Businessman from ES who was traveling by car through Latin America has been trying to leave Bolivia for more than 40 days: 'I missed my father's funeral'

Businessman from ES who was traveling through Latin America has been trying to leave Bolivia for more than 40 days
A businessman and software developer from Vila Velha, in Greater Vitória, who was traveling by car through Latin America with his girlfriend, has been unable to leave Bolivia for more than 40 days due to the wave of protests in the country that have blocked the roads and prevented gas stations from being supplied.
⁉ Bolivians have been demonstrating since the beginning of May, against the government of President Rodrigo Paz, who took power six months ago. Among the main demands are changes in agrarian policy and improvements in fuel quality. In response, the police have used bombs and gas, which increases tension in the country.
Click here to follow the g1 ES channel on WhatsApp
Faced with the Bolivian crisis, Rafael Darrouy, 40, and his girlfriend (who prefers not to be identified), had to interrupt the trip they had been on since November 2025 and stay in Sucre, the country's constitutional capital.
In addition, the businessman, whose birthday was on the 10th, was unable to bury his own father, Marcelo Enrique Darrouy Manieu, who died last Tuesday (9), after spending days in hospital following a heart attack.
"We entered Bolivia on the 26th of March and our intention was to stay here for 30 or 40 days to rest. That was the idea: to stop here in Sucre and then go to the Bolivian Amazon, La Paz, Peru, to continue the journey. But, from the 1st (of May) these protests began", said Rafael.
READ ALSO:
Amid the conflicts in Iran, residents of ES are on a cruise stopped in Dubai, with no plans to return to Brazil
23-year-old Brazilian is killed in a drone attack in the Ukrainian War
Rafael Darrouy and his girlfriend had been traveling by car through Latin America since November 2025, but had to interrupt their journey in the city of Sucre.
Reproduction
O Espírito Santo and his partner, who is from Paraná, left the south of Brazil, went to Ushuaia, in Argentine Patagonia, passed through Chile and had the objective of reaching the Caribbean. However, the couple is unable to travel due to the lack of fuel and also due to land blockades.
"Sucre is surrounded and in the last three weeks, if I'm not mistaken, things have intensified. The city has been completely blocked," said the businessman. The couple also has tourist visas and the permission to drive their car in foreign territory is about to expire on the 24th. And this has made them even more worried.
Itamaraty was contacted by g1 to find out if there is any action being taken so that the Brazilian couple can leave Bolivia, but they did not return at the time of this publication.
Blockades prevented Espírito Santo from saying goodbye to their father
In the midst of the Bolivian crisis, in Last June 1st, Rafael received the news that his father had been admitted to a hospital.
"I started trying to figure out a way to get out of here, but it's all very risky, there's no fuel", reported the man from Espírito Santo.
In addition to the lack of supply at gas stations in the country, according to the businessman there is a difficulty in accessing official information and instructions.
"In a strange country, you get a little lost with the information. So, the information was that Brazilians had already been injured in blockages. And then I thought: 'I'm not going to try, I'm going to stay here.' Highways shows blockages on the country's roads.
Reproduction
Expiration of documents
With the interruption of the couple's trip, the validity of Rafael and his girlfriend's documents is coming to an end.
To resolve the situation, the businessman contacted the city's immigration department on Thursday (11). However, he was unable to find a solution.
"There is widespread confusion, because immigration cannot tell me what needs to be done. I went there twice and then the only thing they told me was that there is no legal provision for this situation. They told me that if I don't leave, I will be fined", said Rafael.
Upon receiving information that he would be fined if he didn't leave the country in time, Rafael sought out the Brazilian Embassy in Bolivia. The agency, in turn, issued a letter requesting that the Bolivian authorities extend the visa of the Espírito Santo and his companion, as well as the permission for the car.
"I intend to go there (immigration department) on Monday (15) again to try to resolve this problem, because we are afraid of losing the car, because it would be an illegal import."
In the face of difficulties and uncertainties, the couple has been guided, both by Brazilian authorities in the country, and by the owner of the property where he is staying, to continue in Bolivia and try to resolve the document procedures in a legal manner.
"The owner of the property where I am staying works in construction and she told me that her husband, to go from one city to another, a few kilometers away, is taking 12, even 16 hours, because he needs to go on dirt roads. And it seems that he came across some of these roadblocks and was attacked", he reported.
Mapping system from the Bolivian Highway Administrator shows blockages on the country's roads.
Reproduction
Daily life in Bolivia
In addition to the lack of gasoline in the country, Rafael said that, in Sucre, garbage collection was also stopped. "So, we have to walk a few blocks to be able to throw out the trash, because there is no diesel," explained the businessman.
Despite this, he says he feels relieved to be in a city that "produces what it consumes." The basis of food in Sucre is family farming and, therefore, there are no food shortages.
"The situation here where I am is not worse because of family farming. I keep thinking that if this country had a system of large-scale large-scale industrial agriculture, perhaps we would be experiencing shortages, because then it would be necessary to supply the cities by highways."
According to Rafael, even with the tense climate, the Bolivians, contrary to what he and his girlfriend have been doing it, taking to the streets normally.
"Yesterday (Saturday) and the day before yesterday (Friday), I managed to look at the city. It seems normal to me, it seems to me that things are going normally, people were on the streets, they were in the squares, normally", said the man from Espírito Santo.
Rafael Darrouy has been trying to leave Bolivia for more than 40 days.
Reproduction
By reflecting on the situation he finds himself in and also realizing the reality of the people around him, Rafael expressed a political vision about what has been happening in Bolivia. For him, powers such as the United States and Europe are, to a large extent, responsible for "destabilizing" the countries of Latin America.
"I think that the countries of Latin America have to resolve their problems internally, they have to have autonomy and sovereignty to be able to solve their problems, make their decisions. I think that what I am suffering here is a reflection of a historical destabilization that is happening in Latin America. So, as a Brazilian, I tend to be supportive of the situation in Bolivia", concludes the capixaba.
Videos: everything about Espírito Santo
See the latest news schedule from g1 Espírito Santo

Source: G1