Moving to the jungle!!!

My trip home was most excellent! I wish that I could have seen more people (especially my family in Minnesota) but you can only fit so much into 2 weeks...especially when you are used to living at S.American pace. Courtney and I shot dinosaurs, I ate a TON of cheese, Betsy and I watched bootlegged horror movies from Ecuador, Kay/Chloe/Kael/Bill came over for pizza and fun, I watched a ton of TV, pestered Zoe, went to Courtney's work, rode around in my parents' Prius and drove my own car, went to the movies, celebrated my birthday and ate out a loooot! Aww, the US is an amazing (yet expensive as heck) place!

Now I am back in Ecuador living the Quito life. I went back for more Spanish classes and graduated at “Superior” level. I absolutely loved my classes with Amparo, my teacher. We spent most of our classes sitting around talking current events and about my job hunt. When it came time for me to leave, she gave me a bracelet as a goodbye present. I have been back a couple of times to visit...she is easily my favorite Ecuadorian of all time.

I got kicked out of my hostel again (because I didn't have a reservation), so I moved to a place in New Town Quito. I absolutely love my new place; it is a bit more high class and attracts a different type of guest. I made a good friend here who is a Fulbright Scholar studying Noisy Night Monkeys. She has also been stuck in Quito because of red tape, so we spend most of our time together. We also took a crazy trip to the cloud forest for my birthday (I'm 25 now!!)...see my pictures for that story.

During this time I got an e-mail from a lodge asking me to finish the application process. I did, and then I went back to waiting... and waiting... and waiting... Finally one day I got an e-mail from the General Manager, but it was clearly not actually to me! It said he was going to Europe and he would like to visit me...ummm? I told my friend Keith who owns a tourist/travel shop in my hostel and he told his friend who is really good friends with the GM. She (Alba) then called him and talked me up, and I had an interview for the next day. It was a strange interview...apparently I already had the job and they just wanted to make sure I understood what the job was. After that I spent weeks working on my visa (trips back and forth back and forth to the ministry) and I got it!! Actually I got a full year visa, so I am legal until next October (though I plan to fly home at the end of March). And then I went and got my new Censo card...so I am completely legal now!! Wooo!!!

I couldn't leave for the lodge until I had gotten my visa, and then I couldn't go because the lodge manager was on vacation and they wanted me to wait for him. So during my waiting I went in to work at the lodge office here in Quito. I input questionnaire data into spreadsheets and then translated tourists' comments from English to Spanish. It was nice to feel useful again, and to learn more about the lodge! During that time I also met the lodge manager, the highest rated guide and an English woman who lives in the community. So that was nice too.

On Friday I went to the airport to help with “guest transfer,” which basically just meant meeting the guests at the airport and giving them a welcome/intro talk. I looooved it. :) I really do enjoy working with tourists. My volunteer coordinator was impressed with the way I “handled” the guests...I think it helped that I am fluent in English ;)

Ok, my lodge...amazing! I am working for Sani lodge (in exchange for room and board) which is 100% owned and operated by the local Quichua community. My main job is to guide, but I am also in charge of the recycling and compost program (the locals currently burn their trash and throw bottles into the woods). When guiding I will be leading day and night hikes in the woods, canoe tours, caiman spotting, and translating for the guests. I am crazy excited.

To get to my lodge, I take a 10 hour bus (or 30 minute flight) from Quito to Coca where we transfer to a taxi (or truck) that takes us down to the river. Then we all load into a motorized canoe for a 2.5 hour (or longer if the water is low) ride down the Napo River. At the entrance to our lagoon we transfer into dugout canoes because the motor would bother the endangered Black Cayman that live in our lagoon. Just getting there is an adventure :)

Around the lodge we have endangered Black Cayman, rare Amazon Manatees, (maybe Pink Dolphins in the Napo River), 12 types of primates, Anacondas, 100s of butterfly and bird species, Conga Ants, tarantulas, and SO much more amazing stuff. I can hardly wait to get there to see all the things that live there!!

I will occasionally have internet at the lodge, but for those of you who want to send me mail, here is my new address:

Sani Lodge
c/o Amber Schmitt
Roca E4-49 y Av. Amazonas
(Pajase Chantilly)
Quito, Ecuador

Whenever someone comes out to the lodge they will bring me my mail.

