THIS IS HOW A CHICKEN FEELS GOING INTO AN OVEN

WEATHER: SWEATY BETTY HOT

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Wine tasting that turned to Karaoke

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Sweaty Betty Hot

BUY OF THE DAY: My new pair of Crocs for 23AUD

WORD OF THE DAY: I Did It My Way in Spanish  

We had a free day in Asuncion today.  The only real time constraint we had was that breakfast finished at 10am and we had our wine tasting at 7pm in the evening.  Gray had bought 18 bottles of Argentinian wine when we were in Ushuaia for the wine tasting and we all contributed 10AUD each to pay for it all.  So it should be a good night.  We were going to do it last night, but since there were no shops open we could buy nibbles so we are having it tonight.  It’s not ideal as we have a truck day tomorrow and in the heat and being hangover could be a very unpleasant experience indeed. 

We made it to breakfast at 9.30am and then we dropped our washing off at the Laundromat next door.  She charges per piece and my washing bill came to 31,500GS but it is only like 6 bucks for a big load.  I wouldn’t want her job for quid’s inside a small shop with the machines going and the dryers, it was hotter than an oven in there, but she did have a big fan blowing but how much good that was I am not sure.  I feel bad only paying her 6AUD in that heat.

We braced ourselves for the heat and stepped out for our walk around town and have a look at some if their shops.  I know I have said it but it was murder outside.  I rekon if you broke an egg on the side walk it would cook and sizzle right in front of you.  It is hot hot hot.  As I hadn’t heard from Zeme in a few days I tried 2 cabinas to try and place a call and with both places I could get through.  The South American phone system is so frustrating let alone their mobile phone networks.  So I gave up on that pretty quickly and decided again no news is good news and things were progressing along.  We continued along the main drag with a stop into one of their main department stores, there wasn’t anything there with buying, but to just get out of the heat refreshed us somewhat for the onslaught again as we stepped back into the street.  Kate has been talking about getting a pair of crocs as I have talked up my 3 pairs the whole trip and low and behold we walked past a shoe shop that was a licensed Croc seller and they had a good variety I there.  There were none in Kate baby feet size, but I managed to buy a pair of what look like deck shoes in RED and they are so comfortable and the extra bonus is that they were only 115,000GS!!!  Which converted was only 23AUD.  Where in the world can you buy a pair of original Crocs for 23 bucks?  That was a bonus!!!   I know not everyone is a fan of Crocs.  Sean and I had this debate that his Haviannas were better than my Crocs, but I have to disagree.  I am not a fan of the original Crocs with the rounded, covered toes, they look ridiculous on adults, they are cure on kids, but adults look yobbo in them.  But MY Crocs are awesome and they are so comfy.  It was weird to try them on to start with as I have been wearing the same 2 pairs of thongs for the last 6 months, seriously one pair I haven’t swapped for over 4 months, so one pair of shoes every day for the last 4 months.  I hope my feet like these ones. 

Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.  The Asunción metropolitan area has more than 2 million inhabitants and is one of the oldest cities in South America and the longest continually inhabited area in the River Plate Basin; for this reason that it is known as "Mother of Cities". It was from here that the colonial expeditions departed to found other cities, including the second foundation of Buenos Aires and of other important cities such as Villarrica, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

In 1541, natives destroyed Buenos Aires, and the Spaniards fled to Asunción. Thus, the city became the center of a large Spanish colonial province comprising part of Brazil, present-day Paraguay and northeastern Argentina: the Giant Province of the Indies. In 1603 Asunción was the seat of the First Synod of Asunción, which set guidelines for the evangelization of the natives in their lingua franca, Guaraní.

