Hello friends! So….as you can tell, I'm an expert on Peru now. The amount of research that I had to do was a lot, and I mean a lot. But that's good, because now I can tell you most aspects about Peru and Tingo María. Also, the town and hotel mentioned in this chapter are real places in Peru, so if you want to look up a reference picture, there's that option :). Anyway, I'm babbling…
Please do enjoy this chapter, thank you all so much for your support :)!
*I do not own Ninjago, but if I did….I would tell Jay to snap out of it and be good again*
Also, if I got any parts wrong on Peru, I'm so sorry! I'm never trying to be insensitive, so if it ever comes off the way, I'm so sorry. I never ever want to hurt someone.
Translations:
¿A dónde señor?"- Where to sir?
Ok, serán 55,60 soles – Ok, it will be 55.60 soles
¿Señor que pueblo es este – Sir, what town is this?
NINJAGO
"So, this random number just told you to follow it?"
Nya had waited until they were on the plane before telling them about the unknown number. She knew that she should've told them sooner, but it had been pretty chaotic getting to this point. The ninja had woken up late, they had to find a place to land the monastery, and when they got to the airport, everyone swarmed them for things that only celebrities could give out.
It took them far too long to get through TSA, they even had to convince the security that they had to bring weapons for their mission. Then…then they had to actually find the gate. By some miracle, the ninja were buckled in their seats when the plane took off.
Cole, Jay and Zane were in the front row while Nya, Kai and Lloyd sat a row behind them. It was only then that Nya brought up the issue at hand.
It was quite clear that the moments she started to speak out about it, the ninja questioned the number's credibility. Even though they had nothing to go by.
"Whoever sent me those texts seemed to be on our side. I just can't explain how." Nya spoke, learning against her fiery brother.
"Maybe we should investigate more before we walk into their trap," Cole brought up, but was quickly cut off by Jay.
"What's if there's not a trap? You saw what they had to say about Lloyd."
Lloyd, who was in thought, turned his mind to the conversation.
"Whatever they said about me is probably nonsense. But it doesn't hurt to check it out, what if we miss an opportunity?" He spoke out.
"You mean the opportunity for possible death?" the ice ninja asked, clearly torn between the two sides given.
"Listen, anything we do has an outcome for possible death," Lloyd sighed. "We are ninja, it comes with the territory. I say that we give them a chance."
The others agreed and move on from the topic. If the time came, and it was indeed a trap, well…it wouldn't be the first time that they've dealt with those. But it was all true, then it would save the time needed to explore more to what they were saying.
Within the next few hours, the ninja chatted away about nonsense. If it was to get their minds off the troublesome trouble they might be encountering, it worked greatly. The mission almost being forgotten until they landed and got off the plane.
But far too quickly, did the manner of that discussion come up once again, this time though, it felt so much more real that they would've liked.
Though they decided to find a hotel and eat before entering into the realm of that problem.
"Taxi!" Jay waved his hand towards incoming cars. Although most looked far different than what he was used to seeing. Almost a smushed version of U.S cars.
Eventually a large taxi came to pick them up, though the driver clearly did not speak English. Any other group of tourist would've had a huge problem there and then, but with a nindrioid, well…it was their secret weapon.
"¿A dónde señor?" The driver asked, looking back to the rugged group of ninja. He raised an eyebrow at their gi's but said nothing more. They all got in, the ice ninja moving up to the front seat while the others smushed themselves in the back.
Zane spoke up before the rest could answer. "Un señor de hotel, por favor."
"Ok, serán 55,60 soles."
"Sí." The nindrioid reached into his pocket, pulling out a large stack of Sol's.
"Where did you get that?" Jay asked, flabbergasted on how his friend had been able to acquire such a great amount of cash. If he could even call it that.
"I was able to convert our US dollars into Sol's at the ATM in the airport. It was very useful."
"What is he asking for?"
"I asked him to get us to a hotel, he needs 55,60 soles. Which in equivalent to our money, is 15 dollars."
"Shesh, forget I asked." The blue ninja dramatically fell back up against the seat, leaving the others to cackle at the expense of his pride.
With the money in hand, the driver drove off towards their requested destination. Preferably a good one, though no one knew what to expect from hotels in Peru. The town area looked quite decent, the houses being on the smaller side. Although there were quite a number of these houses, they all being squished together in a one large, cute town.
"Ask him where we are," the earth ninja urged the former ice ninja. "And ask him what airport we landed in."
Zane nodded. "Señor, ¿qué pueblo es este?"
"Tingo María"
"Oh"
"Where is that? On the map I mean." Nya asked, the others following closely behind.
"Tingo María is in the central most part of Peru, being the capital of Leoncio Prado Province in the Huánuco Region. There is roughly around 46,191 people currently living here. For a while, it was also considered unreachable until 1936. As people call it-"
"Thanks Zane," Nya smiled. "I can visualize it."
But the electric ninja only looked slightly more fatigued. "That's….a mouthful. But is there a rainforest nearby, or did we come here for nothing."
"You're in luck Jay," Lloyd chuckled, pointing to a large gush of trees. "There's definitely a rainforest here, we came to the right place."
"Great."
