Homeland Security

Did you know I am afraid of flying? I just don't tell anyone. I was a little jumpy on the plane from BA to Atlanta. It's nothing liquid- or nail clipper-related, just take off, turbulence and landing. I just lucidly realize I'm hurtling through the stratosphere at 518 mph in an enormous metal thing. So, we touched down in New York Monday morning, I wandered around the Grand Central Station area for awhile. I took the train north an hour to Poughkeepsie where my friend Laura is starting grad school. Her first day was actually that day. Well, we spent three hours in the train station not catching up but sitting on different sides and not knowing the other was there. Once that stupid bit was over we went to her country apartment that she rents from some burn-out dance teacher who used to hang with Warhol and Basquiat. She's alright. Tuesday Laura and I visited the lovely Vanderbilt Mansion outside of Highland, then she had class so I poked around the campus a bit. I have campusitis, if grad school happens, it'll be in a while. I already knew that, but the decision solidified in my visiting the grounds. I usually learn more reading slate.com than I did in a classroom. So now Laura has class all day and the neighbor is gone...I was gonna ask him if he wanted to go canoeing. But last night I remembered Evan Green lives in Albany, so I messaged him and he's driving down right now! Gonna go into Manhattan tomorrow to see some art and two other friends.

Supiste que tengo miedo de volar? Nunca lo digo. Estaba un poquito asustado en el vuelo desde BA a Atlanta. Ya te lo traduzco, Laura acaba de llegar y me tengo que ir...

I wanna be a part of BA

Buenos Aires, Big Apple. Well readers, my apologies for not having blogged at all this week. Time has flown and the crowd here stays out really late and I'm forgetful. I pulled in from the overnight bus that left from Porto Alegre, Brasil on Monday. My friend Anders hooked me up with a place to stay so I immediately called but no one was home. I only waited an hour or two before getting through then it was off to Cata's apartment. Nice work on befriending only Colombians, Anders. I feel really at home here (Everyone knows Colombians are cooler than porteños) (Porteños are people from BA and they have stiff upper lips). So at once Cata and I went out to Puerto Madero for a lovely walk that lasted until la Calle Florida which is a pedestrian shopping zone full of leather and tango. Later we met with other Cata, Monica and Tati--two more colombianas and a brasilera. Everyone was laughing because they hadn´t met a gringo who speaks Colombian sayings. Points for me. The following day was more miles of walking, this time in la Boca (tango´s birthplace, kind-of) (Carlos Gardel was Uruguayan if you want to argue) and later in Palermo and historic San Telmo. We went that night to the despedida (farewell party) of an Italian girl who had been studying here and had an incredible apartment in hip Palermo. The following day was more walking mixed with shopping. Cata advised me of a student´s travel agency and essentially saved me a bundle. How much? About six hundo. Seriously, I almost bought a 1200-dollar ticket online out of desperation and deception. So that night we went to Juan´s apartment, yet another colombiano. This one was a musician with an aparment full of instruments and equipment but devoid of much talent. Sorry, I said it. It´s a tough industry, okay? We are now on Friday. Friday was more walking except this time I was lost. Cata and I were going to meet another colombiana (imaginete) but I got separated. I just took a cab to the meeting point. Said point was the Papeleria, a fantastic hipster-run place that sells homemade paper products like sketchbooks and prints. Later I met up with other colombians (duh) while Cata was in class. Like any normal colombians we go out every night so we circuited some bars and I drank my fill of Quilmes cerveza. Saturday Cata and I walked along the paved coast of some river that seemed like ocean it was so big. We finally met up with the colombians and went to a few more places. Now it´s Sunday and time to get out of bed becuase 2 pm seems late and I usually get up at 1. Sidenote, I´m taking the overnight jet to New York! It hasn't hit me yet. One, that I´ll be in New York tomorrow, two, that this marks the end of the South American experience. I have been in this damn continent for eight months. I´m ready for the dollar.

