7th June 2017
At exactly 10 am, we checked out of our room and left our suitcases in the lobby, where they were carefully watched by the porters. We then headed off to spend the next couple of hours in the Plaza we’d visited the night before.
On the way, we passed the Avianca Cusco office, so we decided to pop in. We had them check us onto our flight, choose our seats, and print out our boarding passes for all three flights. It took less than 10 minutes and would save us some time at the airport.
Continuing towards the Plaza, we stopped to photograph a workers’ demonstration, with patriotic flags waving and the crowd flanked on both sides by heavily armed police in riot gear. Peruvians certainly know how to hold a demonstration, and we are told they can occasionally get out of hand; it seems it’s a national pastime!
As we moved on, we reached our destination, greeted by the sound of drums and loudspeakers. To our surprise, however, it wasn’t what we had expected. The entire square was filled with military personnel, fully armed and dressed in their finest uniforms. Various sections of the military, including different police forces, were represented. They were all lined up, listening attentively to speeches from the main rostrum, which stood in front of the Cathedral.
We took our time, completing a full circle of the square (proving, as they say, that you can circle a square!), and photographing the scene, though we had little understanding of what was going on. It could have been a special occasion, a regular event, or simply a display of strength; we had no idea.
By the time we reached the heart of the proceedings, where the speeches were being delivered and dignitaries were seated under a small canopy, Sue and I managed to position ourselves just a couple of metres behind the most important figure of the event. Recognising the beginning of a Catholic Mass (a familiar occurrence after my time teaching in a Catholic school), I switched off and let my mind wander.
I found myself wondering, where were the barriers, where was the security? Sure, there were plenty of armed personnel with guns of all calibres, yet no one challenged or searched us as we entered the Plaza, and we were both carrying quite full rucksacks on our backs. Perhaps in Europe, recent terrorism has shifted the way we think about security. How tragic and sad that such thoughts even cross one’s mind.
As we made our way out of the proceedings down a side street, we learned that the person we had gotten just a couple of metres away from was none other than the President of Peru himself, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard.
We returned to the hotel for a cup of coca tea each. A piece of advice for anyone visiting Peru: if offered coca tea or dry coca leaves to chew, don’t hesitate to accept. The altitude can be quite challenging, especially for us sea-level dwellers, and coca helps alleviate some of its effects.
Our transfer to the airport arrived half an hour early (a pattern seen with every transfer on this tour), and fortunately, we were prepared and ready to go.
Our flight to Lima was delayed by half an hour due to a tyre change on the aircraft, which had a knock-on effect, shortening our connection time to Bogotá to just one hour. It wasn’t a problem, though; we made the connection, and our flight left on time. The same was true for our connection to Heathrow, though we had a bit more time to wait, 2 hours and 50 minutes, before we took off.
Avianca kept us well-fed throughout the flight, and by this point, we were feeling quite stuffed, participating in the routine gorging session merely to pass the time.
In light of recent events, security at Heathrow had increased significantly, with armed police present in large numbers, checking passports as we left the aircraft. Unusually for Heathrow, our suitcases beat us to the baggage reclaim belt, so it wasn’t long before we found ourselves at the shuttle bus stop, only to discover we had just missed one and had to wait 40 minutes for the next. It seemed like an omen of things to come.
We had parked at the EasyHotel, located 20 minutes from the airport. Like most car parks, when you leave your car, you take your keys with you. Foolishly, the last time I saw my car keys was at Cusco airport, where they were in a zipped side pocket of my rucksack. Now, to my horror, I found the zip was open and the keys were gone. The rucksack had been placed in the overhead locker on each flight, and I suspect that, as it was moved around by other passengers accessing their own bags during the flights, the zip had been dragged open and the keys had fallen out. Or, they had been pick-pocketed at the airports. What to do?
First, I called my car rescue service. They were very apologetic but explained they couldn’t help, as the car wasn’t broken and the keys weren’t inside it. Next, I rang Jamie to see if he could get the spare key from the safe at home and bring it. Like the treasure he is, he agreed. However, due to an accident on the M1 (typical!), this took quite a while. Sue and I spent the time enjoying a meal at a nearby pub and surfing the Net, until eventually Jamie arrived. Returning to the car park, with a smile on his face, he opened the car with the spare key before shooting off back to Leicestershire.
After loading the car with luggage and setting the SatNav, we set off in pursuit. Instead of arriving home at the original planned time of 8 pm, to vote in the upcoming General Election, we eventually got back after 11 pm, and too late to vote.
It wasn’t the most satisfying way to end a wonderful holiday, but on the bright side, the cost of replacement keys is covered up to £1,000 by my card protection policy. On the negative side, we have a hung Parliament, which will likely lead to years of intensive politicking, as self-interest and senseless point-scoring dominate the news and our lives. I have a feeling that a few more foreign trips will be in order to escape it all.
Palmer Family 
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