Delays, Detours, and De(llamas)

Before they could eat all the things in Lima, Ash, Britt, JD, Lara and Alice had to take a detour.  Upon arriving from Toronto to San Salvador (surprisingly on time given that they left Pearson an hour late) they learned that their connecting flight to Lima was two hours delayed.  So in effort to make the best of a boring situation, they bought some really yummy corn and potato chips and really gross lime flavoured pork rinds that they originally mistakened for plantain chips despite JD’s repeated comment that “those look like pork rinds”…oops, and walked up and down the small alley-shaped San Salvador airport peeking into closed shops where airport staff were drinking shots of liquor and government sponsored corn/rice pride displays.  Finally, the airline (Avianca)started to board the plane and the five travellers stood in line, judging tourists around them for the size of their carry-ons (unreasonably large), and what appeared matching rhinestone studded leather jackets, worn by a potential Colombian drug lord and his young wife. They had almost made it to gate when the line stopped moving.  They initially thought someone at the front of the line was holding it up, the agitated faces and risen voices speaking fast-tongued Spanish seemed to set that mood.  Eventually, after waiting a polite and very Canadian length of time, they ventured to ask someone to explain to them in English what was going on.  Apparently, the plane, previously flown in to San Salvador from Houston, had mechanical problems and the new pilot felt that it was unsafe to fly the plane onwards to Lima.  So, the five travellers, along with the plane full of people, were bused to downtown San Salvador in a prison, school-bus-like white bus at 1 a.m. in the morning speeding an easy 140.  For those of you readers who aren’t familiar with San Salvador, let us provide you with a brief synopsis of what the Canadian government has to say about it, “Violent crime such as homicide, armed robbery, carjacking, and kidnapping is common throughout the country.”  Each of the travelers responded differently to this predicament:

Ash: We’re going to get into a bus crash on the side of the El Salvadorian countryside.  All my doctor told me to do was not get into vehicles without safety precautions!

JD: We’re going to get robbed and murdered and then robbed again.  And then potentially double murdered. 

Britt:  What if lightening hits the bus?  How close did that look?

Lara:  We’re going to get abducted and nobody knows where we are.  What if they don’t bring a new plane tomorrow and we have to take a plane with mechanical issues? 

Alice: Zzzzzzzz

Where they stayed:  The Intercontinental, which was lovely.  They weren’t sure whether they were happier to see that the hotel was providing them dinner in the middle of the night or that there was an armed guard escorting them from the bus into the hotel.  They weren’t there long… but the beds were comfy and clean and the hotel staff were nice. 

What they ate and drank: None of the icy water or juices that were tauntingly displayed before them, but some yummy chicken and rice for a late night/early morning dinner and an assorted hotel breakfast (including ceviche and tamales for Alice) the next morning. 

What they did: Slept for a few hours and lamented about whether or not they would make it to their gourmet food tour in Lima. 

Lessons learned:  Always give yourself a buffer day, so you don’t mind so much when you lose the first day of your trip to a flight delay.  Pack everything you would possibly want for overnight in your carry-on bag, including toothbrush and toothpaste.  Don’t run tap water on your toothbrush so that you have to throw it out.

Most prolific omen:  When the woman you’re sitting next to on the plane says “El Salvador is beautiful, you should really come stay” – your options are then: 1) punch her in the mouth; 2) put your hands over your ears and say “Lalalalala I’m not listening!” loudly; or 3) succumb to your fate, and stay in San Salvador. 

Some questions, for Lima:

Will the Water Fountain Laser light show live up to Lara’s expectations?

Will Alice find Peru’s culinary scene to be as good as all the blog sites say?

Will JD find a pisco sour for under $20?

Will Ash find the spot in the pacific where the locals swim (away from the sewage dumping)?

Will Britt find the Larco museum even remotely interesting? (she hates to read and learn!)

Stay tuned!