Mr. VIP

I arrived safely to Quito, Ecuador! Boy, what a day of traveling it was! I woke up yesterday morning at 7:30 with a little bit of birthday hangover, which is actually sleeping in according to my jungle body clock. I took a cold shower and set off to navigate the markets of Belen to buy some fresh fruit for breakfast and enjoy my last dose of Iquitos for quite some time. It was here that I was pick-pocketed for the first time too. I didn't take my purse with me, and had small denominations of cash in various pockets on my person. I had about 10 soles (less than $5) of coins in the right pocket of my rain jacket, which was zipped up, and the velco zipper flap shut. I was kind of amazed that the pocket was empty when I went to go pay for the motocarro ride back to my hostel - that was some seriously skilled pick pocketing work... A+! The joke's on the thief though, he is now in possession of the last of the counterfeit coins I inherited in Huaraz that I have had a surprisingly difficult time getting rid of. Sucker!

I had my fair share of camu camu sours and banana coladas the night of my birthday, as I figured this was how any jungle birthday should be properly celebrated. Rob and I spent the day causing our typical jungle mayhem and took a sunset pequi pequi ride on the amazon river - complete with jumping pink dolphins and all! I can confidently say that this was by far the most unique birthday I have yet, which, if you know me at all, is a bold statement. My 19th birthday was spent backpacking the Hoh Rainforest trail in the Olympic

Turnin' 24 on the Amazon River! 

National Park with my bestie Katie K, my dad, and my badass grandmother. My 20th birthday was spent backpacking in the Mt Hood National Forest with Anthony, Christabel, and Corbin. We began our trip with great expectations, but the sleet and hail made us detour to the Bagby hotsprings. From there we hiked to the Indian Henry campground, a bottle of whiskey in hand at all times. My 21st birthday was spent in Portland, as I was frantically preparing for my departure to Australia first thing the next morning. The day before I was on a camping trip with Chris, Lisa, and Bryce in the Columbia River Gorge, so I could wake up in the woods on my birthday. My 22nd birthday was spent camping on the Oregon Coast with my Daddy Dearest, as he was already in town for my graduation. And lastly, my 23rd birthday was spent taking a roadtrip with Katie K down HWY 101; we danced in the redwoods and sipped coffee all along the California coast.

I spent quite a bit of time in the tiny Iquitos airport because, logically, everything is on Peruvian time and therefore always delayed. It's quite exhilarating to be on the move again, and this time as a solo traveler. It was sad to say to goodbye to Rob because we've gotten to know eachother so well. But, like Matt, I know I'll be seeing him again. Rob looked absolutely epic as he headed off for his incredible journey into the jungle. Straddling the back seat of Jose's motorcycle, with a backpack on, a bag of food sandwiched between him and Jose, waiving 'adios', and puttering off into the unknown adventures ahead with a grin across his face. Well, that is after it took a few minutes for the motorcycle to actually start. I was cracking up as I watched from the balcony above, and Rob just looked at me with an expression I'll never forget. It was a look of "What on earth am I getting myself into/I am so beyond ready for this adventure and I have accepted that anything can happen/can I be any more epic right now?" Haha - I expect stories Senor Roberto!

My experience with the border crossing was absolutely hilarious. They wanted proof that I had a ticket out of Ecuador, of which I didn't have. I explained to them I was going to bus back to Peru after about a month, but I don't think they cater to the whimsical backpacker lifestyle. They invited me behind the counter  - behind several doors and secret hallways of AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY so I could show them the email confirmation of my return flight to the States. After the computer broke down, the printer's ink was refilled, and the attendant successfully stapled her finger instead of my ticket confirmation, they decided it was ok to let me go to Ecuador. I breezed through 'security' but I really don't think they even looked at my bag. I set off the metal detector, they asked me if I was wearing a belt, I said yes, and then they let me go through without even waiving a wand in front of the buckle. The US would have been like "wah! terrorist! cavity search!" I'm not complaining about the lax security in South American airports - it's quite a pleasant experience and you never have to wait in line. 

In the Lima airport I struck up conversation with a man from England, Edward. (who has lived in Australia, the US, Quito, and is now moving to Lima). Boy, was he a character. He was all about being Mr. VIP - had to be the first in line, expected immediate service, got upset when he was randomly selected for a bag search, didn't want to fill out a visa form because "he brought so much bloody money to the country" - oh man it was so entertaining. If I had a dime every time this guy said "fooking bloody hell!"... 

In any other situation I would have wrote him off as the worlds biggest asshole with an inflated ego, but there was a vibe about him that suggested this was a game he liked to play rather than a reflection of his true self. Hmm, that's funny. Usually assholes pretend to be warm-hearted individuals, not the other way around. I accepted his offer to have a pisco sour (or 3) with him before our flight, and sure enough, he's a really kind, funny dude. When he'd go about his VIP crap, I had no qualms about yelling back at him, 

"Edward stop being a dick. You're human and they're human. No way is your life more important that theirs." 

E: "Bullocks. I am more important! Do you know how much money I bring to their country?" 

Me: "Who cares? You're born with nothing and ya die with nothing, so remind me again of what makes you so important? Get your head outta your ass!" 

E: "Haha, yeah you're right. I'm just playing. I do this border crossing so often I just get sick of it. I think everyone's great!"

He would be quiet for a few minutes before he started up again, but we laughed the whole way through. 

You're probably still thinking he's a butthead, but I promise you he's a really good person. We had some great conversations - heart to hearts, political chat, and traveler's banter.We made a good airport team :) He took good care of me in the airport, on the plane, through customs, and I was extraordinarily grateful. Yes, I could have done it by myself, but it's a lot more fun and efficient if you go with Mr. VIP haha. 

Anyways, we didn't get out of the airport until after 2am, which is pretty friggin' late. The airport was an hour drive from where I needed to go. I told Edward where my hostel was, he informed me that it was way too unsafe for me to go there at this hour by myself, and that he absolutely wasn't going to let me go. He informed me that I could stay at his apartment and have my own room, comfortable bed, own bathroom, hot shower, clean towel - all things that actually were music to my ears considering I have been bathing in the Amazon and at Mad Mick's for 2 weeks. It really wasn't as sketchy as I'm making it sound, I promise. 

It took an hour to get to his place, which is about 10 minutes away from the hostel I was going to stay at, so I could go first thing in the morning if I wanted to. Alright, I'm down. Oh man, he has a beautiful place and I think I may have had the best shower I have had in years! I had such restful sleep and woke up to real coffee! I forgot how comforting a home feels like, and appreciate how safe I feel here. 

I asked Edward why he was so kind to me. He said he just knew. He made me promise him that I will pay it forward at some point in my life - completely restoring my faith in the kindness of strangers. I am so grateful that this happened to me. What a wonderful welcome to Quito, Ecuador!