Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Streak of Bad Luck


Sorry for the late posting. I have been having a rough couple of days and haven't had the chance to write. Lima was amazing and I was excited to leave and see new things. As of now I am back in Lima due to a series of unlucky incidents.

It seemed that as soon as I set one foot outside of Lima all my luck dissolved. Huacachina an oasis in the middle of mile-high sand dunes was my next destination. It was an absolutely gorgeous place. Its a very small tourist filled town know for sandboarding. Sandboarding is a sport similar to (but I found out the hard way not exactly the same as) snowboarding.

After touring Isla Ballestas I was ready to ride some sand buggies and try my hand at sandboarding. The buggy's were a blast the drivers were crazy and drove super fast flying in the air when we hit bumps and soaring down sleep dunes.


Then it was sandboarding time. I caught on quickly because balancing on the board was very similar to snowboarding. I didn't fall once my first five runs. Then, being so cocky after five good runs, I decided to try one of the steepest hills and that's when things got messy. Well I am sure you can imagine what happened. Lets just say, the next day I was in the hospital getting x-rays. Nothing broken just a little bruised.

Well my bad luck did not end there. I decided I was feeling better so I went with a friend to the city to get some lunch. With lunch, Chinese food, I was served a little bit of Salmonella. I got so sick that I was hospitalized for dehydration. The doctors in Peru were awesome. They fixed me up and sent me home in one day. It was definitely weird to get treated in another country, but everyone was very nice and helpful.

I decided because I had had such good luck in Lima that I would go back and chill with my friend Alana. Since returning I have been feeling much better. My hip still hurts and I can't stand for more than an hour but the food poisoning symptoms is gone thanks to the strong antibiotics. I am leaving tomorrow for Chile. It will take me over a day to take a bus, train, and taxi to get over the boarder into Chile but I am excited to be back on my feet (at least for an hour at a time). 

4 comments:

  1. Well, glad things are now loking up x U. Fun description of your ordeal, not a of lot details.
    Angie

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  2. So glad you are feeling better ... I hope Chile will be much better for you. Let me hear about how the long journey was once you get there.
    Fred

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  3. Hi,

    I came across your blog, when I was reading up for my trip to Peru. It looks like you had a great time and did lots of the things I am planning to do.

    How did you find getting around from Lima to Huacachina, and other cities? Any tips on the best way to travel? Is it by bus and how safe did you find this? I am looking to go from Lima down the coast to Cuzco.

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  4. Hello,

    Yes getting around Peru was very easy. They have buses to pretty much anywhere. You can typically book bus tickets at your hostel and if you want to save money you can go straight to the bus terminal.

    I usually bought the tickets for my next journey when I arrived at the bus terminal. Also in Peru you want to negotiate the price for the taxi ride before you get into the taxi.

    Taxi's are fairly safe and are usually waiting outside the bus terminal. You can often meet other travelers on the bus and share a taxi to the hostel. This saves a lot of money.

    The buses are very safe. There is a bus attendant that can help you with anything. They serve food (although not veggie friendly) They also play movies on the bus.

    The buses in South America are much more comfortable than an airplane.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

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