- 24 Pueblito
- 23 Santiago
- 22 Andes
- 21 Pettirossi
- 20 Parque de la Salud
- 19 Guairena
- 18 Cactus
- 17 Mercado
- 16 Ybaroty
- 15 Photo Store
- 14 Plaza
- 13 Ybyturuzu
- 12 One Week in Paraguay
- 11 Plumeria
- 10 Linea
- 09 Mangos
- 08 Above
- 07 Ruta Diez
- 06 Terere
- 05 Asuncion
- 04 Triple Seven
- 03 Moved out
- 02 Packing
- 01 Knolling
24 Pueblito
Barrio Pueblito los Dominicos
I went to a small artistic handicraft village in the Las Condes barrio of Santiago, right next to Los Dominicos Park. I went early after opening and not a lot of tourists were around. Through small windows you can watch how the crafts are made. Anything from stone-masonry, leather wallets, indigenous art or bird cages can be found here. All made by hand and most of the time by those who sell it right in this village. The 19th century low roof houses and small alleys are full of character and charm.
It’s in stark contrast to the metropolitan Providence part of the city where I am staying. Everything is modern and convenient here. Actually there is a convenient store on every block and the metro is never more than a 10-minute walk away. It is also considered very safe. Did I mention they have excellent and actually walkable sidewalks?
As nice as it is it also is pretty expensive. This is the most expensive part of my journey. The next few weeks will be probably the most strenuous on my travel budget. It will equalize a bit once in SEA where I might stay for a longer time. But first I’m off to the southwestern part of the Pacific. I am packing my bags and this time I am preparing for even stricter border controls. My stay (or layover) in Santiago is coming to an end. I found a very reasonably priced flight ticket to Auckland, New Zealand for tomorrow. 12 hours crossing the pacific over nothing but open water? Let’s go!
23 Santiago
Chile seems to have a lot more rules at the border than other countries in South America. They are pretty strict about bringing in vegetables — even the famous forgotten and undeclared apple could cost you dearly. Luckily I got rid of all my food in Asunción. The provided meal by LATAM Airlines was excellent for a ~3 hour flight (chicken breast and quinoa). The border guard lady was very serious about my plans in Chile. She said I will have to answer in Spanish and I tried my best, but she switched immediately back to English after that. So I guess there is still a lot of room to improve my spoken Spanish.
I traveled through South America extensively in 2015, but this is my first time in Chile. It really is hard to compare it to any other of the countries here because of its wealth. It’s not the cheapest city to visit and is cost-wise on par with big cities in the US if not more expensive. 8 dollar for a sandwich is on the low end here. But maybe I’m just staying in the wrong side of town. Safety is generally a concern as is always the case in South America. I try to stick to the typical tourist areas.
Big parts of the city of Santiago could just as easily be in Europe. But there’s a distinct vibe here which I still cannot quite grasp that is unique. Maybe it’s the Italian influence? The people I met are super friendly and helpful. The weather is a very nice 32 degrees. The culture and especially the museums are awesome.
Wooden Statues of the Mapuche
The Museo de Chile de Arte Precolombino was recommended to me by friends of my family in Paraguay. I can confirm: It’s a great overview of the pre-Columbian timeline of all the Americas. Some artifacts are sensational, and the presentation is world-class. I enjoyed the part about Chilean pre-Columbian culture immensely. The impressive wing about south Chilean tribes that live in more temperate climates near or in Patagonia stuck with me for the day.
22 Andes
21 Pettirossi
Getting through security in the tiny Asuncion airport took only a couple of minutes. They were interested in my pair of small facial hair removers that looks like scissors but in the end decided that I could take them on board. I only travel with cabin luggage and security rules on every airport are different. I am happy to oblige any way. During my small airside breakfast at the havanna cafe I saw these cute birds resting in some palms near my window to the runway.
20 Parque de la Salud
Back in Asuncion I am trying to establish healthy habits for my travels. Looking through the map of city I saw the Parque de la Salud not far away from me. The Park is maintained by the institute of social security (IPS) and is free to enter. They only ask for documentation(passport or ID) when entering and exiting the park. It is a lovely ~1,5Km circuit designed for fitness, walking and running. It even includes some elevation changes. The park is very much designed to look like a forest. I loved the signs on the native trees giving you the common name as well as the scientific one.
I’d rather not try to pronounce that
Apart from the signs on the trees the institute also provides health education in form of small signs next to the path(“Don’t put too much salt on your food!”).
It wasn’t too crowded but also not empty. Mostly walkers. Lots of groups of middle-aged women walking fast and talking even faster. I wasn’t the only runner either. Everyone was very considerate and friendly.
I didn’t break any records today. I ran for one lap and walked for two. The humidity really got to me by the end of the third. I was happy that I managed to do some pull-ups in between laps. The crumbling metal bars were shaking and wouldn’t be too sure that they would hold anyone with more than my 77 Kilos. Apart from the rusty equipment I really enjoyed the park. I loved the serene early morning atmosphere with rays of light shining through the lush green canopy.
19 Guairena
I traveled back to Asuncion. This time I was eager to take the bus from the temporary bus station in Villarrica.
After a stop in Oviedo the bus took the new ruta 2 to the capital of Paraguay only to stop in Caacupe. Coming closer to Asuncion at around midday traffic slowed us down considerably so that the whole drive took around 4,5h until I landed in the Terminal barrio of Asuncion.
It rained like no tomorrow, but the sun came out soon, and it got so sunny and hot that you’d forget that the rain ever existed. Thankfully the aire (aircondition) was working great in the bus. So great in fact, that I had to put on a sweater. Only to rip it off quickly as soon as I stepped out of the bus. Really no complaints here. I love the sun and the weather here.
