Blumenau

Hello!
Me and Diêgo left Florianópolis at the 28:th of june, at Diêgo´s 19:th birthday. Ate a chocolate praline in the bus terminal in Florianópolis before taking off to the city of Blumenau. The bus trip took about two hours.
Blumenau were created by german immigrants in the beginning of the last century. Brazil was a big country of immigration after the first world war and the great depression, specially from Germany, but also from Italy, Japan, Ucraine and Poland.
The city of Blumenau really look german in many places, the houses is really typically in german style. The townhall for exemple is one of many buildings in german style. Even the shopping, Shopping Neumarkt is german to its name, and german flags is not unusual to see. But of course after all it is a brazilian city, so many of the new buildings look like the ordinary brazilian skyscrapers, seen in almost all cities I have been in, in this country. Most of the population in Blumenau today speak portuguese, only the old people still speak german, but at the countryside of the municipality the german language is dominant.
We went to the Shopping Neumarkt were we at the entrance immidetly saw Giraffas, our favourite food place. We really enjoyed the dinner. Later we looked for places, we meet two women at the street, they told about a cheap place. We walked and talked with them for a while, when Diêgo told it was his birthday they congratulated him and gave him 10 reais, they didnt accept him thanking no to it. They wanted to invite us for dinner, they told us about City Hotel, the cheapest place they knew, we should go back to them later, but we stayed to long in our room, so we didnt go there.
Next day we went to Villa Germanica, were we ate a little chocolate and looked at the charming houses. Well, this part was more a toursit place than historical city, its also a meeting place for the city´s own population. I bought my fifth flag of the flag collection I have of the countries in South America, the brazilian flag.
Later we went to Shopping Neumarkt to eat, and later we went to the woman´s home, the one we meet the day before. She really enjoyed our meeting, it was nice to talk, and of course, to make new contacts of places you visit is really a good feeling.
At the evening we went to the bus station and bought tickets to São Paulo, time to fix the last bloody document, and to meet Gracielle again.
So now we are back in São Paulo, the big city.
Bye!

Florianópolis

Our last time in Montevideo was fine, yesterday morning we left Hotel Colonia and went to the parlament again to take photos, last time the batteries was over. We got lost in the parlament when the guide left us, Diêgo wanted to take some photos of himself in a chair, and took too long time. We left the parlament building and went away to the bus station were we wanted to buy a ticket to Blumenau. Unfortunately they didnt have tickets to Blumenau, the only brazilian city they had to this day was Florianópolis, so we took that ticket. After nine o clock at evening we left Montevideo and at midnight we left Uruguay at the border when we were sleeping in the bus, so they fixed the stamps meanwhile... I only got 13 days to stay in Brazil, they checked my extended time and didnt show respect to the fact I have been outside the country, I had to leave at the same time anyway, 180 days since I first arrived in Brazil in january... not exactly what I hoped for, they are so annoying, once again I felt the hate to the federal police and the system of this country. I almost didnt sleep anything this night.
The way to Florianópolis was looong, longer than the strait way between Santiago and Buenos Aires, Brazil is an enormeous country, actually its more like a continent when we talk about it´s huge size, it is the 4:th or third largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China, if you exclude Alaska from United States.
Well, Florianópolis look like most other brazilian cities with its white skyscrapers for people to live in, and the streets an the gates to the houses are. We live one night in a hostel now, tomorrow we go to Blumenau. Outside our hostel I really feel like in Boa Viagem, it looks almost the same.
This was all for today, bye!

Montevideo

Let me tell about yesterday, our first hole day in the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo.
We woke up, I dont know what time, my cellphone is dead and I cant load it here cause they have different plugs in Uruguay. Anyway, we went to the Column, a big tower that I see as the symbol of the city, its popular to have on photos from this city. We took alot of photos there, at the Independence Square were they also had abig statue of a man on a horse. Under the statue there was a maossoleum, a big urn was in the center of the hall, protected by two guards. We aslo went to a museum of coins and gaúcha-culture, a culture from Uruguay and the brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Later we went to the cyber café spent one hour there, later it was dark. We bought one flag of Uruguay, went to Café Gaúcha and later we ate hamburger at street.
Yesterday was a nice day. Today we have been at McDonald´s, havent done more yet, woke up very late, or left the room very late. Diêgo wanna see the president´s palace hee in Montevideo.
This was all for today,bye!

