La Farra en Omnibus

Blogging in the developing world sucks! (I´m not sure Rio is considered developing but...) I somehow erased the entire blog I wrote about our trip to Rio. But I will start again. Today is a new day. MF. I guess it was good that I was just practising my swearing in several languages to prepare me for the moment my thoughts disappeared to cyber-world. BLEEP!

Fortunately, we are in Rio de Janeiro and life is good. Yesterday we got off a 24 hour bus ride delight, showered and headed to Copa, Copacabana...It may be touristy but there is a reason for that. It is freaking beautiful. And a short walk from our $250 a night 2 star hotel! Hooray! I plan to spend all of my time on the beach. Drinking. Sister can go to Christ the Redeemer to give Jesus a high five or float up Sugar Loaf Mountain but I will be drinking on the beach.

We are getting our Internet fix in the subway station in downtown Rio. Then we will decide between the rooftop pool or going to a beach. It doesn´t feel like New Years Eve eve and it beats the hell out of malls in Asuncion.

The bus ride was a long one but deliciously fun. We got on the bus in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. It was a double-decker with lots of space. Sister and I couldn´t sit together at first but she sat next to a nice, young German named Lily. I sat next to several young Argentine men who I knew were trouble. But the fun kind of trouble. The border portion of the trip took almost an hour-exiting one country and entering another with a bus full of folks from many different countries takes a long time. As we left the Brazilian checkpoint the Argentinos broke out their guitarra and didgeridoo and starting singing. They knew a wide range of songs, including some in Spanish, English (I Want to Break Free) and lots of Tribalistas and Manu Chao. Fortunately they were good.

Lily agreed to switch seats with me and soon I was teaching Kristie how to play Truco (card game) as 4 Argentines played Truco in front of us with a concert happening behind us. Several passengers (most traveling from Asuncion) got off at Iguazu Falls on the Brasil side. The bus never filled up again.

We chatted with the folks around us and when we stopped for dinner we had several new friends. We had some beer with dinner (at a truck stop with a buffet that you pay by the weight of your plate) and we decided to buy a few beers for the road. But we were under prepared as the Argentinian trouble makers brought two cases for a full on Farra! Kids from `downstairs´ came to the party and the beers were gulped and the music played.

Sister sat in disbelief. She assumed everyone must have known each other before. I explained that this is how it goes and why it is so fun to travel. Especially when you´re young-you make new friends from all over the world. We were, by far, the old ones. At least the old ones at the bus party!

As beers were emptied a showdown between Brasilian bravado and Argentine machismo erupted. Are Brasilians or Argentinos better kissers? They asked Kristie. She shrugged: I don´t understand. A cute little Brasilian explained. She nodded-I understand what you are asking. He understood that he had permission. He dove in for a kiss. The chanting began. Brasil! Brasil! Now an Argentine. And before Kristie could react she got a kiss from an Argentine. Then another Brasilian. Then another Argentine. Well, which is it? Brasil or Argentina? Only she can tell. But will she?

Eventually the farra slowed down and we fell asleep one by one. We arrived at the Rio terminal just before noon and said goodbye to our new friends. It was amazing to get on a bus and not know anyone and get off with new friends. We kissed goodbye (cheeks only this time) and headed to our hotel.

Now we are in Rio. Settled and ready to party. Yesterday we sat on the beach and drank beers and got a sweet little perfect afternoon buzz. Today we got up early and walked most of Copacabana. Now we are headed to a new beach after we get some food at McDonalds. Yeah right, yeah right. Not now, not never. No way. (I haven´t been able to quote the lizard since I left Timo in Asuncion so I had to here...)

Hope all is well wherever this finds you!

The Three T´s

I love the Terminal. Bus terminal. Sticky hot. I love that you can buy terere to be consumed while waiting. I love that you can buy anything you might need and a whole lot of stuff you don´t. I love the travelers and what they bring. I love the "rica chipa-chipa caliente-chipa-chipa-mil-a-mil" calls. I love the wheeling and dealing newspaper vendors and the false sense of security officers that patrol the terminal. I love the reunions and the goodbyes. I do not love the smell or the dust or the heat. I do not love paying to use gross baños. But the loves far outweigh the not loves though.

The Terminal can be boring but we kept entertained because the non-stop parade of hilarious messages on T-shirts. A small sampling:
-Get It Up Baby
-More of your Customers Than Ever! Buying from the NEW DENIM JEANS!
-SEXY Sweet and Sour Girl
-Kiss Me or Kick Me
-Bring the Essential
-PUNA (with a Puma logo)
-FBI (firm believer in) JESUS (my fav!)

