Traveling!

Yesterday morning, I left for the airport at about 7:30 bleary-eyed (it had been a long night of last-minute packing) but excited! I had a very warm send off, with my parents and my best friend Kyra there to wish me well.

 After getting through security, I arrived just as the plane boarded. The flight was only two hours to Dallas, and fairly uneventful. But, I did get a window seat and the view flying out of Iowa was so bucolic, which was a stark contrast to Lima!

Goodbye, Iowa!

Flying into Dallas

The plane arrived at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport at about 11:30, and I had a whole six hours before my flight departed to Lima. In that time, I road the SkyTram, discovered comfortable chairs (always a priority), ate, drank, and was merry :) Also, I found several of the art installations in the airport, and included pictures of a couple that I thought were interesting:

Crystal Mountain

Cypress Trees floor mosaic

The hours actually flew by, so much so that I had to rush to the gate after realizing that they were halfway through boarding. Thankfully I was in the last group to board and ended up having plenty of time to get in.

After settling into my window seat, I met Lynn, who sat next to me.  Lynn is a hairstylist from Vancouver and is also visiting Peru for the first time.  Our travel plans were very different - she is only staying ten days and is backpacking up to Machu Picchu - but we had a nice time sharing our hopes and excitement for our Peruvian adventures.

Sunset mid-air

Finally at about midnight we flew into Lima, and the sight was breathtaking! The array of city lights glittered in the night sky.  As we were touching down, Lynn and I spotted fireworks going off nearby, which we agreed was likely celebrating our arrival :)

After navigating Immigration, the chaotic baggage claim, and the long lines of Customs, I found my driver and we were zipping off into Lima.  He was incredibly talented at navigating the maze of twisting streets and traffic, and he delivered me at about 3:00 to the house of Liliam Gutarra, where I'll be staying for the next eight weeks. 

Spanish word of the day: entusiasmar - to fill with enthusiasm, to excite