Can a snack get any Chipa?

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Ah the pun, my most faithful of friends. Helping me out when I can´t think of any decent titles.

I digress. I´d heard many things about Paraguayan´police trying to bribe tourists when they enter the country, so when 2 such fellows approached me in Ciudad del Este just as I had my passport stamped I was a little wary. I shouldn´t have been. All they wanted to do is make sure noone tried to rob me as I waited for my bus to the bus station, give me a map of Paraguay and their own personal tips, before wishing me well on my way. If this was what all Paraguayans were like, I was going to have a great time!

The bus journey to Ascuncion was very eventful, in that it produced the title for this here blog. You see, a couple of times we stopped to pick up women carrying huge baskets of bagel shaped bread. They're a Paraguayan speciality called Chipa, are made with cheese and are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, a little bit like armadillos (or Dime bars). They also have a tendency to make a quite disturbing squeaking sound when you bite into them. But the best thing about them for those of us with a liking for puns, and also on a budget, is that retailing at 1,000 Guaranies (about 15p) each is that they're a remarkably cheap lunch.

Arriving in Ascunsion, I found a place to stay, which was nice, but as they don't have hostels here, I didn't have use of the kitchen, which was a bit of a pain. Nevermind, that just meant I had to eat out all the time, and at about a pound a meal I soon got over the disappointment of missing out on some more delicious pasta slop.

On my first proper day in the city, I had planned to visit the football stadium, buy a ticket for the game that night then see the centre. The first part went swimmingly, but when I went to buy the ticket, I was told that the game was at a stadium on the other side of town, and I had to go there for tickets. Bugger. I jumped on a bus over there, but failed to find the stadium, which was a bit of a shame. However, I now found myself near Aregua, which I had planned to visit the next day. Making one of those rapid on the spot decisions with which I have made my reputation, I decided to go today instead. It was an alright place, and I went off on a little wander up a hill to check out the views over the lake. This was a mistake. You see, I wasn't really ready for the sun setting so early, and my walk back to Aregua was in pitch dark, my torch handily sitting in my room in Ascuncion. I then had a fun half an hour wait for a bus, which dropped me off somewhere in the city. Luckily, I had my map with me, and another half an hour walking through some slightly dodgy deserted streets saw me back home and safe, and in time to watch the footy on the telly. Bueno, as they say in these parts.

The next day, I actually did see the centre, and quite enjoyed a little stroll. The first thing to catch my eye was the statue of a former dictator, which was turned into a concrete block with just the head visible when he was deposed. I hope he isn't in there. Otherwise, I was amazed that the big grand government buildings backed straight onto the shanty town, but I was even more amazed to see another tourist. We're a rare breed in these parts. Normally, 2 tourists taking photos in the city centre wouldn't give each other the time of day, but being as we were the only ones, we went for a slightly over enthusiastic nod and a hello before carrying on our seperate ways. I found a nice quiet spot for lunch, and thus was very surprised when all of a sudden the riot police turned up outside, and protestors had appeared out of nowhere. Must have seen me coming. In the evening, fancying a beer I nipped to a local bar to watch the football, and got talking to a group of Paraguayans who are English teachers. Before long, I had been invited to be a guest speaker at their next class. Unfortunately, it was nearly a week later, and I planned to be out of Ascunsion by then, so I had to turn it down.

Now, remember how I got caught out in the dark in Aregua. A couple too many beers with the teachers the night before meant I got a late start to my trip to San Bernardino, another little village near Ascuncion. Infact, when I got off the bus, the sun was just setting, which gave me half an hour until darkness. And yet again I didn't have my torch. Guess that ruled out the 8km walk I planned. Instead, I just wandered back down the road the bus had come on, figuring I could have a bit of a look around until another bus came past. Unfortunately, this turned out to be about an hour later, by which time I had sworn to never go out wandering without my torch again. This bus then proceeded to break down, which was actually a blessing, as we were close enough to Ascuncion that I could get one all the way to the place I was staying.

And there is Ascuncion in a nutshell, or rather, in a blog entry.

Until next time,

Stewart

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