A Duluth couple finally got home Sunday night after being stranded for nearly a week in Peru as the country was embroiled in violent protests.
Matt Johnson, 46, and Hilary Buckwalter-Wilde, 45, had left for Peru in late November for a plant-medicine retreat in Peru's Sacred Valley. Johnson hoped the retreat would help in his battle with prostate cancer.
After nearly two weeks off the grid, the couple returned last week to Cusco to find the country had devolved into chaos. Protesters blocked roads. Airports were shuttered. A national emergency had been declared after President Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve the Peruvian congress — and the congress responded by impeaching and imprisoning Castillo, replacing him with one of his former allies. In the past week, at least 25 have died in clashes between police and military and protesters.
For days, Johnson and Buckwalter-Wilde sheltered at a hotel in Cusco two blocks from the city's Plaza de Armas, a hub of protesters. They ventured out during the day in what was mostly a deserted, boarded-up city, not knowing how long they'd be stuck. On Saturday, armed guards surrounded the airport. No cars were allowed in, so they walked through the gate for their confirmed flight. They arrived in Duluth on Sunday night after multiple connecting flights.
Peru's tourism ministry said Monday that visitors who had been stranded at Machu Picchu after protesters blocked railroad service were evacuated by helicopter.