Well, that is it...you are finally up to date!! I fly out to the lodge on Monday (26^th)...can you believe that I am moving to the Amazon Rainforest!? I am super excited.

I hope that everyone is doing well...please eat some cheese in my honor!!

:) Amber

Where is Amber?

Hello friends! I have been absolutely terrible at updating lately...I apologize. I promise a true update eventually, but for now I thought I would share a couple links to a friend´s blog with stories from my weekend. Enjoy! :)


Amber goes to the cloud forest!

Amber learns how to use the macro setting on her camera!

Next stop...Crazy Town!

Boy some days I sure would like to give Ecuador a swift kick in the butt. Maybe that would wake it up and then it could pull its shit together. But mostly I love it anyway...it is kind of like my child who screams in the supermarket sometimes but is generally well behaved.

That being said... Haha, this is my life! ;) There is a reason that my blog is called “Siempre una Aventura!” (always an adventure)

I think I have mentioned before that my main goal for my “South American Journey” is to guide at an ecolodge in the jungle. Before I left Colombia I e-mailed out a bunch of applications. I heard back from only one lodge, and after meeting with the guy the job didn't seem perfect, but it was all I had! Anyway, I decided it would be a good experience and accepted the job, I then set out to acquire a volunteer visa (with the help of the lodge)...

My visa journey as related to my parents:

So I researched my visa on the US-Ecuadorian Consulate webpage. I copied all of the things that I need from my boss and sent him the information. Then today I stopped by the ministry building just to check in about getting my visa set up next week when I have my papers. The first security guard had me sit and wait until one of the offices reopened after lunch and then the guard at the door pointed me to a webpage (posted on the door) and kicked me out the building. It was fun. Anyway, I just went to the webpage...aaaaand many things have been removed from the "needed" list. For example...siiiigh... doctor´s certificate and HIV test. Guess what I got today? Doctor certificate and HIV test. The doctor visit cost me $50 not including taxis and the HIV test was $11 also not including taxis. Siiiiigh. AND my new roommate has declared that I should write a book just about this doctor visit...it was (by US standards) fairly insane yet very Ecuador.

Whatever whatever, in reality the visa process just got easier so whatever.

Doctor visit... included: another pelvic ultrasound (does this guy give ultrasounds for everything?), the doc wanting to measure himself (back to back) against me while I had no pants on (they don´t leave the room while you undress here....I swear people here have no shame....and it is totally ok to breastfeed on a busy street corner!), the doctor telling me that my belly was the right size if I were 4 months pregnant (I´m not pregnant by the way...which I know thanks to the random ultrasound), the doctor talking for an hour about the airport in Amsterdam...and him declaring I don´t have a yeast infection because the cotton swab that he swabbed me with didn´t smell!!!! He wants me to come back and visit him to get malaria meds when I get back from the US...I think maybe I will skip that visit.

Aaaaaand I got kicked out of my hostel room today. I thought it wasn´t going to happen since the hostel is almost empty and only 3 people had the room reserved and there are 4 beds and I am only 1 person. (I put the numbers so you can do the math...by my count there was still room for me...). Anyway I got bumped to a new room during my 20 minute lunch break between lab, doctor, boss and ministry visits. It was a pretty crazy move...I had to scoop up all of my nicely laid out belongings and dump them on a bed before running back up the stairs for more stuff. During all of this my new roommate kept yelling questions down the hall after me as I was running around. One of my past roommates moved out of this room because of him...he also went on a screaming rampage one night when he thought someone had stolen his phone charger. We´ll see how it goes. I am under the impression that he moves out Mondayish...I am sure that I can handle him until then. The other 2 people in my room are a couple from England and I just love them so far. I diagnosed the female with "classic parasites" and told her which pills to buy. She has been sick for some time and was recently treated with antibiotics which (of course) didn´t help...hopefully she really has parasites and I have now saved her life ;)

