SOUTH AMERICA

From Lima, Peru

From Cuzco, Peru

The Greatest Joke I Have Ever Made with Myself, in Peru

Still alive, in Chile

Safe in Santiego, Chile

From Buenos Aires, Argentina

Other Diaries                    Back to Home Page　

FROM LIMA, PERU

12 June 2001

Dear all,

Hi!! I am now in Lima, capital of Peru. After countless of flight hours, 4 connecting flights, I finally arrived safe and sound in lima. Didn't feel walking problem when got down the plane, then I knew immediately I had no sign of high altitude sickness. Thanks god!!!

Although 16 degree, feel cold here, drizzle and fog all day.

Boys and girls are not pretty. Don't come here.

Internet cheap, HK$2.2 for half hour.

Bye for now. Will be leaving for Macchu Picchu - the old Inca city the day after tomorrow.

People cant speak English. speak Spanish. I need to use lots of my wisdom here.

Nora

FROM CUZCO, PERU

14 June 2001

Hi, I am now in Cuzco, the old Inca city in Peru! I like this place, old houses, stone street, beautiful plaza, Andes mountain around. The only problem is it is at high altitude, more than 3300 m, so strong sunshine, think I will become an Indian within 2 days!!! Will stay here for 5 days, see the ruins and Macchu Picchu.

Just left lima. The downtown of Lima is very terrible, when I entered the downtown, I already felt unsafe, this is the first time I felt unsafe in these years of travelling. Thanks god I have left Lima safe and sound.

Met a Canadian guy in Lima museum, stupid guy although he studied archaeology.

Lima is very polluted, always fog.

I always eat beef and chicken and rice for meals, already feel bored by the beef and chicken.

Stop here. Write next time. I miss you all !!

Nora

THE GREATEST JOKE I HAVE MADE WITH MYSELF, IN PERU

18 June 2001 

Dear all, hi,

I am now in Cuzco, will leave here tomorrow and go to Puno to see the highest lake in the world, Lake Titicaca.

Two nights ago, after visiting Macchu Picchu, I had a high temperature at night, it was just a simple fever, I knew after taking the panadol and taking in lots of water, I would be ok the next day. The story is long. To cut it short, I mistook the anti high altitude sickness pills (AHAS pills) as panadol and I took two whole tables of AHAS pills, 4 times the
normal dosage.

What happened was there were serious side effects of AHAS pills, caused my hands and feet numb, after several hours, my lips, my mouth and my cheeks were all numb. the fever didn't go away although dropped a bit because I didn't have the panadol with me (they were in my big luggage which were in Cuzco, not in Macchu Picchu). I only took the coldness pills with me but I didn't think they helped me a lot. 

Anyway, yesterday, I needed to take a night train from Macchu Picchu to Cuzco, 4.5 hrs train. I went to the drug store and bought two panadol pills, thinking I would be alright
through out the train trip. My face was still numb, feeling it was trembling under the skin. what happened next was something I never expected...... before the train started moving, I felt so unwell... then I didn't recall what happened... I struggled to tell what reality I was in (I believe I had lost my consciousness), then when I woke up, the woman next to me forced an aspirin into my mouth, forced tea into my mouth, then a U.S. doctor came who happened was a passenger on the train.... then I was put on the oxygen mask.... I couldn't see the things before me clearly, only blurred images.... I sweated.... I ran out of breath... the oxygen helped me, after some time I regained my normal breath and my normal eye sight.

The doctor told me the Asians are specially sensitive to the AHAS pills and the distortion of eye sight is one side effect of the pills. Gosh!!! the Peruvian people are extremely helpful and nice to me, the attendant offered his long coat to me as a blanket to be put on my body. Another female attendant took care of me. The other Peruvians were also very nice to me. Plus that doctor and another U.S. passenger doctor and other backpackers.... they helped me going through my sickness.

By the way, it was very comfortable to breathe in oxygen mask if you are really running out of breath.

