See You in Machu Picchu

The alarm went off at 2:30 am (Central Time), and we arrived at the airport by 3:15. Our flight was scheduled to take off before 5 am, and our first destination was Panama City. There just really isn't anything fun about sitting in an airplane that early in the morning, and all three of us slept most of the way up the west coast of South America. Our layover was short in Panama; just long enough to grab a bite to eat, find a warm beverage, and hit the duty free shop. Kim found some super cheap cigarettes for a friend and stashed them in my backpack; the only one with any room left.

Our second leg was into Houston, where we had scheduled our flights to ensure that there was enough time to clear immigration and customs. As I handed over my paperwork to the customs agent, he asked, "Are you carrying any alcohol, tobacco, or produce?" Well, since I never do, I automatically said no and he waved me through, with the obligatory, "Welcome home."

On the other side of the customs desk, I reunited with Kim and Jessica, so we could recheck our luggage onto the Denver flight; a domestic trip. Before I loaded my backpack onto the X-ray machine, I unzipped the main section and immediately panicked at the carton of cigarettes staring back at me. I quickly closed the bag, paranoid that I might have been seen. Then I realized that I was going to have to put the bag through the machine. "Look normal," I thought to myself, so I opened my bag to grab a piece of gum. I reached into the deepest pocket and instead of finding gum, I felt a plastic bag. I couldn't figure out what it was, so I put my pack on the floor and dug into it. Sweet Jesus! I thought we had thrown away all the coca leaves before we left Peru. Nope. In the bottom of my pack was a baggie of coca leaves. At this point, I realized I had lied not only about the tobacco but the produce as well, not to mention that cocaine is derived from the coca leaves and I was sure the DEA was going to pull me aside, once they identified them on the X-ray screen. Thankfully, the TSA is in charge and nobody seemed to have a problem with the contents of my pack, as it slowly made its way through the scanner.

Despite my anxiety in Houston, we arrived in Denver before 7:30 pm (Mtn Time) and got home by 8:30. It certainly wasn't the longest string of flights I've experienced, but it was surely a long day.

As I snuggled into my own bed, I reflected on my top ten experiences from Peru:
10. Watching an entire family plow a field with oxen.
9. Smuggling tobacco and coca into the US, successfully, yet inadvertently.
8. The name Titicaca has nothing to do with boobies or poo.
7. Realizing at 9pm that the coca tea that I'm drinking to address symptoms of altitude sickness is derived from the same plant as cocaine. I didn't get to sleep.
6. Guinea pig on a stick.
5. The second day in Puno was enough for Kim to hit the oxygen tank.
4. When we showed our Machu Picchu guide a picture of the Rocky Mountains, he replied, "Those are cute little mountains."
3. Climbing to the top of Huanya Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountains.
2. Liquid chocolate.
1. Cresting the trail at the Sun Gate and glimpsing Machu Picchu for the first time.Lue lisää