Here we are. Finally. I have been waiting 18 months to go on this trip I paid for in January 2020. It was the most expensive trip I've paid for so far. I was very angry that there was the possibility of me having to eat that amount of money because of this pathetic Covid pandemic that caused the world to shut down. I won't get into the other Covid related irritations because this post would be way too long. I will add that I got really worried that my trip would be postponed again as the Delta variant started spreading, shutting down countries and not allowing certain nationalities to visit certain countries. I got very anxious.
We got all of our paperwork we needed in and our travel agent got us the necessary documents we needed to travel into Peru. Everything was basically taken care of except for a negative Covid test to enter Peru. We would have to set that up ourselves and it got really complicated days before we were suppose to go. Then all of a sudden we didn't need one because Peru changed their immigration Covid status to just needing to be vaccinated to enter the country. I was glad to hear that because I really didn't want to get tested. I got my vaccinations so I could travel and I didn't want anything shoved up my nose. Later, I found out that we were going to have to get tested anyway to come back into the US before we leave Peru. Ughhh.
I got up around 9:30 and started a load of laundry after my shower. We got home super late from the concert and didn't feel like showering so we went to bed. I wanted to make sure I was clean before I left for the airport. Ben also took the day of so we could hang out together before I left for two weeks.
Ben made lunch because it was too late for breakfast, we had tuna sandwiches. We forgot that his bread was gone so he ran to the store real fast to get some more bread. I got onto my work computer and turned in my leave slip because I forgot to do it last Thursday when I logged off. I finished doing bills and the rent check so he had that and it was taken care of before I left until the 19th. I wanted to make sure everything was taken care of so I didn't have to worry about it. I mixed the tuna and Wade really wanted some so I gave him and Oliver some on a plate to share and then gave Wade the can.
Ben got home, we ate and I turned on The Office while I started getting my stuff ready to go. This was an ongoing process up until 3:00, when everyone met here at the house.
I needed to take care of a few things so Ben went with me to the bank and the store. I wanted to pull out an extra $100 and buy some shampoo, conditioner and body wash for the trip. Mom told me I was in charge of that so we could share it while we were gone. We got home and I continued getting ready.
Mom bought some bags at Walmart a few weeks ago that you put clothes inside and squeeze the air out of them. I've never used these before and they were super handy. I ended up putting all of my clothes in them. My other stuff, was either put into plastic zip lock bags or they were just stuck into the suitcase as they were. That reminded me that I probably should get my own suitcase someday so I could give Dad's back to him. I still had my bag/suitcase sticker on my handle from last year's trip (the one we were going on now) we were suppose to go on. So disappointing.
As it approached 3 p.m., when Mom and Rhonda were suppose to be here, I made sure I had everything in my suitcase and back pack. Ben fell asleep on the couch with Oliver. I told him he needed to start waking up so when people got here, he would be ready to go.
We unloaded stuff out of his Edge, he likes to keep his fire fighting stuff in his vehicle, specifically his bedding and pillows when he is on a 24-hour shift. We brought all of that into the house and set it on the bed in the extra bedroom. I brought my stuff and put the suitcase in the trunk and placed my back pack in the front seat. In my head, I was constantly checking stuff off on my mental list so I wouldn't forget anything. I was pretty sure I was good to go. Rhonda and her son, Zach, got here first an then Mom rumbled up in her Expedition. Mom changed her clothes, got everything taken care of, we all went to the bathroom one more time and got in the Edge to head to the SeaTac Airport. Traffic wasn't that bad except in Tacoma by the interchange and by the Tacoma Dome.
We decided to leave earlier than usual because we didn't know how long it would take for the screenings, security and Covid protocols. We just wanted to make sure. Ben pulled up to the departure area next to American Airlines. We got our luggage and bags out, said our goodbyes and went inside to check in and give our luggage to the airline. Unfortunately, we were too early and we had to go sit for an hour and a half. We used the restrooms and found a place to sit and hang out. I caught up on my Instagram posts from the weekend. That took up a chunk of time.
It finally approached 6:30 so we went up to the counter and checked in. The clerk wanted to see our passports, Peru declaration and negative Covid test. We told her our travel agent said Peru no longer needed it and we just needed a completed Covid vaccination card, which we all had. She didn't know about any updates so she went to go talk to her supervisor to double check. We waited for a few minutes and she cam out and told us we were correct. It had not been updated in the computer system yet. She finished checking us in and took our luggage. It was going to go all the way through to Lima, which we were hoping it would. Plus, we didn't have to pay extra money for our luggage like we have had to do in the past. We got to save some money!
We went through security (the guy in charge of our line was rude) pretty quickly since there were hardly anyone in line. We grabbed our stuff on the other end and walked to our gate, D10. It did seem like a long hike to get there. We sat there for a little while, I got up and looked for some dinner (I ended up with a bowl from Qdoba) and a Coke Zero and walked back to our seats. I ate my food while we hung out. Mom got an alert from American Airlines on her phone to let us know our gate had changed. We picked up our stuff and hike to our new gate, N1, which we had to take the shuttle train to.
We took a short shuttle ride and walked to our gate, those seats had plug ins so we charged our phones while we hung out. We used the bathroom a few times and then Mom and Rhonda got food while I talked to Trish on the phone for a little bit. Our plane, was originally suppose to take off at 10:23 p.m., was delayed by an hour and we didn't get to board until after 11 p.m. Meanwhile, Rhonda asked me if I wanted to go with her to get a drink so she would be more relaxed on the plane. I told her sure and Mom held down the fort for about a half hour. She drank her drink and I sat there. We engaged in a few different topics of conversation. She paid for her drink and we walked back over to our seats.
We got our stuff ready as our group number was closer to being called. It seemed like it took forever for them to call our group 8 but they did eventually. It took a long time to get on the plane and into our seats. I sat in 22F which was by the window. When we finally got to our seats, we got comfortable and waited for push off.
We left just before midnight local time. Wearing masks on the airplane sucked but it was part of the rules of traveling. I turned on the WiFi and got my headphones out. I wasn't sure if I needed my wireless ones or not but I gambled and it paid off. Mom didn't bring hers and I told her I would share with her if she wanted to watch any movies along the way. She said she was probably going to sleep.
I watched Battle of the Sexes, a movie I wanted to see for a while and finally had a chance to, for about 2+ hours and then tried sleeping somewhere over Nebraska.
Next Adventure: Peru: Miami, Florida to Lima, Peru (Day 2)
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