Knowing When To Lay Low

Hello friends,

I hope this finds you all well. Winter is coming to an end and spring is just around the corner for those of you back home. I hope the thought of that and the longer days provide you with some spark.

Summer, which is the rainy season here in the Andes, is nearing its end. The dry season begins in April/May and lasts until September. Although I will miss the powerful thunderstorms as they roll across the Andes, the drier weather will provide me with the opportunity to travel to the places I plan to visit and photograph. During the rainy season, there are many slides and washouts on the already less-than-ideal roads I will need to travel upon.

There has been no possibility to travel up to this point due to the blockades and protests. The country has been ground to a halt during my time here. It does appear that the protests are in their final throes now though. Although protests continue in Lima and in the region around Lake Titicaca, they have ceased here in Cusco.

After my work on the story about the Quechua protesters and the interview on Global News, I needed to lay low for a bit. I had drawn the attention of the authorities and some radicals who opposed the protests. I began getting attacked on social media by several fake or ‘dummy’ social media accounts in an effort to intimidate me and deter my coverage of the events.

An example of the threats I was receiving. There were more detailed messages, but this is enough to give you an idea.

Most of these attacks were just an attempt to discredit me and were harmless. However, a few were more threatening and quite graphic in what they were planning for me. I was also followed and photographed by men that I believe were plainclothes police officers.

Another response by the government has been to establish online reporting of people on social media suspected of promoting violence and terrorism. They can incarcerate people for doing so if they choose. My coverage of the protests has been labeled as such and I have been reported to this online slander agency.

(A short sidebar here that should be noted, is that when I reported the death threats to Instagram they were dismissed and not removed nor were these fake accounts restricted.)

There had been approximately 150 reported assaults on journalists up to that point. Unfortunately, it is a common tactic used by governments. Now the Peruvian government has tabled a motion to control the movements and reporting by journalists and photographers during the protests in an effort to limit the coverage. International media agencies and human rights organizations have decried the ‘unprecedented level of aggression against journalists’ in Peru. I have been contacted by a few to discuss and document my experiences.

The threats along with being followed definitely had me on high alert. My visa was set to expire on March 2nd and I needed to leave the country and return in order to renew my visa. I was concerned that I might not get back into the country if I had attracted the attention of the wrong person. I decided it was best to lay low for a bit in an effort to get back to flying under the radar. Luckily things were beginning to calm down in Cusco at this point so there was no need to cover anything at the time. There were still highly charged protests in other places that I considered covering but decided against it.

Valle de la Luna, La Paz

I made a trip to La Paz, Bolivia before my visa expired. Although it was only a few days, I can tell Bolivia is a place I need to explore further. It is a fascinating place that has me intrigued. I flew back to Lima and was heavily scrutinized and questioned by the border agent upon arrival. I was permitted back into the country but the length of my stay has been cut short. As things stand, I have to leave by the end of April.

A much needed taste of the good life to let some stress out.

I am now back in Cusco after spending a few days in Lima living the good life and indulging in some of the creature comforts the big city and a fancy hotel have to offer. Now things have calmed down a bit, I am making plans for getting to work on the things that brought me here in the first place. I need to deal with the issue of my visa so I can properly plan and schedule the things I am hoping to accomplish.

We shall see where things take me from here.