So you can have a better view of the big picture of what’s going on here…(price related matter)

BOTH ARE REALLY INTERESTING POST…PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT

http://brendasblogfromparaguay.blogspot.com/2008/06/falling-dollar.html

http://spurlings.blogspot.com/2008/04/falling-dollar-ignorance-was-bliss.html

I didn’t see taxi rates rise (the are pretty much the same rates as last year, and much higher that the year before), or service rates, hiring house service is still cheap but not extremely cheap than before and it is harder to find because most people went to Spain to work as maids or other domestic work.

Eating out is starting to get expensive, lets say in a good restaurant around 40.000Gs. (10$) a plate of good filet mignon, its still a good price, a good "lomito" hamburguer costs 10.000 (2.5$) delicious not mc donalds style, real kind of big hamburgers…the amazing thing is that a small cappuccino coffee at "cafe do ponto" costs more than a huge Starbucks venti drink around 3.50$, that surprised me in a bad way coz when I went to pay for 4 SMALL cappuccinos I found out that the bill was 52.000gs, unbelievable!!!

Renting and real estate are expensive, rent is much more expensive than 2 years ago and even not really great lands or houses in the city are expensive to buy, countryside is still cheap at least for now.

Groceries are ok but not really cheap specially imported good. Clothing is very expensive, and brand name stuff unaffordable, literally unaffordable, let say 3 times more than the US, I haven’t bought anything, I brought all my stuff from the US and I’m not planning to buy anything but art , In fact many people go to Miami to buy stuff to resell in Asuncion…people with the dollar low now can afford more things and some want imported items so people take advantage of that situation to go to US and get exclusive things to resell and most people that do that are successful.

What I still find accessible is ART beautiful art, I went to an art gallery yesterday and was thrilled bye the variety and styles at convenient prices.

I don’t think that Asuncion is a cheap city anymore, there are cheap places and cheap things, good and bad quality but since most of our goods are imported things can get expensive, strangely the minimum wage is still around 1.300.000gs. and I don’t know how people manage to survive.

I don’t know if its just my impression or things are more expensive lately…please readers correct me!

I’m looking for your comments.

Chipa Guazu has no equivalent, its like a creamy corn cheese bread

I personally like the Chipa Guazu more than the sopa paraguaya because it is more creamy, the sopa paraguaya is a bit to dry for me…and I love the chipa guazu will lots of cheese and onions, yummy!

So here it goes, a very easy recipe, enjoy!

• 3 chopped onions
• 1 kilo of chopped corn that’s around 2 pounds corn
• half cup of pig fat that’s for the original recipe but you can replace that with oil, butter or margarine
• 300grams of cheese (if you don’t find the paraguayan cheese you can use uruguayan cheese or mozzarella, or maybe some soft white cheese)
• 5 beated eggs
• half cup of
• 1 cup of milk
• salt and pepper

Saute the onions on the fat, butter or oil then add the milk and let cook for 10 more minutes, then add the cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and chopped corn and mix well, then pour the mix into a form and put it into a hot oven until the top of the Chipa Guazu turns golden brown…

Then tell me how you liked it

Now I’m here and I realize that Asuncion is not perfect, that the city has millions of imperfections, I realize that beauty is subjective and also love is…I realize that I don’t love a person or a place because of its perfection…actually quite the opposite I love it because its imperfection, that actually makes a place or a person unique.

I don’t search for the perfect place, I search for the perfect place for me and now I dare to say aloud that Asuncion is the most be beautiful city in the world (for me)

I literally don’t have a summer for 5 years, because I always come in june when in the US is summer and here is winter, but winters here used to be like summers but this has changed since last year when we really had a cold freezing winter in Paraguay.

It makes me think that perhaps if I fly to Hawaii strangely those days will be dark and cloudy too? Can I ever escape this weather? Will I ever see a sunny day again? Oh well I’m exaggerating, my frustration is talking now, I’m having a great time anyway and the weather wont stop me…I’m just wondering, is this always like this or is it just my luck?

I’m much a complainer, jajaja, well I can’t be nice all the time, right? I know the sun will shine again soon (i hope so) and my mood will improve with it

rainy Asuncion

The thing is that the place is under construction now and even more messy than it use to be, it seem that no body know anything, that even the "bosses" are just as ignorant as the rest and probably have allergy of work…they treat you like they are doing you a favor. On wed i spent 2 hours there and yesterday 3 hours, to resolve a simple issue (they lost a file) they sent me from one section to another, from reclamos to extranjeros, from there to archivo from there to judiciales then to control and then again to reclamos where all started!

While I was waiting I just could observed how they work…there is a lack of computers, they handle many papers, they have huge piles of papers wherever, they put your life files in shoe boxes (literally, I’m not kidding) no wonder files keep disappearing, and if they disappear then is impossible to renew a document.

I’m so upset that my whole "life" is in hands of these people…most women just polish their nails and gossip while "working". I almost forgot that part of Paraguay.

The environment is not ideal and they probably earn few to do nothing.

Not to mention the wait in line for hours while these people do literally nothing, and the worse part is that you don’t have to complain, you don’t know where and with whom to talk, everything is a mess a total mess….you just have to accept and be patient, and perhaps with time and a lot of luck maybe some day you will get your papers.

Public administration literally suck!!! I wish I will never have to deal with it again…but this somehow seems an unlikely dream…so be prepared if you have to deal here with it, unfortunately this matter is due the lack of culture and right systems and most importantly the primitive set of mind that makes the public employee so mediocre because they know they cant be fired.