Oh man, I really love helping tourists! A girl who is staying in my hostel got robbed recently and went to the front desk to ask about where she could buy a new camera...the employee sent the girl to me saying "she knows where you can get one." And I do! I drew out a map for her and told her which bus stops to use and everything. I was very amused by this. I also gave excellent directions and maps to my 2 favorite couples in the hostel in order to find the 2 markets that are nearby. And then I magically produced a Spanish-English dictionary for some friends who apparently thought their Spanish was better than it is when they were packing. My teacher told me last week that I am a Quiteña now (person from Quito) because I know the city so well and can make recommendations to people. I got in a tif with a taxi driver the other day who kept declaring we were on Gran Colombia (street) when we indeed were not. I had to direct HIM how to get to where I wanted to go. Awwww Quito, besides being polluted and at an insane altitude, I still love you :)

During all the fun, I called Delta and learned that I would not be able to extend my ticket to March (which is when I am leaving). My return ticket is currently for January...which I have now been told would not have worked anyway since that is more than a year after I bought the tickets. Whaaaaaaatttt!? Anyway, I have to buy a new return ticket and it is cheapest to buy another round-trip ticket, so I am coming home for a visit from September 4-18^th.

On my last day in Ecuador I went back to the ministry to pick up my passport and new shiny volunteer visa...when I was informed that I do not qualify for a vol visa because the lodge I am working for is neither a foundation nor a true “company,” just a guy who happens to have some employees. This caused some panic... I was able to return in the afternoon to pick up my FREE 90 day extension on a tourist visa so that I can return to the country to apply for a different visa after my visit home.

And then... I went to the USA.

Lessons learned

Lessons learned while trying to leave Colombia:


E-mail sent from Bogota airport:
Frack!! Apparently if your flight connects within the same country you have to go to a whole different airport!! So the first check-in lady yelled at me and then sent me running all over the airport looking for a bus. Then (after asking 8 people where the bus was) I had to go through security to even get to this imaginary bus....of course they wouldn't let me through since I have scissors in my checked bag. The lady told me that I had to go back downstairs and give my scissors to the airline. Right. So I ended up leaving and taking another expensive taxi to the other airport where I arrived just minutes before my plane is supposed to board. Wow such excitement!! I haven't even gone through customs yet, so I will have to do all of that fun in Medellin, good thing I have that long layover! Phhhheeoooowwww!!

E-mail from Quito:
Man oh man the excitement just wouldn't stop today. Once I got to Medellin I had to totally exit and check back in...only my airline wasn't open yet!! So I had a nice sit down lunch and used up all but about $1 of my Colombian money and then went to get my boarding pass. The lady sent me back to the other side of the airport (it is shaped long and skinny like the KC airport) to get my tax exempt form and then tried to keep my piece of paper that had my hostel information! No worries, I got it back from someone else who then sent me to immigration. Of course my airline wasn't set up at immigration yet either and I was sent away for another hour..booo. So I studied during that hour waiting break, pretty sure I am a Spanish expert after that hour refresher ;)

THEN I made it through security without too much problem (I set the alarm off so they made me take off my shoes) but then some random security lady stopped me and gave me a very thorough pat down...she found my my passport pouch that I carry around my neck, but nothing else that I hide on me...muahahaha!! Of course I was only hiding money...US money!!! But then I got to my gate and it was for the wrong airline! (and they don't have ANYTHING posted about what flight is leaving from what gate) So I asked some dude and he pointed me to the next gate. I then got on the plane when an announcement was made with the flight number and destination LIMA...so I leaned over and asked the Grandma next to me what the flight number was and had a momentary freak out when I thought I was on the wrong flight. Then when we were about to take off Grandma started freaking out with her seat belt so I leaned over and showed her how to do it....then we were even :)

Amber goes to Colombia!

So, Colooooombia! My friend Ingie is working for a year a ministry here in Bogota, so for my two weeks with her with be spent helping kids and enjoying my friend :)

Bogota is very different from everywhere else I have been...much dirtier and more rundown. But the landscape around Bogota...iiiiincredible! I am excited, I should get lots of Spanish practice and everyone here (in the ministry) is so upbeat...love it!