Traveled all night to wake up on a bus to the most amazing sky. The sun coming up in a splash of bright yellow and orange while lilac and deep blue curtained the west. I slept so deeply on the bus that I had dreams. Vivid ones. We checked into a hotel in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina and we are heading to the Falls en seguida.

It feels good to be out of Paraguay as much as I love it. I have had enough Paraguay for this trip and I am looking forward to the cool mist of the roaring "throat of the devil" and a sweet baptism under the San Martin Falls.

Pictures soon. I hope. Saludos to all!

Asuncion. Again.

Greetings from Asuncion. Again. I will never come here. Again. For my super tranquilo campo vacation I have spent way too much of it in Asuncion. Yuck!

I was rushing to the airport when I last wrote and I shouldn´t have rushed. Sister got in on the correct flight about an hour late. We had planned to be in the campo by that evening. I had arranged a ride for us from Asuncion to Isla Umbu and he was waiting patiently for her to get here. Unfortunately she arrived without a backpack. Which was frustrating. Because as I waited among the anxious Paraguayans for loved ones to arrive, I watched person after person roll out 5, 6, 7 pieces of luggage and poor Sister´s only, lonely backpack didn´t make the cut. (In case it didn´t make US news-the former Miss Paraguay arrived the day before with 29 pieces of luggage!) I will admit Sister handled it very well. There were a quick round of tears, a few choice words and then we were off. We spent a lot of time in transit that day.

We went to El Centro to the Shopping Excelsior for air conditioned Internet access, to visit Gladys and buy a hammock and hang out with her daughters. We took a bus to the terminal to buy tickets for the overnight bus to Pilar and then a taxi to the airport to get her bag and a taxi to Lomito Arabe. We then went to Shopping Del Sol. (Not in country for a day and she already got me to take her to two malls.) We had to laugh at us; dirty, sweaty, tired in comparison to the nifty, rico, fancy Asuncion socialites who hang out at the mall. Plus, it was December 23rd! We plopped down in the food court and I hung up my t-shirt to dry (at this point I had planned on being in Asuncion for less than 24 hours and was ill prepared to overnight-twice). Can you imagine being stuck in a city in the US and going to hang out at the mall?! We then got a taxi to the bus terminal which was packed with folks headed home for the holidays. Including us.
Our bus driver had a death wish. I don´t ever remember being so scared on a bus ride. Even when barreling down the Andes, with only one lane and a 300 feet drop, and no headlights in Ecuador. But this guy was on a mission. And Sister slept through it! What usually takes 6 hours took a curt 4 and we got to Pilar in time for nothing to be open except the hotel across the street from the bus terminal. Where we headed without another thought.

We took a very crowded bus (imagine hot like breath, sweating on your neighbor, Dial soap commercial close) to Isla Umbu the morning of the 24th and had lunch with Lupe and Benjamin and family. In order for me to continue visiting Paraguay Benjamin and I have worked out a proposal for Lugo (Paraguayan prez) and Lula (Brasilian prez) to start a direct flight from Sao Paulo to Isla Umbu. We thought a direct flight from the US to Isla Umbu is a little ridiculous to request. But no more Asuncion. I can´t handle it.

After lunch we took siesta and then headed to the lake for beers and a swim. We spent most of the hot afternoon in the cool water with my pals who are now young men. Kristie kept saying "Boys will be boys" as they posed with their motos, talked shit and drank beers.

We spent Christmas Eve with the family-a huge dinner of meat (lamb, cow and pig) and sopa Paraguaya, rice with green peppers and mayo "salad" and fruit salad for dessert. Plus lots of chipa! Sister slept. She was wiped out from her travels. I got to play Santa and give the gifts we brought. It was so delightful to give gifts to an entire group of people who had no expectation of receiving a gift for Christmas. They gave a collective whoop when I said it was present time and Lupe exclaimed, "Christmas 2008 is one for the books-we got actual Christmas presents. Like in the movies!"

Christmas Day is a lazy day to lounge around, eat leftover meat and drink lots of terere. We made time to go swimming and then made it to a community dance at the PoliDeportivo. Sister was happy that every time she´s ever been to Paraguay we´ve gone to the PoliDeportivo at least once. Pomelo´s brother whose name I don´t remember was in love with her. He kept assuring me that I should just call him "brother-in-law". Kristie was not convinced.

Goodbyes the next day were hard but typical. Coronel disappeared in his usual fashion-I don´t think I have ever actually said goodbye to him. There were lots of tears but I was distracted by "Best Friend" who was also riding with us to Pilar in the camioneta of a friend. But she´s a whole story unto herself.

Now we are in Asuncion, at another mall (this makes 3 different malls) waiting for our overnight bus to Foz de Iguazu. Internet access and interesting stories should be more frequent then.

