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 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
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