Bogota is a HUGE city and yet I don't find it nearly as intense as a big city back in the US. I am so glad that I didn't try to tackle Bogota earlier in my trip. Because of Colombia's (unfair now) reputation I think I would have been scared off my butt... but I have been in South America long enough now that I am not scared anymore. Whatever, people get robbed...but I am smart and I don't carry all of my valuables around town with me or in the same spot. At the same time, Bogota just isn't scary. Don't get me wrong, robberies happen here, but it just doesn't seem any different from any other major city that I have been in lately. So moral of the story, I am being smart and trying not to get robbed but in the end I'm not dwelling on the fear of it anymore.

As for my life here in Bogota...wow what a switch!! I have my very OWN room all to MYSELF in a HOUSE with a FAMILY. This is the first time that I have had a room to myself in months...honestly it was a bit overwhelming and WAY too quiet at first. Anyway, Ingie lives with a Dutch family from the ministry. They are...interesting :) Mostly nice. The kids scream ALL the time. No joke. BUT today the Mom went to work at the ministry and the dad stayed home and the kids were SO much better behaved. Even when the homeless people came over to the house for lunch...no screaming! It was amazing. I sat down and had a tea with him later, he is very nice. Except for one night he and his wife were (we assumed) fighting and he turned around and yelled at us for "whistling"...we assumed he meant whispering. Haha, it was very classic.

As for the work. Wow, the intensity leaves me feeling the exhaustion that I always felt at the end of a day of summer camp...but the pay here sucks! Saturday we went to a shitty part of town to help run a 'kids club' for some pre-street kids. It was crazy! We had 90 kids and I was put in charge of a group and told to discuss what "God's love" means to us. Ummm....kids were shouting ideas at me and I had NO idea what they were saying. I am sure the look on my face was priceless :) I just took every idea they had and had one of the older girls remember them all ;) Haha!!! We then played 'human knot' which didn't work out in any way. Lol, the craziness...oh man.

During the week Ingie works at a school that takes in street kids (who are usually rejected from traditional schools for various reasons). They have only 19 kids...oo but the craziness. Haha, are you seeing a pattern? I have always known that I wasn't cut out for orphanage/street kid work so this is quite an adventure for me. I am trying to be the strong adult, but I don't even know how to say things like "keep your hands to yourself," so I just say "your hands are for you only." Haha! And man the kids have so many more problems than your average kid, it's so hard! They try to fight so much, I have had to grab a couple of boys off each other...I am thankful that I have not seen any bloody fights yet!

Yesterday Ingie and I spent the day cleaning the library (a lot of Courtney references during this) and then the toy room. During the toy room some of the kids came in to help. My favorite part was when the 2 youngest troublemakers came in to help me wash toys and Ingie asked me, "will you be ok if I leave the boys with you while I look for a bucket?" In the smallest voice I could manage I responded, "alone?" Hahaha!! It was really a rather horrifying thought though...I speak Spanish but not a toooon and the kids don't really respect me because I'm not technically a teacher. I was so happy to be cleaning yesterday...that is something that I am good at and understand in any language ;)
But I don't spend everyday at the school with Ingie (since I also wanted to see the city!) One day I ventured out into the city by myself and it was such a huge success! I went out to the bank and the store and then caught a taxi out to the Monserrate (famous church on a hill overlooking Bogota). My taxi driver was hilarious! He said that I was only the second foreigner that he has ever had in his taxi and he had SO many questions. He wanted to know if we have Frito Lay in the US and if everyone looks like me and if my family has my eyes. He was very disappointed when I told him that I cheer for Ecuador in futbol and gave me the futbol flag from his window of his favorite team so that I could cheer for them back in the US :) Sometimes taxi drivers get creepy and start proposing marriage and stuff, but this guy was just genuinely interested in learning more about my country, it was super fun....and great Spanish practice! He was really worried about me going up the church alone...he said he wouldn't do it because he was scared. He was also worried that my water bottle would make me a target because if I had 50cents for water then obviously I have money for other things as well. He was very sweet.

