Day 40 (Juliaca to Lima) "Do Motos Fly?"
We planned well, but it is 10 am before we are on our way to the airport. Our pickup driver is very helpful and we are glad to have him along. At the airport they find there is still some fuel in the tanks that didn't get emptied and they swear the motos will not fly....
Some help and two hours later the tanks are not only VERY empty, but they have been swabbed out with rags and ventilated. They look funny sitting there on the side of the runway all stripped down and wrapped in a thin mattresses! Finally we are somewhat relaxed as we check into o
ur flight praying that no one will notice that we are not stamped into this country yet and as such are illegal! Our plan is to right this "detail" when we get back to Pucallpa where the immigration people know us..... All goes smoothly and we are ready to board...
As we walk out to the plane, we see that our motos are still not loaded and so we stall. Everyone else has boarded. Despite meeting all the "requirements" for air-freighting the motos (not to mention the "incentive" to make sure that they fly today with us) it seems there is a block. There now is a "rule" that fuel tanks must ventilate for 24 hours before flights. Nice of them to mention that now! As we stand on the tarmac pleading with the officials, the pilot (the final 
authority whether the motos "fly" or not) slides open his window and tells them to load the motos. We board and I get a chance to personally go up to the cockpit and thank him.....
In Lima (pix) we find that the motos have to pass thru customs and won´t be available until tomorrow, so we head to the South American Mission house, clean up and head out with my parents (who happen to be in Peru for a few months this summer) and a childhood friend to dinner... Almost "home"........
NEXT DAY: day40inlima.htm
Create a free website at Webs.com