Are We There Yet?

Well...not quite! We arrived in Lima about 1PM (we're on the same time zone as Nashville) and after immigration, customs, money exchange, and several long and painfully slow lines at the airport to find a hotel voucher (thank you Katie McDougall for waiting in the three-hour line today), we traveled by taxi to the Hotel Melia Resort Hotel.


Morgan giving her book project report in the airport while we waited to find out where our hotel would be.

Apparently Melia is a South American chain specializing in resorts and conference centers! The hotel is very nice with big, clean bathrooms and soft, comfortable beds.



Mitchell and John already used the workout room while we waited for dinner. Flat screen TVs, robes in the room, and a sauna... wait, I thought we were here on a service trip?


Outside by the pool... you can see flagpoles in the background that have all the flags of the North and South American countries surrounding a neat monument park.

We have received such kind service so far in Peru and our hotel clerk was right when he said "I'm so sorry for your troubles, but hopefully this stay will make it worth it." The Hotel Melia is well worth it and we are again being treated to a dinner and breakfast buffet. We've all been working on using our waterbottles for all water- including teeth brushing- but this takes some getting used to. John was a few sips into a coca cola in the airport before he remembered it had ice!

Keely's had a little bit of an earache since we arrived in Miami, so we made finding a doctor a priority as soon as we arrived at Lima. The Melia staff quickly ordered us an "ambulance" (sort of like house-call doctors) and two very charming doctors came right up to her room to help. The whole process was so unique that most of the trip came in to see the little travel medical kit and the paramedics.



Their diagnosis- just the beginning of an ear infection, so they her some antibiotics. Our hotel bell hop then ran down the street to the pharmacy to fill the prescription... and the clincher is, all of this was only $20 total! Ambulance, doctors, assessment, and meds! We are all feeling much better tonight.

We've had a lot of adventures so far and everyone has maintained such high spirits and go-with-the-flow attitude.

We'll be back at flying early in the morning, with an 825AM departure to Cuzco. We are anxious to get to Cuzco and meet up with our World Leadership Leaders, Jason and Adela. We're not sure how much of the itinerary may have changed yet but we all just can't wait to see the village where we'll be working and meet our homestay families. As soon as we can, we'll have our first blog post from the Sacred Valley from a student!

-Anna