Everything went smoothly with my flights, and I arrived in Cusco at 7:10am. The first flight from Orlando to Panama was a bit nerve racking with about an hour of turbulence. (And I was nervous in general :) it was a bit rainy when I landed, but it was neat to see all the ships around land. I easily got to my gate and tried to get internet to tell my family I was OK, but that didn't work. Both flights with copa were very nice, and I had a whole row to myself. All the first set of directions were in Spanish, so then I worked to understand the Hispanic person speaking English. I tried to sleep in the flight, but without success. From Tuesday morning to Thursday night late, I had 5 hours of sleep. (Probably why I feel sick and tired today...)
I got to Lima fine, and headed to migrations. I waited in a huge line which split into several smaller lines. I choose the wrong line! My person got done with 5 by the time the girl next to us got done with 30. I was worried that my baggage wasn't there, but I got through, got my luggage, and got through customs. I filled out Spanish forms on the plane, and I guess they were good, because no one made a fuss. I ended up waiting in a cafe. It was nice except I asked for water in a glass, and he gave me water with gas (carbonated water) which is disgusting! I went to check in early because I wanted to make sure I didn't have any problems with my bags or ticket. People started lining up early all in scarves and jackets. It was going to be cold evidently.
I got to Cusco and I could see my breath. It warms up to the perfect temperature though in the middle of the day. (That isn't cold because Rachel said that going to Punto is called "penguin practice"... By a native of Punto... Oh boy, I'm from Florida. :-\ she said she counted 7 layers of shirts on one person :-) Cusco is their big town an hour and a half away, so I got to see that while they did some errands. Wendy Campbell, another missionary that works in Urubamba, was along so I got to meet her. There is such variety in dress... From modern, to ladies that hold their children in colored blankets, wear the hats braids and sweaters. The driving is interesting. (Not as bad as the Dominican republic though.) Honking is a part of driving, and people and small children walk straight across the street all the time. There are human stoplights in busy intersections that dust the traffic. Once everything was finished in Cusco, we started driving back. Urubamba is very rural and in a very mountainous part of Peru. You could see donkeys, sheep, cows and other animals grazing asking the road (and there are dogs like crazy!) Whole families out on their farm hand threshing their crops. The young children, like 5, are responsible for herding 30 some cows. It is soooo beautiful. I'm living in a postcard. Urubamba is the valley and is surrounded by mountains. You can see the glaciers! Wow! It's pretty awesome.
I got a shower because I felt dirty from flying all day. Here, you choose from heat or water pressure, not both! And it's 55 or so inside in the evenings... Yeah... We had grilled cheese for dinner and pineapple, and then after that, a seminary graduate, Sonya, came over and we talked. Rachel translated, but the conversation flowed nicely and it was fun! I got ready for bed, and then Rachel pointed out that we have a furry foe in our roof that scampers around a lot! It's a metal roof with styrafoam under it, and you can hear the rat/mouse digging. Delightful. I took a nap today (Friday) and it was what woke me up. I thought it was Rachel's dog Molly at the door it was that loud. Rachel had 3 dogs, Molly (white with curly ears and kinda small) Guess (German shepherd looking and huge, but very nice), and Cockie (brown and white but doesn't come around much)
Well, there is my flight and first day in a nutshell. I can't figure out how to arrange pictures, so they are in a weird order, but you get the picture. :-) thanks for your prayers. Sooo thankful I made it safely!!!
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