After Paraguay became independent, there was significant change in Asunción. Under the presidency of Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia roads were built throughout the city and the streets were named. However, it was during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López that Asunción (and Paraguay) progressed, as the new president implemented new economic policies. More than 400 schools, metallurgic factories and the first railroad service in South America were built during the López presidency. After López died, his son Francisco Solano López became the new president and led the country through the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance that lasted for five years. After the War of the Triple Alliance (1865–70), Asunción was occupied by Brazilian troops until 1876.  Many historians have claimed that this war provoked a steady downfall of the city and country, since it massacred two thirds of the country's population. Progress slowed down greatly afterwards, and the economy remained stagnated.  After the War of the Triple Alliance, Asunción began a slow recovery attempt. Towards the end of the 19th Century and during the early years of the 20th Century, a flow of immigrants from Europe and the Ottoman Empire came to the city. This led to a change in the appearance of the city as many new buildings were built and Asunción went through an era more prosperous than any since the war.

The buildings are just beautiful here.  There are a lot of run down ones as well but to some buildings to definitely see while you are here include:  The Lopez Presidential Palace, The Godoi Museum and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (which contains old paintings from the 19th century), the Church of La Encarnación and the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the National Pantheon of the Heroes, a smaller version of Les Invalides in Paris, where many of the nation's heroes are entombed. Other landmarks include the Palacio de los López, the old Senate building (a modern building opened to house Congress in 2003), the Cathedral Metropolitana and the Casa de la Independencia (one of the few examples of colonial architecture remaining in the city).  Calle Palma is the main street downtown where several historical buildings, plazas, shops, restaurants and cafes are located. The "Manzana de la Rivera", located in front of the Presidential Palace, is a series of old traditional homes that have been restored and serve as a museum showcasing the architectural evolution of the city. The old railway station maintains the old trains that now are used in tourist trips to the cities of Luqueand Areguá.

We made it to one of the squares that had some handicraft markets, so we took a stroll around them with Kate buying Paraguay wrist bands for her, Paul and Liz.  They have been collecting and wearing them after they visit each country as they go.  It looks pretty cool now that they have 7 on their wrists.  After the last few truck days I wanted to get a cooler to put my water in to try and keep it colder than 40C.  The done thing in Paraguay are the look alike blue 2L drink bottles we have back home that have the handles on them on the top and sides.  The locals here fill them with hot and cold tea.  I have decided to buy a tourist one covered in leather and I plan on buying ice and filling that baby with water that will stay cold.  I’m smart aren’t I!!  So I made deal with one of the stalls and I got a lovely one for 120,000GS (24AUD) which I think is a steal as he offered to personalize it for me, so I got Paraguay and my name on the front and it looks awesome.  By this time we had just about had enough outside so we made our way back to the hotel on the other main street where I was able to buy a dodgy magnet and a stick pin for my collection.  Considering it is the capital there wasn’t that much ‘souvenir stuff’ bar the leather and craft things.  I didn’t see any postcards to buy.  I need to get back into the swing of my postcard writing, I have been so slack lately.  I now have Sean’s new address and David has found somewhere to live, so his address won’t be far behind.  I have sent Lisa postcards in their absence but I have been neglecting them all lately including my God-daughters……...

I had to head back out as I am trying to get my USD kitty cashed up and you can withdraw local currency or USD in most Paraguay ATM’s.  It was tough to leave the coolness of the hotel room to hit the hell streets of the city, but I just had to do it.  There is a daily limit of 400USD withdrawals so I took what I could and stopped in at BK on the way back and got Kate and I a late lunch and carried it back to the hotel where we stayed till 5pm where we met Sven, Paul, Mike and Liz at the pub just up the road from the hotel to watch Liverpool play Tottenham.  Not much of a football (soccer back home) fan, but Paul has got me into Liverpool, with King Kenny, Suarez No.7 who was back from suspension, Stevie G No.8 and the money man Andy Carrol No.9.  No bad hey!  So if someone was to ask if I was to follow a football team, I would have to make Paul proud and tell them Liverpool.  Zeme like football, I wonder what team he supports?  Speaking of Zeme, I got a text message from him today saying he has an appointment next week and to not worry.  Cool.  If he’s not worried and things are moving then I am a happy camper.  Just get that damn visa in the damn passport.  For the record it was a draw with Liverpool and Tottenham so they will share the ladder points.

