But they turn out totally different than expected
Friday, 9th December. If I wake up at 5 a.m., my taxi leaves Curahuasi at 5:30 a.m. and then my flight from Cusco to Lima should work according to plan. I will arrive in Lima at 11:15 a.m. and reach our guesthouse at lunchtime, which gives me the rest of the day (i.e. 10 hours) for Diospi Suyana meetings. So the theory goes! But the reality…!
I arrive on time in Cusco, but several flights are cancelled due to bad weather. The lady at the check-in counter tries to cheer me up: “We have put you on the 10:40 a.m. flight!” That is more than I can expect: what is a forty minute delay in Latin-American? Nothing.
I find a small coffee shop and order a cappuccino. “Are you Dr Klaus?”, a female voice asks me from behind. I turn round to face the young lady: “Yes I am. How can I help you?” She is Dr Irma Augusto, a lawyer from Lima. She visited the hospital a while ago and had bought several books about the history of Diospi Suyana for her colleagues. Within minutes we are deep in conversation. “I work for a company which has a warehouse for air-cargo and which also organises airlifts from Miami to Lima!” This is valuable information, since I am on my way to the US, where Chris Welch and I want to buy several components for our satellite connection.
Could her company get our shopping from North to South America – and perhaps even buckshee?
Surprise, surprise, my new flight is also delayed! As if I had a premonition we only take off from Cusco at noon, flying through the air towards Lima. But ten minutes later I get suspicious: what is that rumbling noise? Is it the undercarriage? The captain brings light into the darkness: “We have to head back to Cusco, I will tell you why later.”
What is going on? 150 passengers are asking themselves this question. We have just landed and the plane is refuelled immediately. Did the pilot not have enough fuel on board? “We had problems with the cargo door” a by now well-known voice tells us. Was that really the reason? We will never know.
We finally arrive at the Peruvian capital at 3 p.m. 200 minutes later than expected. In my mind I have shelved my original plans in the waste paper basket.
Saturday morning: in a wonderful atmosphere 180 interested people listen keenly to my talk in the Casa de la Biblia. After that Dr Irma Augusto escorts me to a restaurant in which three persons are waiting for us: namely, her boss and his wife and a family friend. My one hour laptop presentation reaches their hearts: “Please let us know, if our company can help you in any way!” The company director’s words are like sweet honey to me.
Late Saturday/Early Sunday: the Australian Chris Welch, an expert for satellite transmission, is sitting next to me typing on his Smartphone. Our flight should leave at 1 a.m. provided that the weather is good, the plane has enough fuel and the cargo door does not jam. And what awaits us in Colorado, at Satcom Resources? God only knows. /KDJ
