Olá Paraguai...

After spending the morning trekking over 9 km, since we were unable to scrounge up enough money for the bus (see post below), we made it to "The Three Frontiers," or the border between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. It was worth the two hour walk (the map was deceiving) to be able to look across the river and see the Argentina and Paraguay flag waving in the breeze.

Earlier in the day, Luiz had asked us if we would meet him at 3pm for a "surprise."

Before I continue, I will give you a brief background on Luiz. Luiz is the owner of the hostel. He is a 46 year old Chilean man with long dark hair, straight white teeth, some scruff and bright green eyes. He would consider his height of 5'7" to be tall when compared with South American men, but measuring in at 5'7" myself, I beg to differ. He is proud of his appearance as well as the "1000 or so" women he has slept with ranging from the age of 72 to a mere 18. He is currently dating a 21 year old girl from Prague, but proudly confirms that in the two months they have been dating, he has only been with two other women. Nevertheless, he is friendly, well traveled and speaks at least five different languages. Luiz took a liking to Rachel and I, or perhaps just to our blonde hair.

So, when he invited Rachel and I on a surprise trip, we were a bit hesitant, but our curiosity managed to override our sense of fear and we agreed to go along. Both of us trusting by nature, we packed our cameras and passports and departed in a taxi cab, unsure of where we were headed.

About fifteen minutes later, the taxi dropped us off in a place that seemed different than anywhere I had ever been before. Luiz informed us that we were in Paraguay. He quickly crossed the street as Rachel and I followed and he whispered to us, "Be careful of police. This is illegal." Apparently we had just illegally crossed the border...

Oddly enough, despite still being so close to the border, Paraguay is completely different than Brazil and the things that happened in the next few hours seem somewhat surreal. We boarded a bus decorated with multicolored fringes and fur patterns. The steering wheel and pedals were connected in such a way that made me feel as if constructing a bus were a simple task that even I could undertake in a matter of days. The driver, seated in what appeared to be a beach chair, collected our 20,000 guarani and we took off with my back foot still hanging out the door. The Paraguay children stared at Rachel and I, and my eyes stayed glued to the window as we toured Paraguay, a country that seems to have abundant natural resources but confusion as to what to do with them.

We departed the bus and casually strolled through a small neighborhood which appeared to have more soccer nets made from sticks than actual inhabitants. As Luiz attempted to teach us Guarani, the native language of Paraguay, I couldn't help but stare at the lady washing her clothes in the stream, the pigs and hens roaming the streets, the trees blooming with bright colored flowers and fruit. Luiz picked up a small yellow fruit from the grass and took a bite. He then instructed Rachel and I to do the same. Reluctantly I took a bite of the dirty fruit, amazed at how delicious it was (I ended up having about twenty more which seemed like a good idea at the time, but not later that night). Luiz guided us down a long dirt road that led to a waterfall. But not a tiny waterfall as you might be imagining, but rather one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen.

As the sun began to set, we made our way to a small house where we stopped to meet some of Luiz's friends, and switched over to communicating in Spanish. Sadly, I think the small amount of Portuguese I have learned has just made it more confusing for me to attempt to speak Spanish again. By nightfall, Luiz decided it was time to head back. On the bus Luiz informed us that once we got off we would have to stop speaking English and walk across the border past the national police that would be there patrolling it. If we were caught without a stamp, the punishment would be possible jail time and a huge fine. Rachel and I conspicuously tucked our blonde hair under our jackets, put our hoods up and our heads down as we quickened our pace and walked as casually as possible past the police and safely back into Brazil.

From this adventure I have learned that sometimes putting just a little trust in a complete stranger can turn into an unforgettable experience.

So I guess I can say that I visited Paraguay, but unfortunately I don't have the stamp to prove it...