A GAP YEAR traveller from Quenington found herself caught up in tear gas attacks and street shootings in Bolivia this week.
Saskya Vandoorne, 18, and her friend Roz Dawes, also 18, from Painswick, have been enjoying an action-packed tour of South America since March.
But the former Wesonbirt School pupils nearly bit off more than they could chew when Bolivia became embroiled in violent political protests.
In an email to the Standard, Saskya, who is an aspiring journalist, said: "Roz and I have luckily just made it out of Bolivia but it took a lot of work.
"We had to bribe every blockade we came to and sweet talk them into letting us pass.
"Protests were taking place on a regular basis in La Paz and we were frequently submitted to tear gas.
"The protesters are complaining about a law which was passed last month imposing taxes on foreign countries that have invested in Bolivia's gas reserves.
"They say the law did not go far enough and are calling for the gas industry to be nationalised."
Later, the girls escaped the capital for a short jungle trip, but they were soon caught up in the revolution again.
Saskya said: "We left the jungle to go back to the tiny village of Rurrenabaque where Roz and I were tear gassed for the third time.
"This time we knew the symptoms and didn't even comment to each other as it was beginning to be the norm.
"The reason for the gas was due to a murder committed ten metres from our hostel which involved a Colombian shooting two Bolivians in the head.
"The police caught him and the whole village was in uproar and were trying to break down the police station doors as they wanted to lynch him."
Bolivia's recent troubles stem from an increasing disillusionment felt by the indigenous people with the management of the country's natural resources.
Coca farmers, trade unionists and miners have taken to the streets throughout the country in demonstration.
In fact, earlier it her trip Saskya had actually visited the silver mines in Potosi and talked to the miners.
Mother Joey, who waited desperately to hear from her daughter when she heard about the protests, said: "Saskya spoke to the miners and sent an email home saying how really shocked she was by their quality of life.
"But they suddenly found themselves in the midst off actual protests.
"I think they probably didn't realise how serious it was getting until they started coming to road blockades and they had to bribe their way through."
Saskya, who raised the money for her three-month trip herself, is now safely north of the Bolivian border in Peru and is due home next month.
Her mother added: "Saskya is a fiery mixture of streetwise and naivety but she is very good in a crisis - something just clicks in."
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