We received the confirmation that we are on the passenger list for the repatriation flight departing on 6 April. The main condition to return home was fulfilled, but getting to the assembly point almost thwarted the whole mission.
Start of a thrilling trip
It was one email which decided if my flatmates and me would be stuck for an indefinite period in Peru or if we could go home. Eventually, the embassy confirmed that we could fly back to Germany. But when we knew that we would have a ticket for the flight, we needed to organise some things to ensure that we would make it to the airport.
The first confirmation email of the embassy actually came one day earlier than expected. The second and final email which mentioned the assembly point for the passengers of the repatriation flight came on time – one day prior to departure. So with the meeting point indicated we immediately started to arrange a taxi ride.
Get a taxi, pack bags, tidy up the flat
Days before that, we already asked one of the friendly security guards of our housing complex if he knew a “taxista”. Back then he said that he would organise a taxi in case we would be able to leave Peru. This was the case now, so I texted the Venezuelan guy from the security gate. It was midday and he assured that he would be able to arrange a cab quickly. As the most important thing was crossed off the list (putative), we finished packing our bags. We started the day before which saved a lot of time. As the embassy stated that we were only allowed to take one piece of baggage per person, we already had to sort out what we would leave behind because we came with two pieces of checked baggage. Therefore, we borrowed a scale from our helpful neighbour. Next up was cleaning and tidying up the flat.
One problem left
In the evening we had all the tasks done, only the security guard had not replied yet. Then the security guard revealed that the taxi driver he knew would not be able to drive us the next morning. That blew the entire plan. Due to that we tried to find another taxi. We also needed to make sure that we could leave the gated community at 5 AM which seemed to be problematic as the security gates were not occupied 24/7 because of the corona virus. Therefore we searched for a guy who was supposed to have access to the keys for the security gate. That man arranged that the housecleaner would open up the gate for us the next morning. Unfortunately he could not help us with our “taxi problem”.
Suddenly, the security guard texted me again and said he found somebody else who would pick us up at 5 AM. Everything was arranged then, but I was not too convinced if everything would work out the next day. We played cards for the last time and then went to bed as we needed to wake up very early.
A long day
We woke up at 3 AM and were down at the security gate 5 minutes to 5 AM. From there the uncertainty began, from that point it was not in our hand anymore if everything we had arranged before would work out. Shortly after 5 AM the housecleaner opened the gate and we left the housing complex. Then, we only needed to get on that taxi quickly as there was no time to loose. The taxi was supposed to be there at 5 AM which was utopian to happen when I confirmed the details with the security guard. We expected a short delay because Peruvians are not know for their punctuality, but even at 5:20 AM the taxi was not there. We started to get a little nervous.
A few minutes later the taxi finally showed up, but another concern emerged. We did not manage to print our “salvoconductos” allowing us to travel on the streets. Fortunately, only one soldier stopped our night-drive. Luckily he was content with a short glance at my flatmates blurry PDF on his phone. We eventually made it to “Club Germania” quarter to six.
Escort to the airport
“Club Germania” was a sports club before it was turned into a temporary collecting point. There, our passports were checked by a German soldier and our baggage was weighed. Actually, only one piece of baggage was allowed, therefore our suitcases were overweighed but it did not seem to bother anyone. From there we were transported by bus to the airport accompanied by policemen on motorcycles. It took roughly half an hour to the airport. It was unreal to drive through a mega city and seeing so many police officers patrolling the streets.
Improvised passenger handling
When we arrived, the acutal remarkable part of that trip was yet to come. As the civil airport of Lima was shut down with the introduction of the quarantine, only the military part of it remained to operate. This meant that there were no ordinary facilities for the common airport procedure.
The bus entered the airport grounds and brought the passengers into a backyard. There, we disembarked from the bus and were seated under tents. The chairs were placed two meters apart from each other to ensure the minimum distance between the people. All the passengers have been sitting in a bus for an hour before without any possibiltiy to keep distance, but nobody questioned it. Everyone was content to go home.
All the baggage was gathered in the aisle for controls. The Peruvian military only controlled for drugs when they guided dogs through the aisles, but nothing else was checked. Furthermore, we showed our passports and then we received our boarding cards without names on them. That was the whole procedure.
After the controls, we were seated in to the bus again which functioned quasi as the waiting hall after the security check in a regular airport. The whole procedure went on for a couple of hours as around ten buses with people were processed at the newly created passenger-handling facility. When all passengers were on the buses again, we were brought to the plane waiting for us. The Peruvian authorities proved again that they were especially fussy in the current pandemic situation as we had to wait one more hour until we could finally board the Boeing 747.
About 12 hours later we finally reached Frankfurt which ended the exceptional trip which was accompanied by that low-key apocalyptic feeling at all times. I am sure I am not going to forget this experience any time soon.
Now I am home and under quarantine again. At least there is no curfew in Germany. The Peruvian government seems to stick to its strict regulations for a bit longer. I am going to follow the developments while I am now figuring out how I am continuing my studies here in Germany…
Explore Peru 