We had to then quickly head to the Laundromat to collect our washing and then I had to head straight up to the hotel roof top for our wine tasting session.  Kate had declined the wine party, so she was tucked up in our little air-conditioned room watching movies, skyping and on the internet while we were on the rooftop sweating our arses off drinking chilled whites, a rose and 4 red wines over the space of a few hours.  It was a great view from the top and I got a few sunset pictures as well, but boy it was HOT.  The type of hot that had beads of sweat running down your kegs and your face kind of sweat.  I guess we are all in the same boat, so we just need to suck it up, but man it was HOT.  Have I told you that already?

The tasting was a success, so thanks to Gray and Mark for organizing it all and getting some snacks and meat and cheese platters, it was a really good evening.  Julia went and got my laptop to get some tunes cranking, I said if I go I won’t come back once I get into the air con, which is exactly what happened to Mick when he went to the toilet, never to return as a victim of the air con. 

By this time, some people had wandered off to bed; some went to the bar where we watched the footy as they had karaoke jiving there and the stayers, the ones who drank the dregs of the red wine.  Once they were poured (thanks Sven), considering I don’t even drink red, I was ready to pack it all in and head to bed, when Paul came bounding back up and said you just have to come to karaoke it is going off over there.  So a handful of us made our way over to enter the bar and see 6 people sitting in there.  Oh yeah going off like an old peoples home.  In Paul’s defence, well all of us actually, we had all consumed a fair amount of wine, so with the song lists in our hands, we picked out a few tunes for us to sing.  Lizzie and I sang Belinda Carlisle Heaven is a Place on Earth, we did a group Bon Jovi song, Living on a Prayer that I can remember and Sven and I sand with another guy I Did It My Way in Spanish, but just from the table and they finished the night off with Bohemian Rhapsody.  I am sure we were terrible, but we had a good night and at 2am thought it best to hit the hay as we had a travel day in the truck tomorrow.  No drunk walk is complete without a munchies stop, so I stopped at the 7-11 equivalent and bought a packet of Doritos that we all hoed into. 

So I enjoyed my time in Asuncion.  Tomorrow we leave Paraguay and head into Brazil where we will be for the next 55 days, bar one day we go back into Argentina to view the falls in Iguazu.  So it’s a drunk **hiccup** from me **burp** and let’s see how we pull up in 4 hour’s time. 

OUR 7TH SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY -PARAGUAY

WEATHER: BLOODY HOT AND 38C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The surprising city of Asuncion

BUMMER OF THE DAY: It’s bloody HOT

WORD OF THE DAY:  It’s bloody HOT

It’s good to be back on the truck, not only does it bring me a day closer to Zeme arrival, we also save money.  We really burned through some cash in Buenos Aires, so beside some snacks at the road stops we don’t spend any money on truck days.  When we left Trinidad at 7.50am this morning the temperature was already 32C!!!  At 7.50 in the morning!!!!  This is going to be a HOT day today – be prepared for some body sweat today!! Ewwwwwwwwww

It is just another drive day today, nothing really to report.  I had a headache this morning and I think it is just from lack of drinking water and trying to keep my fluids up during the day now that the weather has changed.  The dilemma is if you drink and drink and drink on the truck, the inevitable is toilet stops and you just never know when the next one will be, in saying that we are pretty consistent in stopping every 2-3 hours, but there is nothing worse than a full bladder.  So I rend to err on the side of caution and limited my water during the day and drink like a fish at night which probably defeats the purpose and hence the headache this morning. 

Mark has mentioned an upgrade for the Amazon River cruise for the five nights that I am seriously thinking of doing.  Currently Tucan have us booked on deck in hammocks.  Firstly I am not a hammock person and secondly will there be one that will hold my weight?  You can’t really sleep on the floor in deck as they squeeze as many people as they can on decks, so you have to have the hammock that doesn’t have the rod at the top for starters and then if you are on the floor you could get trod on, so the cabin is the only other option.  After taking off the credit for the hammocks it works out to be approx... 500AUD for the cabin for 5 nights, for the aircon I think that would be worth it.  Lock it in Eddie!!!!  Speaking of hammocks, we had a stop at a roadside hammock stall for the guys going on after Rio to buy one for the cruise.  I’m going to wait till Z gets here before making any hammock purchases which we probably aren’t going to need anyway. 

