1-6/6/2014, Pedro Juan Caballero
Ypir Hospedaje
Mariscal Estigarribia
Just around the corner, at a hospedaje I had found full last night. Again, an inquiry was made. This time they had a room.
I couldn’t wait to get out of the present lodgings.
For one night it might have been ok but for a week no way.
The family at the Ypir hospedaje were great. They had home cooked meals and Celestino the husband who rode a bike took me for a ride around the town to look for spare spokes.
They were not found.
So, this 6 day stop here has been to get things that probably will be unattainable for some time.
I had hoped to pursue some Portuguese lessons but this did not happen, the time slipped by so fast.
Almost everything clothes wise I own was washed and a full gear check was carried out,.
This town is a mecca for Brasileros who freely cross the border to buy all manner of goods.
There is a huge store here called China Shopping, possibly 6-7 acres under one roof. They sell almost every leading brand from clothing, cameras, guns, sporting goods to food.
The woman I bought my camera off told me 93% of the customers are from Brasil.
Celestino said, us Paraguayos don’t have the money to shop there. In a manner that no way belittled Paraguayos.
I had to buy a lot of little electrical things like a third battery for my Samsung S4, a new speaker cable and another USB charger. After 2 years things are just wearing out.
I use kindle alot on the phone, so the extra batteries can keep me reading.
Good Brazillian (good for me) coffee has been bought. It has been hard to find unsugared ground coffee. The brand now is also not to fine and the water moves through my filter quicker.
I got my final Rabies injection in Brazil as they did not have vials here. That took half a day to get organized.
My Portuguese is so bad, that only when the nurse wanted to put a collar on my neck, did I realise it was the wrong type of hospital!! Not quit but it is hard to understand.
Not being river towns, one side of the road is Brazil and the other is PY, people can freely cross between the two.
The BR side of the road is dead compared to PY. Brazil is one of the highest taxing countries in the developing world.
Here in PY there are literally dozens of huge tyre replacement facilities, on the weekend they were almost full with Brasileros getting new tyres fitted at a price of half of that in their country.
People travel from all over to get here. This can be seen by the myriad of districts on the BR number plates.
The border street is lined with stalls and upmarket shops selling every imaginable electrical gadget and house hold goods.
Just as the trip was getting easy for me, language wise. I am now going to be in BR for maybe 6 months.
My knowledge right now of Portuguese is almost nil. The difficult thing is to shut Spanish out, it has been found.
Though, I have a better chance of being understood in Spanish.
My spare spoke supply is getting low as they seem to break often on the rear wheel. Hopefully, there will be some bike shops further north.
With Brazil hosting the world cup this year, it will be busy, though it is hoped most people will be around the host cities. Manaus will be my only contact with this event.
This comment taken from the latest Lonely Planet BR probably explains why there are few touring cyclists here.
Lonely Planet’s view of cycle touring in Brazil
Bicycle: You don’t see many long-distance cyclists in Brazil.
Among the hazards are crazy drivers who only respect vehicles larger than themselves, lots of trucks on the main roads spewing out unfiltered exhaust fumes, roads without shoulder room, long distances and the threat of theft.
Given the many real dangers, long-distance cycling in Brazil is not recommended.
If you’re determined to tackle Brazil by bike, go over your bike with a fine-tooth comb before leaving home and fill your repair kit with every imaginable spare part. There are several decent bike shops in Rio for buying equipment and gear as well as renting bikes (which average R $ 50 per day).
Ref: Lonely Planet; St Louis, Regis; Chandler, Gary; Clark, Gregor; Gleeson, Bridget; Noble, John; Raub, Kevin; Smith, Paul (2013-10-01). Lonely Planet Brazil (Travel Guide) (Kindle Locations 32466-32471). Lonely Planet Publications. Kindle Edition.
My opinion of this statement will be revealed as time passes in Brazil. It will be great to prove them wrong. (positive, positive!!)
Though, it is expected that there will be very tough, often uncomfortable times from here to the Amazon River mouth. It will be a dream come true, should the element of danger not be experienced.
I can’t do much more on this one, than keep my fingers crossed.
Hopefully the use of respect, enthusiasm and listening to people will aid me, they have done until now.
My biggest concern is the language barrier, remembering what it was like in my first Spanish speaking country, Nicaragua.
The Paraguayo people have been some of the most friendly, laid back and hospitable people I have spent time with.
The people I have met speak clear easily interpreted Español. Most of all they are proud people. Proud of their little country that is often called the heart of SA.
The even took on the might of Brazil in a border battle against impossible odds.
