We’re nonetheless parked within the Las Mercedes campground in Arequipa. Nevertheless there’s excellent news filtering by way of. The trash assortment strike is over with a metropolis provide to pay the employees a one time bonus of $550, and likewise to buy protecting tools for them. The newspaper was at pains to level out 728 staff are within the union however all 750 will get the bonus. Already the streets are clear which is beautiful.
However the streets are additionally empty, even Layne observed how little visitors there’s as provides of gas run low. It’s straightforward to cross streets which are often bumper automobile visitors jams and there’s little or no horn honking for slowpokes. And sure, we nonetheless don’t have any bananas on the grocery store. Arequipa is operating on minimal tourism and shrinking propane fuel provides for automobiles because the miners preserve the freeway to Lima tightly closed.
Police turned up in drive within the city of Ica which is the middle closest to the Nasca strains, an enormous vacationer attraction. 300 cops cleared the blockade which I think adopted a grievance that tourism was drying up and other people with empty planes had nobody to fly over the strains within the desert. Cash talks. Nevertheless you continue to can’t drive to Lima and I heard a rumor blockades are in place within the mountains now which closes a really lengthy gradual winding Freeway 3 between Cusco and Lima. You may nonetheless get first rate espresso in Arequipa, fortunately even should you can’t get a bus out of city.
A Chilean couple got here by way of the campsite yesterday. They got here north from their nation by way of Bolivia and so they confirmed me a dent attributable to a protestor in Bolivia throwing a stone at them. They’re younger and I think they tried to run a blockade to get that type of consideration, however I stay glad we couldn’t get a visa for Bolivia. They left the campground for the Chilean border final night time and haven’t returned so the freeway to the south should be open I assume. It’s all rumor and innuendo round right here.
Renzo our mechanic has studied our eflex gas system from the States that Layne introduced in her baggage, he’s watched the video and says very first thing Monday he’ll set up it. Which means GANNET2 will in a position to digest Brazil’s closely ethanol tainted gasoline. We’ve dental appointments Tuesday and Wednesday so I’m hoping we will begin fascinated with leaving Arequipa subsequent week.
Now we’ve to hope the highway to Lake Titicaca is open so we will get to Puno, see the well-known reed islands eventually and get Rusty his exit papers for Brazil. The highway out of right here could also be in sight although nothing in Peru is for certain in the meanwhile.