Excelsior Asuncion

... This place has been the biggest surprise so far on the trip and I just love this it! I would describe this place as a mix between Cuba and Central America. I has the old beautiful colonial buildings (some in need of some serious remodeling) mixed with new and modern high rises in the middle of the city.<br><br>BMW´s and horse drawn carriages, Prada and indigenous handmade clothes, here you can see it all.Behind the beautiful colonial buildings and posh shopping malls, you ...

... status, re swine flu and also because one of the group had not got his visa. This same gentlemen is normally very organised and has featured in the blogs before, the opinion was he had not been thinking with his head for the last few weeks and resulted in him having to go back into Paraguay overnight to sort it out. We stopped off on way to YHA campsite to stock up on goods at the brilliantly named Super Muffato and when we arrived very late we were met by a class ...

... if he took offense to being kicked in the head! Don´t put buffer in you buffer here! We booked on the deluxe bus and after some difficulty explained to the driver that we needed to stop at the border to get our passports stamped. Well, the bus was very spacious and the bus did stop at the border - we were going to make it! We secured our belongings to the bus and settled in for the night. It was literally only 10 minutes into the drive when we ...

... liked to stay longer in Asuncion as the city somehow facinated me and I was invited to go for a trip on the countryside on Sunday. In the morning I would leave Shirley woke me up in order to say goodbye and she insisted to have me taste ´terere´, the Paraguayan form of mate, which tastes dlike ice-cold very strong tea. I suppose you need to learn to drink it. Photos: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2 187030&amp;l=ea973df1d0&amp;id=69069755 3

... time that night and followed the day's success with more wine and reflected on our time in Paraguay. Without doubt it was a rushed journey and not without it's troubles, but we didn't expect it to be simple. All in all both of us had a fantastic time and we boarded our coach in Clorinda the next day tired but full of the spirit of travel in South America.<br><br><br><br><br><br>EPILOGU E <br><br><br>Paraguay is poverty, is danger and is difficulty. But it is worth it. I loved ...

... during lunch and had some piping hot cow intestine (mondongo). It's not the first time I have had tripe since I have been here, but this is the first time boiled and it is nowhere near as good as fried (which says a lot). Here, they take the cow intestine and roll it out into strips or sheets and then cut it into squares for use as food. And honestly, it is not good. Tonight, I'm going to a barbecue fundraiser for a girl who lives down the road ...

Hey All, happy holidays! I went back to my community for Christmas and then again for New Years. I spent both eve's dancing til 5am! I love Christmas in PY. Now I'm back to the grind (kinda... no one is in the office so I really don't have anything to do). Living in the city is really different, and so far the transition has been a little ...

Get this! After I wrote our Bonito entry we decided to go out for dinner. We had just sat down when in walked Kathleen and Michael, 2 friends of mine from uni who I haven't seen in 4 years! How weird is that! We sat with them and had a couple of drinks and a good old catch up after dinner. They are also travelling the world. It was really good to see them and yet another reminder of just how small the world is. How many times are these random ...

... appriciate very much. Then about 1:30 we start working in the clinic, depending on the day no one comes or we have a constant flow of people untill about 4:30. If know one comes we organize or clean or what ever else needs done in the clinic. Then most evenings the girls that I live with and I walk around the campus for 30min to an hour just chatting and getting our exercise. I am fairly certian that I have lost weight since I have been here with all of the walking and the change in ...

Met by Teressinas Nephew, Fernado. He took us by taxi to the hotel, where we dropped our bags and very quickly found ourselves in downtown Asuncion. The weather is very hot, and the taxi was like being in a sauna. We had a bite to eat and a nice fresh fruit juice. He showed us where the ATM machine was, and we both became guarani millionaires... Fernando ...