traveling
The last time I tried to fall asleep in an airport I was eleven years old. We had an overnight layover in the Natarita Airport in Japan. That paticular overnight stay was easier for many reasons, the most influential of which was probably our age (our refering to April and myself). Being so young, we could hardly imagine the importance of somebody staying awake to keep watch. Even if we had, the task would surely never fall to us. After all, wasn´t that why dad traveled with us, for situations just sucn as this, to keep watch?
Second, we were much smaller then, sliding easily under arm rests, settling comfortably on the floor. The carpeted floor. For of course, that evening we spent in the Red Carpet Club, tucked into a dark corner by the bar (closed by now of course), our parents dozing in the Club´s overstuffed arm chairs, my sister and I sprawling almost luxuriously accross the floor, claiming that corner as ours. It was so much easier then, our corner was dark, maybe a single lamp burned somehwere narby. It was exciting, a night spent in that most magic of rooms, the gifter of gingerale and lime - such a grown up drink! And weren´t we brave there on that dark floor, only half listening to the jet engines outside, coming, going, coming again like a tide.
But from the artificially bright food court at the Lima airport, sleep is ipossible, adventure still illusive. I have not yet quite arrived (well, I guess I have now that I´m writing this in Cusco...). You can not hear the planes from here. Their methodical lap against sleepy shore has been replaced by the low hum of the tile waxer. No, no carpet here. None in sight anywhere. And of course, here, someone must at least feign alertness, even now wiht a special table situated against the wall of the second story windows. For now it is Bob, though he´s reading and tired and may silently slip into sleep at any moment.
...
We are staying at a hostel run by dominican nuns in Cusco, there may be a teacher´s strike tomorrow so not sure when we´ll be leaving for the mountains. I realized as we unloaded the van-taxi that we brought an insane amount of luggage, thank goodness we´ll be leaving half of it here. Bob and Jerry are off somewhere exciting, I woke up too late to follow them, Mary Kay and Erika are still aleep. I wish I could wake up more completely. I´d better go and try to figure out what we´re going to do. I will try to wake up .... um, update... again soon. I love and miss you all!!
mel
Second, we were much smaller then, sliding easily under arm rests, settling comfortably on the floor. The carpeted floor. For of course, that evening we spent in the Red Carpet Club, tucked into a dark corner by the bar (closed by now of course), our parents dozing in the Club´s overstuffed arm chairs, my sister and I sprawling almost luxuriously accross the floor, claiming that corner as ours. It was so much easier then, our corner was dark, maybe a single lamp burned somehwere narby. It was exciting, a night spent in that most magic of rooms, the gifter of gingerale and lime - such a grown up drink! And weren´t we brave there on that dark floor, only half listening to the jet engines outside, coming, going, coming again like a tide.
But from the artificially bright food court at the Lima airport, sleep is ipossible, adventure still illusive. I have not yet quite arrived (well, I guess I have now that I´m writing this in Cusco...). You can not hear the planes from here. Their methodical lap against sleepy shore has been replaced by the low hum of the tile waxer. No, no carpet here. None in sight anywhere. And of course, here, someone must at least feign alertness, even now wiht a special table situated against the wall of the second story windows. For now it is Bob, though he´s reading and tired and may silently slip into sleep at any moment.
...
We are staying at a hostel run by dominican nuns in Cusco, there may be a teacher´s strike tomorrow so not sure when we´ll be leaving for the mountains. I realized as we unloaded the van-taxi that we brought an insane amount of luggage, thank goodness we´ll be leaving half of it here. Bob and Jerry are off somewhere exciting, I woke up too late to follow them, Mary Kay and Erika are still aleep. I wish I could wake up more completely. I´d better go and try to figure out what we´re going to do. I will try to wake up .... um, update... again soon. I love and miss you all!!
mel
posted by Mel at 11:14 AM
1 Comments:
YAY! thanks for the update!
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