A woman got an unwelcome surprise after landing in Peru to travel with a near stranger.

ONE video posted on TikTok by Rivata Dutta (@rivovershares) has gone viral after documenting that she supposedly stood up to the person she planned to travel to South America with. Despite the rocky start, she was in for an even wilder surprise when he showed up – and the two developed a once-in-a-lifetime friendship. said Dutta, 23 Newsweek about her adventure so far, and how trusting her instincts brought her a special relationship.

The video shows clips of Dutta’s travels from Los Angeles to Peru. In a voice, she thought about her plans with an acquaintance, James Blain, to travel to South America after meeting him in Japan. In the video she records herself going to a hostel alone after Blaine was absent and not answering his phone.

“I texted him as soon as I landed, but there was still no response, so I grabbed my bags and continued with the only plan I knew: to…have a good time in South America, wherever that was. or not,” he said. “I went to sleep in my hostel bed questioning all of my life’s decisions.”

Things suddenly changed in the morning when her privacy curtain opened to reveal the waiting man, Blain, who said he recognized her from her shoes. Dutta said she was “so angry” with him but decided to put the example behind her so the two could have a smooth journey. Blaine said he had already fallen asleep the night before when he arrived.

From then on, Dutta knew she was about to go on the adventure of a lifetime.

“This man had been backpacking for over a month already, sleeping in mountains, salt flats and hostel beds. He had five pairs of clothes to his name and was living the true backpacker lifestyle,” Dutta said. “I was a sassy city girl coming out of Los Angeles.”

From Japan to Peru

The bargain travels back to a whirlwind 48 hours between the two in Japan last year.

Dutta was looking for friends online while traveling alone and they met through a Hinge match that ended up not being of interest to her. Immediately, she appreciated the way Blain treated her.

“Within six hours of me meeting James, he had me in the head, tripped me up and made it clear he absolutely did not want to date me,” she said. “It was refreshing. During solo travel, there can be a lot of emphasis on ‘travel romance’ within the travel culture which I myself don’t much care for. So when James came along, I was very happy to be treated like a ‘brother ” instead of a potential love interest.”

Duta spent two days with Blaine in Japan picking produce at an organic farm: “One walking around Mt.Fuji together and the other on the farm where I got a glimpse of his day in the life in Japan. port city without tourists,” he said. “It was a whole new experience and my favorite day of my trip to Japan.”

While the two didn’t keep in touch much after their travels, a vlog Dutta made about the trip reconnected them. Blaine invited her to travel with him to South America and the rest was left to instinct.

“We had talked, but I had no idea if I was actually going or not until five days before my ticket,” Dutta said. “It was a leap of faith that it wouldn’t be wrong — and it wasn’t.”

“A story to tell my grandchildren”

In South America, Dutta and Blain develop their friendship further on a journey that was nothing short of transformative.

“It pushed the city girl in me out of my comfort zone,” Dutta said. “We ended up sleeping on a cargo boat… for three days traveling up the Amazon River. Our shower situation was non-existent, we slept in hammocks on an open boat, bugs combed our belongings every day, but it was the most rewarding experience of my life.”

From Peru to Colombia, the two connected with locals, caught their own meals and honed their soccer skills.

The two friends still have a few weeks or trips ahead of them, and Dutta is still excited about what’s to come.

“It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life,” he said. “True friends are genuine for life, and we’ve bonded through sleepless nights on overnight buses, extreme living situations, being attacked by crocodiles, sleeping in hammocks in the pouring rain and arguing over who has the best travel plan.

“This experience will definitely be a story to tell my grandchildren one day,” Dutta added.

She continues to document her travels with Blain on her social media accounts.