Rio de la Plata

Good afternoon! Here I write again, this time in the capital city of Uruguay, namely Montevideo.
Yesterday we woke up quite early, just to fix all things in the bag, take photos of Hostel Pangea and all people we know there. Diêgo felt strong saudade for leaving Pangea, it was like our home. We had everything there, our room, living room, friends around us, breakfast, computer, and we knew the city, at least the districts around us.
We went to eat, as usual at McDonald´s, my god Im gonna hate that place soon! We came to the Plaza de Mayo infront of the Pink House were we could buy food to feed the doves. The doves attacked us, we just opened one bag of food and they flied to us, landed on our hands, arms, heads and shoulders, think I had 10 doves at me at the same time.
After the dove attack we went to he harbour were we bought a ticket by ferry to Montevideo. We went through the passport control and got two new stamps, one for leaving Argentina and the other for entering Uruguay. Then we took the ferry where we spent around five hours inside crossing the Rio de la Plata. It looks like an ocean cause of the size, and if you look at the worldmap it looks like a part of the ocean, like a bay or fiord, but actually it is a river, it is sweet water and the water is flowing out into the ocean, so it is a river, a really wide one. This river is more wide than the strip of ocean slipping between the coasts of Sweden and Denmark in Kattegatt, were a boat trip takes 20 minutes, compared to this one of 5 hours.
The ferries here were alot different from the one I know in Kattegatt, for exemple this one looks more like a big big airplane were you have your own seat. There is no restaurant, you go and buy your food and take it to your seat. Well, in the middle of the big room there is a stair leading down to the tax free shop, that reminds a little of the tax free shops I know, exept the size. I slept a while in the ferry, when it was dark outside we arrived in Montevideo, the capital of my 10:th country, Uruguay.
We found a place for 330 pesos, wich is around 90 crowns. Many places here ask for dollars, even in the ferry they only wrote the price in dollar, wich I think is boring, and it sucks.
Uruguay seem to be a nice country, its just a pity the city close when it is dark, so there is not many things to do then.
This was all for today, see you again, bye!

La Boca

I can tell you that the camera now is fixed. The next day we went to a place in the center were they fixed it. It is working like before again, exept the cover is a bit more difficult to open and close. Im really scared to destroy it again, but I have a garantee of three months, so in case the camera will brake again its just to go back to Buenos Aires and fix it.
Today we took the bus to the town district of Boca, it is a place with very colourful houses with alot of poor people. The district is well known and a tourist spot in Buenos Aires. In the district we saw alot of blue and yellow coloured flags of the football team of Boca. There is a story why they have theese colours. The team could not agree about what colour their suit should have, so they desided that they should take the colours of the flag at the first ship that arrives in the harbour. However, the first ship that came was from Sweden, so they took the blue and the yellow colour of the swedish flag and made it to their team´s flag.
We were walking around and looking at the place, there was alot of restaurants there and alot of people making noise and asking us to go to their restaurant. The question came up in my mind, that what place was worst when it come to "attack" possible customers, Ciudad del Este or Boca?
After some hours when the time came closer to six o´clock we took the bus back to center were we ate. Later we were talking about the "imperial family of Brazil", apperently the former royal family of Brazil still exist, and still have some kind of power working in Brazil, for exemple they can just pop in to the champer as they want without votes, and they win money to have their precious royal name Braganca, wich I think is undemocratic and very discusting. I felt that Brazil is a fake republic and also fake democracy, either you are a republic or a monarchy, u cant have both cause then it is fake, and the fact that most people in Brazil doesnt have any idea they have an "imperial family" with power who win money (only in Petrópolis municipality and thank god for that) is really ot acceptable. And the year 1988 there was elections to replace the monarchy, the population was smart enough to vote no, to be a republic is for me a pride, all countries should be republics cause monarchy is something ancient and primitive. My god I wish Sweden was a republic, so many countries have managed to get rid of monarchy rule, and then there is those stupid nations that want to have it back (Portugal now for exemple).
The only thing that is more sad than being a monarchy state is to WANNA be a monarchy state. People dont know what they think about, they only see the cute fairy tale and glamoreous thing about having a king and/or a queen. But what brazil have is discustig, give money to a family like that, its not respect for history or tradition, it is pure corruption.
This was a little taste of my opinions, and I have alot more when it comes to things like this. This was all for todays blog, tomorrow we hopefully take a ferry to Uruguay, bye!

