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.
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.
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.
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.
Rainbow sending me off from Villarrica
top down view of a large pillar cactus amongst the native trees
not an unusual sight
One of the many small shops in town.
A plaza in Villarrica
Cordillera del Ybytyruzú
No more wasps here
The roads along the powerlines.