"Civil unrest" Peru Warnings Or Dangers Tip by iwys

There is every chance that your travels in Peru may be disrupted, as mine were, by the many anti-government strikes and demonstrations. These can lead to airports being closed, roads being blocked and violent confrontations between protesters and riot police, often leading to casualties.

My first day travelling south of Lima on the Pan-American highway, the bus I was travelling on was surrounded by striking dairy farmers, who blocked the road with rocks and burning tyres. We were stuck, 'hijacked', there for 12 hours until riot police fought the demonstraters, killing one of them, and cleared the road. Two other demonstrators were killed at aother roadblock the same day. Then my flight to Cuzco was cancelled when protesters demonstrating against the government's privatisation of national monuments, closed the airport and all roads into the city for three days.

On the positive side, the demonstrators don't appear to directly target foreigners. The disputes mainly seem to be between left-wing unions and a right-wing government.

Website: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x5981