Dag terug Hoofdpagina Taal: nl Dag vooruit

Dag 21: Back to Lima

Peru - Thursday 29 October 1998

We wake up early. We've prepared breakfast in bed for our tour guide, Patricia. We celebrated our farewell last night, but we want to see her off now. She's leaving first, along with the five people who joined the group just a few days ago. Together, they're traveling on to Bolivia.

Elisabeth is staying in Patricia's room. To not arouse suspicion from Patricia, she pretends to be a bit confused, accidentally wakes up early, and then goes for a short walk. This allows us to set everything up just in time.

From the hotel, we've been given the key to a room where we can arrange a sort of buffet. Yesterday, Diederick and Dawn did some shopping: chocolate, bread, fruit, and... champagne!

When we wake Patricia, it slowly dawns on her what's happening. Once she's dressed and enters the room, she can hardly believe what we've organized for her. It's so much fun to pamper people...

After the delightful breakfast, we bid farewell to Patricia (and Joanne, who is being dropped off at the station. She's heading back to the Jungle). Then we head straight back to bed. Our flight back to Lima only departs this afternoon...

At the airport, everything goes smoothly. Even without Patricia, we manage to check in and find our plane. Fortunately, because one of the tickets suddenly showed a different departure time. But it seems to be sorted out.

What a strange start. Even before takeoff, a piece of the ceiling comes down. The light goes out. The stewardess notices, presses the call button three times, and pushes the ceiling back up. The staff doesn't react further: we just take off!

"Ronald, when we go, we go together," says Otto casually. None of us have a good feeling about this. During takeoff, the plane also climbs differently than usual, it seems. Slower than usual.

Even when we're in the clouds, the light remains off. Occasionally, we sway heavily. For the first time, I'm afraid in a Boeing. The 'fasten seatbelts' sign turns off, but we remain stiff in our seats.

Suddenly, beneath our feet, there's an enormous roar and tremor. The announcer says we're nearing the airport. We see a lot of mist and mountains. "The pressure in the plane still feels normal," I write in my diary. For the investigators of the disaster I expect...

Help! This is Arequipa Airport!! We still have to fly further in this death trap!

Ridiculous! They're fixing the broken ceiling with a piece of gaffer tape.

Ultimately, we arrive in Lima without any mishaps. The arrival is so different from the first day. Now, we know where to go. A taxi from our hotel is waiting for us.

As Dawn leaves tonight and Elisabeth, Otto, and Femke leave early tomorrow morning, we have another evening full of goodbyes. Dawn and Diederick are now only focused on each other. We eat at a kind of Indian pizzeria that serves both Italian and Indian food. It's near our hotel, so Otto, Femke, and Elisabeth can return in time when their taxi arrives.

Nevertheless, it's an early night as tomorrow will be another tough day.

 

Dag terug Hoofdpagina Taal: nl Dag vooruit