change of travel plans

Let me just start off with the moral of the story before I actually get to the story: when traveling in Peru, ask each and every day if there is going to be a paro or road blockade/strike and figure out the best alternative to get where you have to go.

*sigh*

So...

I was suppose to fly out from Puno to Lima on Tuesday, the 7th. Last Saturday night, Qiqe's mom tells me to call the airline, LAN, ASAP because there is going to be a paro by the truck drivers and a big blockade in Puno, possibily throughout the south of the country. This would mean it probably would be difficult to get to the airport. There was a chance I could spend the night in a hotel in the gloriously dangerous city of Juliaca (where the airport is). But, that was certainly not a good or safe or secure option. Many times the strikers will also cut off movement within Juliaca, and direct attention on avenues of transit like the airport.

So I call LAN, the Chilean airlines with a monopoly on Peruvian air, and they told me they could not accept my call without my reservation code, which I of course left in my house. I rush to the house to get the code, call LAN, and get put on hold for 20 minutes. They finally say that I need to call back in 30 minutes so that they can tell me if I can change my flight. So I wait...call back...and they say that my flight was purchased on their economical plan, which doesn't allow me to change my ticket. Then, the LAN attendant begins the song and dance about how LAN is not accountable to external disruption of travel plans, such as paros, so they aren't held responsible to change my flight. And the plan I am on won't even permit me to pay more money to change the date or schedule AND, (to put the cherry on top of this horrifying mess), missing the first half of the flight means the whole trip is cancelled. No return flight. period. I automatically lost my return flight for the 16th of the month!

Now, I could have waited until Tuesday to see if the paro was serious and prayed that there was no major blockade. But, I had a presentation with the Rotary on Thursday. If I missed the flight because of the blockade, my only option would be to put down another 150 dollars or more for a flight...HOPING that there was room on the Wednesday planes because there wouldn't be enough time to take the bus (20hours) leaving on Wednesday to get to Lima for a 7:30am presentation with the Rotary Club. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.... what to do, what to do?

Qiqe's parents and I discussed my options, and in the end, I opted to ditch my flight, bought a 1 way bus ticket for 40 bucks, and was on the road for 20 hours from Puno to Lima.

Fantastic. I hope you just yet another ridiculous story about my travels in Peru!