Day one in Ica did not turn out the way it was meant to. We had planned to arrive early in the morning and we had even secured an early check in at our hotel. We were going to freshen up and then see what Ica had to offer. Instead we didn’t end up checking into our hotel until after 3:00pm.

Allow me to go back a few hours and finish the story of our terrible bus trip. Once we switched buses and we were back on our way we had a peaceful night of sleeping and some odd movies in the morning to pass the time. We made a little stop in the middle of nowhere for lunch and confirmed with the bus “hostess” that Ica was about 2 hours away and that is where we were getting off. Kalindra and I were getting excited that our bus trip was almost over. As we were driving along we started to see signs that said Ica this and Ica that but the bus was not stopping. As soon as we started to think we had completely passed Ica I found our bus “hostess” and asked where Ica was and when we would be stopping? With a look of shock for a moment she tells me we already passed it and calls up to the driver to stop. We came to a screeching halt and we were dropped off on the side of the road at a gas station with no apology and no idea of how to get back!!!

When I get angry I get quiet but when Kalindra gets angry she yells. There may have been a language barrier but they understood that we were angry and upset and that they were absolutely no help. We asked if they could call a taxi and were told one would drive by eventually or a collectivo (a little bus that picks up and drops off anywhere along the road). They gave us our luggage and drove off without an apology or anything. Kalindra and I stood there baffled and confused about what to do next.

There was a group of local guys sitting around and one old man came to us and tried to help us flag down a taxi. All we got was a smile and wave and probably a giggle as they saw some tourists on the side of the road just trying to get to Ica.

We finally gave into the fact that we may have to walk along the highway back to Ica and started what we were told was about an hour walk. At ths point we were flagging down anything that looked like it would stop. A taxi, a collectivo, a truck full of workers in the back…anything. We were tired and grumpy and couldn’t believe this was happening to us. I was wearing flip flops and stopped for a second to open my luggage and put on some flats which I thought would be better for walking. We must have looked absolutely pathetic because at this point a truck pulled over and two brothers from Peru but who live in San Jose, CA took pity on us and took us to our hotel. One thing you have to understand about Peru and most South American countries is that it is very common for people to help out other people and give them a ride to where they need to be, unlike the USA. These guys were literally like angels out of nowhere for us.

We finally checked into our hotel Villa Jazmin 23 hours after leaving Cusco!!!

Not wanting to do anything but sleep, we walked to the local market to pick up some water and snacks for our room and stopped at a little place called Pizza Car for dinner.

Shortly after speaking with the proud owner about where we were from he mentioned that his daughter-in-law was from Seattle. For those of you who don’t know, Kalindra is originally from Seattle. This was a pleasant little surprise and over comes a very American girl from Seattle to talk to us. She met her husband in Spain in a bar and they have lived in Peru for over a year now. This just goes to show you how small the world is.

We had a lovely dinner and walk back to our room where we laid in bed and watched tv for the first time this trip. Sometimes a little creature comfort after a long day like we had is exactly what is needed!