Protest Qs

Given the State of Emergency, I recommend that

one presume that it is not advisable to be out after

9 p.m. here in Lima and Arequipa.

The most logical place for protests in Lima is in the

historical center where government buildings are

located.

I have been staying in Miraflores far from

the central district and I have not

noticed any change in police presence and definitely

no signs of protest activity in Miraflores sector.

I was in Lince sector after dark this evening for

a medical appointment in an area relatively

close to the government-buildings area.

I noticed a few extra police with a Policia Nacional

squad car blocking off a prominent cross street.

I did not see any protesters.

I recommended that Expat visitors to Lima

stay in Miraflores during the State of Emergency

and limit nighttime endeavors, especially

past 9 p.m.  If moving around the city after dark,

go by taxi whenever possible.

cccmedia in Lima

senior member of the Expat.com experts team

>I have not noticed any change in police presence and definitely no signs of protest activity in Miraflores sector.

Perfect, yeah I did want to Know what the tourist Zones were Looking like.

Roads blocked.

A Reuters report dated December 14 (Wednesday

of this week) states that protesters have been

blocking roadways around Peru.

According to a Reuters headline, the Peruvian

government is seeking an 18-month

prison term for ousted presidente Castillo for

his alleged coup crimes against the state

in attempting to dissolve Congress, etc.

Source... Reuters

Most large cities now have a curfew imposed and increased police presence.

Just avoid protest marches and areas which you would always judge to be dodgy.

Traffic jams / transport problems occur nearing curfew time.

Air travel needs careful attention and should be avoided unless necessary this side of Xmas. Lima airport flowing well but some flights disrupted or overbooked. Check airline website for conditions of changes.

Coach (road) travel needs very careful attention and should be avoided unless necessary this side of Xmas - expect delays and large price hikes.

Leaving Lima.

I checked out of my hotel in Miraflores

48 hours ago .. and found my taxi ride

to the airport in Callao and then the

flight back to Quito to be completely

normal.  It was a 35-day visit.

What Reuters is now calling

¨the protest zone¨ is largely in

several districts that are located in

Southern Peru.  Various airports

there had to close due to protests

and some roads were blocked

for a while.

If going to Peru during this somewhat

unsettled season, I'd recommend

staying in Lima, with Miraflores and

Barranco being excellent seaside

sectors for Expats.  You can expect

that travel during daylight hours

to the central district, the financial district

and Chinatown will be 'tranquilo'.

It was also peaceful in Lince,

where I had two medical appointments,

though I noticed a prominent cross street

was blocked off by a police squad car

just after sunset.

cccmedia in Quito

Castillo appeal denied.

The appeal by ex-presidente Pedro Castillo

has been denied.

The denial by the appeals chamber of the

Peruvian Supreme Court keeps Castillo

imprisoned for 18 months of detention.

Castillo has been behind bars since he

attempted to dissolve the Peruvian legislature

and the legislature removed him from office

and put him behind bars for alleged rebellion.

  -- Reuters

Just adding a bit from southern Peru. Arequipa has quietened down with the 8pm - 4am curfew  - but on the 4th Jan there were protest marches in several places (fairly peaceful one in the centre and a bit more of a hooligan type near AQP airport / Cono Norte) then a 4 hour (unexplained) power outage the next day.

We went shopping near there yesterday (8th Jan) and didnt notice anything untoward. The focus of action seems to have moved to Puno / Juliaca areas where there is sporadic rioting and road blocking on the routes towards Arequipa, Cusco & Bolivia.

Also road blocking on the main Pan American Highway - especially around Ica and today at Tacna (for Chile). The police clear them then it occurs somewhere close. There are a few shortages of things as a result - but not critical - however it causes prices to rise (surprise, surprise) eg. gas, transport, food.

I suppose the message is, its not the greatest time to visit the Peru but people still are and if you avoid trouble spots it should be good. Some of the disruption is political and is strategically planned. As far as I am aware, no tourist has ever been targeted. Though petty theft is a different matter.

