago, I won a silent auction for 2 business class tickets to Lima Peru for only a couple hundred dollars. I was very excited because I had always wanted to see Machu Picchu and visit the Amazon jungle and both are short trips from Lima on local airlines.

I raced home to let Nancy know the good news. At first she was a bit befuddled, "why exactly did you buy tickets to Lima?"

After explaining to her that these tickets were really just a nice way to get to Peru and that we would only really be using Lima as a base to hit the Amazon and Machu Picchu she was back on board. That is until we actually arrived in Lima and had to take our first local flight to Cuzco.

Our "plane" landed and pulled up close to the airport. After stopping, a wheeled ladder was pushed against the side and a ramp was lowered from the back. The departing passengers were shuttled out the back of the plane while the embarking passengers (Nancy and I among them) were climbing the ladder to board the plane. There was no apparent safety check nor even refueling as is customary with US flights. This flight was a stop and go. A very disconcerting practice especially for a semi-nervous flyer like myself.

Once on board the plane, the first thing we noticed were some interesting smells. It quickly became apparent where those smells orginated as we saw chickens and a goat on the plane. Never did I think I would be boarding a plane with livestock. I knew right then that this was going to be interesting... if we survived...

Stay tuned for part two, Lima to Cuzco...