I was open and optimist about our recent trip to Peru. It was the first time travelling with my boyfriend Beau out of the country. We had our backpacks and a dream with us. We set out for the airport at 8 am and made our way down to what would be our first ever adventure in South America.
The Peruvian escapades started the second we stepped off the plain and into the terminal at Jorge Chavez International Airport.
The air that night was thick with humidity. My back and neck began to sweat from the heat. We took the liberty of exchanging some money at the airport kiosk, and made our way through customs.
This was when all taxi driver broke loose. The second we had gotten through baggage claim and out the main doors, hundreds of people started shouting at us. Taxi! Taxi! Taxi! It was coming from all angles and sides. I finally understood what celebrities might go through while being mobbed by the paparazzi. It was sheer, unending screams. There was no right direction to look through the chaos. Instead, I looked down and followed Beau's feet past the commotion and into a subdued area just twenty feet from the main entryway. This was where a man in a black suit approached us. He asked too if we needed a taxi. He looked sweaty and overrun. Although my last name is Spanish I do not speak a word of it, this was all on Beau. The little Spanish Beau knew got us through our entire trip. He was speaking to Beau now after a firm no had escaped my lips. We had planned to stay at the airport that night because our flight left at 7 am and it was already approaching 11pm. I didn't think we would have gotten much sleep if we had stayed at a hotel and neither did Beau. We declined the man again and made our way back to the check in area for our next flight.
Unfortunately, you had to exit the airport and reenter on the other side of the main exit to check back in. We walked outside and were just about to make our way back into the airport when the man in the suit approached again. He was speaking to Beau again in broken English then in Spanish. I tried to advance, but the man stepped in front of me and began speaking again. Beau took 3 years of Spanish in high school and he tried his best to translate.
Beau spoke to me saying, "I think he just said that the airport is closing at 2a.m. and they kick everyone out for repairs then." It didn't seem like a very plausible situation to me. Shutting a hole airport down for repairs, i mean, give me a break right? Who did this guy think he was messing with?
"I do not think that is what is happening." Was what I said to Beau. "This doesn't feel right. I do not think we should get in any car with him."
Beau was a bit more optimistic. "It would be better than staying at the airport all night. He says there's a hotel he knows of and it is not far from here."
"Of course he would say that," i said, rushed in breath.
It was as if the universe was telling us this was a bad idea, because no sooner had the words left Beau's mouth that a Peruvian police officer approached and started talking with the man. I didn't understand a word of what they said but the tone the police officer's voice sounded stern and upset. Beau and I stood by and watched the conversation unfold. After about two minutes, the police officer walked off. The man in the black suit looked relieved.
He turned to Beau and started convincing beau that our only option was to go with him to this hotel. The hotel cost was only going to be 15 dollars US and that they would discuss the cab price later. He said the hotel next to the airport was "much expensive."
After a while Beau was convinced this was our best option. I was reluctant of course saying to Beau flat out, "I am not getting in that cab."
"Please, Sarah." He pleaded to me in exhaustion. This is our best option since you didn't book us a hotel. I am tired and so are you. Its only fifteen dollars."
Feeling that I loved Beau and I at least had him to look out for me I reluctantly agreed to walk with this man to the cab. He took our bags and placed them in the back of his beat up car trunk. I climbed in the back of the car, Beau to my right side.
We were off, careening down a black river of death or so it appeared. The way these cars swerve in and out of traffic would give any sort of normal person the hibbidy jibbidies. He weaved, he braked, jutted to sudden stops with no warning, accelerated to 60 kilometers down narrow streets. We were in and out and between huge semi's. I've never seen anyone get that close to other cars without getting hit. He slammed our bodies in every direction against his little black car.
We came to an abrupt stop outside a dark shaded building. Gheto. Is what I thought. Gheto.
Only the right passenger side door opened to let us out (we found in most places throughout Peru when taking a cab, this was true.) Only one side of any cab would open.
He grabbed our bags and we exited the car onto a narrow dark street. There were hardly any street lights to see what we were really looking at. It just looked like a bunch of dark buildings shrouded in shadows. He led us inside. A small woman sat behind the front desk.The inside wasn't too bad. They even had some bottled water. He started to speak to her in Spanish and then back to us.
"Okay, my friend. She has key. 90 US dollars."
"What," I said flabbergasted. "No, you said fifteen."
Beau started asking him questions in Spanish.The whole thing was ludicrous to me. My heart sank with this news.
"We are already here," Beau said, and he's not going to take us back." For the entire trip I had only brought 300US dollars.This clown wanted me to spend almost a third of my money at this hotel. I was livid.
I could tell Beau was a little intimidated, and I wasn't at level of brain stability to argue. We were both physically drained at this point and didn't have the resources within us to argue. I reached in the secret compartment of my bag and handed over the precious money to the woman at the counter. We bid goodbye to the cab driver after he promised to pick us back up at 5:30a.m. so we could get back to the airport for our next flight at 7a.m. We settled into our hotel room locked the door and lay down for some solid zzzz's. It was just around 12a.m. an hour later, Beau and I woke to a strange noise. At first we couldn't tell where or what the noise was coming from.
It took only seconds to figure out what these odd sounds were.
It was moaning. Loud, intense, disgusting, moaning noises from rampant sex coming from somewhere in the hotel. The floors were solid tile.The noise reverberated through the hallway and echoed so loudly I am surprised it didn't wake up all the guests. It was moments later that a delightful whip cracking sound joined in.