Bueno, amigos, que pena por no haberles escrito. El tiempo aqui ha volado y la gente se acuesta tarde y yo soy distraido. Llegue el lunes desde Porto Alegre, Brasil. Mi amigo Anders arreglo donde quedarme--el estudio aqui hace un año. Llamé pero nadia estaba pero despues de esperar una hora ya llego Cata y me fui de una a su apartamento. Bien hecho, Anders, por solo tener amigas colombianas. Me siento en mi casa (todos saben que colombianos son mas bacanos que porteños). Allá fuimos a Puerto Madero para una caminata linda que duró hasta la calle Florida, una peatonal de shopping llena de tango y cuero. Luego encontramos con la otra Cata, Monica y Tati--dos mas colombianas y una garota. Todas estaban cagando de risa porque nunca habian conocido a un gringo que habla dichos colombianos. El dia siguiente fue mas kilometros de caminando, esta vez en la Boca donde nacio el tango (Gardel era uruguayo si quieres discutir) y despues a Palermo y el historico San Telmo. Aquella noche fuimos a la despedida de una italiana que habia estudiando aqui y quien tuvo un apartamento bacano en Palermo en la parte como ´hip´y artistica. El dia siguiente era de mas caminata mezclada con shopping. Cata me consejo de una agencia de viajes para estudiantes y esencialmente me ahorro seis cientos dolares. Imaginense, casi compre por internet el pasaje de ida en mil docientos dolares por desesperacion y decepcion. Entonces aquella noche fuimos al apartamento de Juan, otro colombiano. Este era musico con el apartamento lleno de instrumentos y equipos pero vacio de talento. Que pena por decirla, pero es una industria dura. Ahora estamos en el viernes. Era de mas caminata aunque me perdi. Cata y yo ibamos a encontrar con otra colombiana pero me separe de ellas. Igual tome taxi al lugar donde ibamos a llegar que era la Papeleria, un almacen bacanisimo de hipsters y artistas quien hacen papel y cuadernos y serigraphes. Luego me encontre con mas colombianos (aparecen en todas partes, no?) mientras Cata estaba en clase. Como colombianos normales, salimos cada noche y fuimos a bares y yo tome mucha cerveza Quilmes. El sabado Cata y yo caminamos por la costa de un rio que se parece el mar es tan grande. Finalmente nos encontramos con los colombianos para ir a otros bares. Ahora es el domingo y ya tengo que amanecer porque son las 2 y estoy acostumbrado de despertarme a la una. Otra cosa, yo volo a Nueva York esta noche!! No lo puedo creer. No puedo creer que estare en Nueva York y tampoco puedo creer que ya se acabo la experiencia suramericana. Ya llevo ocho meses en ese maldito continente. Estoy listo para el dolar.

Hurrying

Well, final days in Rio went well. Actually, they were in Nitaroi which is a separate city. I went on a nice walk with Maria Helena and her boyfriend Ovi. The Niemeyer museum was closed for exhibition change. That´s probably the fourth time something like that has happened to me. Anyway, Saturday we went to a ´hood that looked like Italy (from movies, I guess). We had some great shrimp. I had to go to the airport, so that ate up the afternoon, but then I bought groceries and cooked some supper. The family had a wedding to attend, so I was home alone and watched the Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus DVD. Those loons. Anyway, I´m in Porto Alegre now about to take a bus to Buenos Aires, finally!! But internet time is almost up. sorry, update later

Pues, los ultimos dias en Rio pasaronn bien. Actualmente, estaba en Nitaroi que es otra ciudad. Fui caminando con Maria Helena y su novio, Ovi. El museo diseñado por Niemeyer era cerrado por el cambio de exhibicion. Esto me ha pasado como cuatro veces. El sabado fuimos a un barrio que vio como fuese Italia, pues segun las peliculas. Comimos camarones buenisimos. Fui al aeropuerto para un boleto a Porto Alegre.