The war with Paraguay in 1865. Invaded by its neighbour. Brazil teamed up with Argentina and Uruguay and thrashed the Paraguayans back across the border. Paraguay was left crippled – its population slashed to just 200,000, of whom around 180,000 were women. Brazil, too, suffered heavily: around 100,000 men died, many of them slaves sent to war in the place of wealthier Brazilians.
Lonely Planet; St Louis, Regis; Chandler, Gary; Clark, Gregor; Gleeson, Bridget; Noble, John; Raub, Kevin; Smith, Paul (2013-10-01). Lonely Planet Brazil (Travel Guide) (Kindle Locations 30873-30876). Lonely Planet Publications. Kindle Edition.
Whilst here I had got to know Celestino's sons and daughters , they were students.
Often their friends were around.
They put on a BBQ out on the street for my last night.
We bought beer. One of the guys, a vet bought beef from a friend of his who owned a butchers shop.
The meat was rump steak cuts, it was the darkest red meat I have ever seen, it was also fresh.
Steaks were placed on a grill above charcoal. The meat was cooked just beyond blood coming from a cut, I guess medium rare.
The secret seems to be to have the grill well above the burning charcoal. It cooks slowly.
For me meat cooked over wood or charcoal gives it a flavour far superior to that over gas.
I told the guys that in Aussie and NZ almost everyone now cooks over gas when BBQing. Charcoal is costly in our countries, so is time.......
As each piece was cooked, it was cut into slithers and we helped ourselves.
These were enjoyed natural or with either fresh lemon juice or a spicy sauce. At times both of the latter.
Without a doubt this now rates as the best BBQ beef I have ever eaten. It was so sweet and yet had a strong delicate flavour with a texture still requiring a good chew.
Celestinos wife, Blanca told me the beef here is sought around the world because the cattle are raised on native pastures, not feed products.
A texture so as not to be tough.
This was bought for $4/kg.
We sat around chatting and drinking outside the hospedaje on the footpath which is normal here.
The guys were great company, many were students at the local uni down the road.
Earlier in the evening one of them turned up with a bag of silver trinklets, he had been door knocking all day buying silver to pay for his studies, cool stuff and so resourceful!.
Ypir Hospedaje
Mariscal Estigarribia
Just around the corner, at a hospedaje I had found full last night. Again, an inquiry was made. This time they had a room.
I couldn’t wait to get out of the present lodgings.
For one night it might have been ok but for a week no way.
The family at the Ypir hospedaje were great. They had home cooked meals and Celestino the husband who rode a bike took me for a ride around the town to look for spare spokes.
They were not found.
So, this 6 day stop here has been to get things that probably will be unattainable for some time.
I had hoped to pursue some Portuguese lessons but this did not happen, the time slipped by so fast.
Almost everything clothes wise I own was washed and a full gear check was carried out,.
This town is a mecca for Brasileros who freely cross the border to buy all manner of goods.
There is a huge store here called China Shopping, possibly 6-7 acres under one roof. They sell almost every leading brand from clothing, cameras, guns, sporting goods to food.
The woman I bought my camera off told me 93% of the customers are from Brasil.
Celestino said, us Paraguayos don’t have the money to shop there. In a manner that no way belittled Paraguayos.
I had to buy a lot of little electrical things like a third battery for my Samsung S4, a new speaker cable and another USB charger. After 2 years things are just wearing out.
I use kindle alot on the phone, so the extra batteries can keep me reading.
Good Brazillian (good for me) coffee has been bought. It has been hard to find unsugared ground coffee. The brand now is also not to fine and the water moves through my filter quicker.
I got my final Rabies injection in Brazil as they did not have vials here. That took half a day to get organized.
My Portuguese is so bad, that only when the nurse wanted to put a collar on my neck, did I realise it was the wrong type of hospital!! Not quit but it is hard to understand.
Not being river towns, one side of the road is Brazil and the other is PY, people can freely cross between the two.
The BR side of the road is dead compared to PY. Brazil is one of the highest taxing countries in the developing world.
Here in PY there are literally dozens of huge tyre replacement facilities, on the weekend they were almost full with Brasileros getting new tyres fitted at a price of half of that in their country.
People travel from all over to get here. This can be seen by the myriad of districts on the BR number plates.
The border street is lined with stalls and upmarket shops selling every imaginable electrical gadget and house hold goods.
Just as the trip was getting easy for me, language wise. I am now going to be in BR for maybe 6 months.
My knowledge right now of Portuguese is almost nil. The difficult thing is to shut Spanish out, it has been found.
Though, I have a better chance of being understood in Spanish.
My spare spoke supply is getting low as they seem to break often on the rear wheel. Hopefully, there will be some bike shops further north.
