Today was mostly uneventful as travel days go. The car was a little late picking us up at the hotel, but as I always plan to leave early it didn't matter.
Taca Airlines was wonderful. They have a professional staff and new, very clean planes, with abundant back of the headrest entertainment. I would recommend the airline to anyone flying one of their routes. We landed at the Arequipa Airport early and were in the van heading to hotel within eight minutes of our original arrival time.
The flight itself was great, with an excellent empanada and cinnamon pastry snack and fabulous views. I plan to write a separate post with photos of the beautiful clouds and Andes mountains.
The airport in Arequipa is adorable. We deplaned down a set of stairs, just like they do for Air Force One I quipped. I can't remember how long it has been since I have done that. There is just one baggage carousel and our luggage came through within minutes and then we headed out to the taxi van. It is a complimentary trip provided by the hotel.
I said earlier that the day was uneventful and it was, until the taxi ride. New York cabbies have nothing on this guy. We did the hurky-jerky down the main road leading from the airport. At times it felt like a student driver who hasn't quite gotten the feel for the brake or how to ease onto the gas. As with many roads around here, buildings are mini forts with high walls surrounding them. These are covered with every imaginable advertisement from motor oil to soft drinks. I tried to watch these in hopes of keeping my mind off the insane ride.
If you think the main road was bad, you should have been there when we entered the traffic of the city proper. I lost count of the short stops and near read end, side impact and T-bone collisions. At one point he was driving down the wrong side of the road, which I guess I fine here as other cabs were doing the same thing.
Looking back I was most thankful for my seat-belt, and the end of our journey in the magnificent main square of the old city. Our hotel is on this square and tomorrow we get to explore it!
No comments:
Post a Comment