Spending the night in LIM airport

Saturday, July 01, 2006

The flight to Lima finally departed Miami at about 10pm last night. Business class was completely empty of the 30 or so seats there were only 4 filled. Coach looked to be pretty full. One would think that with only 4 passengers and 3 flight attendants service would have been pretty good, but I have to say that was not the case. I ate the tuna appetizer with a glass of wine, but a bite of the pasta was about all I could do. I really wasnt that hungry but there is something about getting on an international plane in business that makes me not want to go to sleep immediately. I read through a magazine and had a glass of port for dessert. At that point I decided I should probably get some sleep so I turned out the light and took a nap.

I was awoken by the flight attendant a few minutes before 2:00. Immigration was a breeze, especially since I was the first person in my line. Luggage was another story. I swear my bag was the last one of the plane. I finally claimed it at about 2:45. Not that I was in any rush I had cancelled my reservation at the Sheraton when I realized how late we were going to be getting in because of the delay. I had read that a lot of people spend the night in the airport to catch the early flights to CUZ, so I figured I would join them. Since my flight is at 6:00 I really didnt even have that much time to kill.

I cleared customs, although I did get my first ever red light and had to go through secondary screening. It turned out to be a painless process of putting your bags on a belt and picking them up on the other side. I then made my way through the airport to find a cash machine, which I quickly located. I headed upstairs to the food court and shopping area. Amazingly everything was open and going strong. Too bad I wasn't hungry - I love Papa John's! I had no problem wasting an hour perusing the shops. I even made my first purchase Nivea deodorant. I dont understand why they dont sell that in the US, but as I am running out I was so happy to see the display of it in the sundries store.

At around 4:30 I went back downstairs to check in for my flight. Baggage checked and boarding pass in hand I went up to pay the departure tax and go through security.

I am now sitting in the boarding area waiting for my Taca flight to Cusco. We should be boarding in about 20 minutes. I think this is my first ever night spent in an airport. Not that it was really a whole night, but still. It has been a long travel day. The flights have by far been the shortest parts. I guess I cant complain too much since it is a pretty last minute business class ticket and thus free to me. And to be honest I enjoyed most of the day in Miami catching up on my life, and even kinda enjoyed the few hours exploring Lima airport. It is definitely a unique airport in that there are so many people hanging out in the middle of the night. Sitting in the food court it felt like the middle of the day. I am feeling a bit tired now. A nap on the next (short) flight will no doubt feel good. I know there isnt much planned in the way of activity today which is definitely good planning on the part of the program.

Well, here we go on to Cusco.