Finally another entry -- this one coming from a very different place than the last ones. I'm in Uyuni, Bolivia now, after crossing over from Argentina yesterday.
It's been a long time since I've written anything here, and I've covered a lot of ground. The short version is that I spent a week in Mendoza before heading up to Salta and exploring northern Argentina. Spent a week exploring Salta and some of the smaller towns scattered through the desert there, then crossed into Bolivia at La Quiaca / Villazón.
The past couple weeks in Argentina were difficult for me. I'm not sure what was behind it, but I was feeling pretty burned out and tired. I enjoyed the time I spent with other people, and saw a lot of great places, but I just didn't feel excited about much of anything. In part, I'm sure it had to do with having a cold and adjusting to higher elevations; in part I just didn't want to leave Argentina and as I moved farther north the culture changed dramatically. Mostly, though, I think a lot of the newness of traveling was wearing off.
I've since met a small group of interesting people that I've been traveling with, and we've crossed into Bolivia, both of which should keep life interesting. Definitely feeling more awake now.
The day before heading to Bolivia, the 30th of April, I started to hear people talking about a general strike that was schedule to start on the 1st of May. It was not clear exactly what that meant, but typically roads and blocked and transportation simply stops running. The main reason for the strike is discontent over the exportation of Bolivia's natural gas. (article explaining the situation) About a week ago, a contract was signed between Bolivia and Argentina agreeing to export gas from Bolivia to Argentina (and I got to see the Bolivian president when he stopped in Salta on his way back from Buenos Aires).
In Argentina, there was little or no mention of the strike in the news, and we simple couldn't find information. So, we headed north to the border and figured we would see how things were when we got there. After crossing, we asked the cab driver who was taking us to the train station. "Everything's good now," he said, "the problems have all been resolved. People realize that we need to export the gas to solve our problems. If we don't export the gas, we get no money and we can't solve our problems."
But, when we got to Uyuni, the situation appeared to be somewhat different. Here people are saying that the strike will still happen, starting on the 3rd, but only around La Paz. And, of course, no one really knows what will happen or how long it will last.
In the mean time, I'm planning on taking the standard tour that just about every tourist in Uyuni takes. It's a four day trip that supposed to be quite impressive. And, when I get back, hopefully there will be more information on the situation with the strike.
I'll be gone for the next few days on the tour, and it seems like internet access is more spotty here than in Argentina, so updates will probably continue to be infrequent.