This repugnant orgie lasted for 4 hours straight. I didn't sleep. Didn't move. I was so disturbed by the sounds that were coming from the hotel that I just stared at the ceiling and tried to block it all out. We got ready at 5 am. We left that hotel as soon as possible. When we walked downstairs and saw the cab driver sleeping in his car we tapped on the driver side window to wake him up. He asked us if we slept well. I looked at him with all the abhor I could muster and said, "NO!"
Unfortunately, you had to exit the airport and reenter on the other side of the main exit to check back in. We walked outside and were just about to make our way back into the airport when the man in the suit approached again. He was speaking to Beau again in broken English then in Spanish. I tried to advance, but the man stepped in front of me and began speaking again. Beau took 3 years of Spanish in high school and he tried his best to translate.
Beau spoke to me saying, "I think he just said that the airport is closing at 2a.m. and they kick everyone out for repairs then." It didn't seem like a very plausible situation to me. Shutting a hole airport down for repairs, i mean, give me a break right? Who did this guy think he was messing with?
"I do not think that is what is happening." Was what I said to Beau. "This doesn't feel right. I do not think we should get in any car with him."
Beau was a bit more optimistic. "It would be better than staying at the airport all night. He says there's a hotel he knows of and it is not far from here."
"Of course he would say that," i said, rushed in breath.
It was as if the universe was telling us this was a bad idea, because no sooner had the words left Beau's mouth that a Peruvian police officer approached and started talking with the man. I didn't understand a word of what they said but the tone the police officer's voice sounded stern and upset. Beau and I stood by and watched the conversation unfold. After about two minutes, the police officer walked off. The man in the black suit looked relieved.
He turned to Beau and started convincing beau that our only option was to go with him to this hotel. The hotel cost was only going to be 15 dollars US and that they would discuss the cab price later. He said the hotel next to the airport was "much expensive."
After a while Beau was convinced this was our best option. I was reluctant of course saying to Beau flat out, "I am not getting in that cab."
"Please, Sarah." He pleaded to me in exhaustion. This is our best option since you didn't book us a hotel. I am tired and so are you. Its only fifteen dollars."
Feeling that I loved Beau and I at least had him to look out for me I reluctantly agreed to walk with this man to the cab. He took our bags and placed them in the back of his beat up car trunk. I climbed in the back of the car, Beau to my right side.
We were off, careening down a black river of death or so it appeared. The way these cars swerve in and out of traffic would give any sort of normal person the hibbidy jibbidies. He weaved, he braked, jutted to sudden stops with no warning, accelerated to 60 kilometers down narrow streets. We were in and out and between huge semi's. I've never seen anyone get that close to other cars without getting hit. He slammed our bodies in every direction against his little black car.
We came to an abrupt stop outside a dark shaded building. Gheto. Is what I thought. Gheto.
Only the right passenger side door opened to let us out (we found in most places throughout Peru when taking a cab, this was true.) Only one side of any cab would open.
He grabbed our bags and we exited the car onto a narrow dark street. There were hardly any street lights to see what we were really looking at. It just looked like a bunch of dark buildings shrouded in shadows. He led us inside. A small woman sat behind the front desk.The inside wasn't too bad. They even had some bottled water. He started to speak to her in Spanish and then back to us.
"Okay, my friend. She has key. 90 US dollars."
"What," I said flabbergasted. "No, you said fifteen."
Beau started asking him questions in Spanish.The whole thing was ludicrous to me. My heart sank with this news.
"We are already here," Beau said, and he's not going to take us back." For the entire trip I had only brought 300US dollars.This clown wanted me to spend almost a third of my money at this hotel. I was livid.
I could tell Beau was a little intimidated, and I wasn't at level of brain stability to argue. We were both physically drained at this point and didn't have the resources within us to argue. I reached in the secret compartment of my bag and handed over the precious money to the woman at the counter. We bid goodbye to the cab driver after he promised to pick us back up at 5:30a.m. so we could get back to the airport for our next flight at 7a.m. We settled into our hotel room locked the door and lay down for some solid zzzz's. It was just around 12a.m. an hour later, Beau and I woke to a strange noise. At first we couldn't tell where or what the noise was coming from.
It took only seconds to figure out what these odd sounds were.
It was moaning. Loud, intense, disgusting, moaning noises from rampant sex coming from somewhere in the hotel. The floors were solid tile.The noise reverberated through the hallway and echoed so loudly I am surprised it didn't wake up all the guests. It was moments later that a delightful whip cracking sound joined in.
This repugnant orgie lasted for 4 hours straight. I didn't sleep. Didn't move. I was so disturbed by the sounds that were coming from the hotel that I just stared at the ceiling and tried to block it all out. We got ready at 5 am. We left that hotel as soon as possible. When we walked downstairs and saw the cab driver sleeping in his car we tapped on the driver side window to wake him up. He asked us if we slept well. I looked at him with all the abhor I could muster and said, "NO!"
He took us back to the airport and the nightmare was over. The cab driver charged us 50 dollars US for a ride that was less than five minute drive from the airport. Be aware if you are traveling the cab drivers get commission for bringing ignorant Americans to and from the airport and getting them to stay at hotels.
Luckily the next part of the trip went smoothly, but at least I can write about it now and grow wiser from the experience.
Peace and love
S
S
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