MICHELLE CRIES HER WAY HOME
So we arrive in Lima around 3ish and our next step in getting home is switching our flights on AeroMexico from Sunday at midnight (so technically Monday morning) to tonight at midnight (technically Saturday morning).

When I called AeroMexico from Cusco they said we had to go to their offices in Lima to do anything. Before we grabbed a cab and left the airport, we decided to at least check with their offices at the airport.

The airport office was hard to find and by the time we found it, we were told we had to go back to get a security pass before we could come in. I spoke to the security officer and he would only allow one of us to go at a time. Why? I have no idea. So, off I went to change our flights, leaving Jared, sick and miserable, standing guard over all our luggage.

For the next two (yes, count ‘em TWO!) hours, I was the sole guest at AeroMexico’s offices at the Lima International Airport, trying to change our flight. Their computer systems was very low-tech (dot matrix printers, Linux operating system, etc). and it took them about 15 minutes to realize anything, and the two girls helping we were completely competent and very sweet. The system itself is just horrible.

At first we were told we could change our flight – there was room on the plane – but that it would cost us about $200 per person. I wasn’t happy about this but I agreed to do it. Jared was super sick, I was starting to feel pretty ill, and the idea that we bailed on the Inti Raymi festival to stay in Lima was not a happy one. We were going home immediately, end of discussion.

After about 30 more minutes of my two senoritas typing, calling and more typing, they told me that because I bought my flight earlier, I was in a lower class and it would actually cost us around $550 each to change the flight. This was just under what we actually paid for our tickets and I was not paying $1100 for us to fly home, and it would still be on coach!

I started crying….

My family and close friends know I can cry on queue (a talent the Lord has blessed me with, I know), but this was not an act. This was me being tired and worried… about Jared, about me, about my friends, about just wanting to get home. Being sick sucks when you are in your own bed and have your mother looking after you and the Ellen show to watch, but being in Peru with NO medicine and NO chicken soup and NO cool tv shows and NO mom made being sick absolutely miserable.

So the tears spilled…

The ladies instantly ran around the office, grabbing tissues, trying to comfort me. They asked me what was wrong, why was I crying? I told them that my husband was very sick. They asked what kind of sick and was he able to travel. After I confirmed to them that he was able to travel but that we just needed to get to our own doctor, they turned from sweet AeroMexico ticket agents to just angels. They started calling people on their walkie-talkies, phones, grabbed their boss, etc. I just sat in my chair, crying, blowing my nose, and sniffling.

An hour later, a grinning AeroMexico agent told me had our flights for cheaper. I asked how much and she told me it would be $50 per person – the standard fee for changing any ticket.

That act of complete service and generosity started the waterworks all over again. I hugged both of them and 30 minutes later, I had my tickets.

I was still crying when I exited the elevator. Jared, who had been waiting for two hours wondering where his wife had disappeared to, sees me finally and I’m completely in tears. He of course was asking me what happened, why was I crying, did I get the tickets… All I could do was barely croak out “we got them” and still cry.

After a few minutes, I was able to tell him what happened and that because of two very nice women and his emotional wife, we were able to secure our midnight flight for $100 total.