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I got into Lima Intl. at about 11pm'ish. Being nervous about being in a new country which I haven't visited in almost 15 years I made the horrendous mistake of leaving my carry on baggage at the conveyor belt while looking for my checked in baggage. Once I found my check in baggage I started to walk around to the other side of the conveyor belt and got distracted when an aunt of mine yelled out my name in the reception area. I was so happy to see her that I forgot about picking up my carry on and exited the airport without it. I didn't realize I had forgotten it until we were already at another aunt's home. This caused a serious depression in me since I had not labeled my carry on luggage and it's most likely that someone took advantage of the unattended baggage despite the measly master lock I had on it. I tried calling the airport but they could not give me answers, they said I had to contact the airline desk itself for more information. They haven't answered all day which means their office was closed since I used a budget airline and they don't conduct flights daily. They don't seem to have a lost and found department in that airport so to anyone of you that goes, definitely keep an eye on your baggage.
The losses are minor. I had an elegant retro sacks fifth avenue leather jacket, dress slacks for attending holiday functions, about three days worth of clothing (maybe more), various jeans and sweat pants, some minor gifts of fine chocolate truffles, panty hose for my grandmother and familial aunt, a pretty necklace and earrings for gifts to my grandmother, a batter charger for the batteries of my digital camera, and a couple of books on spanish poetry; one of them was a complete works of Cesar Vallejo (considered a geat peruvian poet and my deceased father's and my own favorite poet besides Whitman) and another anthology of spanish poety with en-face translation to help me along in my understanding.
The most important thing of all was the loss of the photo album my sister put together with her, her husband, and their toddler. That's what hurt the most. My sister put a lot of work in crafting that album; it was colorful, detailed, and had great pictures of their vacations and other precious photos. All of them can be duplicated since they were digital photos but it's the beauty of the album, the care my sister used in making it, that made it a sentimental gift and a huge loss. My grandmother only has three great-grandchildren, one of them being my sister's little boy. They've never traveled to visit family in Peru but think that's mainly a decision on her husband's part because he speaks so little Spanish a would likely feel uncomfortable getting around on his own. My sister speaks spanish just as well as I do, with a little less of a spanglish vocabulary since she maily speaks to our mom in spanish, though her vocabulary is limited.
That given, I have started to come to terms with the loss, however upsetting it may be. I can always replace clothing and articles (however much I lament the loss, and gifts) but the photo album, and the retro 70's sacks fifth avenue jacket are the greatest loss. Those aren't replaceable. I have to come to terms with that in order to enjoy the rest of the trip. I have to try to put that behind me.
Now that I'm here, and with about $500 in spending money, I'm not going to able to make the trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu. It just isn't practical for this time of year, since it's cold and rainy in the mountains. I don't have enough money to do things fully, am not physically fit enough for the altitude change and hiking and I think I'd rather spend my time with my family here. I have two uncles, and aunt, my grandmother, and eight cousins, one of which is married and has two nephews, or cousins once removed. I'll have to save up and come back for a few of months in June or so, where it's winter down here and the tourism is cheaper.
Given that, I'll still get to enjoy the bright lights of Lima, the ruins of Pachacac, and time with my family. Since I was the first born of my grandmother's youngest child, and my grandmother lost both my grandfather and my dad within six months some years back, my grandmother is sentimentally delighted to have me here, especially since I'll be here for Christmas, my first official christmas since becoming catholic - since I was raised Jehovah's Witness (who don't celebrate christmas) but converted to Catholicism because of my father's family. I really look forward to attending mass and celebrating with them.
Side note, my grandmother expressed to me what seems irrational, there is a tiny statue of jesus in my room and she said that I can pray with it and my prayers/wishes would be answered. I may be catholic, but I'm not THAT catholic. It seems that idolatry and superstition are still common here, like christian haitians or cubans who practice santeria, an adaption of african and christian ideas.
That said, I've taken a few pictures and am discussing with the family of starting a private website where I can post family pictures, have a discussion forum, post news within the family, and assign private email addresses we can use to keep in touch with news and other. I just have to teach my members of family how to FTP and how to use an email client program like Outlook or whatever. All they need is is a user name and password and host name, preferably an IP address.
The flight was stressful, but only lasted about five and a half hours or so. I got to sit with a couple of children whose mother was in the seat directly across the isle. The older boy was about four, and his sister was about three. I have teaching in my blood so I played numerical games with the boy (addition, division, and multiplication) and his younger sister I gave her paper to draw basic geometrical shapes, like a circle, triangle, and square. She also asked me to draw for her different animals, and I encouraged her to copy to entertain her but I have to admit, I'm a very poor artist. She didn't have as much dexterity with writing so things came out a little skewed, but I always complimented her and encouraged corrections for exercises for the boy since he had a basic understanding of addition.
I offered to take pictures of the mother, son, and daughter on the flight to send to them by email, but when I got past security and saw her she was in panic because she had lost her purse so she was in no mood to consider social interests. She was panicked and considerably so.
Oh, and by the way, the corealis effect does work here in opposition with the northern part of the hemisphere. But since it is less powerful being this close to the equator it does have a direction of straight drainage, though not as powerful and things that flow with a more defined vortex.
So, luckily, my family in Peru are very well off and I can take the time to know the new Lima, since so much has changed in the last fifteen years. It has become much more metropolitan. The shining path insurgency and others are basically nonexistent as other revolutionary/terrorist groups. There are mall strips, Walmart-type supermarkets and just abut any fast food chain you can think of, including the many chains that are exclusive to the tastes of Peru.
I plan on taking many photos here in Lima, I have over seven hundred photos left on this digital camera so I'm going to be a photophile, if that's even a word.
Just an update everybody. I hope you are all fine and wish you good health. I'll post updates whenever I can as I go along.
-peruban
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