This is the greatest joke I ever made with myself. I would never expect I could make that mistake on the pills (might be because I was at high fever at that time) and that mistake could lead to such disastrous consequence.

I am fine now. the numbness on my face finally went away this morning, after 24 hours. Thanks god!

Nora

STILL ALIVE, IN CHILE

25 June 2001

My dear friends, hi!! I am still alive, you couldn't believe what happened to me next. After last time I fainted on train in Peru, yesterday I have just survived the earthquake in Chile!!!!!!

I am now in Arica, Chile, the border city next to the Peru border city Tacna. The earthquake center was in Tacna. It happened yesterday. Two days ago I was in Tacna, crossing border to Arica in Chile. Arica and Tacna were very close to each other. yesterday, I was out in the outside area of Arica. I joined the tour to the national park in Arica. When the car climbed up the mountains, the sky was clear and good. When we returned, there were dust storm. Stones were blocking the road, some stones were as high as my body height. Then we heard the radio earthquake had just happened in Tacna. You could imagine if earthquake happened when our car was moving up the mountains, we if not dead, might be injured by these falling rocks from the mountains.

Anyway, when I returned to my hotel in Arica last night, I found my hotel was damaged, they gave back my luggage and wanted me to leave at once. I went to the bus station, but the bus station was closed because the rocks blocked the roads.

Now I am stuck in Arica, I will try again tonight whether I can leave here and go to Calama, my next destination, but not sure whether there are any buses tonight. Last night, I had to stay in another hotel, no hot water, no electricity, a candle night. actually the whole Arica area lost electricity last night, now resumed. Last night, I felt two times my bed trembling...

Hope I will be leaving here tonight.

Nora

SAFE IN SANTIEGO, CHILE

29 June 2001

My dear friends!!

Thanks so much for yr concern and caring about me. I have run away from the earthquake area and now in a safer area, Santiago. (The whole Chile is in earthquake area but the north part is most active.) It is safe travelling in Chile (except the lucky earthquakes). Chile is a very organised country, a modern country in s. America.

The boys are ugly here. one Chile boy wanted to know where was my hotel, whether I was hungry, need water or not, tried to make special care of me, but .... he looked like a thief!!!! Most Chile boys look like a thief, because they have dark eyes , dark hair, moustache above mouth and beard below mouth, eyes were deep in face, like a thief!!!

Girls here, most of them are not attractive, occasionally found some beautiful girls who look like European origin.

Stop here. Very expensive for internet in Santiago. Will go to the s. of Chile tomorrow to visit one of their national parks. Lots of beautiful sceneries in Chile and lots of good national parks here.

Oh, one good news, I have passed the law exam!!!

I have sent postcards from Peru to some of you. sorry there were no stamps on the postcards, because the central post office there do not have stamps, only machine chops, I couldn't believe Peru could be such ´modernized´.

Bye for now. I will take care of myself. I miss you all.


Nora

FROM BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

6 July 2001

Hi, my dear friends!!!

I am now in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. My god, everything is sooooo expensive here!!! One Argentina Peso is equivalent to one u.s. dollar, so everything is sooo expensive!!! Even the Macdonald here accepts VISA!! This is the first time I find in a city where MacDonald accepts visa!!

Last week I was in the south tip of the s. American continent, very cold there. I had caught a flu there and my skin got allergic, now still not yet recovered. I didn't encounter snow, but ice on the streets and freezing wind.

Here in Buenos Aires, warmer, believe 15-20 degree. Tomorrow will go to Iguazu to see the fall, will be even warmer there.

I have almost come to the end of my trip. I am also getting tired now, after almost one month of running here and there. Time to go back home. This will be my last email I send to you on my trip. I am sorry I didn't reply yr emails individually. I will talk/write to you individually after I have returned to HK on July 13.

Bye for now. Take care. Thanks a lot each of you for your caring and concern for me. I am not too worried about myself. I know, when one door is shut, another door is open. There is always some way out. Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow is always another day. Enjoy your every day!!

Nora

Other Diaries                    Back to Home Page