Moving Right Along
It´s that time again…no, I haven´t shaved off my grubby attempt at facial hair, but I am hitting the road and heading up north. As my Paraguayan visa is set to expire on Monday, I just bought my bus ticket direct from Buenos Aires to Asunción, leaving tommorow at 5:30 p.m. While it is a 17 hour ride, it´s not all too bad - for just over 40 bucks I get an ¨executive class¨ seat, dinner, breakfast, wine, champagne, movies, coffee, and a steward service.
At any rate, upon my arrival my family will immediately become members of the exclusive, extraordinarily small club consisting of families who have members both in Paraguay and Cambodia (my brother) simultaneously…(no trifling distinction, I´m sure you´d agree - although I think my mother would prefer another sort of accolade).
I just got back from Chile, which was well-organized, clean, honest, expensive, efficient, modern, and, importantly - rather boring (aside from the landscapes). I expect absolutely none of this in Paraguay. Paraguay is South America´s 3rd-poorest country and, according to Transparency International, one of the most corrupt countries in the world, in the same league as bastions of integrity like Somalia, Pakistan, Sudan, and Tajikstan - Kazakhstan´s loveable neighbor. In fact, my friend Frank spent 2 weeks there and told me he saw more Benzes in Asunción than in Buenos Aires, formerly one of the most expensive cities in South America. Nonetheless, I´ve heard good things about the place, and because you know all I know I was born with a few screws loose and I like ¨interesting¨ (i.e. weird, to most of you) types of places, I´m gonna give it a go. I also have a friend in BsAs whose family is from there, and she promises to help advise me on all of the hotspots - something tells me they won´t be too hard to find. Also, living in BsAs is great, but it´s tired, euro-centric, relatively modern way of life has left me craving for the ¨real¨ Latin America. Paraguay seems just the fix. This whole idea came about because I wanted to visit the Iguazu falls, which sits right on the tri-border with Brazil and Paraguay. I figured if I spend the time and money just to get up to Iguzau, why not check out the neighborhood? And so, against my original plans of going directly BsAs - Iguazú on Thursday, and then onto Paraguay, I´m heading straight to Asuncíon, arriving on a Thursday (thereby allowing me be there for the weekend; read: nightlife). After that there are a few other towns I plan on checking out, as well as the Jesuit ruins in the South…then it´s onto Iguazu, and back to BsAs, stopping at a few other Argentine towns on the way back.
I anticipate a great experience - regardless, there´s no doubt in my mind the ¨experience¨ part won´t be lacking. I don´t plan on being able to post much until I get back to BsAs, so I´m going to take my notes and observations down the old-fashioned way, by good ´ol pen and paper.
And so, I bid you Adios.
Adam
Tags: Asunción, Buenos Aires, Paraguay
