And Now Cochabamba

Just a quick Blog today to note that, as I predicted yesterday, the blockades have now started to reach into Cochabamba.

As I write, most of the major bridges that connect the central city to the north are closed down by the teachers’ union. Bus service between Cochabamba and both La Paz and Oruro have been suspended. The same may be true of service to Santa Cruz starting tomorrow.

To be sure, if you aren’t trying to cross one of the blocked bridges or trying to take a bus out of town, Cochabamba seems pretty peaceful and quiet today. Nevertheless, the blockades are spreading. This offers a Bolivian lesson to our reader yesterday who classified as “hype” my headline Bolivia Heads for a National Shutdown and said these things were limited to La Paz and El Alto. Just because your neighbrhood is quiet and everything looks normal, never underestimate how things can change here in a heartbeat.