In these kind of things you really know the other face of Paraguay, an awful reality part of the idiosyncrasy of the nation.

I have to go again today or tomorrow and will try to take a picture so you can have an idea of what I’m talking about.

http://www.ultimahora.com/notas/127409-Unicef:-En-Paraguay-mueren-por-día-9-niños-y-niñas-menores-de-5-años

These deaths are totally avoidable.

One cool thing is that the Hotel Guarani, a hotel that was Paraguay’s postcard face for many years finally has reopened its doors…it was in total abandonment and closed for many years due to bad administration, reflecting Asuncion’s then situation.

With the Hotel Guarani re opened gives me the feeling that everything will get better, for me its a sign of hope of better winds.

Life goes easy here, the pace is slow or slower than one might think, people still find time to meet and human relations seem to run smoothly, that part I always love, that part I hope never changes.

On monday I went to the hospital de Clinicas where years ago I used to donate medicines, I found it in total decadence, I talked to some friendly nurses that showed me arround and even made a list of the medicines they need, sometimes they don’t have even the basics to save lives…

The building was dark and the walls full of moss the aqua blue painting was fading away, the feeling inside was sad, cold and frightening, It certainly was a deep experience for me, to see and perceive things like that, when most of the people were sleeping in their comfy beds at the time of the night that I went there, these people and children didn’t even have a blankets to keep them warm, some had that they have brought with them from their homes, but not even decent blankets has this hopital not far from Downtown Asuncion, not far from huge mansions there are people in need.

I can’t close my eyes to that….as human being and as citizen it is my civil responsibility to care for others I’ve decided to take the matter in my own hands and take action even. Even my cat have a more decent life that many people, how could that have happened, It seems that people lost their emotiveness and are becoming more selfish and less compassionate to others. That saddens me not only the situation per se but the lack of compassion and the assumption as normal things that never should taken for normal.

Im going to be here a bit more than 2 months, So if any of you want to help me go ahead and help people not the burocratic way…but my way, even if we cant save the world be sure we can make a difference in someone’s life all is worthy. People think if you cant change the whole system which is utopic then better not to do anything…I disagree, and if you disagree too contact me and ill give you my paypal address so you can donate and I will personally be in charge of the donations you send…and by now you know me, and know my high sense of  integrity and caring so be sure things will be done.

Please contact me thru the comment or contact me sheet.

sweet nurse and me

native kid waiting to have surgery and his dad

  minor surgery room

awful condition of the patient rooms

A nurse showing me the pavilion   Some of the medications they need.

At 8pm we took the flight with TAM the plane are in very good shape and the service is excellent…no complains. We landed in Sao Paulo at 5am and had 4 hours wait to get the Sao Paulo Asuncion flight also with TAM, at the airport I met a school mate from high school (what a small world) she is living in Canada and was also going to PY.

The last flight was awesome, the service was great, and I never saw so many flight attendants in one plane before. The flight was fun because a Brazilian soccer fans was traveling too and were singing and making jokes…I love Brazilians they always party, no matter where!

We arrived in Py and made the line to get our passports stamped and were waiting for the suitcases…they didn’t arrive…and didn’t arrived in the next flight either, I was tired, i was frustrated for the long day and they long wait for the suitcases…and they finally arrived in the last TAM flight at around 1am.

I was happy to go home and to finally sleep…I was happy to see Asuncion by night, i saw the same uneven streets of the uneven city that i always liked so much, and at that moment I fell peace and knew that beauty is not perfection and that love is subjective.

In that moment I realized that I was happy…and the 2 days trip was worthy!

Here it goes.

1- Asuncion (downtown): Train station, perhaps take a trip in train on sunday to Aregua?, some shopping on calle palma (main downtown street) Lido bar to taste a delicious fish soup or some tasty empanadas, Panteon de los Heroes, La catedral, Chacarita (but dont get down, can be dangerous), Congresso, Palacio de Lopez, Hotel Guarani (working again), Manzana de la Rivera (a museum with permanent exhibits, very interesting) and more shopping at mall excelsior and perhaps a coffee at Bolsi? or a delicious brochette de lomito at Britannia pub at night?

2- Asuncion Villa Morra and shopping. Shopping del Sol, Mariscal Lopez Shopping, Via Allegra, Paseo Carmelitas and maybe a beer at Hooters or a coffee at Havanna cafe?…or a pizza at il Maggiare? You will find a lot of night life around paseo carmelitas, even try a fantastic ice cream at freddo’s. Places usually open until late and people go out from monday to monday…not only weekends as one might suppose.

3- Around Asuncion there are great cities where you will find and love their artisan handcrafts, they are just fantastic…cities you should visit are Luque for filigree and all kind of jewelry but avoid siesta time most places are closed during that time, Aregua for great pottery designs all handmade, San Bernardino to enjoy the beautiful Lago de Ypacarai and maybe eat some bollos at confiteria alemana. I also love ALTOS (if you are in Altos go to Comedor Na Neca to have a great dinner) and Piribebuy and of course don’t forget to visit the Basilica de CAACUPE.

4-Ruinas Jesuiticas and Encarnacion

5-Ciudad del Este for shopping and maybe visit Iguazu Falls in Foz do Iguazu.

And Chaco Paraguay…the Mennonite Colonies Loma Plata and Filadelfia

Maybe even take a trip on the Paraguayan River? I heard there is some good cruise, maybe I should check it out.

Soon I will let you know what I’m doing while in Paraguay…Counting the days, YAY!!