Day 14: Cusco Market and Traveling Home

My last day in Peru began with an early-morning visit to Cusco Market. This was just a few blocks away from our hotel, so we all walked, starting out at 8:00 AM.

The market is an open-air, mostly food, market. Some vendor spaces were more clearly laid out than others, but one thing I noticed early on is that there were no signs on anything. Not names or prices. Apparently everyone just knows what everything is and they bargain from there. There are definitely areas: meat, vegetables, grains, bread, fruit, flowers, etc. I’ve included just a section to give you a feel for the place.

The one of the older lady carrying a pack is one I took to keep me humble. Some folks work hard their whole lives, perhaps slowing down, but still keeping going. She was not unusual.

I think the last picture is my favorite, and again typical of the poultry aisle. Chickens skinned and eviscerated, parts laying out in the open air, legs reaching out to grab whoever walks by. USDA inspectors (on vacation, of course) would break out in a cold sweat. I don’t know that I could ever get used to conditions like this for meat; but other stuff….sure. In fact, the rest of the group bought the things that they planned to eat for a group lunch.

We also visited a more modern-looking supermarket across the street. Apparently this is pretty new and is more like what we’d envision as a grocery store in the U.S. We hadn’t seen anything but tiny shops so far in Cusco, so this was an interesting morning.

Then it was back to the hotel for everyone. I said my good-byes to everyone and went to pack for the trip home. This packing was going to be different than what I’d been doing in-country. Since my large bag stayed with me, I went ahead and put heavier things in it, including my computer. That way, my back pack was available for wearing around the city. Now I needed to switch to airline mode, where I’d check the big bag and keep my computer in the day pack. Funny how it all came back, though!

Packing was definitely faster than at the beginning of the trip because I had a limited universe of things to decide where to put. I’d done much of this last night, too, so getting ready only took a few minutes, then I went back into the courtyard to sit on a comfy chair there in the sun and read while I waited for the taxi to arrive, scheduled for 11:00 AM. That meant I had a good hour.

Everyone else was scattering on different museum/site/shopping/experiential trips of the city for the afternoon, so I was out in time to say goodbye again as they were meeting up. Then it was just Steve and me. Steve had arranged for the taxi (through the hotel) and was going to be sure I got off OK.

So then it was time and I was off. It was a nice, peaceful trip to the airport. Now, if you’ve ever been to Cusco and ridden in the traffic there, you know that that’s a testament to the skill and temperament of the taxi driver. I got to gawk a bit and was able to reflect a little on how much different this ride was than the one when we first arrived, however many days ago that was! This time, I had more experience in the city. Not everything was new. I actually recognized some streets and had more of a feel for the city.

I was dropped off right at Star Peru (the internal airline we’ve been flying on) and walked right up to the ticket counter. No line was nice. I checked my big bag and went up to the gate. Security was relatively easy to get through. I took out the computer and liquids bag, dropped off the change in the container, and was through.

There were four gates here and lots of people. The agent had said the flight would depart from gate 2 and would board at 12:00 PM, even though it wasn’t scheduled to leave until 1:20. Well, at 12:00 PM I was sitting right outside of gate 2. There weren’t very many people around, but I figured it was still early. There were NO signs or any indications of what flight was departing from where when. After about 10 minutes, I heard my name being called to go to gate 4. That was in sight, so I walked there and was checked right onto the plane. I was in 6A with no one beside me, so it was really pleasant. We actually pushed back at 12:30 and took off about 1:10, so we were early.

It was a nice flight, about 70 minutes flying time. We even got a lunch (roll with meat, peanuts, brownie). Since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, this was welcome.

We arrived early, natch, and then I was in Lima. Actually, as I type this, I’m sitting in a Starbucks in the Lima airport! When I collected my luggage and walked to where the check-in counters are, the security guy wouldn’t let me through. From what I could understand, I wouldn’t be able to check in with Spirit until 8:00 PM. He pointed me to the terminal upstairs where I could wait. I found an information booth here and confirmed that they won’t let you check in until three hours before your flight–which for me is 10:22 PM. So I’m hauling my luggage around for another few hours.

I’ve about worn out my welcome here at Starbucks and will move to another area soon. I’m glad to have gotten this much written so I can upload it once I get home. I’m sure the rest of the trip will prove less interesting than my day so far…at least I rather hope so! I have a rather short connection in Fort Lauderdale, so if I make that, I should be home free.

I’ll do an update later.

UPDATE

Well, the rest of the trip went very smoothly, too. The wait in Lima was long (arrived abuot 2:30 PM, flight didn’t leave until 11:00 PM), but with my trusty Kindle, I had books to read. At 8:00 PM I went downstairs to check in and leave my big bag. This took a long time just because of all the people in line. Some of those were families with LOTS of suitcases. But, I didn’t have much else to do at that time, so it was no bother. When my turn came, I got checked in quickly and headed back upstairs to the departure gate.

Here I got a sandwich to go, and since I’d confirmed that the airport departure tax was included in the ticket price, I went ahead and exchanged all my Peruvian soles for American dollars. Then I went through security and headed to my gate. After going through security, I headed into a store to buy a bottle of water, but the lady told me that I wouldn’t be able to take it on the plane. That’s different than in the U.S. So I didn’t buy it–didn’t want to gulp it down. Once at the gate, I had time to eat my sandwich and then it was about time to board.

The Lima to Fort Lauderdale flight on Spirit was long (5.5 hours) but otherwise fine. The check through Immigration and Customs moved quickly enough. Then I went to the Spirit desk and turned in my checked bag, which had been checked all the way through to DFW airport. I made it to the gate just as they were starting boarding. I did buy a bottle of water here and then headed onto the plane. This flight was 2.5 hours.

And then I arrived home to the welcome of my wonderful friend Denise, who has been taking care of my kitties and my house and other things for me while I’ve been gone. It was nice to see her and to come home to the welcome of my kitty purr and fur balls. (Thanks Denise!)

Now I’m uploading this, unpacking, and planning to take a nap. My travels back started with that 11:00 AM taxi ride to the airport on Saturday and ended with my 10:15 AM arrival home on Sunday morning. Sleeping on an airplane just isn’t the same as in your own bed, so I’m looking forward to that!

More later, when I’ve had a chance to process some thoughts about the trip. For now, I’m just happy to be back home.