River of January

Well, last night I went to Vinicius Piano Bar for a spectacular bossa nova show. The opener guy was a beast on guitar and sang some classics, including a bossa version of Stevie´s I Just Called to Say I Love You, which seems wankery but it was actually pretty good and not annoyingly repetitive like it´s original. Act Two was Maria something and her band. She was a hair gimmicky in her set, but all of them were really talented (she has sung with Jobim!!) Side note, this venue is on the same corner where Vinicius do Moraes and Jobim co-wrote Girl from Ipanema. Having come because of bossa, I´m fulfilled. Met a Chilean guy at the venue who was a music nut and had some good bossa history for me. Plus it was good to speak Spanish to Spanish instead of Spanish to Portuguese (they´re close, but it´s pretty hard because of the pronunciation). This morning I took the bus then the boat over the bay to Nitaroi where my friend Maria Helena lives, the lady I met in Cuzco. She was working so her two daughters welcomed me, albeit awkwardly because they´re 15 and 13. But the former brought out her keyboard and Grandpa´s old guitar so I was set for the afternoon. Tomorrow I´m gonna go to the Museo do Arte Contemporaneo, the new Niemeyer building on the rocky coast facing Rio.

Anoche fui a Vinicius Piano Bar para ver un show de bossa nova espectacular. El cantante que empezo era un duro de guitarra y toco clasicas, incluyendo una version de I Just Called to Say I Love You por Stevie Wonder. Se parecia bovo, pero era buena y no tan repetitiva como el original. La segunda presentacion era un conjunto con cantante Maria algo cuya performancia era un poco ´showy´pero igual todos son talentosos (ella ha cantado con Jobim!!) Otra cosa, este lugar esta hubicada en la esquina donde Vinicius do Moraes y Jobim componaron La Chica de Ipanema. De haber venido por la bossa, ya estoy satisfecho. Conoci a un chileno quien es fanatico y el me conto historias interesantes. Tambien fue bien hablar Español a Español en vez de Español a Portugues (son parecidas, pero es dificil por la pronunciacion). Esta mañana tome el bus y la lancha tras la bahia hasta Nitaroi donde vive mi amiga Maria Helena, la señora que conoci en Cusco. Ella estaba trabajando entonces sus dos hijas me llevaron, incomodas un poquito porque tienen 15 y 13 años. Pero despues de que la mayor saco sus teclas y la guitarra vieja de su abuelo, paso la tarde bien. Mañana ire al Museo do Arte Contemporaneo, el nuevo edeficio de Niemeyer que queda en la costa en frente de Rio.

the rio deal

Left from Sao Paolo yesterday after missing the 1.20 bus because I was at the wrong platform. Got into Rio de Janeiro last night at about 9 or 10 and the cabbie convinced me of a different hostel in a safer neighborhood. I went with it, and of course it's one of those with an Addams Family architectural layout and is like the British Backpacker's Embassy. At least no one snored last night. Before bed, I had some caipirinhas at a cheap restaurant full of drunkards passing around a guitar to the two old prostitutes' delight. Don't worry, it was well lit. Today I went to Corcovado to see Christ the Redeemer. More impressive is Rio's landscape. And the thought that I swear that was Dame Judi Dench's sister in line in front of me. The landscape anyway is the north region and the south region, both bordered either by forest-covered mountains or the Atlantic. My hostel's in Copacabana, next to Ipanema. I've heard of a girl from there. I'm pretty sure I'm here because of Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz. Everytime I step outside, I start humming that song. Or singing the Sinatra Cheese version with his New York accent. Gonna check the da Vinci exhibit at the museum tomorrow, then shoot across the bay to the Nitaroi 'hood where my friend lives.

