another long, long bus ride

first class bus travel includes whiskey farmer's strike leads to stand still on the highway

From Encarnacion, Paraguay we crossed into Posadas, Argentina then took another bus onto Buenos Aires. A 12 hour overnight bus ride became a 20hour bus ride. Fortunately, we were traveling in lido class (first class) with fully reclining seats, movies, hot meals and whiskey to wash away the hours.

For weeks now, the farmers in Argentina have been striking against the increased export taxes the government recently approved. Their strikes include closing down major roads and highways, leaving cars and buses sitting on the road for hours on end. Tuesdays are their day to strike. Last week Tuesday, the only access road to Iguacu Falls was closed down, preventing us from accessing the falls from Argentina. This week Tuesday we ended up sitting on the highway leading into Buenos Aires adding 8 hours onto an already long bus trip. Although the delays are annoying, I’d much rather deal with a road block than the reality of restaurants running out of beef in Buenos Aires.

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