So, it has been a crazy couple of weeks getting ready for my trip. With most of my things in storage, finding the right clothes for summer, the beach, the amazon, and higher elevations was a bit tricky. Also packing for two months is a new experience. Things I wouldn't normally worry about for a week or two (i.e. shaving) I had to plan for. The friends I am staying with had a lot of good advice about things to bring such as sunscreen at SPF 50 or higher, moist towelettes, medications, etc.
My original plan of bringing on medium suitcase and a carry on went out the window quickly. I ended up with a large suitcase, a large duffel and fully packed carry-on and backpack. Shoes, gifts, and other sundries required me to increase my capacity. Now I just have to hope I can come home with the same or less. Fingers crossed and a doubtful expression.
Travel:
The 15th was a long day. With about 3 hours of sleep, I got up about 4:00am to get ready to go to the airport in Appleton. In one way it is great to start a trip out of Appleton's airport; no lines! In another way it is less than pleasant because for the most part it means at least one change of planes; for me it was 2. UGH! Appleton to Chicago, to Newark, to Lima. The flights were pleasant enough because my lack of sleep let me crash on the planes no matter how uncomfortable.
All of the flights were packed. The benefit of having a premier status pays off when you can be pretty sure that because you get to board early you carry-ons will be with you. I was lucky enough to get bumped up to business class for the flight to Lima, a huge relief considering the sardine can that coach seemed to be.
Let's talk international flying: I find it interesting that on flights to South America, United does not offer First Class. The highest level was international business class, now called Polaris. They are these odd pods. The seats are generally comfortable with reclining features, lumbar support, and a lie flat option with two blankets and two pillows that I took full advantage of. The awkward part of it are the amenities. For me the place to plug in for power and audio was high and far back over my left shoulder. It was easier for me to stand up and plug things in than is was to to it from a seated position. The audio was designed with a two pronged connector. Unfortunately, my adapters were packed in the depths of my rolling carry-on. I couldn't use my go to Bose QC2s or my noise cancelling headset I use for business calls. I ended up needing to use the one provided which were passable but I ended up with a headache because of how they sat in my head. The entertainment options were great. I watched a movie, listened to music, listened to an audio book, and could even watch an episode of the Big Bang Theory. The only problem was the controls. There were two options: 1) the touch screen which worked fine but it was unreachable without contortions when reclined; 2) the remote control which was housed with a tether by your hip. It was awkward to get out of its little niche and did not work well. The audio controls need to be more expensive. The book I listened to (Working for Bigfoot) was enjoyable but kept skipping around. It didn't follow the segments in order and if you went too far or heard a part before there were no fast forward or rewind options.
This is all picayune complaining compared to my friends (two petite women) that didn't get the upgrade. They were in the last row of the over crowded plane next to a large man who needed more than one seat and was in considerate of the person in the middle seat. As I understand it, most of the trip, he was viewing rather explicit photos on his phone. So, my experience was amazing compared to what they went through.
Arrival:
Once we arrived in Lima, I waited for my friends to de-plane before heading to customs. While an international arrival is never a breeze, this was about as close as it could come. Since we were close to the last people to get down to immigration and customs most of the crowds were gone. We zipped through immigration and waited, and waited, and waited for our bags to come off. I swear they must have know we can down from the plane last because our bags were some of the last ones to come off the belt. Once we had our bags it was simple to go through customs.
Getting a taxi from the airport is quite the experience. While I have done it a couple times before, it is still amazing to deal the the gauntlet of taxi options that you got through as you exit the secured area. We had a car waiting for us. I recommend it. You can guarantee the price and the driver will be waiting for you with your name on a card. Some of the official services like Taxi Green you can connect with just before you leave the secure area. They are not a bad option either. I just do not recommend leaving the secure area and grabbing a random driver. There are many and it can be confusing to know who to trust and what a good price is.
We got to the apartment about 1:00 am. Did some unpacking and then chatted for a while. Finally we went to bed about 3:00 am. Since Lima is basically on the same time zone as DC or NYC, it means my travel day was approximately 22 hours on three hours of sleep and catnaps on the planes. I was ready for bed. Just as I am now. Good night.
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