She´s Almost Here

Update on Sister´s arrival-she is arriving in 20 minutes. Which means there is no way I can make it to the airport to greet her on time so I am secretly hoping (except for the part where I leaked it to the Internet) that she has trouble with Customs. But only for 20 extra minutes or so. But I highly doubt that since this time, for me, customs included them offering me terere and checking to make sure my tags matched my ticket tags. Except they didn´t even do that because my pack was wrapped in plastic and it would have been too much work.
Gotta go! More as it happens...

If You Weren´t a PCV You Probably Won´t Care

Greetings All! I´ve seen some pics of the Arctic Blast 2008 and I have to say it is 8pm and still sweaty hot . The morning terere break turned into an all day terere session because there wasn´t much else we could manage to do. It´s that hot! But I couldn´t not write some more so here I am, around the corner at a different, not so air conditioned cybercafe (pronounced see-bear much to my delight)!

I have to apologize for any spelling errors. I can´t seem to get the spell check to work and I am only a good speller when I can use spell check. Sorry for the annoyance.

To my querido PCV pals and anyone else who might care, Timo and I met up in Asuncion sometime in mid-December. We brought back to life our favorite "forma de ser": ASUNCION STUPID! We had plans to meet at the Chaco Hotel (chuchi, I know but he insisted) and when I walked in the front door the Señora asked, "Are you Gina Campana?" "Pues, si," I said. "Timoteo left you a note. Es simpatico el Timoteo, no?" she informed me. Yes, yes. Timo es muy simpatico and annoyingly famous all over Paraguay. His note informed me that he was on the roof of the Cecilia Hotel, swimming, with some Pilsen, waiting for me. Because there was no room at the inn. Which is so tipico. No room for Jesus. No room for Timo. The chosen ones and just in time for Christmas.

Timo had made a list of things we needed to do in Asuncion before we left for our sites. He had the list, no lie, on a clipboard. Which he carries around all of the time apparently!
The list: Asuncion Casino (His idea, not mine. Supposedly the casino owes him some money...), visit Gladys, churrascaria brasilero, take terere in Plaza de los Heroes, Lido Bar, Brit Pub, Shopping Mariscal (just because), Mexican restaurant for some Petrolios, Boat Bar, bowling and a boat ride (of course)! Anyone who knows Timo can imagine how many times we got lost in the 28 hours we spent in Asucion.

We didn´t complete everything on the list but we got close before reaching our "Asuncion limit". We discussed the tolerance for Asucion that each volunteer has and in my time away mine has grown shorter.

We dined with Timo´s trainees that have just COS´ed. I am a little jealous of them becuase of their youth and their energy as they head out into the wilds of South America and El Norte and I pity them a bit because they have no idea the world they are leaving and how much they have changed because of it. We hit up the Boat Bar (the G4 one, not the Boat Bar Boat Bar). We had terere in the Plaza the next morning and headed to the Lido Bar for rico milanesa (seriously the sun is frying my brain if I am using the word "rico" to describe milanesa)! We got to experience a serious Asuncion downpour and I truly believe if we had been anywhere near Mcal. Lopez Timo would have somehow made a makeshift raft to float down that road. We went to Shopping Mariscal and then to the Casino. We had a chill dinner at the Churrascaria and ended the night at the Brit Pub. Where Ken still hangs out!

We both had reached our Asuncion limit and planned to head to our sites the next morning. Which is exactly where I have been until today.

Frustrated!

Greetings Everyone-



I hope this finds everyone happily tucked in their homes surrounded by family and friends. Because I am sitting in a cyber-cafe with a bunch of strangers in a dirty city with no family or friends, waiting for Sister to arrive but who is still in Chicago, to my knowledge, which means there is no way in hell she will be here in time to get on the 7 o'clock bus to Pilar.



The good news is that now I have time to set up this blog. None of you asked for it but here goes...



I had every intention of writing more, more often and much earlier. But the Internet is not so abundant in rural Paraguay. Mangos and grapes are plentiful. And much more delicious. After 10 days of vaction I am very excited to share some of the many tales that have already accumulated in my head and heart. I had forgotten how slowly time moves here. The days are long and hot. The sun comes up around 5:30am and sets sometime in the "tardecita". I haven´t seen a mirror since I´ve been here and I wonder if it is the same face I´ve always had. In many ways I feel like I never really left-I just went to sleep and when I woke up everyone had a moto and a cell phone. Using a moto to corral cows is going to be a YouTube hit! It is hilarious to watch. So much for cowboys!



I wish I could organize my thoughts better, now that I have time and energy to write, not to mention a computer with access to the internet! But I am flighty and wondering where all the thoughts that have been flowing through my head have gone. Maybe some delicious terere (cold maté) will corral my thoughts.



It looks like I will be in Asuncion longer than I expected so I will write more after a terere (ho´ysa pora) break!