Arriving in Asuncíon at night is unsettling. We can't see any of the city except for the brightly lit shops illuminating the run down shacks next door. It seems to be a hodgepodge of new, old, rich, and poor. Its hard to get a grasp on the real city that late and sleep deprived though.
The morning brings shopping and pandemonium, as we walk through the streets shopping, looking at graffiti and taking it all in. We're introduced to the mate culture. Literally EVERYONE drinks mate, from the policeman on the street corner to the young girl tucked between her parents.
I'm really just anxious to get to the Aché to see what its going to be like. The day in the city seems never ending, and we're all taxed as we check out of the Superseis, some odd Vons-esqe store, and head back to the Acunsíon Palace Hotel. The next day we're up early and ready to go, the excitement is palpable as we speed through the roads of the city on our way.
Its an intense welcoming. After eight hours on the road we finally arrive. Kids swarm our safari van, their innocent eyes peering in. The parents are warier, hanging back and staring stoically from their homes. In the fading light I can make out simple wood homes, many people, and trash. Its a sad sight. The dark drops on us quickly and soon we're unloading and making camp only by the light of our flashlights and headlamps. I'm exhausted, but we manage to make a simple dinner of bread, cheese, and meat, washed down with more mate before we all head off to bed.
The morning brings shopping and pandemonium, as we walk through the streets shopping, looking at graffiti and taking it all in. We're introduced to the mate culture. Literally EVERYONE drinks mate, from the policeman on the street corner to the young girl tucked between her parents.
I'm really just anxious to get to the Aché to see what its going to be like. The day in the city seems never ending, and we're all taxed as we check out of the Superseis, some odd Vons-esqe store, and head back to the Acunsíon Palace Hotel. The next day we're up early and ready to go, the excitement is palpable as we speed through the roads of the city on our way.
Its an intense welcoming. After eight hours on the road we finally arrive. Kids swarm our safari van, their innocent eyes peering in. The parents are warier, hanging back and staring stoically from their homes. In the fading light I can make out simple wood homes, many people, and trash. Its a sad sight. The dark drops on us quickly and soon we're unloading and making camp only by the light of our flashlights and headlamps. I'm exhausted, but we manage to make a simple dinner of bread, cheese, and meat, washed down with more mate before we all head off to bed.
Camp is very different in the light of the morning. We eat yet more bread and dulce de leche, a type of caramel spread, for breakfast. The day's plan is to settle in, already children line the fence we have separating Guayakí's property from the rest of the village. We're like an exhibit at the zoo, the children watching to see what the new exciting animals are going to do. If we wander outside of our fence line children grab at our hands, attempt to climb our legs, and beg to be picked up. They can't get enough of us, and its overwhelming. We each have our own personal entourage. The week looks to be very promising.
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