Sali de Sao Paolo ayer despues de perder el bus de 1.20 por estar en la plataforma equivocada. Llegue anoche a las 9 o 10 y fui a otro hostal segun el consejo del taxista. Por supuesto es un edificio con pisos como fuera la familia los Addams. Tambien es otro Embajada Britannica. A lo bien, nadie ronco anoche. Antes de acostarme, tome unas caipirinhas en un restaurante barato lleno de borrachos tocando y pasando la guitarra a la felicidad de las prostitutas viejas. No te preocupes, estaba con mucha luz. Hoy fui a ver Cristo el Redimador. Mas impresionante es la vista de Rio y de hecho lo juro que vi a la hermana de Dama Judi Dench. Pero la vista es las regiones norte y sur de Rio, completamente rodeada por montanas y el Atlantico. El hostal esta en Copacabana, el barrio al lado de Ipanema. He oido algo sobre una garota de aqui. Lo juro estoy aqui por Joao Gilberto y Stan Getz. Cada vez que salgo para afuera, empiezo a cantar la cancion esa o la version por Frank Sinatra con su acento nueva yorkeno. Vere la exhibicion de da Vinci manana y irme tras la bahia al barrio Nitaroi donde vive mi amiga.

terça-feira

That´s Portuguese for Tuesday. Well, I´ve been absent-minded about blogging, which is perfectly normal for me. Saturday night Isabel and I had some nice pizza with two of her friends. They ditched and we met two more friends at a samba bar whose name I´m told translates roughly as ´Good Reason.´ Good as any. There was a guitar player on both of two floors, the bottom being samba and the top being musica popular Brasilera. I love that one guy is playing a guitar and singing and everyone was dancing. Just like Nebraska, I know. I´m looking into that. Sunday was other-wordly. I got out of bed, Rodrigo asked me if I was hungry. We got into the car and 10 minutes after lowering the visor to block the low-hanging sun from my eyes I realized the sun was low-hanging. I wondered if it was morning...´What time is it?!´ It was a quarter to six. Which is fine, I guess. We went to the most amazing restaurant thus far. Brazil has these ´running skewer´style restaurants where guys weilding 2-foot skewers loaded with anything from raw cow (recommended) to cooked cow to chicken hearts to lamb do circuits around the tables. That´s always great, but the buffet at this place has more color than Rogers and Hammerstein. They had four kinds of sushi in the buffet. It wasn´t any good, but I let it slide on argument of variety. I couldn´t identify anything more than the rice and the chicken but I guess I ate squid, octupus, cheese, weird plants, casseroles, pig and more cheese. If you know me you know I was happy. Then I went home and watched a chick flick. It happens, alright? Monday was another limbo day because I got up at one (couldn´t sleep the night before from being awake like four hours) and had plans to see some sights and go to a museum or two. Well, this dandy apartment has a two-sided deadbolt. I mean to say you need the key to escape, said key wasn´t left for me. So I was trapped ´til about 4.30 by which time after finding an ATM, eating and taking a traffic-cab, the museum was closed. But I walked around for a long time. Don´t think I completely wasted my afternoon...I watched Dick Cavett clips on youtube for hours. If both Clive James and my dad recommend Dick Cavett http://www.slate.com/id/2159367/ you know he´s good. Well, I see key, I´m going.

He sido distraido por el blog, que para mi es perfectamente normal. Sábado por la noche Isabel y yo comimos pizza buena con sus amigos. Ellos se marcharon entonces encontramos con dos mas amigos en un bar samba que se traduzca mas o menos a ´Buena Razon.´ Como cualquier. Hubo un guitarrista en ambos pisos, uno de samba en la planta baja y de musica popular Brasilera en la segunda. Me encantó que con solamente un guitarrista cantando todos bailan. Como fuera Nebraska. Intentaré cambiarlo. Sunday fue extraño. Me levanté y Rodrigo me preguntó si tenia hambre. Entramos el auto y despues de diez minutos de colgar el visor para que el sol no entrara los ojos, me dió cuenta que el sol estaba muy bajo. Seria mañana?...´Que hora es?!´ Faltó un cuarto para las seis. Pero bien, creo. Fuimos a un restaurante espectacular donde los meseros andan con el carne en el palo. Siempre me gusta esto, pero el mejor fue el buffet que tiene mas color que una chompa Boliviana. Habian cuatro tipos de sushi, en el buffet. Bueno, no eran bien hechos, pero lo permito de parte de la variedad. No pudí identificar mas que el arroz y el pollo, pero comí calamari, pulpo, queso, plantas raras, caseroles, cerdo y mas queso. Si me conoces, sabes que yo era feliz. Regresamos al apartamento y ví una pelicula de mujeres. Esto pasa. El lunes fue tambien como ´limbo´porque me levanté a la una y media (de haber estado despertado como cuatro horas no pudí dormir) y tenia planes de caminar y ir a unos museos. La puerta en este apartamento tiene el seguro de ambos lados. Igual, uno necesita la llave para salir. Esta llave no me dejaron Rodrigo o Isabel. Entonces era secuestrado hasta las 4 y media. Después de encontrar un cajero, comer y tomar el taxi-trancón, el museo ya estaba cerrado. Pero caminé y ví mucho. No pienses que perdí todo la tarde, yo miraba videos de Dick Cavett en youtube. Si Clive James e igual mi papa le recomiendan http://www.slate.com/id/2159367/, sabes que es un duro. Bueno, veo la llave, me voy.