To get to the Monserrate you can hike, take a mini train or a cable car...but hiking has gotten too dangerous so they just recently closed down the path (too many robbers waiting for dumb tourists...it's the same way in Quito at their TeleferiQo). When I got there I got in line to buy a ticket for the cable car on the way up and the train on the way down when 2 (obviously) Americans walked up and asked me to explain their options for getting up the mountain. Rescuing confused tourists is one of my favorite activities! Sadly the train was closed down so we all bought round trip tickets for the cable car. It turns out that the guys are Delta airline pilots and I spent most of the rest of the day with them. They were super friendly and thought that I was fascinating, so of course I loved them :) One of them just bought land in Washington and was asking me questions about selective harvests and reseeding and which types of trees grow well together, and do I know what a Tamarac looks like? I do I do! Haha, what fun. OH! And then he asked me questions about lightning ignited fires and such...I suddenly felt very smart, it was great. So we had a beer on top of the mountain and then rode back down just as the rain started! A taxi from their hotel pulled up so I rode down with them...where we learned that the president was staying at their hotel!! Then they put me in another fancy hotel taxi and paid to send me home. I need to meet more people with money ;) When I got home the dad here answered the door and he couldn't get over the fact that I came home in a taxi from a fancy hotel...he had to go tell his wife right away. Haha!

My sister asked about where I am staying. I am staying in the house where Ingie lives. The house is owned by a Dutch family (mom, dad, 16 month old and a 4 year old...both boys). The boys scream a lot, it is interesting. The parents are very "European" Ingie tells me...in other words they are odd about some things, mostly involving money. I have my own room and bathroom off the washroom. It was a little intimidating being all alone after months of sleeping in dorms!! They have wireless internet here, so that is addictive and terrible :)

Part of what the ministry here does is support "pre" street kids as well as taking in kids whose parents are not stable enough to care for them. One such boy, Jorge (4), lives with one of Ingie's friends (her entire job is to care for this little boy...in other places in the city other volunteers care for up to 10ish kids at a time) and he is absolutely adorable. He reminds me of a little Kael :) I was really glad that he got comfortable with me super quickly so that I can twirl him around and play cars with him...I miss having kids in my life! I met his baby sister the other night and she was sooooo sweet, very smilely and just precious. Their mom makes super cute kids, but she really needs to be stopped! (she has at least 3 others as well...the ministry is working with her so that she can take the kids back into her home)

I have met a ton of kids here and some of them just break your heart. Some of their stories are just terrible...they need so much love! I am so glad that they have Ingie, she loves them so so much :) and she is so good with them/for them, she has definitely found her place.

I continue to be blown away by Bogota. At first glance it is the most run down/underdeveloped country that I have spent time in, but then I run into things like Blockbuster where you RENT movies instead of just buying bootlegged copies on the corner. We ate at a Crepes and Waffles where they only employ single mothers or expectant unmarried women. They have Baskin Robbins!!! Their bus system here is incredible, very advanced. I can't remember what else I have noted, but my favorite expression has become: "What is this country, where am I!?" I am very impressed.

Oh man, I had a slow week last week because I wasn't feeling great...like I was coming down with the flu again. Every single one of Ingie's friends was sick with something different which didn't help me. I slept in a lot...which Jordie (the dad here) thought was amazing...especially since his kids scream so much :) I had an ear infection that spread into my jaw which was fun for about a week. Luckily that is done now and I am starting to feel like I am on the upswing...but of course Ingie isn't feeling well now so that makes me nervous. Whatever, upswing!

I am getting kind of excited to head back to Quito.  It will be such a different place without Jill or the apartment or the school, but I am so ready to be back in the glorious world of hosteling and my Spanish can not wait to get better!!

Fighting "the man"

Once the bus got moving again we all pretty much passed out. Except... Andrea had a terrible cough at the time and one time when she coughed, the mom behind us reached forward and hit Andrea on the head REPEATEDLY!!! Earlier in the ride her kid had pulled our hair, sneezed on our heads and kicked our seats continuously. When Andrea asked him to stop, the mom yelled at HER. This was a fun bus :)

We eventually made it to the Lima bus station where we immediately hopped a taxi to the airport to get Andrea's flight sorted out. When we got there (around 6am) we were told that the Delta office doesn't open until 7pm because they only have night flights. Agh!! We hiked around the airport finding new people to yell at until we realized that absolutely NO ONE in the airport could help us.

