This private security fella has a pistol and a tricked out shotgun. Lots of these guys have short-barelled shotguns, which is a smart choice for close quarter combat.
I rode
from Foz do Iguacu to Santa Rita today. Hector
warned me early in the morning that it might not be a good idea to go because
there would be three days of partying on the roads of Brasil due to Dia dos
Mortos (day of the dead). But there was no way I could stay any longer. I had
gotten my rest but I was anxious for Paraguay
and Patagonia. I had had my rest. I had
rested. I had stayed in one place. I had eaten in the buffets that I had missed
when I was on the road. I hadn’t slept in a bed for 4 days but I loved the tent
and the air mattress.
The night
before music began at 1. I had hit the sack in my tent at 10 and fell asleep
watching Proenekke. When I awoke at 1 I believed they music was a punishment
for my selfishness. I ate dinner and lunch alone. I explored the city by
myself. I had my own computer. I would go to the basement and watch movies by
myself. I went to bed early in my tent. All of these things required punishment.
So, knowing it was my last night and knowing how selfish I was, the town was to
play loud music. The town did this until 4 a.m. when it abrubtly stopped. How
they were able to hire a live band (a very good, acoustic live band) on such
short notice and invite so many neighbors next door the hostel was irrelevant.
That it was the kick off of the day of the dead didn’t matter either. It was to
punish me.
But damn
it I woke up early and felt
refreshed. Hector talked me out of going to Asuncion. He said go South instead to
Encarnacion. They have the bike stuff you need there and it’s better plus there
are some small towns along the way that are the best in Paraguay. So I
didn’t take Rafael’s advice to go to Asuncion
but instead took Hector’s advice because it made more sense.
The ride was flat and very
hot. I got lost at the beginning and missed my turn and rode 12km extra but it
wasn’t a big deal. I had a visa and I needed to tell Brasil I was leaving but
there was nothing. Chaos in Ciudad de Este but no border patrol. I rode and
rode but no one cared that I was leaving Brasil and no one cared that I had a
visa for Paraguay.
I was worried that I didn’t’
have any local currency—the Guarani—because the banks were closed in Brasil due
to the holiday. I stopped at a grocery store with a Western
Union sign and they exchanged $R50 for 100,000 G. I bought some
water (2.25L) for 3,400 G and rode on The heat wore on me and as I reached one
town people cheered but I wished it was my destination but I knew I had more to
ride in the sun and heat. I rode on and saw two hotels on the outskirts but
didn’t’ even bother to inquire because they were on the main highway and loud
and to isolated from the mercados. I rode on and one hotel wanted 80,000 G and
that sounded too much. I found a hospedeje and she wanted 70,0000 and she was
nice and had a clothing store and made formal clothes by hand and spoke to me
in Portuguese because she was from Joinville in Santa Catarina and I told her
that I knew the town well and had friends in Santa Catarina. She had been in Paraguay for 30
years. She said most here spoke Portuguese but Spanish was common. At the
supermarket prices were in US dollars, Brazilian Reis, and Paraguayan Guaranyi.
You could pay in whatever currency you wanted. You could speak Spanish or
Portuguese. Most people spoke Portuguese.
I then went to what the
lady of the hospedeje said was a so-so restaurant that had wifi and god some
grub. It’s just OK grub and overpriced but I can use the wifi.
Paraguay has an official currency but no one
gives a shit. It has an official language but no one gives a shit.
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