Sao that´s it.

Yes, I pulled into Sao Paolo yesterday at noon thirty, tired after two nights of buses and not sleeping well. My pack is getting heavy and I don´t know why, I haven´t bought too much stuff. Actually gravity increases the further south you go and the toilets flush up. After thirteen ATM machines I finally got one that spat cash and I got the first cab downtown. I chose the Plaza Hotel, showered finally, napped finally and walked around a bit. My friend Isabel called me back and I ended up not staying there but instead at her friend Rodrigo´s apartment, which is quite nice and high up. Before that we went to a restaurant with some of her friends and I had some chicken hearts and chicken stomachs. Not for the chicken-hearted. Except today I have a stricken stomach. I slept in, then walked around after lunch. I heard some music and peeked into a mechanic shop--there were three guys singing and playing guitar, accordion and a homemade drum. I watched them for a while, it was great. They sucked, but the best things in life you don´t pay for. There isn´t a font big enough to describe how enormous Sao Paolo is. It´s the business capital of South America and it shows by the horizon to opposite horizon of building-forest. I´m on the 24th floor and all I see is buildings until the fog (and smog) blur the edges. I don´t remember Mexico City being half this size, but there the population´s meat is mostly slum; this place is spread like Sunday´s paper. Isabel´s gonna look for a samba party tonight, whatever that is. I´ll go to Rio (6 hrs by bus) on Monday.

Bueno, llegué a Sao Paolo ayer a mediodía, cansado por las dos noches en buses sín dormir bien. La mochila pesa más sín explicación, no he comprado tanto. Actualmente, la gravedad aumenta lo mas sur que estas y los inodoros fluyen pa´arriba. Después de trece cajéros finalmente salió el efectivo y tomé el primer taxi hasta el centro. Escogí el Plaza Hotel, me bañé finalmente, durmí finalmente y caminé un poquito. Me llamó mi amiga Isabel y me quedé en el apartamento de su amigo Rodrigo, que es lindo y alto, en vez de en el hotel. Antes de esto fuimos a un restaurante con unos amigos suyos y comí corazones de pollo y estomagos de pollo. No son para gallinas. Pero hoy tengo el estomago afectado. Me dormí hasta mediodía y caminé después del almuerzo. Oí música, entonces miré en un shop del mecánico y vi a tres tipos cantando y tocando guitarra, accordión y bateria hecho de mano. Eran malos para tocar, pero fue fantastico. Para las mejores cosas en la vida no hay que pagar. No hay un fonte suficientemente grande para describir como tan enorme es Sao Paolo. Es la capital de negocios de Suramérica y se nota por la horizonte hasta la otra horizonte de bosque-edificio. Estoy en el piso 24 y solo veo edificios hasta que la neblina (y contaminación) borran el borden. No me acuerdo la Ciudad de Mexico siendo tan grande como acá, pero la mayoridad de la población allá es getto; aquí la propia ciudad es tan grande Oscar Niemeyer estaría perdido. Esta noche Isabel va a buscar una rumba samba, sea como sea. Iré a Rio el lunes, seis horas en bus.