We ended up setting camp at a phone/internet cafe where Andrea called Delta offices all over the world. They told her that she would have to buy a whole new flight because she had missed her first one (even though her mom had called ahead to say she wouldn't be able to make it because she was stuck in a RIOT).

I sat on our luggage while Andrea screamed and cried at Delta officials (all but one were incredibly unhelpful). While this was happening, an older American came up and offered to pay for her calls, offered her a place to stay and tried to help find new flights. Then a younger guy (American too) heard her screaming at someone about not having the $700 for a new flight and he came over to me and chatted for a while. He later told me that he wanted to give her the $700!!! She ended up finally talking to someone at Delta who worked the problem out and the extra money was unnecessary, but my goodness how generous and helpful of them both!!!

After that I walked the entire Lima Airport until I found a “special cases” Delta office where Andrea confirmed her flight for later that night and weighed her bag. Reassured that she would be able to go home, we found a hostel for me and spent the rest of the day repacking our bags and trading things that were supposed to stay/return to the US.

I was sad to see Andrea leave after spending 6 super crazy incredible adventure-filled weeks together, but it was time for her to head to the wedding and I was scheduled for a restful 9 days in Lima. I met a ton of amazing people at my hostel and had a fantastic time in a city that offers very little in the way of activities.

My 9 days in Lima consisted of sleeping late, watching English TV with other backpackers, partying at the bar in the hostel and laughing a LOT. I had such a great time. This was by far one of my favorite hostels of all time. It just felt so comfortable and by the end I knew literally everyone there.

After 9 days of parties, I boarded a morning plane to visit my friend Ingie in Colombia. Ok, stop judging! The Colombian government has made incredible strides to clean up their country, fight crime, track down FARK and increase tourism. Sure Colombia used to be the kidnap capital of the world, but now Venezuela holds that title. Also, Northern Ecuador is considered more dangerous than Colombia these days. I was psyched.

My flight over the Andes was easily the most amazing flight EVER. The mountains, the clouds, the ocean....wow. It was truly magical. And they served a hot breakfast with fresh fruit! How will I ever adjust to US airlines??

It was so great to see Ingie waiting for me at the airport (we met my first week in Ecuador at my Spanish school). We got in a taxi and excitedly exchanged stories on the way to her house. Sooo nice!!

More "oh geez"...

And “Oh geez” continues...

Disclaimer!!: If you already stress about my safety in S.America, please skip this blog (but know that I am fine!)

So anyway we finally tracked down a hostel in Cusco and started researching alternate ways to leave Cusco for Lima. Andrea's flight was at midnight the next day, and I absolutely needed to go to Lima with her in order to get our checked bag back from the South American Explorers Club and our things sorted out before she left. We considered flying or getting on a bus immediately and when the bus stopped at 6am the next day just walking until we found a taxi or other mode of transportation. We ended up deciding to wait until morning to see if the strike was truly happening or not. I don't think either of us slept very well that night!

In the morning Andrea got up at 6:30 or so to check if traffic was still moving...it was! So we went back to bed and got up in time to head for our bus. We had a TERRIBLE time finding a taxi (and of course Cusco is at incredible elevation and we had all of our bags on) so when we finally found one, we fell straight in. The guy pulled to the corner and told me that the ride was going to cost us $20!!! When I asked him why it was so much, he said it was because the strike was indeed happening, and if anyone saw us driving they would throw things at us and it could be dangerous. Greeeaaaat. We took a bunch of back streets and hid from the riot police and eventually were dropped “near” the bus station. Good enough.

Once inside the bus station we were told that our bus was delayed until 5pm...our original bus was supposed to be at 12:30 so we were there at 11:30!! We decided to just wait at the station since the strike was affecting transportation throughout the city. Around 6pm everyone on our bus stormed the office demanding to know where our bus was. Eventually we all got on a bus at 6:30 where we were served a hot dinner (Andrea and I saved our extras...), watched a few movies and then went to sleep.

At around 4am we were all woken up when the bus almost tipped over. When the bus continued on we all went back to sleep. We found out the next day that the bus had hit a horse!!! This seemed like enough craziness for one ride...

But it wasn't done yet!