Fucking camera!!!

My fucking camera is all broken, so more pictures non of us will se... unfortunately
Wanted to upload my photos from Paraguay and the Iguazu falls, so I had to change memory card. There was a little "pick" under the cover were I could read "push to eject", well, Diêgo always fix the camera and all other things, so I had no idea even how my own camera is working. When I pushed the pick it suddenly got broken, and when the other memorycard was equipped it stod a text on the screen saying "Card cover open", and there was no way i hell for anyone of us to fix this error. Diêgo said that the pick is meaningless and he always change card without toutchig it. No I destroyed my own camera and if no one fix the piece of shit, it means I cant take photos in either Montevideo or Blumenau or the rest of the things we might see here in Buenos Aires. I hate my camera. In worst case I have to waste money to buy a new camera. I hate everythig, there is always problems that pop out from nothing just to mess with me, I hate it!

The Semitary

Yesterday was a long day, even if we woke up late and went out late. We were walkig to the semitary were Evita Perón's tomb is. At the way there we finally found a place were we could buy protection for the passports, we also found shields of Argentina in good quality, but small, but the same size as the one we got from Chile.
We arrived at the semitary, a great graveyard, bt this is not even close to the graveyards I am used to see in my homeland, it was more like a silent city, with small back alleys with small houses filled with statues of angels and saints staring at you. This was a city of the people who passed away, and the houses were their graves, their homes they spend the time after life in. In some places I could feel an odd, bizarre smell of something, the smell of death.
The semitary is a bit scary at the same tie as it is beautiful and peaceful. The way the sun was shining between the roof tops and threes in the twilight was very beautiful.
We soon found the tomb of Evita, the sacred, legendary heroine of Argentina. Her tomb was not special or aything, it looked like most of the other tombs in the semitary.
We found many interresting tombs and storys, in one tomb there was a girl who had a narcoleptic attack and fell in deep sleep. The people thought she was dead, the next day already they had the ceremony, it is traditional even today in both Argentina and Brazil that people have the ceremony the day after a person dies, wich for me is to soon, in Sweden it is at least one week we wait, both in case if the person isnt really dead, or more common reason that the people around need time to accept that the dear friend or family member is dead.
Well, this young woman woke up in her grave the night after the ceremony, and the comig morning the people could see that the coffin had moving, when they opened it they saw that the woman had been tearig the top of the chest, and her neck was all bloody when she teared herself with her nails in pure panic before her true death.
For me, this is the worst thing that can happen, to wake up i your own coffin, locked inside this darkness and know that this is the plase you will starve, this is the place you will lose your breath when the air is over, this is the place you will live in panic till death come as an salvation... and more grotesc is the thought that it is in this coffin you will rot to a skeleton, in the very same place you lie now...
It is pure panic.
Later we found another scary tomb, filled with chains and lockers, with big stones complicated to open, the scary thing about this is that it really look like the grave was created to keep something inside and stop this from coming up to the surface. Many paranoid thoughts came up sometimes.
Later we went to eat after the semitary, and later we went home.
Today there were protest outside Casa Rosada, the people were angry at the governement and the president, Cristina Kirchna. It was alot of fights outside the palace. Later when we looked at the news, the president herself were outside on a stage, singing the national anthem of Argentina together with the people. She was telling alot of "good" things that really didnt have anything with the occation to do, this were things that the people agreed with, like the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) for exemple. It was abit pathetic to see, cause recently the people were hating her, now they were apploading and screaming after she told something, and everytime they did it a orchestra played a little happy tune. In the end of all alot of confetti were thrown in the air and the president went to her husband, and then the country were happy ever after again, just like a fairly tale of Disney. Well, it takes time to understand this country, as Diêgo said... or if you ever will do it.
Right now there is a football match between Argentina and Brazil, Diêgo and antoher brazilian guy here in the hostel is screaming, the other (including me sometimes) hope Argentina to win... just to mess a little, I think no one else exept the brazilians here, really like football, I was never interrested in it. Well of course it was annoying when Sweden lost, not cause of the lose, but bechause Diêgo was so happy that Brazil won, hehe.
This was all for today, bye!