out of asunción

Finally I escaped the whirlpool of relaxed hospitality and good conversion rates. Brazil I guess actually has an economy intact, since one dollar is like two reias, rather than 5 thousand Paraguayan Guaranis. Bade farewell to my caretakers after a day of napping (I was a hair hungover from a birthday party) and took off for Ciudad del Este last night. Didn´t sleep much on the bus, probably three hours. The guy in front of me was snoring so I moved but I was still on a bus so I couldn´t sleep. Tonight I´ll sleep on the bus for sures, I did the early morning tour of Foz do Iguaçu and am tired. Foz was amazing. Though I´ve never been, Niagara´s gotta be like Gameboy next to the Wii that is Foz or something, or maybe like seeing a big waterfall compared to seeing a huge elaborate system of waterfalls. That´s it. Dag, I took a lot of pictures, got back in to town, had a veggie-mite meal at some health restaurant and now I´m waiting for the 6 o´clock outta here to Sao Paolo. I´ll check in later.

Finalmente escapé del ciclón de relajamiento hospitalario y cambias de monedas buenas. Supongo que Brasil actualmente tiene una economía porque un dolár es como dos reias, no como cinco mil guaranías. Despedí a las cuidanderas después de un día de siesta (estaba con guayabo por el cumpleaños martes) y fui a Ciudad del Este anoche. No durmí mucho porque un hombre estaba roncando. Cambié de puesto pero todavía estaba en un bus entonces no pudí dormir. Esta noche por supuesto dormiré en el bus porque fui al tur de Foz y tengo sueño. Foz era espectacular. Aúnque nunca he ido, Niagara debe ser como Gameboy en comparison con el Wii que es Foz o algo así, o de pronto como ver una caterata grande al lado de ver un sistema de cataratas grandes y elaboradas. Ya. Miércoles, saqué muchas fotos, regresé al centro, comí vegetariana y ahora estoy esperando el 6 para salir a Sao Paolo. ´ta luego

Nutty Sunday

Nothin much today, mates, just got up at noon again. I was thinking about going to the terminal to shake on out of Asuncion, but then my pseudo-aunt legal guardian person said we were to have lunch at her sisters. So I went and it was good, then her brother-in-law took me around for a Sunday drive with Asunción anecdotal history and a gun. He rolls with heat 'cos he´s got a profile job and South America is serious business, a guy needs protection. And he´s paranoid. Later, over some Nescafé, I chatted breeze with the saucy aunt and her equally quippy friend, it was a gas. Here the custom is to be hospitable--think of the Italian mother you hear about in movies. You just eat everything they offer, say yes and thank you (please doesn´t get a chance, the food´s already in front of you). So they told me to look at the DVD collection and I nabbed 'Casablanca.' I actually haven´t seen that one yet. Tomorrow I'll be to lazy to go to the terminal, instead I'll overnight it to Foz do Iguaçu.

Nada que contar, amigos. Pensé en ir al terminal para irme de Asunción, pero mi seudo-tia me dijo que viniera a almorzar con la familia. Fui y estuvo rico, y después su hermano me trayó de una vuelta con historias de Asunción y una arma. El anda con fuego porque tiene un trabajo alto y Suramérica es serio, uno necesita protegerse. Y también tiene paranoia. Luego, tomando un Nescafé, mamé gallo con una tia viva y su propia amiga lista, me divertí. Aquí el costumbre es ser hospitalario, como las madres italianas de las peliculas. Solo hay que comer de todo que te ofrecen, decir si y gracias ('por favor' no sale porque la comida ya está). Entonces me dijeron que traera una pelicula de la colección, escogí 'Casablanca'. Todavía no la he visto. Mañana estaré flojo y no iré al terminal, creo que viajaré por la noche a Foz do Iguaçu.

