Winter Break (Pt 2)

So where was I?

Oh yes, in Encarnacion, Paraguay. I'd heard about the reduciones at Trinidad and Jesus (pronounced hey-soos) but had no information about how to get there except 'catch a bus at the terminal'. What can I say... I wandered around the bus terminal looking lost until I found a company name I recognised (from my internet research). I tried to speak to someone about a ticket to the ruins but the office was packed full of men and boxes, with a lot of paper being pushed around and signed, general chit-chat and nothing seeming to happen. In the end I gave up and wandered into another office where the man told me I was in the right place and to wait. Half an hour later a bus turns up and the world and it's wife get on board. Luckily I got a seat near the front having checked with the driver that it was going to Trinidad. Later when the driver's assistant came around I checked with him as I wanted everyone to know where I was going.

An interesting thing about bus journeys in this part of the world is that they aren't just a mechanism for getting people from one place to another. The buses also serve as mail carriers so the luggage compartments get full up with small boxes and parcels. In addition, every bus is a selling opportunity. It is normal for people to get on the bus to sell food, drinks (not alcoholic) and nick-nacks such as prayer cards and stickers. These people have a plan... they have a section of the route that they can remain on the bus for and when their section ends, off they get. One last contrast with buses in Europe is that you can flag them down anywhere (when I was in North West Argentina, last July, people would flag the bus down just twenty metres after the last place it had stopped because, well, why should they make the effort to walk those twenty metres?). It is very different from Europe which is designated stops only, no boarding without a ticket, a baggage allowance and no hot food on the coach. Don't know which one I prefer but I guess each is appropriate to the place.

Anyway, back to my journey. The driver stops and shouts Trinidad, I get off, rather relieved but a little confused as I couldn't see any of the signposts that are supposed to be there. Then the driver calls me back and asks if I want the 'ruinas', which, of course, I do. At which point he tells me to get back on the bus and drives a further half a kilometre on before stopping and kicking me off again (in the nicest possible way). There were the signs - big as a house. In my ignorance, it hadn't occurred to me that there might be a village called Trinidad - doh! Thank goodness for the driver. I had a bit of a walk up to the ruins but it was so peaceful that I didn't mind, actually I quite enjoyed it. I took a fair few photos and basically had the place to myself. I really enjoyed the quiet, only the sounds of farm animals and children laughing in the background. I had lunch there and wrote in my diary - I keep a written diary when I'm travelling. After a few hours I walked back to the bus stop and waited... and waited... and waited. It wasn't that late and I wasn't that concerned (there was a hotel at the entrance to the ruins so if the worse came to the worse I would have been able to stay there) but it was cold and I needed the loo. An hour later the bus arrived and we played sardines.

I think they have a policy of never refusing to let people get on the bus as long as there's some room. I am about twice as tall as most Paraguayans (but there are some very rotund women out there) so I could breathe but, by golly, was I pleased when we got back to the bus terminal. At that point I thought I'd check for buses to Jesus for the next day but, woe is me, there aren't any direct buses. What you have to do is catch the bus I'd caught to Trinidad, get off there and then wait for a local bus (called a collectivo) to take you to Jesus - and these buses don't run to any particular timetable. And I made the decision. There was nothing to keep me in Encarnacion for yet another day so one more meal in the hotel dining room (chicken and chips) an early night followed by an early check-out and back to Posadas. The journey back took three buses (but only one fare) and I was back at Posadas bus terminal by midday.

More next post... (by which time I might, but only might, have some photos to share)