Buenos Aires

The time in the bus terminal in Mendoza was like a prison. We went to the downtown to eat at McDonalds some time, but otherwise we always stayed in the terminal. When the bus came it truly was our salvation.
In the bus we played bingo in the beginning, and later we got food. I slept almost all way to Buenos Aires. When we arrived in the great capital we got information at once about Hostel Pangea for 60 pesos per night for two people and internet for free. The hostel payed our taxi too, it was really good. In the hostel we took shower and later went out to see the parliament of Argentina and the Obelisk were we ate at McDonald´s, its vissible at many photos of the Obelisk, so Diêgo wanted to eat there. Later when it was dark we went to check Casa Rosada where the president herself lives. At our way home to the hostel alot of cars and peple made sounds, it was protests against the governement, the president is in Italy now while the coutry is in chaos.
This was all for today, bye!

Trapped in Mendoza

Yesterday we planned to sleep outside the bus station, but regret it after a while because of the danger. So we took out money to sleep in our old dear hotel.
Next morning we went to the bus station again, bought a ticket to Buenos Aires and went away, across the Andes and through the border to Argentina.
When we arrived in Mendoza were we should change bus, a man came to us and said that there is no buses leaving the city, asking us to stay in his hotel. We didnt believe him first,but later all otherpeople around us went to the bus company to change their ticket. It was demonstrations in the city cause of the president`s corruption, no buses could leave Mendoza. We got a new ticket for free, 24 hours later. So now we are trapped in Mendoza, and tonight we will stay at the bus station, why pay a hotel when we didnt ask to stay here? and probably there is more people here doing the same.
Have recently eaten at McDonald`s, we will head back to the station soon.
Bye!

Alive

Hello!
Yesterday was a hard day. We left our simple little hotel for 8 000 pesos and went to the buss station, asking were we could take a bus to La Parva, a village in the mountains. Some men told us to take the metro to the Escuela Militar (Military School) were there is buses going up and down from the mountains everyday. So we went there, but when we arrived a man told us that something like buses going up and down everyday doesnt exist, so we took a taxi to the entrance of the mountains. There we met a woman staying at the side of the street and lifting, waiting for anyone to pick her up. She told us that the only way up to La Parva is by taxi our by lifting, like she did. So we joined her at the side of the street waiting for someone kind soul to help us. No one stayed for a long while, and the one who stayed only took the woman, cause she should go half way, like they should. So we waited, and waited... and waited... in the end we choosed to take a taxi, for 25 000 pesos. The taxi driver never went up to the mountain, so half way we got stopped cause according to the law, cars that goes up to the snowy Andes must have needles on the wheels, and who should pay for this? Us of course, 7 000 pesos there and I was pissed off. Up in La Parva we still had to pay 25 000 pesos despite the tax half way, I didnt fight much but payed the stupid price and dumped the driver with his car.
We soon forgot about the taxi, Diêgo who was in the snow for the second time of his life exept the earlier time when we passed the border were busy about playing in the lovely white snow. Later it was time to find a place to sleep, so we left La Parva and took a walk to the close neighbouring village of El Colorado. The first place was closed, the second had the mouth dropping price of 170 000 pesos wich is insanly to expencive. We bought some snacks and bisquits to eat, the next hotel was "only" 100 000 pesos, we coosed to skip it and decided to sleep outside. So we sat at the street eating and drinking what we bought while the sun hidden itself behind the mountains and let the icy cold air sweep over the white lands and in under our skin. We would sleep outside in the icy night ùp in the Andes, wich made me remember the airplane who crashed in this mountains who slept in the cold I dont know how long and had to eat each other.
The fingers soon got frozen so as the toes. I looked at the big hotel and imagined the warm cosy air inside there, after eating our snacks I told Diêgo that maybe its best to go inside and pay the bloody price anyway and leave this god`s forsaken village behind the first thing we do next day.
So we went inside and got a big cosy, and to much luxury room with a wonderful view over the white mountains. But I must confess, I didnt sleep good that night thinking about all things we have to pay, and what money we wasted this time. After all, we were alive, and should enjoy the time we spend up here, and next morning, we did enjoy it, specially Diêgo who was totally in love with the snow.
Today we are, after a horrible ride in a bus (after all, they did exist) that took us down to Santiago. Now we are in the bus station, either we take a bus to the neighbouring country`s capital tonight or tomorrow, Diêgo are very tired of buses. The station is open all night, probably and hopefully, so we spend the night here cause the money we had in cash is almost over.
Everything is fine and we are still alive, and happy. Good night!

