Jeez, it's been super forever since I last logged on here to tell you what's up. Well, let's be honest, there really wasn't much happening. September has come and gone (wake me up, when September eeenndds~), it was full of ups and downs and the usual roller coaster ride...
Oh, and I participated in the world's longest river rafting race down the Amazon River, for 3 days, on a raft constructed out of 8 balsa logs, a machete, a saw, some nails, a hammer, and a rope. Came in second place in the international mixed category too.
Say WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATT?
Yea, that's right, I am now officially a RAFTER baby! Woo! So let's get you some details.
The 14th annual Great Amazon Raft Race was held on September 20th and my team, "Oar We There Yet?" was composed of me and 3 other PCVs whom I love and adore. Those three boys of mine are musicians. No one on this raft had much rafting experience. We were excited at the prospect of surviving through all of this. We knew it was going to be tough, but just how tough?
Well, let's just say getting to the day itself was an adventure. First, we had to get our vacation request forms in. I sent mine months ahead of time, so I was set. Of course, 2 of my boys waited until the last minute and one of them didn't make the cut (max 45 volunteers for any given holiday event and he was number 46- on the waiting list). Thankfully, a few people ended up dropping out and he made it!
Next, we had to figure out how we were going to pay the entrance fee ($600 per team of 4 people). Individually? In dollars? We ended up paying one person who happened to be in Iquitos anyway and paid the fee for all of us. That wasn't so bad. Except the director of the race then contacted me a month later and asked me for a copy of the receipt of our deposit. Now, that's just silly. Who's going to hold on to a piece of paper for that long? Plus, the only thing the paper had printed on it was the date and the operation number, which I had already sent them. The director lady insisted, so I said we'd see what we could do.
We could do nothing. I contact the lady and explain that she needs to go to the bank and look up the operation number. She responds back that she is no longer working there for personal reasons (something about a baby? I don't know. It was seriously personal. I was really surprised she shared that info with me.) and tells me to contact someone else. I contact someone else and repeat my story and get a really quick response that boiled down to, "Oh, ok, don't worry about it, we got this."
Awesome.
So that got figured out alright, after a week or two of worry and stress. And then it came time to buy plane tickets. Well, when I went to first purchase them, tickets were at about $110. I thought, maybe it'll go down? I was right! A week and a half or so later, it goes down to $95. I whip out my credit card, all ready to pay, and BOOM- REJECTION. They won't let me pay online with an international card. I have no money in my national bank at this point, so I can't pay with my national card. DAMN!
I run into the capital city the following weekend, and head to the airline office. They are closed randomly this weekend do to maintenance. BOOM-REJECTION part deux. So, I pull cash out of my american account, deposit it into my peruvian account, and try to buy the tickets again. BOOM-REJECTION take 3. Now what?! Turns out, I have to have my national card set up so that I can pay for things online or some ridiculousness. ARGH.
After another few days of trying to sort things out, I finally get the card to go through and buy my tickets, now marked up to $140. Whaddyagonnado. As I'm setting this all up though, I notice that the website maintenance has finished. The day I buy my tickets, they allow me to reserve a seat and buy my ticket (with my american card, if I so desire) the next time I'm in the regional capital. HEAD. DESK. REPEAT.
Whatever. Tickets are bought, I'm badgering my team to get their tickets. One of my boys is having issues buying things online so a few days before we're set to leave, he heads into the airline office to buy tickets and gets stuck with a lady who refuses to accept his card which states that we are legally peruvian residents and demands that he pay the non-resident price (which is seriously jacked up- a gringo tax? that's b.s.). He refuses and we can't figure out why this lady doesn't understand that the card attached to our passports clearly indicates that we are living in peru. He gets understandably annoyed, leaves, and gets another plane ticket.
Shiny.
So finally the day comes, I am scrambling to get all my last minute work done so that things still happen while I'm away from site for the next few days. Eventually I find myself some time to pack and I'm throwing things into a bag like I'm going to be away for months, not just a week. Get myself on a bus where 2 of my boys are and off we go to Lima!
We get off in Lima and head to a Korean restaurant.
SIDE STORY: So, during training (like more than a year ago), my mom met a priest who was going to be serving in Peru. She sent him something and asked him to please take it to Peru and send it to me while he was here. He agreed, but never sent it to me. I tried to contact him a number of times, but not understanding how to dial phone numbers since I didn't get a cellphone until the end of training, never managed to. He magically calls me one day and explains to me that he's been holding on to this electronic device for the past year and a half now, and needs to give it to me because he's heading back to the states. I explain that I do not live near Lima, but will be heading there someday. He tells me that he's going to leave it with some mysterious Korean man who attends his church, and that I should look for him the next time I'm in Lima. I thank him, jot down a phone number and address, and shrug my shoulders- no idea what my mom was trying to send me. Then, a week later, I realize that HEY! I'm going to Lima! Not for very long (a few hours), but enough time to stop by and find this man. I confer with my teammates and they agree that sure, we should go, and then eat at a Korean restaurant nearby since they have never had Korean food before.
Ridiculous. Korean food is amazing. I insist we must go at least to eat.
So I call this mysterious man, explain that I'm the girl who the priest left something for, and he recognizes me and tells me that he'll see me at his shop (Korean food specialty store). We make our way there, find the man, and he hands me this tiny little lego.
Wait. What? A Lego? Yea. I bought these little speakers for my ipod and it looks like a lego piece. THIS IS WHAT MY MOTHER HAS BEEN TRYING TO SEND ME FOR THE LAST YEAR. I seriously lol'ed in the shop. And then we ate Korean food, and it was super rico because I haven't had Korean food in FOREVER and the boys liked it, but it's obvy not the best I've had (which would be, ya know, my mom's food... but still)
Anyway, back to the story. Sorry for the randoms.
We get to Lima and then head to the airport to fly into Iquitos (max, 2 hours). Fun fact, they give you beer on LAN. Auspicious beginnings, my friend, auspicious beginnings.
While waiting for the one who took a different flight, the rest of us sat around in the hot jungle climate and sang (remember how all three of them are musicians? well fear not, a guitar and cajón were most def present during the trip.)
It was tons of fun and had me super ready for this race! We are all reunited, get swamped by guys trying to more or less drag us into their motos and taxis, and finally figure out that rather than spending a lot of money, we can get to our hostel for like S/1 if we take a combi right outside of the airport. Nice.
The hostel (Green Track Hostel) is fantastic. The room is air conditioned and brilliant, and I sleep on and off until the day comes! RAFT TIME!
I'm going to go to bed now and leave you with this. Promise to continue my story tomorrow~
edit: wanted to leave you with a new and original song made up on the spot by zack and jbibb at the airport (super catchy... and about the girl working at the snack shop on the other side of the window) but my video's won't load for some reason... meh. i'll try to upload it when my internet isn't so poopy.
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