counterclockwise

I’ve arrived in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. This is the Argentine side of the tri-border region with Brazil and Paraguay, at the joining of the Paraná and Iguazu rivers. The Paraná drains out of Brazil to form the border between Argentina and Paraguay. This is the river that was dammed to form the Itaipu reservoir. I’m not going to have time to visit the dam, and it’s a good thing my father the ex-TVA civil engineer won’t have to suffer hearing me say that. Only China’s controversial new Three Gorges Dam has more generating capacity, and Itaipu is something of a legend in the engineering world.

But the border crossing today was a fairly major pain. I got through it OK, but have no urge to do it twice more to bear witness to the stately majesty of millions of tons of concrete. Thank heavens for one good-natured Brazilian cop, who let my missing passport stamp slide when he could have made a six-hour cavity search ordeal out of it. Besides, my last flight into Paraguay went directly over the dam on a cloudless day. In a way, I feel like I’ve been there already.

But if Itaipu is a star among engineering works, the Falls of Iguazu are a wonder, period. Or at least so I’m told. I staggered out of the terminal this afternoon in a sweaty, shell-shocked, sleep-deprived daze. I’ll go tomorrow, I promise. Tonight’s mainly been good for getting to know the town of Puerto Iguazu.

Interesting place. It seems to be evenly divided between three different kinds of buildings: quirky hostels full of backpackers, ordinary suburban houses, and steak houses. If Mendoza, Argentina, was built on the expectation that everyone wants to have at least three croissants and cups of coffee per day, then Puerto Iguazu was built to the philosophy that your day hasn’t really started till you’ve had a slab of high-quality animal protein seared over an open fire.

I like the way these guys think…

Pictured above, steak at Aqva Restaurant. Image file shamelessly lifted from their website.

I’m finishing my Peace Corps service and starting my trip home from Asunción, Paraguay. The weather’s great, I know by now where to find buses, grub, and ATMs, so all in all an auspicious start. We had a group of about forty volunteers go out for dinner, drinking, and dancing last night. Today there’ll be a benefit concert for the Ahecha youth photography project.

Seen above, downtown Asunción seen from the hotel balcony. We’ve lucked into a corner suite with all the bells and whistles this time.

OK, I’m back in Asuncion, and I’ve finally been able to get my camera hooked up. Picture time!

Cathedral in Cordoba:

Great meal in Mendoza:

Wine tasting on the outskirts of Mendoza:

Horseback riding in the Andes:

Fountain in Cerro Santa Lucia park in Santiago, Chile

Port in Valparaiso

Hours spent on buses so far this trip:
Tacuatí to Asunción - 7 hours
Asunción to Rosario - 18 hours
Rosario to Córdoba - 6 hours
Córdoba to Mendoza - 10 hours
Mendoza to Santiago - 7 hours

Anticipated bus routes:
Santiago to Valparaíso - 2 hours
Valparaíso to Santiago - 2 hours
Santiago to Asunción - 30 hours
Asunción to Tacuatí - 8 hours (yes, it’s longer on the way back)

That’s a total of 90 - count ‘em - 90 hours of bus travel, or almost 4 solid days. I don’t sleep very well in moving vehicles of any kind, but with that long to work on it, it’s bound to happen sooner or later.

I’ve crossed the Andes to arrive in Santiago, Chile. So far, so good!

Vacation continues to go well. I’m in Mendoza, Argentina, now and loving it. Wine, good food, and a really neat city. Unfortunately, I left my camera cable at home, so pictures will have to wait. But I should be here for another two days or so, before I cross the Andes.

Ciao

On vacation for the next two weeks or so. First stop: Cordoba, Argentina.

After an eventful, long, and long-overdue vacation to the United States, I’m safely back in Tacuatí. It’s nice not to be living out of a suitcase anymore, but I’ve had to start from scratch on acclimating to the heat down here. My tan is recovering nicely, though.

And as I’m getting back on the hora paraguaya, it’s hard to believe all that went into those few weeks. Great to see you, Mom, Bill, Katie, Dan, Preston, Bruce, Sandra, Colin, Zak, Laura, and Richy! Great to meet you, Rosa, Benito, Alba, Beno, Miguel, Santiago, and Juan Carlos!

Also - dog sledding:

And - the Grand Canyon:

And - Nogales-Sonora, Mexico:

Six time zones. Nine planes. And maybe a few major holidays in there somewhere. You tend to lose track…

The Guaraní word of the day is tembiapo, meaning work. Back to it, people. See you in seven months!

OK, I’m going to break from my usual web policy and for once announce where I’m going before I get there.

I’m going home for Christmas! Call me! E-mail me! See me in person! Kick my ass in video games! Feed me foods that are not mandioca! I promise I’m not carrying any tropical diseases. Well, OK, at least not any contagious ones.

Airline schedule permitting, I should be available in Knoxville from January 1, and leaving midday on the 5th. I’ll have access to my e-mail. Write for phone numbers - I’ll be mooching off my mother’s cell and landline while I’m in town.

The Guaraní word of the day is mo’o meaning where. Mo’o am I going? To visit people I love! To the land of eight-lane asphalted highways, 24-hour Super Target, hot water on tap, microwave ovens, and ubiquitous broadband. To Colorado, to the Grand Canyon, to the Arizona border country, and to Knoxville! Life is good.

Price of a very nice, high capacity, super ergonomic backpack if purchased new: $275

Price of same, used once, via eBay: $97 (after shipping and handling)

I’ve had one bad eBay experience before, but this certainly wasn’t it. And I do love my new backpack. So far I’ve got about 30 pounds (or 13 kg once I arrive in metric-land) of heavy, uncomfortable stuff like power converters, essential gadgets, and shoes in there, but I still feel like I could wear the pack all day. Previously I’d resolved to just suck it up and suffer through the airport in order to accommodate my stuff. Now it looks like that won’t be necessary. Of course, I say this having not yet spent days on end attached to my baggage . . .