Saturday, April 12, 2014
A blockade is a form of protest in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. They are used by both teachers and villagers to protest wages or living conditions or something else going on with the government. They are non violent and the police do not interfere so as to keep them from being violent. The state police watch from a distance. Essentially what happens is that the protesters block sections of the highway trapping truckers, buses, families in cars and everyone until they decide to end it. That is what happened to us yesterday. It started at 10:30 am only an hour and a half outside of Juchitan on our way to Tuxla the Capitol of Chiapas. One moment we were watching Denzel Washington in Flight in our air conditioned first class bus and the next moment we were stuck on the bridge a quarter mile from the blockade. I thought surely this can't last that long and we will be on our way. Vendors from town came to sell us water and snacks. Eventually we bought some hot chicken and rice from a woman passing by. Periodically the bus driver started the engine to cool off the stuffy hot air back down to tolerable. We walked and stood by the side of the road. Some folks started hauling their luggage to parts unknown. Some folks went to buy beer. Eventually it became dark and we walked to a food stand to get more water and an egg sandwich when horns started honking so we ran back to the bus. False alarm. Didn't get that sandwhich. We realized we were probably going to spend the night out there. We stood in the cooler outside air for hours before trying to settle into our new reality. We got our toothbrushes out and spit over the side of the bridge. Finally I saw the bus driver run to retrieve his white dress shirt and tie that he had stowed under the bus and jump back on the bus. That was 12:30 am and when we started moving I thanked sweet Jesus for bringing us to the end of it. We had another three and a half hours of driving and I hoped the driver could make it on such little sleep. As we passed hundreds of truckers, buses, and cars on the other side of the blockade I realized just how many people were interrupted from their travels. The most amazing thing I thought was how well behaved folks were especially small children. I wished I could have enjoyed the circumstances more because the night with the mountains around us was quite beautiful. We pulled into Tuxla at 4am and waited another hour to catch another bus to San Cristobol an hour away. I saw the new bus driver stop at a statue of the Virgen de Guadelupe and cross himself. I wondered if he was asking for protection from blockades.
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