A Bay Area couple is stranded in Peru as the country deals, with violent protests that triggered a national emergency following the ousting of its president.
Foster City residents Diane Thao and Salvador Mireles found themselves in a country facing widespread unrest.
“It very much felt like all hope was lost and no one was coming to get us,” Thao said.
“For the past couple of days, all we have been doing is hanging out in one small town with 800 other tourists that were also stranded there,” Mireles said.
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Thao and Mireles told NBC Bay Area Friday that they arrived in Peru on Dec. 7, the same day Pedro Castillo, the country’s president, announced plans to temporarily dissolve congress.
That led to Castillo's detention, impeachment and then chaos, as thousands took the streets to protest his removal.
At that point, the couple was in Aguas Calientes, where the only way in and out is by train and service was suspended until further notice.
“I think hope just kind of went out the window. Even when they had called for a state of emergency,” Thao said.
“The hotel that we were staying at gave us a heads up. They said 'we can’t get a lot of the food. A lot of the food is diminishing,'” Mireles said.
They said the U.S. Embassy told them it could take weeks or months to get them out.
The couple said they followed their instincts and joined a group of tourists, who decided to hike 25 miles to get back to Cusco, where the airport just reopened.
“I honestly didn’t know if we were going to make it when I was thinking about last night. But I just felt like it was the only way out,” Thao said.
After nearly 14 hours with the help of locals and their donkeys, they made it out.
Thao and Mireles are now hoping to get home by Monday, but that all depends on how the crisis develops.