Fly between destinations if possible, build in extra travel time.  Ask around before committing to long distance coach travel (normally very good) in case there are long delays. Check the website for the Macchu Piccu train.  Avoid areas that don't appear welcoming or where marches are taking place - I expect cccmedia will concurr that South America is the reverse of Europe & US regarding cities; the nearer the hills you get the poorer (potentially more dangerous) the cities can become. Ignore that for Cusco though, its a great destination.

City buses are usually safe but crowded. There are thousands of taxis - if possible  use ones that are part of a large taxi company or from large supermarkets.

Masks are still common in shops and on transport even though not often legally required.

Good N95 masks available in cities.

Further comments on Cusco.

A lot of visitors and Expats are not aware

that Cusco's elevation is about 11,000 feet

above sea level.

My primary home here in Quito is

at 9350 feet .. and I have found that

over time navigating the slopes and hills

here in Quito's El Centro is challenging

enough.  So I have long since decided

not to visit Cusco.

Lima, at around sea level, is more my

style these days.  The impeachment

occurred during my recent Lima trip.

I basically stayed in Expat-friendly

Miraflores sector except for a couple

of afternoon medical appointments.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador

Bit of extra protest info:

Today (12th Jan) there has been rioting in Cusco with attempts to get into the airport perimeter by vandals.

Very heavy police presence.  Perhaps not the best time to travel there although LATAM flights are operating normally.

Airports at Juliaca, Ayacucho and Jaen (for Kuelap) are out of action. The military have run evacuation flights for those stranded.

Arequipa fairly quiet today other than army helicopters circling and several fighter aircraft flying low.

Lima has closed several shopping centres including cccmedia's Larcomar Centre in Miraflores to prevent potential vandalism.

A congress vote yesterday for various countrywide investments should have added some stability - but so far not.

On a separate note there have been coastal warnings for unusually high tides and waves from the same weather systems  that have affected California. Several beaches closed around Lima.

I second ccc's comments about altitude. Altitude and age don't mix. Arequipa tires me out and a trip to Rainbow mountain confirmed my limits. Widows peak and Wayna Piccu on the Camino Inca/MPtrek I think would be beyond my lung capacity these days even though I don't suffer altitude sickness.

New emergency declaration.

Peru has issued a new declaration of emergency

covering Lima, Callao (where the Lima

airport is) and some southern areas where

protests have not died down, namely

Cusco and Puno.

The declaration suspends some constitutional

rights in the relevant areas, such as freedom of

assembly.  The military is authorized to restore

and maintain order during the 30-day term

of the declaration.

The death count since the impeachment has reached

42.

Source... The Guardian, reprinted at www.cuencahighlife.com

@cccmedia

Analysis:

Evo Morales is mounting an operation to dismember the south of Perú, in order to construct an Aymara nation-state, giving Bolivia its long-desired exit to the sea.

Hello to you,

Thank you for your messages.

Just a reminder, just in case, not to deviate into politics (not recommended on the forum).

I can understand that the situation can lead to this kind of discussion but in the past it has caused a lot of problems.

If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Mickael

Team Expat.com

Protests persist despite declaration.

Peru's protests, focused on the South of

the country, have persisted despite a second

emergency declaration this week,

Reuters reports.

The jailed ex-president is asserting he is

the legitimate leader .. while his former

vice-president is stating she will continue

to be the head of state.

19 Jan 23

Street protests in Lima coinciding with Lima Anniversary celebrations. Likely all week.

Lima, Puno, Cusco under state of emergency restrictions.

Multiple road blocks on the Pan American Highway south.

Lots of small protest marches in Arequipa. Arequipa airport just announced flights suspension.

Cusco - lots of small road blocks - including near airport

Even the affluent neighborhood of Miraflores has had protests according to the San Diego Union Tribune.