The rest of the car ride was quiet for the most part, as jetlag was starting to slowly take over the teen's awareness. All too soon the taxi driver dropped them off at a really small hotel, if it was even that considered by some means.
The hotel looked as if a bunch of sardine cans had been stacked on top of each other, the outside being a stark white. There were small cut-out windows with a medium-sized hut right next to the tin-can structure.
"That is…a place all right," Kai laughed nervously, struggling to hold his luggage. He was sure that he had brought enough, but maybe he had brought too much.
"This is Hospedaje El Cantaro. It has good ratings," Zane told the others as they walked inside.
"I sure hope that they can speak English," Kai muttered. "I'm tried of trying to understand Spanish."
Jay chuckled. "Well, maybe you should've taken the time to get to know it."
"I have other things to do."
"Like what? Style your hair everyday even though nobody will ever fall for you?"
"Skylor did."
"Pity points."
'Why, you!"
Lloyd laughed at their antic's. Sometimes it was easy to forget that they were only kids fighting a battle that sometimes could never be won. There were times where they needed to remind themselves that laughing was needed, being teenagers was normal, and being a ninja was both a blessing and a curse.
It was simply easy to forget in general
When they reached the front desk, there was a young women with brown wavy hair, and a very inviting smile.
"Hello, and welcome!" Her voice was crisp, clearly indicating that she had a Spanish accent, but by some miracle, also spoke English. "What could I do for you?"
"How big are your rooms?" Lloyd asked.
"Two beds to one room, we currently have all rooms available."
"We would like 3 rooms then."
She smiled. "Of course. How long do you plan to stay?"
The green ninja looked back at the others, giving a questioning eyebrow. They hadn't really talked about how long they were going to stay in Peru, nor if they were even going to stay in the hotel for half that me.
But two nights seemed like a safe number
"Two nights," the green ninja responded. Clearly ignoring the background chatter of both the famous blue and red ninja. Two children in a teenager's body, that's what he always said. Even though he was probably a bigger child inside than the two of them combined.
"That sounds wonderful, let me ring that up for you." She reached back to grab three key's hanging up against the wall. "That'll be 222.41 soles."
Zane walked up, handing the requested amount of money, and the keys were given. There was also free Wi-Fi and a city view. Which was really just the jungle and the sight of the houses. But it was better than most, Lloyd assumed.
He happened to be sharing a room with Kai, which was really no surprise. Out of everyone, Kai tended to gravitate towards Lloyd, and the green ninja did the same thing. It was a special bond that – although the others were family – was not quite the same when it came to the others. Cole and Zane shared a room, while Jay and Nya shared another.
Kai was a little hesitant to let his sister share a room with her boyfriend, but there was really no other option. Plus, they were all too tired from the day's adventures to attempt anything. Jay and Nya didn't even kiss goodnight, which they do every night without error.
He didn't even stop to think about that before his own head hit the pillow, passing out almost he moment he got comfortable.
In just the span of one minute, Kai, and everyone else was dead to the world.
-0-
Morning came faster than intended, and by the time that everyone got up, Zane had already gone down to the market and purchased enough food to last them weeks. He told the others that since he was a nindrioid, jetlag didn't affect him as much.
But even then, Lloyd could've sworn the ice ninja was swaying ever so slightly
He didn't stay on the subject very long
As Zane packed up the rest of the food, it only made everyone else hungry for breakfast. Cole naturally being the first to say something.
"I want food, can't we just run down to the market and get something really fast? Or even possibly find a restaurant?" The earth ninja practically begged, earning everyone's favor in hopes of filling their empty stomachs.
"How much do we have left Zane?" Lloyd asked the busy white ninja.
Temporarily pausing, Zane pulled out the remaining money. "We should have enough, just nothing too huge."
"Anything at this point man, anything." Cole added on. "I'll find us an amazing place to eat!
-0-
Cole had in fact found the best place to eat. It had been only ten minutes of being in the market when he spotted it. The perfect place to dine with affordable prices.
The restaurant was called, 'Pipples,' a restaurant known for their lunch items. When the ninja had sat down, all the food items looked foreign. But eventually everyone set on something that was worth trying.
Jay and Kai both got Pollo a la Brasa, a dish that seemed the most normal out of everything. It was a roasted chicken with a combination of herbs, spices and garlic.
Zane got Papas a la Hauncanica, which was potatoes in spicy cheese sauce. It was practically yellow potatoes drenched in a puree of queso fresco, aji Amarillo, garlic, evaporated milk and lime juice. The sauce becoming more a slow-burn than immediately packing a punch.
Nya and Cole got Aji de Gallina, creamy chicken. Shredded chicken covered in creamy, yet thick sauce. It was served with meat on top, as well as rice and different vegetables on the side.
Lastly, Lloyd got Cuy, which had hadn't know at the time…was guinea pig. At first, he had been mortified to say the least, but once he got himself to try it, it was really good. The other ninja even tried it, all saying that it was better than it sounded.
After eating, the ninja paid and set off to the day's activities. Lloyd said that they should plan and prepare, but since Zane had already done most of the preparation, the rest said that they should just enjoy the day in Tingo María.
As much as the green ninja felt about the mission, he knew that he couldn't deny them this amazing opportunity. Because as many say….
It's not everyday that you get to go to Peru