Paraguay Day #9: A Day in Asuncion
Tonight is our last night here in Paraguay. It has really been quite a trip. My family could not have treated us with more hospitality and love. Lina, who was kind enough to accopany us to Asuncion/Caagazu (after we left my Aunt Elma’s house in San Juan,) just called to let us know that she made it back safely on the bus. We will get up and go to the airport tomorrow morning. We have a layover in Buenos Aires and then we’ll fly over night back to the US. We should be in NYC around daybreak.
At first, I thought the whole trip was for me, but now I am not so sure it wasn’t for my mom. She had an incredible time. She talked with friends and family, some of whom she hadn’t seen on over 30 years. It was really something to experience. Now that I know how to reach my family, I hope we will stay in touch. I have a set of cousins, in particular, that I think will remain in contact.
We spent today roaming around Asuncion. It was really uneventful, with one exception, which in the end, was also uneventful. This morning we decided to call my brother. We looked up his mother’s name in the (country’s) phonebook. His mother answered the phone. After we explained who we were, she said he was asleep and did not want to wake him. She said she would give him the message. We left instructions how to reach me, if she gives him the message and he chooses to reach out. I feel that we did the right thing.
Other than that, we spent time with Lina and just went around the city, taking pictures. Since it was Sunday, Easter Sunday at that, most everything was closed. I was, however, able to snap some shots of things that I hadn’t gotten around to earlier in the week.
Examples:
- Cheepa (mispelled) - traditional bread, prepared esp around Easter
- the police here are usually young men with really big guns. I wished they seemed a little more attentive
- There’s a tree here that grows everywhere, but I don’t the name of it
- They eat mandioca here. It is a root and tastes sort of like a potato, but they eat it cold (and I think raw.)
- Fences here are generally lined with broken glass
Oh, one more thing, I forgot that outside the US, the 2nd fl of a building is really the 3rd floor.
April 17th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
Hey, I lived in Paraguay for a while so I know a bit about the culture and the food. I’m so glad that you like it there! Just so that you know you were not eatting mandioca raw. It is usually fried or steamed but you couldn’t eat it raw. It’s really hard almost like an uncooked potatoe. Hope that helps.