Week 9, 25.Apr.09 - 1.May.09
Paramaribo, Suriname to Concepcion, Paraguay
25.04.2009 - 01.05.2009
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Week 9
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25.Apr.09
Paramaribo, Suriname
Well, I've officially been in Paramaribo long enough... even the riff-raff have stopped asking me for money as I walk down the street, as if I were a local they know! Spent some time yesterday and today getting the blog here up, then went down to the boardwalk at the river front for one more Parbo beer and the one constant dish you can find, fried chicken w/ fried rice. Flying back to Trinidad & Tobago early tomorrow morning for another marathon layover!
26.Apr.09
Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
With 11 hours to kill for my next flight out to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, got some serious reading done! I recognized a guy who was on my flight this morning from Suriname who is also waiting for a connection and offered my SRD $5, since I most likely won't be going back and can't spend it anymore. He said he was from Cuba, but did travel to Suriname often for work. Then he asked me, since we had such a long layover, whether it was safe to go and wander around Port of Spain - I told him I thought so (safer than Cuba, anyway!). Still got a few more hours that I'll be airborne...
27.Apr.09
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Arrived this morning in Santa Cruz around 3:00 AM. I wasn't 100% sure about the Paraguay visa application process & whether I could obtain at the port of entry/border (like I had just done w/ Bolivia), or if I actually needed to apply in advance (which could be a problem, since I don't have one!). Since it was about 11 hours until my next connecting flight and everything was closed at the time anyway, parked it on the airport bench and tried for a few more hours sleep. Later when I spoke with a couple AeroSur airlines (the connecting flight) agents, they confirmed I had to apply for the visa in advance. Looks like I'm paying a visit to the Paraguay consulate here! Went ahead and changed my flight for the 29th, to be sure I had enough time to get the visa. Now to find a hotel in Santa Cruz...
28.Apr.09
I was dead asleep until 8 AM this morning - I guess that's what happens when you get only about 6 hours total sleep over the past couple days (that, and a bad cold I have). Staying in central Santa Cruz - really like this city, everyone seems really friendly, like the little old lady who runs the hotel is great - always dressed up in very formal 40's or 50's wear with her formal greetings (refering to me with "Usted") and the city itself is quaint with the cobblestone streets.
Awesome weather here, too... bright & sunny, hot but dry heat (compared to the muggy rainforest weather in Suriname & French Guiana) - feels like Indian Summer, which is appropriate since I'm now in the Southern Hemisphere approaching Autumn. Spent the day today - marking 2 months traveling (almost didn't realize!) - wandering around Santa Cruz & taking in the sights.
Just got home from hitting a couple bars. Definitely a fan of Santa Cruz, now sorry I'm leaving so soon!
29.Apr.09
Asuncion, Paraguay
10 PM, sitting here at my hotel's pool with cerveza in-hand. This hotel is by far the nicest I've been in on this trip... and most hotels I've ever been in, for that matter!... felt a little out of place wearing my dirty backpack into the nice lobby & my gleaming white room (may not even need shower shoes!). Asuncion seems like a pretty chill place that I can tell from the few hours I've been here - will definitely get more acquainted with this city tomorrow. Earlier today spent a few more hours wandering around Santa Cruz, & of course stopping by the Mercado Florida where one of the stall workers now knows me by name -- in my 3 days in Santa Cruz, I became heavily addicted to "jugos y salada de fuitas"; fruit smoothies poured over fresh fruit salad. Fortunately at only US $0.71/each, I could get my fix several times/day!
30.Apr.09
I'm not technically in Asuncion anymore, but rather somewhere ~30 minutes north along the Rio Paraguay, heading up to Concepcion. This may be the craziest thing I've done so far, but while wandering around Asuncion today & taking in all the sights of the city; both good and bad (beautiful government buildings dotting city center while squatter tents also dot parks & shanty areas right next door)...
... came to the Port at Rio Paraguay. I had read about cargo boats going up the Rio Paraguay that could take passengers to Concepcion, so when I inquired, turns out the next cargo boat was leaving tonight at 6PM for the 30 hour sail up the river. The next boat after wasn't leaving for another 15 days, so I figured if I was going to do it... so then went back to my hotel to cancel tonight's reservation, wandered around Asuncion a bit more to make sure I got to see as much as possible, then headed over to the port & hopped on the boat.
Not too sure how many other people are on this boat - I think at least 1 other passenger (local, maybe - not tourist, or certainly not gringo) & several crew members who were loading cargo. Now I'm sailing up the river, laying in my hammock I bought earlier in the market (US $5!), watching an amazing sunset while having a (warm) rum & coke, & listening to some tunes on my iPod... Christoper Cross' "Sailing", appropriately enough - good times!
1.May.09
Concepcion, Paraguay
It's right around midnight & we just docked in Concepcion. Today was spent lounging in my hammock - reading, listening to tunes (both my own & the crew's radio playing latin music), spotting the occasional animal along the banks of the lazy Rio Paraguay...
... and of course, the siesta (or 2)
There was a group of hombres that got off w/ some of the cargo a few hours ago where a truck was waiting for them on the bank; I think they were heading to the small town of San Pedro about 50 miles south of here. I borrowed one of the guy's phone earlier today to make a reservation at a hospedaje guest house, but arriving here at midnight & not knowing where this hospedaje is (the guidebook only has the name & phone number, no address nor map of Concepcion), was going to try and catch a cab (if any were still running at this time, not sure), but the boat's captain told me it was OK to sleep on the boat for another night, so for simplicity's (but not cleanliness - another day w/out showering??) sake, I'll crash here tonight & figure out my trek back toward Bolivia tomorrow.
Posted by rd wrld1yr 10:36 Comments (0)