We Arrived into Asuncion at 3.15pm and I was surprised at how beautiful the buildings are here.  I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t that.  They are in such good condition and well maintained.  It was their 200 year anniversary last year, so I wonder if that had anything to do with the facelift look?  It is a Sunday and like Buenos Aires it looked like a ghost town as we drove through to the hotel.  All the shops closed no people on the streets and hardly any traffic.  They obviously take Sundays as a day of rest quite seriously.

It was still bloody hot but after getting to our rooms and having 30 minutes to kick on the aircon to our rooms it was lovely to sit in some air-conditioned comfort after 2 days of sweating it out on the sauna on wheels.  The hotel is awesome, we have a balcony that overlooks the road, free Wi-Fi and it looks like the rooms have recently been refurbished.  A great way to spend our last hotel stay  as we will be back in tents for the next 9 nights before getting into Rio.  We went for our orientation tour and there is just basically 2 main streets of Asuncion that run paralleled to each other, with a few squares, Customs House and a Palace and just all the amazing architecture.  Today was a good day to get photos as there was no one on the streets, I am sure it will be a different story when the start of a week kicks off and another Monday comes around for the ‘workers’.

I know I keep saying it, but man it was HOT.  We all had red faces from just walking around and after an hour, as in all major cities we passed a McDonalds which was open, but we stopped at Burger King and we all ordered a GRANDE drink with lots of heilo (ice) and I have to say I think it was the best damn drink I have ever had in my life, and in the aircon of BK it was the best 2AUD I have spent in a long while!  As everything was closed there was not much we could do anyway, but it was too hot as well, so we all headed back to enjoy the cool air of our rooms and watch some TV.  I loaded some photos to Facebook and checked my emails to see if Z had any news on his visa.  There was nothing, so I see it as no news is good news.  Just as well as there are only 11 days till he gets here and I can’t wait to see him. 

Dinner was at one of the very few restaurants that were open, a Spanish restaurant and I had paella and a drink and the cost was 60,000 Guarani’s!!  Sounds a lot doesn’t it but in reality it is only 12AUD and it was a nice restaurant.  A main meal and drink in a fancy restaurant for 12 bucks!  I’m liking Paraguay already.  Anything would seem cheaper to the cash we burned in BA anyways.

HOT AS AN OVEN IN TRINIDAD

WEATHER: 30C at 6am – I think it will be a scorcher today

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Crossing into our next country - Paraguay

BUMMER OF THE DAY: IT’S TOO BLOODY HOT

WORD OF THE DAY:  POOL!!!!!!!!!!

DISTANCE TRAVELLED:

OMG – it was so HOT in the tent last night.  It was nearly too hot to sleep, but I did manage to drift off, even when the morning dawned and the traffic picked up on the road that we were camped 50m away from.  When we got out of the tent is was 10C cooler straight off.  We are going to have to sleep with the fly cover open and if it rains then we can get up and close it, it is just too dang hot to have it zipped up.  I have a feeling this is a sign of things to come for the next section and we just need to acclimatize and hopefully it won’t feel so bad after a few weeks. Right? 

Today we will see if our kick arse travel day yesterday paid off and we get into our camp site in the early afternoon to make good use of that pool.  Everyone is already sweating profusely and it is only 7am when we left the truck stop.  Literally beads of sweat were running down my face.  Nice look. 

Another country means another currency.  Paraguay’s currency is called Guarani’s and just to keep us on our toes for 1AUD you get 4980 Guarani’s!!!  Now how your 5000 are times tables!  I still have about 200AUD worth of Arggy pesos which I can exchange into Guarani’s and that rate would be 1080 per pesos exchanged.  I am going to hold onto the Argy pesos, as when we get to Iguassu Falls, we visit the Brazil side and we also spend a day on the Argentinian side, so I will need some local currency for that.  I also have some left over Chilean pesos, but I am heading to Easter Island in May, so I will be able to use them there and don’t need to bother getting them exchanged either. 

