Unfortunately, my friends, this might be a little long. Yesterday, we left Tupiza, an exciting city in Bolivia. We had only gone one kilometer when Bernice got a flat. After replacing the tube, we were on our way again. Three kilometers later, we came to a protest, where the locals had blocked the highway with a pile of sand, rocks, cars, and a sign. They would let bicycles, motorcycles, and walkers pass. Bernice and I debated about going on, and she convinced me to stay. It turns out the barriers would come down at midnight.

When our van arrived, they would not let it through. That is when Gloria went into action. She identified three leaders. One man spoke for the men, one woman represented the older women, and A younger fellow had a mixed following.

She went to work talking to them all. The men had no problem about letting us through. The younger fellow was on our side, but the women's group said there was no way we would get through.

It was exciting, and I spent my time talking to various people and taking photos with them. They were protesting the lack of quality health care and the lack of specialized doctors. The gathering was very peaceful as the men talked and the ladies knitted. After three hours, I was prepared to go back to Tupiza and stay the night and drive through tomorrow when the protest was over.

Gloria said wait 20 minutes as the leaders were talking.
Sure enough, the leader of the men called everyone together for a conference. He spoke, then the women's leader and the younger fellow. Then they voted, and they let us pass through the barricade.

I asked Gloria what had happened. She said she told the women leader I was spreading the message that children should exercise outside and stop playing on the computer and watching TV. Then she mentioned that we raised money to purchase bicycles for children in Panama, which was when the tide turned. The women’s leader said why did you not tell me that sooner. Gloria said she did not think of it. The leader said so Bob is not making money from this? No, we are raising money for the children. She got up and talked to the other two, resulting in the meeting and us getting through.

Everyone was happy, and more photos were taken, and good buys said, and we promised to send at least one bike to them for one child and to do a Facebook posting about the lack of healthcare.

So, my friends, it looks like I will return to you once again to raise some money for the boys and girls of the Tupiza area of Bolivia. After we jumped on the bikes and started our 95k ride, I could not help but think how welcoming and friendly these people were, and I, of course, supported their cause. Even though we could not pass, I enjoyed their company.

The next day, we headed to the border of Bolivia and Argentina. What a mess. There was a band competition in Argentina, and many bands were crossing and needed to get checked out of Bolivia. The exit line was many blocks long. It looked like we were going to be a long time in line.