Puno Lake Titicaca Roads Opened Yesterday...Still Some Problems

by David C. Schneider
(Los Organos, Peru)

The strike by the primarily-Aymara indigenous population in the Puno/Lake Titicaca area of Peru has been lifted.

The blockades of roads were removed yesterday and traffic began to flow again.

The northern part of Puno, however, still has some roads blocked. But for most travelers, this does not present a problem.

The strike was primarily to delay the voting for president scheduled for this coming weekend to bring attention to major issues that are affecting the local population, one of which is a planned hydroelectric dam which would flood much land that is now productive and a source of food and income for thousands, with no real plan to compensate the affected ones.

No reports of aggression towards tourists have come in during this strike.

Travel in Peru is 99% safe but always keep your ears and eyes open. If you see crowds of people and it is not a fiesta day, stay away. Mobs do not reflect individual (nice) personalities and take on their own personalities.