Two Days of Traveling to Lima

Okay. I have five hours to kill at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Might as well get started. So I got on a bus in Janesville at 3:30am Wednesday morning (the 27th). I get to the kiosk at O’Hare Chicago airport and it says get in the long line for assistance. As I’m waiting, this woman is SCREAMING mad, she was told there were no more spots on her plane to Fort Lauderdale (where I’m going) and that there were no more flights available anytime soon. She’s just screaming, “SO YOURE TELLING ME TO GO STAND IN EVERY LINE IN EVERY AIRLINE TO ASK IF THEY HAVE A SEAT TO FORT LAUDERDALE TODAY?” And the guys pretty much were like, yep. So I’m like, I better have my seat. I get up and the guy is like your flight was cancelled due to weather in Florida. Cool. I said that I have insurance can u get me on the next one? No problem. Dude put me on the same exact flights just for the following day. Cool. Thanks. Maybe they told that lady off because she was insanely rude or no insurance. Maybe both. Anyway. My next thing. Running through my head at 5:30am after this was finding a hotel or doing another round trip ticket with Van Galder bus company. While I was waiting for the next bus to Janesville, I was looking up hotels the same price as the bus ticket would be. 60$. I found one! And free airport shuttle. Score. Problem was my phone. Do not get U.S Cellular guys. Period. I had no service for the last three days prior and so I needed to hook up to WiFi to find hotels, get an Uber, etc. I couldn’t call. It was horrible. Anyway. After getting an expensive Uber out of O’hare, it ended p being the wrong motel 6. I needed another Uber. An hour later got to my motel and they were like check in is at 3pm. I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABOUT HOW EARLY IT WAS. So my butt begged. She finally let me take another room for 7$ more and I FINALLY got to sleep. Okay so day has already sucked and have been running around crazy mad. Get this. I’m laying in bed after sleeping 6 hours. My phone decides to die. Like won’t turn on, no resetting, no nothing. I’m freaking out. This is my camera for the next month, my way of communications it’s my grandma, etc. I’m shaking. I immediately go downstairs and ask them to call me a cab to the nearest U.S. Cellular store. The guy (cool and nice dude front allstar cabs) took me to a permanently closed store. The next one closest to us was MILESSSSSSSS away. I’m like great. This is my sign to switch carriers. I told him to take me to Verizon. HALLELUJAH. I walk in and I see a girl working my age. I told her I’m freaking out and why and that I am buying a new phone today and I needed her help with EVERYTHING. This angel spent two hours with me. In the end. I have a new phone with actual bars and it’s so much cheaper than U.S Cellular too. After that I was happy. I slept and ate some real food, showered, repacked. Then got on my airport shuttle at 4:30am. The plane to Florida was easy. The girl next time was little and crying because she was moved from a window so I offered my window seat to her and got a new window seat up front. I got to talk to an older couple. In their late 50s. So nice and fun and in lingo. Talked about traveling. My plans and their plans. I missed these kinds of conversations and connections. Now I’m sitting at a bar having my second beer of some Havana local beer (not light). It’s pretty dang good. I also had some tostones.  They’re fried green plantains. Pretty good. Not amazing. I wish I had gotten the maduras. Sweet plantains like the one fried banana they put on the plate at Belairs in Milwaukee. My flight leaves at 5pm-ish. I’ll get to Lima about 10pm. Won’t get my volunteer housing till maybe 11pm-ish. But yeah. That’s the start of my adventure. I’ll be in Lima will the 14th and then Cusco till the 1st of August.