Israeli traveler Oren Avidan and a friend say their South America trip turned into a nightmare after they were drugged and robbed in Lima, Peru, following a local party. Avidan said they met two women who seemed friendly and that the encounter felt spontaneous, though it later turned out to have been a planned trap.
After the four returned to their hostel and drank a beverage, Avidan said he and his friend suddenly blacked out. They woke up 17 hours later to find they had been completely robbed, losing their passports, phones, clothes, and even a toothbrush. Avidan described the shock as a collapse from a “great trip after army service and reserve duty” into a nightmare.
The robbery caused intense family pressure. Avidan said his mother called and told him, “You are coming home immediately.” But he refused to cut the trip short, telling her, “If I go back with this feeling, they won and I lost.” He said he chose not to let the attack define the journey.