We arrived at the Argentina border control at 11am.  It is SO hot!  My temperature gauge says 38C and it feels it, add onto that the humidity of 150% and it really is a scorcher.  Everyone’s faces are red just from sitting in the truck, it is insane.  We had to stand in line to be processed, luckily in the shade, for about 30 minutes and then Mark collected our passports and we could go back to the truck to wait, I’m not sure if this was a good thing or not as the truck has now turned into a travelling sauna, a hot box on wheels.  Rosita is bloody hot when she ain’t moving.  So we get another Argentinian stamp today bringing our total to 10 and we will have 2 more to go when we cross into the falls in a few days’ time.  Luckily I got a new passport when I left home and I paid extra for more pages, as all the immigration guys have been pretty good stamping in page order.  There are a few random stamps from Chile, a French stamp and Brazil and Paraguay wacked in their visa’s where ever they wished, but I am definitely not going to complain about those 2 after the trouble and worry that went into them.  Speaking of Brazil visas, I am still to hear from Z on how his application is going.  Is it in, does he need anything else?  He has 12 days till he is here, 11 days till he leaves and 8 working days to get 2 visas.  To say I’m a little worried is a MASSIVE understatement, but I have to believe that no news is good news and I will hear from him when he has some news.  But it is nerve wracking and can’t wait to just have him here.

With Argentina formalities done in an hour, we then had to drive over the River Paraguay to get to the Paraguay border control.  Again Mark took our passports and we were free to wait in the hot box, thank goodness only for 45 minutes and I also gave Mark my Globetrotters book and he also got that stamped with the passport which was nice of them, so another country ticked off in my book. 

WELCOME TO PARAGUAY.

After an ATM stop for people to get Guarani’s, we were back on the road for an hour where we stopped for lunch and also got to visit some Jesuit Ruins while Mark and Gray got lunch ready.    

The Jesús and Trinidad Jesuit Ruins are a religious mission that are still preserved and that were founded by the Jesuit missioners during the colonization of South America in the 17th century. These religious missions were created in 1609 and developed for 150 years. Both Jesuit missions were declared Historical Patrimony of Humankind by the UNESCO in 1993.

The Jesuit Missions of Paraguay are considered some of the most impressive creations of the religious work of the Jesuit, and are testimony of the historical richness of the country.  Alejo García discovered Paraguay in 1524. Its development in political, economical and social matter was a slow process, scarred by armed conflicts between Spanish conquerors and natives, who fought to preserve their territory. Until 1590 the Spanish have founded 10 cities and 40 colonies in South America. The natives were forced to be at their service.  The Spanish King tried to improve their quality of life by making some decrees for their protection but it was difficult to have a real system of control to make sure they were obeyed. The system of "Encomienda" gave place to many insurrections of the natives.  It was not until the Missions were established that there was a real improvement in the living conditions of the natives.

The first Jesuits arrived in Tucumán in 1586 and in 1587, by request of the Asunción’s Bishop, Alonso Guerra that they arrived to Paraguay too.  The Jesuits started the evangelization and building of towns or Missions in the region of Misiones and Itapúa Departments in Paraguay.  The first thing they did was to form towns that were self-sufficient in the areas inhabited by the natives and a study of the Guaraní language they spoke to make a writing structure (because the Guaraní people did not write their language). The missioners not only imparted knowledge about religion, but also determined the rules of public order, culture, education and society, fact that had great influence in the later development of Paraguay. The natives, who were nomads and were not used to a structured life, founded themselves gathered in small communities in the forest. Near the Jesuit Missions were formed groups of 2000 or 3000 per town.  This group of missioners founded about 30 Missions in territories that nowadays belong to Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. Many of the constructions have been preserved and the ones that got damage, rebuilt.

It was pretty cool to walk around the ruins.  They have been well maintained and they have looked after the grounds to keep the grass all lush and green.  You could see that they had some spotlights set up around the ruins and I rekon it would look amazing lit up at night time.  The only downside was there was no shade, so after around 45 minutes walking the site we headed back to the truck for some lunch and then it was only a 10 minute drive to where were camping for the night at Parque Manantial and its much talked about pool. 

