Travel Advisory

Today, I received an email message from the Canadian Embassy regarding a travel advisory for Peru. Here is an excerpt:

The Canadian Embassy in Peru wishes to inform Canadians travelling in and around the Lake Titicaca and Puno area of travel difficulties due to miners' strikes and demonstrations since May 9, 2011.   As it is an indefinite strike, we cannot estimate when it will be lifted. Roads to enter/exit the cities of Puno and Juliaca, where the airport is located, are currently blocked.  The road to Desaguadero border with Bolivia (located in the Peruvian region of Puno) is also blocked by local protesters. Travellers are strongly advised to avoid this route.

Interesting, and not just because of the persistent misspelling of "travelling" and "travellers". Obviously, I already had my trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca, and do not need to be too concerned, although I was unaware until today that a strike started just a week after I left the area. I've been trying to keep up to date on Peruvian news, but the upcoming second-round of elections on June 5th must have overshadowed this somehow. Sad that I'd missed out on reading more earlier, I decided to dig deeper, and what I found was really intriguing.

In order to determine what's really going on here, you need to read between the lines of the Canadian Embassy's statement. What they fail to mention is that the "miners" they referring to are are actually citizens protesting the presence of the Canadian mining company Bear Creek, which locals fear will contaminate rivers and lakes in the process of silver extraction. Just a small oversight, failing to mention this in the email I received, I'm sure. Nor does it mention that the protests are entirely peaceful.

I've been surprised by the extent of Canadian impact on Peru since arriving in Lima. There are Scotiabanks all throughout Miraflores, which was a bit of a surprise, and obviously the presence of Canadian mining corporations is a prevalent factor in the background of this. Although I'm sure Puno wouldn't be the safest place to be right now as a Canadian citizen, part of me wishes I had the chance to pick up a sign and join the protests.