I can see I'll need another trip to Bolivia sometime soon...It really is breathtaking, in more ways than one. Coming in across the scrubby Chaco, I ended up in Santa Cruz, where colorful, arcaded buildings lined shady squares and tamarind, orange, pineapple, and other juices were sold on every corner for 1 boliviano (80 cents US). It's a lively city with a tropical feel. The mini buses zoom around, jerking from one side of the road to the other to let people pile on with bags of vegetables or (like me) backpacks which, during rush hour, sort of get in the [View Full Entry]

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The longest, dirtiest, most hilarious bus ride I have ever been on (yet) - read this epic with an open mind. Monday, December 25th, Christmas Day. This morning, I checked out of my hotel and crossed the street to Encarnacion's bus terminal, now a desert when it comes to people, compared to the weekend's sweaty swarms that took all the space and air away. Ten minutes before 12, the winds picked up, the sky grew dim, and the doors of the station started flapping. Two minutes later, swaths of rain and wind attacked us, scattering litter everywhere, blowing hair in our [View Full Entry]

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I mentioned in an earlier entry that I loved the people of Paraguay and now I have perfect proof to show how wonderful they are. Saturday, when I arrived in Encarnacion, ready to see the missions, I spent a couple hours taking care of minor errands in the cute downtown, whose commercial center consists mainly of two streets. Along one street, I came across a travel agency. Though I'd already decided to do the Jesuit ruins on my own, I peeked in to check on some details. Somehow, the directions I had gotten before - just get off the bus at [View Full Entry]

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A break from the pouring rain was all I wanted for Christmas...And today I was granted a few hours of sunshine with puffy clouds and blue skies, the best backdrop for the immense ruins that stretch over a hilltop in Trinidad, Paraguay. Even as the storm clouds came rolling back in, they served to just increase the dramatic nature of the scene, and leave me enough time to wave down a bus from the road, to head back to Encarnacion. The day started strangely, as any day would when you arrive in a new city at 6 AM, its residents still [View Full Entry]

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...than I gave it. Looking back at what I wrote and the pictures I posted yesterday, I see that I---unintentionally---painted a very bleak picture of Paraguay. I didn't realize it yesterday but, really, I think it was just that a) I didn't have many pictures, due to the rain, and the ones I had negatively depict the country 2) the rainy day gave me the blues and c) I didn't have time to really say anything. Today, on the other hand, was a gorgeous day, with enormous puffy clouds against a blue sky, and now I'm sitting in the Asuncion bus [View Full Entry]

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Over the past couple months, almost everyone I told about my upcoming trip to Paraguay responded with the same brand of look, one of those tilt your head to the side, purse your lips funny and lift your eyebrows looks that hints towards something on a scale between 'Whyyyy?' and 'Are you crazy?' and I took it as more encouragement for this adventure. If there's something so weird about Paraguay, then it must be worth going. But the part that some people mentioned with a stronger, wrinkle the nose look, was the weather, the HEAT, that is. It's summertime here and [View Full Entry]

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The first stop on my trip, Iguazu Falls, at the triple border between Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, has been a very Natalie-appropriate destination, one full of wildlife and walking. Before I leave for Paraguay, I'd better at least tell you about it, just in case I'm never seen or heard from again after being kidnapped by Bin Laden's crew in the desolate Chaco of Paraguay (that was just a joke, meant for Mom...hope it inspired a laugh, not fear!!) I pretty much knew what to expect from Iguazu, since family members, friends, and lots of the Argentines I know have visited [View Full Entry]

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Este ano paso volando!! (This year flew by!) I can't believe it's time to go...How can I leave Buenos Aires after a springtime of sun, jacaranda trees, outdoor cafes, and parks packed with people? It's beautiful, I feel comfortable, I'm happy... I think I'll console myself with a LONG trip around South America...For now, I'd like to linger in my BA a bit.... [View Full Entry]

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