... And on to Paraguay

Ah, Paraguay. Talk about off the beaten path!! Me and Lacy were on the bus headed for Posadas, a city in the Missiones (northernmost) province of Argentina. We had intended to head for Puerto Iguazu that night, but Posadas was as close as we could get that hadn´t been booked solid. About halfway there, while flipping through the guidebook, we realized that it was only about an hour away from the Paraguayan border. Good old LP had recommended the Jesuit Missions ruins outside of Encarnacion (the closest city on the Paraguay side) as a don't-miss, and they would be on the way up towards Iguazu. A plan was hatched.

We got off the bus in Posadas, and hopped immediately onto the much more cramped one headed for Paraguay. We had to get off for customs on the Argentinian side, and got our exit stamp... after hopping back on the bus and going another few minutes to the border crossing in Paraguay, madness ensued. The attendant at customs looked at our US passports like they were OVNIs (UFOs). Finally, after much ado, he realized that we needed visas to enter the country. They wanted 50 U$S for each passport, which we weren´t about to pay. However, we weren´t about to go back to Argentina without seeing the ruins either... So finally, we settled on in-transit stamps, which meant we had to be out of the country by nightfall... But only had to pay 45 U$S between the two of us. Sometimes travelling in one of the world's most corrupt countries CAN work in your favor!

So after we got our passports all settled, we headed towards the big terminal in Encarnacion. En route, we got a glimpse of the outdoor vendors Paraguay is so famous for. The streets were cramped, and almost every space was taken up by odds and ends. Digital cameras next to toenail clippers, knockoff Nike socks displayed with Powderpuff Girls stickers. As we waited for the bus to Trinidad, we were bombarded by children and adults alike selling all sorts of randomness. After being offered apples, sewing kits, expired valentines cards, and steak knives, we finally settled for a pack of halls cough drops and a bottle of water. Our bus finally showed up, and we were off to see the ruins.

About an hour later, we had arrived in the town of Trinidad and were dropped at a big sign advertising the missions. We walked up a red dirt road, watching school children pass along the way. It was only about a ten minute walk up, and the site was truly amazing. Jesuits and Paraguayan indigenous coinhabited these reductions built in the 17th century. Remains of a college, two cemetaries, a church, and several other buildings can still be seen. The church is especially striking, as it is HUGE and crafted in a very unique sandstone-looking crude baroque style. We wandered about for about an hour, then decided we should head on back (lest we should get stuck after our in-transit visa expired and pay our souls in fines!!)



The next few hours were spent on yet another bus, bumping and shuddering our way towards Ciudad del Este. At one point it sputtered, and it looked doubtful if it would start again or not... Lucky for us, it did. The countryside was gorgeous, supergreen long-bladed grass and a brilliant blue sky. Corn was planted alongside the road for most of the way... Between that and the red dirt, at times I could have sworn I was in Alabama. We chowed down on chipas (a kind of potato-cheese-corn-bread/roll thing) and some pretty dodgy looking empanadas, and watched the scenery go by. It is pretty evident how much of a divide exists between rich and poor in this country... Beautiful country style houses with red tile roofs lined up next to shacks. After about four or five hours, we were in Ciudad del Este... but I´ll write about that later.

P.S. My camera was unfortunately stolen awhile back, the picture above is not mine... it is from the website www.gosouthamerica.com (although I wish I would take credit for it!)