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.