Parque Manantial was opened in August 1997 by Ruben and Carla Pretzel and their sons, a Paraguayan family with German heritage who still retain close cultural links with their homeland even though the sons are third generation Paraguayan. This effort to sustain the links with Germany is quite normal in the quaint and picturesque German Colonies of Hohenau, Obligado and Bella Vista which were founded over a century ago by German pioneers.  Parque Manantial began life as a campsite but due to demand for more luxurious quarters they have added an air-conditioned dormitory which sleeps six and a bungalow for four people. Carla Pretzel describes her creation as a camp ground, country club and holiday park.  The facilities at Manantial are top class boasting no fewer than three swimming pools, a picnic and BBQ area, a floodlit volleyball court, bar and pizzeria, and a mini-market. Additional services (available at an extra cost) include eco-tours, horse riding and a transport service to nearby cities. The campsite is able to accommodate up to 100 campers and there is currently one dorm and one bungalow with plans for more in the future. They also describe their park as family friendly, a feature that is clearly evidenced by the kiddies pool, abundance of games and the ever-popular pony rides.

Mark had warned us that the last time he was here there was no water in the pool, but when we pulled in we could see people swimming and diving which we saw as a good sign that there was water.  If it was at all possible I think the day was getting hotter.  So after breaking into a mass of sweat putting up the tents, you could count on one hand how many people were left at camp, the rest of us had bathers in hand and were already walking to the pool.  They had a slide and also a diving board in the main pool and the water looked divine.  So after getting a ticket to get us in, changing and showering before we could even get to the pool, we jumped straight in and after the initial shock of the cool water it was heaven.  I am sure my body temperature must have dropped 10C straight away.  It was a busy little place with other campers and lots of kiddies all enjoying the late afternoon sun and pool facilities.  It really is a great campsite and it did have the feel of a country retreat.  They also had pool tables, ping pong tables, a fooze ball and free Wi-Fi.  What more could a caper Want?

The afternoon was spent by the pool, blogging and then when my laptop went flat, I went back up to camp to find that another Tucan truck had arrived.  Malagay.  These guys were just setting up their tents and their group looks a whole lot younger than us.  We met Ben and Leah the driver and leader from Malagay and they seemed really nice.  We also met one of their group members that will be joining us after Rio, Cam.  They also have another 2 people Dom and Jade but we didn’t get to meet them.  I am sure there will be plenty of time.  I went onto their truck and it is a mirror image of ours.  Literally it was exactly the same except they had a whiteboard at the front as well, their library was shambles and they had head rest covers on their seats, which apparently we have but we are keeping our clean by not using them.  Makes sense!

Group B aka The Banditos have been so lucky with our jobs for, well just about the whole trip.  We were on cooking today, but Gray and Mark did lunch while we walked the ruins, dinner tonight was supplied by the camp so we weren’t required again, tomorrow we are on washing up but we are in a hotel for the next 2 nights so we also miss truck cleaning and then when we get back on the road on Tuesday it is our day off!  Woo Hoo – Go Team Bandito!  Love it when a plan like that works out.  It’s like a public holiday falling on a work day – love it.

Dinner was amazing with 4 kinds of different meat and a billion salads, a great spread. After dinner the guys played Texas Hold Em and I joined the party with my laptop as they all tried to play with their poker faces.  It was nice to do some socializing and have a few laughs.  It was a nice night.  There was one black mark and just when you think we are all getting along fine something comes and smacks you over the head.  There are some dramas over the truck keys.  At the start of the trip 2 keys to the truck door and lockers were given out, one went to Kate and the other to Paul.  These keys were to be used if Mark couldn’t be found and people could still get in and out of the truck.  Well sometime over the last few weeks the keys have become a bone of contention and it blew up tonight in a verbal crossing of words.  I won’t go into too much if the details as both sides of the story have valid points, but we are right of course, and I don’t use my blog for naming people and having whinges, but let’s just hope that it settles down as this school yard bickering is actually quite pathetic at the end of the day.  I couldn’t get to sleep straight away as my mind was ticking in addressing the problem and people in the morning, keeping in mind I still have 3 months with some of these people, we have to try and live in harmony …somehow…..

Good night from the oven called Trinidad……..