Return to Lima

…a continuation of my previous post...

The bus ride back from the south of Peru to Lima was pretty good. There was another Bingo game as well as many of the same passengers that joined us on the trip to Chile. However, you’ll never guess what movies we watched on the return trip… if you’re thinking of the movie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, then you’re just cynical and only want bad things to happen to me on this trip. But if you’re thinking that another round of Enemy of the State and The Punisher were in order, then you’re right. I won’t waste too much time talking about the movies, however, if you haven’t checked them out yet I would recommend a date night with The Punisher. Then, if you have time, Snakes on a Plane – another under appreciated masterpiece.

As I mentioned before, the bus ride was comfortable. I had plenty of space for myself and they served dinner and breakfast the following day. Despite these luxuries, it was still a bus. Lucia and I had the good fortune to sit in front of a woman who didn’t quite do so well. During the night she managed to throw up for about 3 hours, non-stop. After the second hour I really stopped feeling disgusted and just wondered if her life was in danger after losing that much fluid. The poor woman kept going in and out of the bathroom, which, I’m sure felt more like a carnival ride rather than a smooth bus trip.

After at least 30 minutes of downtime to let the bathroom air out a bit, I felt it was safe enough to enter, with caution of course. The bathroom door swings out, so to open it you must pull. Also, there was an “occupied” light that shines bright red if someone was in the bathroom and has locked the door. All signs were clear for me to enter, so I opened the door and, naturally, there was a woman using the bathroom. Shit!

I should have just kept watching The Punisher. Embarrassing is an understatement. Instead of trying to find my seat, I was trying to find the exit to the bus. I can’t imagine what the woman was feeling. Of course after she exited the bathroom I made no eye contact and purposely stayed away from her the rest of the trip. I felt it was the best thing for the both of us. Also, I stayed away from the bathroom for the rest of the trip.

All in all the trip was worth it. I did what I needed to do (legally speaking) to remain in good standing with the immigration office and we had some fun. If you've got some time, and little money, the bus services are definitely worth it.

-BJM