Trip day to Encarnacion

Trip Start Aug 27, 2006

281

327

Trip End Sep 13, 2008

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Flag of Paraguay Encarnacion, Encarnacion, Paraguay
Monday, May 5, 2008

At 6AM a crew wake me up, we ve just arrive in Ascencion, I don t really understand as my mind and the scenery in the fog with the morning, and then I look around me: no hammock nor passenger and goods, they unload the boat and there is just a last passenger the only tourist to unload. I pack my stuff the quickest as possible and I left my boat the Cacique. The good point, all the day is for me as I thought to arrived only in the afternoon.
I've crossed the town one more time with my bag and I go in direction of the servicios (collective bus) by now, I know where to find them and which one will drive me to the terminal. My objective is to catch the first bus to Encarnacion in the south of Paraguay where there are different sites of Jesuites Missions.
It's funny, the bus took a completely different way than the first time and whereas the first time came through a lot of market with sellers who where entering the bus to sell product and where it was obvious that the people around were quite poor, the second time the bus take another way in the middle of the rich quarter with villa with 2 or 3 cars with private guard at the entrance, the people who enter the bus are mainly young student in uniform who are going to different school depending of the color of their uniform.
But the bus terminal is the same, all the little shop with various destination written on it in order to know where to purchase the right ticket. After a quick negotiation, I ve got a bus 20min latter. I was expecting a real bus as usual but it s minivan which arrived. Anyway for 5 hours of transport could have been anything (after the 24 hours of boat).
Finally I arrived to Encarnacion where I discover a town in 2 levels, the first level near the water is the historical one where there are 100 of shops which are selling whatever they can and on a higher level the new town build in prevision of an overflowing which never happen...
I spent some time in old town and I tried to take a bus to go to see the sunset in Trinidad an old mission at 29 km of the town. They told me that it was near 20min and that the next bus was at 4PM. The bus left at 4h10PM but then stop all the 500 m to get people in or out and we spent one hour to go there. Then the drop you at a cross road and you have 1km to walk to arrive to the mission. Of course I run to try to catch the last rays of the sun but I missed it at 15 min...
Then I had to find another bus to come back to Encarnacion by night... I went on the main road and after 45 min waving any bus or car, one decided to stop and to bring me to the town: Paraguayan style in the middle as there was no space and with my luggage between my legs...