Santa Lucia Summit

Yesterday was a nice day here in Santiago. We took the underground metro to downtown were we visited Brazil´s embassy, cause Diêgo wanted to have a protection to his passport, as in all other places he didnt get it. We went to the Moneda Palace were we went inside to the court yards, but thats the only places we could visit. The president herself is not there, she is in a visit in Canada.
After the Moneda Palace we walked on the streets of the city to the Santa Lucia Summit, a mountain in the middle of Santiago with a beautiful water fountain and many old towers and a chapel. We walked up for many stairs till we got all tired in the legs. At the top we could see this beautiful capital of Chile surrounded by the icy mountains of the Andes. We were at the top while the sun set in the horizon, later we went down and looked for a place to eat. I wanted to eat chilenian food, but instead we ate at a place in the shopping called Kentucky Fried Chicken, it was tasty, but not chilenian.
At our way back to the underground metro we stopped by at the street were a man borrowed us his star telescope for 3000 pesos for us to look at the craters of the moon and the planet Saturn. It was very cool to see the moon so close, and more cool to the planet Saturn in reality. It was small in the telescope but I could see the rings surrounding it, it was such a cool view, to see something so far away so close, and to see it in reality and not only in pictures.
Today is a new day, and we will go to the center again, now to look for souvenirs, told my mom I would buy some handcraft from this country.
This was all for today, bye!

Santiago del Chile

Brrrr, here is cold, really cold, specially at night. I am in Santiago now, the capital of Chile, in an indian langague the word "chile" means "cold", and I understand why, cause hot this time at year at least, is non existing.
We sleep in a hotel for 8000 pesos, wich is really cheap. Yesterday we took out some money, it sounds alot, 180 000 pesos, but its really not even close to that much. Well, the money here is still not that horrible as in Paraguay were we walked around with half a million of guaranies.
We took the underground metro to the center were we looked at some churches and a great cathedral. The batteries at our camera was over so we had to buy new, unfortunately we cant load our batteries in Chile, cause the plugs here are different.
We aslo saw the Moneda Palace, the place were the president of Chile is living.
We didnt see much more than this the last day but today we will explore the old town of Santiago. Lets see what we more will do today, we planned to go up in the mountans in some days, Diego wanted to stay one week in the snow, but now we decided we wont do this, it is all to cold and we dont have enough clothes.
Well, I like Santiago, its a very nice city, but it is said that the underground is a bit dangerous, lets hope its not that horrible as I read in internet.
This was all for now, bye!

