Once the bus got moving again we all pretty much passed out. Except... Andrea had a terrible cough at the time and one time when she coughed, the mom behind us reached forward and hit Andrea on the head REPEATEDLY!!! Earlier in the ride her kid had pulled our hair, sneezed on our heads and kicked our seats continuously. When Andrea asked him to stop, the mom yelled at HER. This was a fun bus :)
We eventually made it to the Lima bus station where we immediately hopped a taxi to the airport to get Andrea's flight sorted out. When we got there (around 6am) we were told that the Delta office doesn't open until 7pm because they only have night flights. Agh!! We hiked around the airport finding new people to yell at until we realized that absolutely NO ONE in the airport could help us.
We ended up setting camp at a phone/internet cafe where Andrea called Delta offices all over the world. They told her that she would have to buy a whole new flight because she had missed her first one (even though her mom had called ahead to say she wouldn't be able to make it because she was stuck in a RIOT).
I sat on our luggage while Andrea screamed and cried at Delta officials (all but one were incredibly unhelpful). While this was happening, an older American came up and offered to pay for her calls, offered her a place to stay and tried to help find new flights. Then a younger guy (American too) heard her screaming at someone about not having the $700 for a new flight and he came over to me and chatted for a while. He later told me that he wanted to give her the $700!!! She ended up finally talking to someone at Delta who worked the problem out and the extra money was unnecessary, but my goodness how generous and helpful of them both!!!
After that I walked the entire Lima Airport until I found a “special cases” Delta office where Andrea confirmed her flight for later that night and weighed her bag. Reassured that she would be able to go home, we found a hostel for me and spent the rest of the day repacking our bags and trading things that were supposed to stay/return to the US.
I was sad to see Andrea leave after spending 6 super crazy incredible adventure-filled weeks together, but it was time for her to head to the wedding and I was scheduled for a restful 9 days in Lima. I met a ton of amazing people at my hostel and had a fantastic time in a city that offers very little in the way of activities.
My 9 days in Lima consisted of sleeping late, watching English TV with other backpackers, partying at the bar in the hostel and laughing a LOT. I had such a great time. This was by far one of my favorite hostels of all time. It just felt so comfortable and by the end I knew literally everyone there.
After 9 days of parties, I boarded a morning plane to visit my friend Ingie in Colombia. Ok, stop judging! The Colombian government has made incredible strides to clean up their country, fight crime, track down FARK and increase tourism. Sure Colombia used to be the kidnap capital of the world, but now Venezuela holds that title. Also, Northern Ecuador is considered more dangerous than Colombia these days. I was psyched.
My flight over the Andes was easily the most amazing flight EVER. The mountains, the clouds, the ocean....wow. It was truly magical. And they served a hot breakfast with fresh fruit! How will I ever adjust to US airlines??
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