Things have started to get complicated. We have several investments underway, and some things going on to get rid of some debts that were more keeping us from earning money than they were worth, but all of that is on hold now. From what I understand, the government has confiscated the lands of some farmers in the Tucuma area (not ours, thank God) in the name of reflorestation. The farmers are given no compensation, nothing. Their lands are simply taken away, and the government is, in essence, saying simply “Because I said so.” The result is a kind of revolt. The farmers have blocked the bridge that leads into Ourilandia and Tucuma, and perhaps have blocked other routes as well, but the one I know about is the one we need to work. We were worried about our cow exchange (we’re trading some milk cows for some other cows and our truck) not going through because of a bridge broken close to the farm. Little did we know that we wouldn’t even be able to make it into town. My brother-in-law went ahead of everything to try to fix the bridge that was broken close to the farm and ended up having to park and lock up the moto before the bridge that is blocked by the farmers. He continued into town on foot, and last I heard was trying to get a ride on the Tucuma side or find a way to get to the farm… I think. All of this started Sunday, and I doubt its resolution will come very quickly. I can’t imagine the farmers, without their lands, being very motivated to go anywhere and unblock the bridge, and considering we’re in the middle of nowhere I’m sure the government will take a while to work out an agreement or enforcement with them. Now, to put this in perspective, imagine if I were in Tucuma and my time inside the country ran out. How would I leave Tucuma to leave the country? Another thing to think about, how do I access our money, which is all in Tucuma (the bank here, I believe, only takes deposits. They haven’t yet built a branch of the bank Cesar uses here that is fully functional. So…. Now what? My assets here are under siege, in a sense, and I’m sure by this time the IRS has put a nice hefty lien on any bank account with my name on it. So…. At what point is enough enough? Where is the mercy?