Perú

This day turned out to be one of my most stressful day in traveling so far. I had to catch my flight and I didn't realize that they only take cash for my check out. No credit card allowed, and I was all out of cash. We spent so many hours arguing and the language barrier was not helping, another traveler tried to help but there was nothing he could do. We tried going around to find a bank or ATM but I was telling them my credit card can't withdraw. It was so stressful and every minute was so draining. Fastforward a couple of more hours, tensions were so high. Luckily, I remembered Trexperience, I called them and asked them to pay for me and I'll pay them an extra 20USD for the trouble. They did so and I hurriedly got on the same taxi we used to go around straight to the airport. Only to realize, I didn't make it to my flight's cutoff time, once again I had to beg and they let me in as I ran towards the boarding area and made it to my flight. Huge sigh of relief, still a bit shaken but I had thought the worst was behind me and I could focus a bit more in enjoying the capital city of Lima.

Arriving at Lima's airport, I had a bucketlist of things to see which included the main square, the San Francisco cathedral and the Huaca Pucllana ruins. I couldn't find lockers to put my bag in the airport so unfortunately I had to lug it around the whole day. I stopped by the square and noticed a high police presence but paid it no mind. I made my way to the cathedral and was approached by a guide, it was cheap so I went ahead with it. He showed me around the cathedral which was actually very fancy with a lot of interesting history behind it. The main draw for me was the underground catacombs were there were a bunch of skeletons. The guide said some guests would feel a lot of negative energies down there. After that, he took me to a chocolate shop as well as a winery of some sort to taste test and then lastly to a restaurant with wifi. I bit high-end but it was all part of his job. The food there was absolutely delicious, the ceviche being the most. I tried to book a cab to Huaca Pucllana a couple of times but ended up not making it to the meeting place as I didn't have internet and still ended up paying for it. I tried to flag down a cab but the first few weren't interested in taking me. A cab finally agreed after awhile and dropped me at the intersection where I had to walk a bit to reach the site. Apparently, I needed to reserve it online the day before but I didn't really have internet access. They weren't really getting any customers as well so one of the ladies kindly let me in and I waited for the English tour. It was interesting as I was able to not only find out things about Huaca Pucllana but also about Lima. Such as that in Lima it almost never rains but is always cloudy, hence why Huaca Pucllana still stands until now despite being made out of mud. We saw some wild cotton growing on trees and some of the common camelids of Peru. After the tour, I still had some time to kill so I went and stopped by an ice cream parlor. I ordered some ice cream and it was still a lot for me, I should really stop over ordering. I waited for a couple of hours until I decided it was time to head to the airport. I arrived and waited for a bit more and then decided to go for the check in only to realize I couldn't board my flight because I had to transit in the US. All that money just went poof, my dad really saved me here as I had to use his credit card again and again. I was in a state of panic for a bit as all my flight schedule got messed up and I had to stay another night in Lima. I made a quick booking because I didn't want to spend a night at such a bright and noisy airport. My taxi tried to take me there but there was nothing, I tried to go down to look for it but he advised me not to as it was a very dangerous neighborhood so he took me to another hotel and charged me a couple of more bucks. The hotel was a super shady love hotel, he got his commission and I was in a seedy room. I was just so tired as I tried to get some refunds from my flight and was able to get a couple but not the most expensive ones. I booked another flight for first thing in the morning after much excruciating deliberation and fighting the urge to just cry and sleep.

The next morning, I walked to the airport enjoying the mist and fresh air. I went to check in only to be told once again that I can't get this ticket because they can't give me tickets for different airlines. At this point, I was just so done, I tried calling the agency again but they said they can't help me nor issue a refund. I was so done. I tried another booking and was finally able to get through, I made it to Ecuador immigration and I wanted to go and visit the city but was told that I couldn't get through again. Seems like they changed the requirements for Filipinos. They had to transfer me back to the airport and there I waited for a very long time for my flight at night. I spent the days reading manga and had some burgers for dinner. I was again held up by the airlines as I needed a booking number, they were already boarding and I was once again for the umpteenth time in a state of panic just trying to get a hold of customer services to get my booking number but I didn't know which number was the right one. After several trial and errors, I got the booking number and was let in where I arrived in Spain. I waited for my boarding and was barred from entering because my PCR test wasn't in English but in Spanish. It worked for Ecuador and coming into Spain but not where I was going, Istanbul. At this point, I was pretty much broken and I couldn't help but tear up a little, I had trouble comprehending why I had such rotten luck, why I had to go through so much hardships but at the same time I also realize it was my fault for not researching enough about the routes and requirements. I didn't make it to the flight again, I was heartbroken, I had to book another one. One of the managers from Iberia saw me plight and helped me a lot. He talked with Turkish airlines and they agreed to give me a free flight change. The bad news was that I had to spend a night in this airport, with no way in and no way out. It was difficult, my mindspace wasn't really good anymore. I tried to spend the time reading manga, at that time it was the Promised Neverland. I then explored a bit and found a very hidden and secluded spot to sleep in. The floor was hard and cold, I tried my best and was able to get some semblance of sleep. The next morning, I was now in line to get my PCR test. I had to get it on the same day or else I wouldn't be able to board my flight again. After I got the test, I went to the other side where I met with the manager again as he did promise to meet with me the next day. I got my test, and another problem was of course my missing residency card which I left in Mexico. The Bufo Alvarius sanctuary sent me a photo of it to which printed out for me along with some other necessary documents. It was a very nervous wait as my battery slowly gave out. One of the travelers beside me offered me his charging device to which I happily agreed to use. I ate what food I could scrounge up which was mainly Mazapan dela Rosa from Pacho. No food and a bit of water, I felt like a war refugee. My PCR test finally arrived at the nick of time and it was negative.

We tried to make our way to our gates but it was blocked, we were losing what little time we have left but some staff came by and helped us through. I got some chips to eat and waited for my flight. There were a lot of African people but their drip was so on point, it was amazing. From there, I got to Istanbul and made my final flight to Tokyo. Finally, this difficult journey came to an end, it left everything on a sour note and it took a few more days to actually fully recover from the trauma.Read more