Lat: 13° 32' S Long: 71° 57' W

Pedro´s favorite joke right now is that Cusco does not want me to leave, and indeed, it appears that way. We went to the bus terminal today to catch a bus to Lake Titicaca, and found out that due to national strikes, no buses are running today--and there are no assurances that tomorrow will see an end to the situation. We decided that we were willing to take a bus to anywhere--La Paz, the Chilean wine country, Brazil--but all roads have been blocked by piles of rocks and heaps of burning tires. And the flights have tripled in price because the airlines hope to take advantage of the situation.

I would be irritated by this turn of events, except that the protesters appear to have every reason to be angry. The current Peruvian president, Alan Garcia, has evidently signed agreements with petrol companies to allow oil drilling in national forests and on indigenous lands in the Amazon region. Already an unpopular figure due to widespread terrorism, corruption, and narcotrafficking scandals during his previous presidency in the 1980s, many Peruvians believe that during that era Garcia supported the terrorists and cocaine dealers in order to justify a state of emergency that allowed him to abscond with millions of dollars from the national coffers. It is unclear why he was voted back into office. For more on Garcia, see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Garcia

It is difficult to get straight news here because most of the newspapers are full of the latest occurences in the lives of soap opera stars and advertisements for love potions, but it seems that several days ago an indigenous protest in the jungle turned violent. At least one police officer was killed in the Amazonas area, although it is not certain whether it was the protesters or the police who started the violence. In response, the president sent troops into the area. Reports are coming in that a group of over 50 indignenous protesters were massacred, their bodies drenched in gasoline and burned in a remote area of the jungle. As a result, groups of campesinos all over the country are blockading the highways to support their indigenous brothers and sisters in the Amazonas region and to draw widespread attention to the struggle. For the most up-to-date information, please see this link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/531/t/6557/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27388

The sad truth is that this is nothing new in this part of the world. Corrupt governments and genocide against indigenous populations has been par for the course since the 16th century. It is so common, in fact, that I would not be surprised if not much of this news is reaching the States at all.

We are perfectly safe here in Cusco, however, and plan to leave as soon as the blockades are lifted and we are able to get to Lake Titicaca and into Bolivia. The one piece of good news is that I will be able to eat at my favorite restaurant in Cusco again, an amazing place called Granja Heidi. It is run by a Swiss woman and has the most delicious fresh milk products imaginable--yogurts, cheeses, warm milk concoctions. If only it had kombucha I would be all set...as it is, I guess I have at least one reason to return to the States someday.