From
Diary 2, I now get to a real cosy part. 24. I only have one sight today: Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca, but it is
220 kilometres away, and then additional 190 to the next hotel.
I’m up early, but I noticed the blue collars last night, and as expected,
the breakfast is ready. It is yet another rainy day, and the first 100 kilometres with additional thunder. I grab a cup of coffee in a little town, and then yet another break: Someone  have
crashed their lorry in a low and flooded area. And there are plenty of that around here,
due to the rainwater. Within 20 minutes, the lorry is drown away, and the plywood stacked along
the road. Here are plenty of old Mercedes lorries, packed with sweet
potatoes. I turn down a real shitty dirt road for five kilometres, and reach a surprisingly big, but empty lake resort of Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca.  I had read about the crystal clear
lake and wild nature, but the lake is brownish-red, just like all other
water, and the “nature” is Eucalyptus, Citrus and other old plantations. The
only interesting, is a little owl I get close to, and the bitch with day old
poppies. Well, the rain changes from heavy to drizzle, and after half an
hour, I head on. More muddy roads with red water and aliened with rather
humble huts. I  stop at a trucker diner, and get whatever they have, without meat. Sweet
potatoes, pasta, rice, fried egg-cake and a handful beans. Actually rather
tasty, and I get stuffed for three Euros. As I head on, I cross Rio Ypane,
a large and brown river with nice white sandy beaches.I reach the large town of Concepcion and not least: Some sun, around three. I have the entire day tomorrow sat of to explore it, but I’m  not going to
waste any sunshine. A tour around the hostel, who is excited, as I’m the
first Dane to visit. That causes for a photo in the cosy yard. I drive bye the little river-harbour, with three river ferries and a few river taxis. Here are several huge old buildings, most real neglected by now. The heat is suddenly here, and it sure feels tropical. I drive into, what I expect is the centre of town. On the way, I pass a 
Turquoises concrete needle, which must have story. The main street have a
huge statue of the female Christian god, and some ancient machines like
digger, road roller, lorry and a steam train. And here are a lot of mopeds
and quite some horse wagons.I do many loops, and beside from the many shops, I see horses wagons, cats en masse, a market with second hand footwear and clothes. Here are from the most primitive shags to the most fancy stores, all mixed up in  a really
charming way. As the sun get low, I head home for cooking and writing. Despite it is a hostel, I have a private room with bathroom, and none other than me speak anything but Spanish. Another long evening. At seven, I do a long walk. At first, I only hear frogs, crickets and some owls. Then I reach one of the main roads, and here are a night food-court. The churches I pass have services,  and one is going on, around the huge
female god statue in the middle of a boulevard. Meanwhile, it is flashing in
all colours. Here, like some central American country I have visited,
a guy is firing deafening fireworks of, all the time during service. The parks are lit up, and people play football or volleyball. The town are more alive now, than during the day. Well, the day temperature might explain that. The forecast for tomorrow is full of  sunshine and 33C. I make a cup of coffee, and sit at my private porch, enjoying the sounds of the night, along with the temperature. I’m not really sure it is a good thing, but here are hardly any ants, nor mosquitoes. And my room have a massive sent of naphthalene. When I drive and walk, the air is thick with exhorts gasses. Their old cars and trucks must run on kerosene and engine oil, and you can buy octane 80. Actually, some gas stations have a lot to choose from. Highlights of the day. 25.  No long drive today: I don’t even think I will start the car. I pack my
day-bag (a bottle of water in a pocket), and start with the port, to see if
there is any new ships in. Not really, but the light is better. The sun
have gained full strength, and the temperature soon reach the predicted 33C.
I slowly head for the centre, passing so mixed areas. As I got the time, I see the central part from one end to the other. In the huge second hand market halls, I find a leather bracelet  with red clay pearls. And red clay
is Paraguay to me. A small joint have a rare treat; prepared food without meat: A egg and tomato sandwich. It is followed bye a coffee at Shell, on the main street. Their air-con is tempting, but I use the outdoor chairs. It is not even noon, and I have seen so many great motives. Fancy shops, shags, butchers with and without cooling, smiling people, colourful  fruits
and clothing, horse wagons, tri-bikes and – so much more. I even saw two
Germans at the harbour – unless they, most likely were immigrants. A Comedor lours me in at noon, and I get small potato-things, bean-salad and cabbage salad. Real tasty, and for less than three Euros. At one, I have seen it all, and return home for coffee and a chair in my little  garden. Then I rebuild the bracelet,
to fit it for my souvenir display
case. A
bit hard, when the only tool I have, is a stake-knife, but I’m pretty
pleased
with the result. The tranquil doesn’t last for long. I find the huge bridge, crossing Rio Paraguay in one giant arc, although with many pillars. A little dirt track on the other side of the bridge leads back to it, and I find a single fisherman. Here is a pathway leading along the river for once, and while  I enjoy the
birds-song, I find a few interesting plants. One might be a Heliconia, but
tiny and blue flowers?A walk a bit inland only reveals a half skull of a caiman, but a beast of three or four meters. This is road PY05, and I head twelve kilometres in, to a minor river. I must confess, I did expect it to be a sealed road. And I did expect the river to hold water. It is a complete flat area, and hard to penetrate. Here are a lot  of palms,
some morning-glory and way in: Yellow flowering Irish. I make my way to
them, to great joy for the numerous mosquitoes. Pretty much the only time on
this tour, I get bitten.Back home to Concepcion, where I check the harbour. Less ships, but I figure out; the export from here is only charcoal. As I got a bit stubborn, regarding the Obelisks, I do a loop in the area, and manages to find it again. Home  at five for coffee and bisques, as I gamble on the food night-market.
The parakeets around here have black heads, in contrast to the green-headed in Uruguay. And I never get close enough for a photo. At six, when it gets dark, I walk back to the night-market, and eventually find something animal-less to eat. My plan was to sample a bit from several joints, but when they open around seven, it is all about hambugesas. And 
the big restaurants are the same,
unless you want only meat. I get a huge bon with two fried eggs, cheese ,
tomatoes, corn and some green stuff, along with mayonnaise and ketchup. Half
a kilo, I think. One and a half Euro. I should differently not have tried
the second one, where I get more lettuce and no corn. I could not have
bought a single raw eggs for that, in Denmark. I’m home too early for bed, and wished, I could  process the 300+ photos of
the day. I might consider travelling without computer again, like when I was in Japan and
South Korea, but now, I still have to drag the dead thing along. It makeup
half the weight of my entire luggage. Well, walking from car to car.
Speaking about the car: I usually claim; a metallic grey car, is the best to
hide dirt, but this one have red sides and a general red appearance to it by
now. Home to revive my T-shirt, and prepare for tomorrow. As my flight was change to the day before, and earlier in the day, it is a bit pressed. Highlights of the day. I now get closer to the capital in Diary 4. |