With Brazil hosting the world cup this year, it will be busy, though it is hoped most people will be around the host cities. Manaus will be my only contact with this event.
This comment taken from the latest Lonely Planet BR probably explains why there are few touring cyclists here.
Lonely Planet’s view of cycle touring in Brazil
Bicycle: You don’t see many long-distance cyclists in Brazil.
Among the hazards are crazy drivers who only respect vehicles larger than themselves, lots of trucks on the main roads spewing out unfiltered exhaust fumes, roads without shoulder room, long distances and the threat of theft.
Given the many real dangers, long-distance cycling in Brazil is not recommended.
If you’re determined to tackle Brazil by bike, go over your bike with a fine-tooth comb before leaving home and fill your repair kit with every imaginable spare part. There are several decent bike shops in Rio for buying equipment and gear as well as renting bikes (which average R $ 50 per day).
Ref: Lonely Planet; St Louis, Regis; Chandler, Gary; Clark, Gregor; Gleeson, Bridget; Noble, John; Raub, Kevin; Smith, Paul (2013-10-01). Lonely Planet Brazil (Travel Guide) (Kindle Locations 32466-32471). Lonely Planet Publications. Kindle Edition.
My opinion of this statement will be revealed as time passes in Brazil. It will be great to prove them wrong. (positive, positive!!)
Though, it is expected that there will be very tough, often uncomfortable times from here to the Amazon River mouth. It will be a dream come true, should the element of danger not be experienced.
I can’t do much more on this one, than keep my fingers crossed.
Hopefully the use of respect, enthusiasm and listening to people will aid me, they have done until now.
My biggest concern is the language barrier, remembering what it was like in my first Spanish speaking country, Nicaragua.
The Paraguayo people have been some of the most friendly, laid back and hospitable people I have spent time with.
The people I have met speak clear easily interpreted Español. Most of all they are proud people. Proud of their little country that is often called the heart of SA.
The even took on the might of Brazil in a border battle against impossible odds.
The war with Paraguay in 1865. Invaded by its neighbour. Brazil teamed up with Argentina and Uruguay and thrashed the Paraguayans back across the border. Paraguay was left crippled – its population slashed to just 200,000, of whom around 180,000 were women. Brazil, too, suffered heavily: around 100,000 men died, many of them slaves sent to war in the place of wealthier Brazilians.
Lonely Planet; St Louis, Regis; Chandler, Gary; Clark, Gregor; Gleeson, Bridget; Noble, John; Raub, Kevin; Smith, Paul (2013-10-01). Lonely Planet Brazil (Travel Guide) (Kindle Locations 30873-30876). Lonely Planet Publications. Kindle Edition.
Whilst here I had got to know Celestino's sons and daughters , they were students.
Often their friends were around.
They put on a BBQ out on the street for my last night.
We bought beer. One of the guys, a vet bought beef from a friend of his who owned a butchers shop.
The meat was rump steak cuts, it was the darkest red meat I have ever seen, it was also fresh.
Steaks were placed on a grill above charcoal. The meat was cooked just beyond blood coming from a cut, I guess medium rare.
The secret seems to be to have the grill well above the burning charcoal. It cooks slowly.
For me meat cooked over wood or charcoal gives it a flavour far superior to that over gas.
I told the guys that in Aussie and NZ almost everyone now cooks over gas when BBQing. Charcoal is costly in our countries, so is time.......
As each piece was cooked, it was cut into slithers and we helped ourselves.
These were enjoyed natural or with either fresh lemon juice or a spicy sauce. At times both of the latter.
Without a doubt this now rates as the best BBQ beef I have ever eaten. It was so sweet and yet had a strong delicate flavour with a texture still requiring a good chew.
Celestinos wife, Blanca told me the beef here is sought around the world because the cattle are raised on native pastures, not feed products.
A texture so as not to be tough.
This was bought for $4/kg.
We sat around chatting and drinking outside the hospedaje on the footpath which is normal here.
The guys were great company, many were students at the local uni down the road.
Earlier in the evening one of them turned up with a bag of silver trinklets, he had been door knocking all day buying silver to pay for his studies, cool stuff and so resourceful!.
 Celestinos VW, I gave him my map of UY and PY and told him to head off, he laughed.
 BBqing and drinking on the streets is accepted, outside the hospedaje.
 Shopping China, Brasileros here by the hundreds.
 mate that would last all day. Remedial herb on the top, seen in hardware shop in Brazil.
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 In Brazil looking back to Paraguay.
 Great company and to die for beef.
 Door knocking to buy unwanted silver to pay for uni
 This crew were loading goods bought here to take 1000km in Brazil to sell in their shop.
bought in PY
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