Across the Andes

Yesterday we left the hotel room and spent our last day in Còrdoba. We spent the afternoon in the downtown, later we went to cyber at the evening before heading to the bus-station were we awaited our bus. In a shop there we bought the shield of the Còrdoba province as a memory. We are collecting shields from different places, countries mainly, yet we have of Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
At nine o´clock the bus left, we spent the night aboard the bus and this morning we arrived in Mendoza were we stayed two hours waiting for the next bus. It was cold there, and in the horizon we could see mountains, and behind those white mountains with snow, Diêgo loved the view.
When the bus came and we went aboard we came closer to the mountains and the more far we went, the more white mountains we saw. It was really a smashing sense to see the Andes, the worlds longest mountain-chain, from the south of Patagonia to the north in Colombia.
The bus took us higher up in the mountains and soon the path were surrounded by snow, a beautiful view for me, I have never been so far above the ocean level before, but even more cool for Diêgo who saw snow for the first time in his life.
After an underground tunnel in a mountain we came to the border between Argentina and Chile. We got our stamps and after this we went out from the building to feel the snow. Yes, it was really cold up there, and Diêgo´s hands got frozen when he touthed the snow. He was in love with the new frozen landscape we was in, so was I, but not like Diêgo, snow is really not rare were I come from, the mountain tops were more fashinating than snow.
Later we countiued our trip down in serpentine roads with wonderful views. Soon the snow dissapeared and we were in a normal level over the ocean niveau.
After one hour or something we finally arrived in the capital city of Chile, Santiago!
We searched for a place to sleep after chaning 50 reais into 12 000 pesos. We found one place for 8000 chilenian pesos.
We rested in our room before going out after the sunset to eat, and now we are here. Tomorrow we go to downtown, time to explore the new city we are in, in my 9:th country, Chile.

Last day in Argentina

Today is the last day of our visit in Córdoba and Argentina, tonight we will take the bus first to Mendoza were we change to the next bus that will take us to Santiago, the capital of Chile!
Yesterday Diego didnt wanna wake up, so I had to go out by myself. Went to this cyber to write to my mom, later in the end Diego arrived here too.
We didnt do many things yesterday, ate hotdog to dinner, mcFlurry at McDonalds, but they didnt have what I wanted, told us after the paying, so I took the opportunity to complain a little.
At the evening we went to the bus station were we wanted to buy the ticket to Santiago. The first place for 125 pesos didnt accept card, so we took the other one for 140, I thought the price would be the same cause of the tax to take out money, but it was apperently wrong of me to think this, by the way the seller here was rude... I regret to buy it there...
Today we recently left our hotel room, and now we are here. Ill send a post card to Linnéa today, needed to come her to catch the number of the addres, later we will eat, Im hungry!
Well, wish me good luck on my trip tonight, see you again, bye!

Córdoba

Yesterday we arrived here in the city of Córdoba in the province with the same name. Its autumn here and the trees lost almost all leaves. We walked around in the city, its very beautiful and looks very developed, very "european" as Diego said. A shopping we went to looked very "european" in the entrance. We ate at McDonald´s to start with, went to cyber when I wrote my latest upload of the blog and later went to a bookshop.
My shoulders got hurted cause of the heavy bag I walked around with on my back, and my left foot got a bit hurted too on the small toe, its the shoes...
We found one place for 80 pesos. Before sleep yesterday we went to the shopping to eat pasta and later fruit sallad... a bit bitter I must confess.
Today the owner of the hotel woke us up 10 o clock cause the time was over, so we had to leave. We found a new place for only 55 pesos, but we only had 46 at the moment, so we went out to change new money, so now we have around 300 pesos in cash. Ate at McDonald´s as usual and now we are here at the cyber. Found the coat of arms for Chile, a small one, bought it just for safety if they dont have it in Chile. Also saw a place on the market were they protested against United Kingdoms claim over the Falkland Islands, Argentina say it belongs to them, and I agree, it was argentinian, but I didnt fil the paper cause they claimed a part of Antartica, a place that should not beling to any country at all.
This was all for today, bye!

