9 Sept, Waking Up in Lima.

This morning I woke up at the Hostel Buena Vista. It was wonderful ... the morning is so beautiful here. I slept surprisingly well and woke up feeling quite well rested, despite the fact that Amie arrived shortly after 1 am and we spent some time chit-chatting and catching up on life when she arrived.

It was 9 am when my alarm went off. I have to admit that I forgot it was even set, but I was glad because without the alarm we might have slept all day. Amie wanted to catch a bit more shut eye so I wandered out into the courtyard of our hostel where they were serving breakfast. Breakfast included a selection of fresh fruits (cantalope, papya, and strawberries), granola, fried or scrambled eggs, fresh squeeze juice, and coffee/tea. I was placing some fruit on my plate when Carolinas words echoed in my head ¨never eat fruits that grow near the ground in Peru, only eat fruits that grow on trees ... strawberries in Peru are the most suspect of all - never eat them¨. Hmmm... where do payas grow? I dont know ...

I decided to throw caution to the wind. I ate a couple of strawberries. I hope I dont regret this later.

8 Sept, The Trip Begins.

All is well as my trip is underway. I arrived at Dulles International Airport the requisite 2.5 hours before my departure time, with all my liquids tucked safely into a bag for checked luggage. In no less than 15 mintues I had my boarding pass, had passed through security, and was at the departure gate. Only 2 hours and 15 minutes of waiting in the airport ... sigh ... I pass the time using up as many cell phone minutes as possible (hey, I will be away all month so I might as well get my time in now). I call both my grandmothers to wish them an early happy birthday then chat with my mother until it was time to board the plane.

Now, sitting in the aeropuerto de San Salvador full of Empanadas Chilenos de Carne I am unconcerned. Sure, I was a bit worried about the short layovers assigned to my itinerary - only 50 minutes here in San Salvador and 45 mintues in San Jose, Costa Rica - but upon my arrival here I found that my connection left from a gate that was right across the hall. Fifty minutes! I only needed 5!

But what is that ... Suddenly the monitor above the gate has changed. The gate is now flashing DEMORADO (delayed). Oh crap!

I look around the small airport. It is clean and nice ... somewhat hot, but still air conditioned enought to be comfortable. The 37 inch LCD screen on the wall shows a very large, seemingly important woman named Dr... something... talking in very rapid Spanish. She is clad, head to toe, in very very (one could even use the word extremely here) bright pink.

Ah, now they begin boarding. We are only 30 minutes delayed. I wonder how this will affect my connection. I have no idea what the airport is like in San Jose. Is it large or small ... is my connecting gate very far away or will it be easy to find... do the planes usually leave on time or late... these are all questions I do not have an answer for. I look to my right, a short latino nun sits quietly looking out the window in what appears to be a state of quiet reflection. I look to my left, an odd fellow with a potmarked face and creepy eyes looks back at me. I look straight ahead. No answers to my questions here.

Finally, we board. The flight is fine and as we decend into Costa Rica I am immediately struck by how beautiful this country is. The mountains in the background, lush and covered in thick green vegetation, are a stark contrast to the flat and fairly dry landscape of San Salvadore.

Our plane landing is smooth but my mind quickly turns from my Spanish-to-go lessons (where I am learning incredibly useful phrases such as Como muchas tacos (I eat many tacos)!!!) to the fact that we are more than 45 minutes late. Surely I have missed my connection ...

I rush (well, I try to rush through the very slow moving crowd) off the plane and into the terminal. I successfully understand as an airport staff member tells another group that gate 4 (that´s me) is to the izquierda (left). Fotunately, the gate is just around the corner and the flight is delayed. I will make my connection after all.