Lima, Peru – Tucked into niches between suitcases cobbled together like Incan ruins, several members of Team Esperanza lie under purloined airplane blankets, using the layover to catch up on sleep after a long day of travel.
Though we have not yet seen any of it, we have arrived in Peru. At 5 a.m., we again take to the air, flying to Cusco before making our way to Urubamba by bus.
Jared has draped his Canadian flag proudly at the entrance of our temporary Mustang commune on the second floor of Lima’s airport. Our distinctive purple Esperanza t-shirts are attracting curious looks from passersby. Shannon’s Western bandana provides a handy covering for some shut-eye. Perhaps best prepared of all, Carling lays cocooned inside a sleeping bag.
Other team members poke at mysterious tropical fruit left for us in goodie bags by Nexos Voluntarios – the NGO with whom we will be working. Quaffing their first Inca Kola, still more convert dollars into soles. Others read, write or type. All the while, Enya is piped over the speakers in a continuous loop. Oh, Oronoco Flow.
Add all of this to the spontaneous games of hide-and-seek and cards that broke out in the terminal in Atlanta and you have an industrious team that can find ways to fill the time during our many layovers.
But we’re here. And grateful to be.
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