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Jan 29
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Earlier today I got the phone call I’d been hoping for. Even though it was fairly likely S would be on one of the first airlifts out of Machu Picchu today, it wasn’t until she called and I heard it from her voice that I could start to relax. It has, it’s fair to say, been one of the more worrying weeks I’ve had.
Yesterday was one of those days of hope but not knowing. S started off the day being told to head for a briefing with her tour company and being told that they would get flown out. Probably. Possibly.
The 29-and-under group, including S, were told they would be last out. But still they queued up, not knowing if they’d get out. S had already paid for a hotel room for another night but it was soon clear that heading back to the hotel would see her lose her place in the queue. The wait went on. At 10am they started queuing. At about 3.30pm, they got to the holding pen for the flights, a train carriage.
At least things were moving. As S told the Living In Peru website: ” Today was good but yesterday was chaotic.” After confusion of not knowing who or when anybody would be flown out, at least there was progress.
But there was still frustrating. As S and her group made their way to the front of the queue, and then to the landing area, they were told that, due to adverse weather, there were to be no more flights out for the day. Having stood and seen the helicopter land, they weren’t allowed to be on it when it took off. The military took names and said they would be first out the next day.
So frustration as they trudged back to the train carriage. Having been so near, S would have to spend another night. She couldn’t head back to the hotel because she would lose her place in the queue. Frustrated and upset, I got a call around half ten, UK time. But it was so good to hear her voice (punctuated by random shouts of Argentine tourists playing football to keep occupied). And while it was frustrating, the end was in sight.
What followed was, I can only imagine, a very uncomfortable night in an old train carriage. Morning came, and there were still more problems. As the army began processing the tourists again, there was a rush forward to get to the front of the queue. The list counted for nothing – the army had lost it overnight.
But S and her group stood their ground and, after a brief discussion, were herded onto the helicopter and away from the now-isolated tourist town. It had taken six days but they were finally out.
The phone call from S when she arrived in Cusco was one of the most relieving conversations I’ve ever had. I knew she would be evacuated but I just wanted to hear it from her voice. Two days earlier I’d nearly broken down in tears when she text to say the electricity had gone and she’d have to switch off her phone, meaning no further contact. Today, I nearly cried again, but for completely different reasons.
After contacting me and her parents, S had, I’d imagine, a very long shower. It was the first time she’d had access to hot water in six days.
At the time of writing, S is currently in Lima trying to secure a flight to Rio. She was due to fly out earlier today to start a second tour, taking in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. She’s not been put off by her experiences and wants to see the rest of South America. She’s a tough cookie inside, and I love her for that.
She had originally tried to change her flight but TMA Airlines refused to do refunds and wanted to charge her £800 for changing. She, understandably, baulked at this. She’s currently searching around for another flight. Thankfully Isabel and Nathan from Living In Peru have been able to help – they have been utterly fantastic as reporters and for help and advice. Peru should be proud to have journalists like them.
Still, these are logistical issues and hopefully will be sorted soon. The main thing to me is S is safe and no longer stranded. She won’t be home for a while, but I’ll be waiting, ready to give her a big hug when she returns. I am just so thankful she is safe.
But she leaves behind an area devastated by floods and mudslides, and one that will take much help and rebuilding. If you want to get a picture of what the Cusco region is like, Andrew Dare has written a moving piece on the situation.
I’ll blog more about Peru, some further thoughts on the situation in general, and a consideration of the social media aspects. In the meantime, I can head to bed at a decent hour tonight without worrying about whether S will be stuck for another day without any knowledge of when she’ll escape. For that, I’m thankful.
Thanks to everybody who has offered kind words of support and helped at various point. It has been appreciated more than you could possibly imagine.
UPDATE: S has just rung me – after several phone calls she has managed to secure a flight to Rio. She’ll arrive a few hours after she planned to, but her holiday is back on track. She has memories and stories that will last a lifetime (apparently people were sleeping on the luggage racks on the train carriage last night).
Thanks once more to Isabel and Nathan. I can now head to sleep for tonight and sleep easier than I have done all week. I’ll continue to blog about Peru though. S may be out, but I don’t want the rebuilding effort to be forgotten.
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