We woke up before dawn when the bus stopped moving. Not yet concerned, I told Andrea to go back to sleep and we would figure something out in the morning. She woke me up around 6 when people on the bus were freaking out and the bushes outside our windows were burning. Ohhh, that seems like a good sign.

With all of the people yelling at the same time I had a really hard figuring out what was going on. Eventually we gathered that we were stopped behind a roadblock that was supposed to last for 2 days. Excellent.

So here was the deal: 8 years ago the government sold the rights to natural resources, and now the indigenous groups are the ones suffering. They decided to sync up with the transportation strike to have a strike of their own. They had blocked the road with huge boulders and if anyone tried to move them, they threw rocks at them. They were also burning tires, logs and bushes.

Around 9am Andrea and I decided to venture into the nearest town to try calling the US Embassy. The town was completely deserted, every house boarded up and the dirt streets empty of venders and vehicles. What we did find (after crossing the roadblock) was a mob of angry bus drivers who told us they were arranging a talk with the striking group in the afternoon. One of the nice drivers helped us find a phone and then told us to get back to our bus.

My conversation with the US Embassy went like this:
Me: Hello, I am an American citizen stuck behind a roadblock in Puquio. I want to know what the safety situation is and what the recommended action is.
USE: I am sorry, you will need to call back at 4:30 during American Services phone hours.
Me: Is there someone else that I can talk to right now?
USE: I am sorry, you will need to call back at 4:30 during American Services phone hours.
Me: Ok, can you tell me if the Peace Corps has initiated their emergency procedures at least?
USE: I am sorry, you will need to call back at 4:30 during American Services phone hours.
Me: Alright, so what you are saying is that you want me to sit in a potentially dangerous riot and then hike back through town in 7 hours!!!?
USE: Ummm...let me see if I can find someone for you. <2 minute pause> I am sorry, you will need to call back at 4:30 during American Services phone hours.
Me: Can I at least give you our information and location in case things get worse here?
USE: No, you will need to call back at 4:30.
...at this point I wanted to say “Ok, when you hear about 2 American girls who died in a riot, that was us and you refused to help us!!

At that point (I was standing on some cement blocks and reaching up between bars to access the phone), I dialed Andrea's dad and handed her the phone. As soon as her dad answered, Andrea burst into tears. Not only was she scared by the situation, but she was facing the possibility of missing a good friend's wedding if she didn't make it home. She related the facts and asked him to call the airline (to cancel her midnight flight) and my parents. Then we hiked back up the bus where she never reemerged from the bus.

After hearing that we might be stuck behind the roadblock for 2 days, the bus company decided to stop serving any food. Andrea and I were pretty thrilled that we had packed food and had saved food from the dinner the night before. We also bought more water and juice while in town. We started hunkering down for a long wait.

Eventually the town realized that it could be capitalizing on the roadblock and, in the afternoon, began carting food and drinks up the hill to sell to the hundreds of people trapped on buses. The rioters also got mad at some point and went around painting “Puquio Paro, July 22-23” on all of the buses. We cowered in the bus when the plump old women in long skirts went by with their paintbrushes.

At some point the rioters agreed to let us through at 1pm...and then at 3:30...these did not happen. Buses began discussing sending passengers across the roadblock to trade buses and continue on. The people on our bus didn't want to because we had some old and sick passengers and people with a lot of luggage. Near dusk some people showed up from the other side of the roadblock to switch to our bus and they were denied!! It was at least a 2.5 hour walk from one side of the block to the other. It was terrible.

Angry mobs began to form outside of buses. Occasionally we would see 2 police officers, but they got yelled at so much that they ended up leaving.

Eventually at 6:30 the group decided to let the buses through for one hour and then they would close the block again. We were told that some of the first buses had been hit with rocks, breaking windows, so we closed all of the curtains as well as stuffing jackets and pillows into the windows for protection. The crossing ended up being totally uneventful...we saw lots of fires and hundreds of strikers, but had no problem crossing...and then we were on our way to Lima!!

For more information on the situation in Peru, check out these articles:
Protesters Gird for Long Fight Over Opening Peru’s Amazon
Government investigates reports of illegal logging