south of the tropic of capricorn

Sorry no blog for a while, readers. Well, I'm alive and in Asunción, got in Tuesday night. Last you heard I was in Cochabamba, Bolivia, I think. Well, from there I overnight bused it to Santa Cruz, Bolivia where I was going to visit a Franciscan mission but it ended up being a 10-hr round trip bus ride. I don´t need to explain. So pleasant was the day spent in the Plaza 24, café-hopping and Brazilian food-eating. I fretted slightly about Paraguayan Visas, but don´t worry I´m Colombian and didn´t need one. Actually, worry, I'm Colombian. I was the only one to be searched at the border. I had to completely empty my bag while Captain A. Hol scraped things with a little screwdriver to see if by chance they were made of compacted blow. Then, after denying him a pair of sunglasses that were the object of his Subtle Bribery Innuendo he brought me into the bathroom to see if I had blow taped to my ribs. And that was while thawing out from the overnight Chaco bus ride that was kind enough to only give me a cold. And I had taken off my longjohns in Santa Cruz. Maldicion. Of course after our two provided meals of cold 'food' all passengers' bowel movements smelled the same. I don´t need to explain. The bus pulled in to Asuncion 23 hours after departure and I was hospitably met and chauffered by some friends of the family with whom I've been crashing. Thursday morning I took of four hours into the country to see my old friend Kate Stoysich who´s been Peace Corps volunteering there for almost 2 years(!) Good work, Kate. I was really proud to see her stick through it, she's Thoreau by any measure, chilling with locals and teaching them about proper field maintenance and other agricultural stuff and actually she has electricity. It was great being in the Middle of Nowhere, Paraguay and seeing someone I met three years ago and three thousand miles ago and sharing a day of simple living. The next day was Opposite day--one of the family's generation Xer's parties at Club Social; good food, good drink and a coupla crazy cousins who are good at yelling English expletives. Today nothing happened, oh, I went to a good museum. Might head to Foz do Iguacu tomorrow. Alright, I have to translate this.

Que pena de no haber escrito nada esos días. Pues, sigo viviendo y estoy aquí en Asunción, llegué el martes por la noche. De ultima para ti, estuve en Cochabamba, Bolivia, creo. De allí tomé el bus tras la noche a Santa Cruz, Bolivia donde iba para la misión Franciscana pero de ida y vuelta es 10 horas, no tengo que explicar. Entonces pasó el día encantado en la Plaza 24, tomando café y comiendo el buffet Brasileño. Me molestó de pensar un ratito de la Visa Paraguaya, pero no te preocupas, soy Colombiano y no la necesité. Actualmente, preocupate, soy Colombiano. Yo era el unico que revisaron completamente la mochila. Tuví que vaciarla mientras el Cpt. Culo rayó cosas con un destornillador para ver si eran hechos de cocaína. Después, lo negué su propuesto sútil de tomar prestadas unas gafas entonces me echó al baño para que viera si tenia contrabando pegado en el pecho con cinta. Y todo eso durante estaba descongelando del viaje Noche de Chaco que me dió gripa. Y quité la ropa termal en Santa Cruz, maldición. Claro que despues de las dos 'comidas' frias los pasajeros dejaron el mismo olor después del baño. No tengo que explicar. Llegamos a Asunción donde me encontraron unas amigas de la familia y me c'chaufieron' a la casa. Allí estoy quedando, son muy hospitalarias. El jueves fui cuatro horas en el bus en el campo para visitar a mi amiga Kate Stoysich, quien lleva casi dos años de ser voluntario en el Cuerpo de Paz. Bien hecho, Kate. Estoy orgulloso de ella por haberle quedado allá todo este tiempo, como fuera Thoreau, mostrando a los campesinos como mantener la tierra y otras cosas agriculturas. Pues, tiene electricidad. Pasó maravilloso estar en Otro Mundo, Paraguay con alguien quien conocí hace tres años y desde tres mil millas. El próximo día fue del opuesto, hubo una fiesta de cumpleaños de uno de los genaracion joven en el Club Social: comida buena, traguito bueno y primos locos que gritan porquerías Inglesas muy bien. Hoy no pasó nada, en exepto fui a un museo. De pronto iré mañana para Foz do Iguacú. Bueno, chao.