Stuck in Asunción

Hi again. We wanted to leave Asunción this saturday, but we couldnt cause there was no tickets until tuesday. We bought the tickets and had to wait a while for it to be fixed, talked to a woman from Argentina, talking good things about her country.
Next day we spent in downtown searching for the coat of arms of Paraguay to save as a memory, as we did from Brazil, but in Paraguay you must have permission from the police to have right to buy it. At evening we were so tired, we ate at Bolsi before heading back to the buss station and search for a new hotel, this time we found one for only 60 000 guarani.
Yesterday it was time for us to continue our trip to the south, to Córdoba, Argentina´s second largest city. In the buss station I bought new shoes, cant use sandals in Argentina now, its winter here on the southern hemisphere. I also bought a present to my sister, Rebecca, an indian bag and Paraguayan flags to me and Diego as a memory from this country. In the bus we met the Argentinian woman again, Iracela her name is, she sat on the seat beside us. She only spoke spanish, so it was mostly her and Diego who talked to each other.
The trip took all night, but the bus had a very good standard with dinner and breakfast, at the late evening they gave who wanted a glass of champagne to drink, very luxury, but I wont drink champagne ever again... bad memories from the student day...
This morning we arrived in Córdoba, and here we are. Argentina is my 8:th country I am in. This was all for today, bye!

Republica del Paraguay

This is the fourth day I am in Paraguay. We stayed one night in Ciudad del Este, after the first night we wanted to go to the cyber, but the man was busy, so we got tired of waiting. Diego wanted to call his grandmother, but its much cheaper to call from Brazil, so we decided to pass the Friendship Bridge again. We would only stay in the brazilian side just some minutes, so we skipped the passport controls, passed the border and went to a telephone and called. Later we ate at a lanchonete close before heading back to Paraguay. After passing the bridge not less than five people wanted to sell things to us, the last one told us we must go to the passport control, to be on the safe side we did so. Well, its a fact, as the man in the toll said, we broke the law, we should have gone there to take a stamp that we leave Paraguay, and I should get two new stamps in Brazil, one for entering and one for leaving, later we both get new stamps for entering Paraguay again. But the man didnt make big thing of this and let us go, whatever, some mintes and we can pretend it didnt happen, hunderds of people is passing the bridge without even look at the controls.
We decided to leave Ciudad del Este and went to the Rodoviario station. As fast as we left the city buss several men asked us were we wanted to go, a woman from Brazil said its okay to buy trips like this, she have done it and it is safe, so we bought one ticket for 50 000 guarani to Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. 50 000 guarani is about 20 reais, and this is about 70 crowns, extremly cheap, and it takes 5 hours to Asunción, a trip like this in my homeland is about 2000 crowns and many many millions of guarani.
We arrived in Asunción at evening, got a hotel for 90 000 guarani for two people. Later we ate at a restaurant close by, asked if they accept card, Visa card, and they said yes, and was in a hurry to make us sit. After the dinner they suddenly didnt have a card mashine anymore, really false people, but we had money. Well, the cellphone doensnt work anywhere in Paraguay, so I wanted to use my card so my mom can see that Im alive at least when she check the internet bank. Next day I wanted to be online on msn, but the cyber we went to didnt work. Yesterday we saw the President´s palace, it was white and beautiful, but it only had some few guards and no wall surronding it. The guard was nice and talked to us. It was interresting to think about the contrast between this palace and the Buckingham Palace in London wich is totally surronded with both guards and walls, arrogant guards that not even look at you, and here its so open and the guards say hello to people passing by, I liked it. We also met a man at the street when we asked for the way to take to the downtown, we talked a while and he was interrested that I was from Sweden, he had a very good friend from Malmo in Sweden, he lost contact with him long ago and wanted to hear from him again. We changed mail, and he invited me and Diego to his home for a while, it was a fine home. His name is Emilio, got a pencil from him as a memory.
Of course, it feels abit odd to just go to someones home like that first, but after it feels nice to make contacts with people from the palce you visit.
Before heading back to our hotel, we ate at a confeitaria, Bolsi. Today we will continue our trip to the south, to Córdoba in Argentina.