Paro - General strike in Peru

April 5 - Everything is currently at a standstill. There is a strike going on. Buses, trucks, and taxis are not running anymore, shops are closed, as well as schools and offices. Today, I went for a walk without knowing and was surprised to see that there was no activity on the streets. Only a few dog walkers here and there. There is a curfew in place, so I shouldn't have been out. There is a great dissatisfaction with the government here; and now the rising energy prices and general price increases are added to that. Yesterday we were supposed to visit a project by Brot für die Welt; that was not possible either. The strike is supposed to end tonight. We'll see. Just now, we heard a loud banging of pots (cacerolazo) in the neighborhood, which we are familiar with from our time in Chile and is an expression of protest.

Tomorrow we wanted to eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant. There are two of the top 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in Lima alone. The chef at the restaurant where we hope to go was once awarded the best in the world. On Thursday, we were supposed to visit a community member on his Fundo in the countryside. Due to the uncertain situation, we are now meeting him and his wife here in Lima. The weekend will be marked by the pastor couple who have traveled from Germany and are introducing themselves and applying here. We really hope that the whole process can be carried out and everything can take place, because on Sunday after the introductory service and subsequent conversation, the election is supposed to take place. The visit of the pastor couple was actually planned three weeks ago, but had to be canceled at short notice because of a coronavirus case in the family.

Slowly but surely, we are already mentally occupied with our return journey and are very much looking forward to seeing family and friends again, to our house, the peace, and the nature on our doorstep...

Last week, we had a site visit with the church council, custodian, and a civil engineer, as there are still some repairs to be done. Also last week, Martin visited a museum. Since the travel time in each direction was one hour, I stayed at home.

And on Sunday, we went to Miraflores on the coast, where we even watched paragliders take off. There was a lot going on in all the green areas, many families picnicked there. And there is always a lot of sports activities going on there as well. The weather is still very nice, it can still get hot during the day, but it cools down in the morning and evening. It is also getting dark earlier, so you can notice the change of seasons.

Now there is one more update: Today there was actually a toque de queda, a curfew, due to the paro de transportistas - strike of truck drivers. President Pedro Castillo has just lifted the curfew, i.e. the inmovilización sociál. We spent the afternoon in the garden and heard helicopters and sirens repeatedly. It's a strange feeling. Now we are curious to see how things will continue.