Rainbow sending me off from Villarrica
18 Cactus
top down view of a large pillar cactus amongst the native trees
17 Mercado
not an unusual sight
I went to the Mercado part of Villarrica where you find fruit, vegetables, and cheap knock-off clothes from small vendors. I finally found some shoes for running. The people were all very friendly even if you did not buy something. It was a bit hard to find a 44 size (EU) shoe. Maybe it is not a common size here?
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the market-style barrio with all its colorful wares on shanty stalls and shops in aged houses. Mercado was originally centered around the bus station which is currently being rebuilt with a roof and bigger bus stands.
16 Ybaroty
15 Photo Store
One of the many small shops in town.
14 Plaza
A plaza in Villarrica
I went shopping in town for new running shoes today. Unsuccessful. I did find ice cream near one of the plazas.
13 Ybyturuzu
Cordillera del Ybytyruzú
The view from the drone of the mountains nearby.
12 One Week in Paraguay
No more wasps here
It has been a little over a week now that I arrived in Paraguay. I have been staying with family on a rural farm near Villarrica for the last couple of days. It feels like eternal summer here. I enjoy running on the dirt roads in the morning, going for a swim and meditating after my morning workout. I feel deeply relaxed here. The local or home-grown food is a treat, and spending time with family makes me very happy.
The sunshine and mostly blue skies are awesome. In the night you can see countless stars. Light pollution is very low. We are quite a distance from the next city.
There were a couple of aquacero rainfalls that didn’t really bring enough water. It is bone dry here and the temperatures have been high. The workers on the farm still work. While cutting down grass on a part of a field, they found some wasp nests and decided to burn it down. Maybe not the best idea in this climate, but they took a lot of precautions so it wouldn’t spread. They have a lot of experience with the weather and vegetation.
I enjoy it here, and some family matters make it so that I will stay here for a while. I will stay in Villarrica part-time and hope to share some more details of city life (or small town life rather) as well.
11 Plumeria
10 Linea
A lot of the smaller paths where folks live here are dirt roads. This makes driving an adventure especially going up or down hill. Small rocks hitting the bottom of the car is the least of your worries. And on rainy days you almost slide more than you drive.
The roads along the powerlines.
09 Mangos
This one is actually not ripe yet.
I don’t want to just talk about food, but I have to tell you about these fruits. I had mangos yesterday and today as a side for lunch. They taste amazing. I even got to pick a couple of ripe ones today from one of the trees, washed them and put them in the fridge for tomorrow.
08 Above
07 Ruta Diez
Rare sight
You will see mostly flat lands driving down from Asuncion to Villarrica. Only the occasional hill will break the horizon in the three hour journey. There are some cows grazing on the side of the road or some more white cows on some fields far away. But mostly you can take in all the beauty of this fertile part of Paraguay. Wild palm trees, eucalyptus monoculture farms, fences, chiperias and full service gas stations.
My driver was a bright and pleasant young farmer of swiss descent. He was weary of the dry and hot weather preceding my arrival and that he hoped for rain to soon come – not only for the crops. The unpaved roads could also benefit from some water. They were a spectacle of dust and flying rocks. We saw a couple of (out of control?) fires and a lot of already burned down fields. Displeased with the tradition of burning the fields instead of tilling he pointed them out to me and shook his head.
Getting out of the red air-conditioned camioneta I began to really feel the heat and humidity. I have arrived at my first longer stop in this travel. How long exactly? I don’t know.
06 Terere
Refreshing: yerba mate with ice water
Officially jet lagged I am exploring the upscale Villa Morra while trying to stay in the shade as much as possible. Can’t help but try some of the cheese/wheat combinations(Chipitas and Mbeju con tres quesos) and of course the Tereré.
Entry into Paraguay was super smooth. The border agent asked only a couple of questions: why I am traveling to the country and how many days I intend to stay. I did get an Onward ticket before leaving Germany in case the airline or the border patrol wanted to see documentation for my return. Nobody wanted to see it. She did ask if I have a cédula. I am always debating of getting one when but I never had the need to stay more than the 90 days allowed by the visa free entry yet.
View from Paseo La Galeria
Number one priority last night was resting the swollen legs after flying for 15+ hours. But I did find a steakhouse in the nearby mall to enjoy a sensible priced(100k PYG) steak with mandioca fries for dinner last night. I am enjoying the amenities of metropolitan life. I know those will be rare in the countryside. And that’s where I am heading next.
05 Asuncion
Super smooth travel with LATAM. Made it to Asuncion in one piece.
Palms and 37°C
04 Triple Seven
777-300
First big hop in this journey.
03 Moved out
january rain
Moved out of my apartment today. I got pretty wet when walking to the hotel. It is a weird feeling not having any keys to a place. Technically I am homeless now. I liked that apartment a lot. Bittersweet. But super happy that now this new chapter of my life has started.
02 Packing
everything packed up
The time has finally come. There are a couple of days left to prepare, handover my apartment and get to the airport. After what feels like years of dreaming about it I finally start long term traveling.
How long will it be? Where will I go? What will I do? Who knows! I only have a rough plan for now. I will probably talk a little bit more about the plans at a later point.
The last couple of days were warmer. But we are in the darkest part of winter in Europe so that just makes easier to leave. Towards the sun. Light. Warmth. Adventure awaits.
01 Knolling
Will all of it fit in the three bags?
knolled
Now
Currently preparing to travel the southern hemisphere and the tropics. First stop: south america!