A 21-year-old Kamloops man travelling in Peru is now trying to make his way out of the country, but civil unrest and protests are making it complicated.
Landon Evans told Global News, he’s now trying to make his way to Lima, Peru’s capital, to fly back home, after travelling in South America for roughly three months.
He’s currently in the small town of Ica, which is four and a half hours away from the capital.
“(My) bus got stopped because of the protests in this random town and we had to get off the bus,” Evans said in a social media video.
Evans said he’s away from the civil unrest now but he got stuck in the protests and was also robbed while in a taxi.
“(The) taxi got attacked by four masked men with rocks, one had a machete. They kicked (me) out of the taxi, started yelling at the cab driver, and I just ran off,” Evans told Global News.
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“But since that, I haven’t had too many problems. I’ve been holed up where I am but I’m hoping tomorrow when I leave for Lima, I don’t have any similar problems like that.”
The Kamloops business student said he plans to be able to fly from Lima to Vancouver on Monday, however, he has one final hurdle to clear before that’s possible. He said he has to ride on a dune buggy across a desert for two hours and then hitchhike to the capital.
“At this point, I’m looking forward to getting home. I have had enough adventure,” Evans said with a smile.
The protests, at some points violent, broke out across the country last week after Congress ousted former president Pedro Castillo from office. That move came after Castillo had tried to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote.
Castillo remains in police custody and is facing a rebellion charge, amid protests and supporters demanding his freedom, the resignation of his successor, interim president Dina Boluarte, and immediate fresh elections for all of Congress.
At least six people have been confirmed dead in the clashes.
The civil unrest and protests have raised concerns over travel in and out of Peru.
“It is impacting certain flights and certain train travel — so, it is concerning,” Claire Newell of Travel Best Bests told Global News on Tuesday.
On Monday, officials advised Canadians in Peru to register with the Canadian Embassy in the Andean country so they can be reached if necessary. The embassy also urged Canadians in the country to reach out if they needed emergency help and shared a safety and security bulletin warning of an “especially volatile” political situation.
The bulletin notes that states of emergency have been declared in the Apurimac, Arequipa and Ica regions, and could be extended elsewhere, and advised people to stay away from demonstrations and not to cross road blockades.
Canadians are also being advised to ensure they have insurance, and to stay up to date on what is happening in their location.
— with files from Global News’ Simon Little, Kylie Stanton and the Associated Press
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