Encarnacion, Paraguay.

Kara says:

Encarnacion. In the south of Paraguay, near the Argentine border. We figure there's not much in Paraguay 'cause the three cities we went to were all on the border with Argentina or Brasil, though in different corners of the country. Actually the countryside we passed through was very pleasant - rural, based on agriculture, small towns and villages, lots of businesses selling tractors, harvestors etc. Not unlike home. Green, with cows and sheep, and a grey sky and pretty chilly. And very pleasant, polite & friendly people. And very clean, despite a muddy climate and being the third poorest country in South America after Bolivia (and somewhere else) but doesn't feel it. And civilised.

The fact that we have no photos whatsoever of Encarnacion probably reflects a little harshly on its entertainment value. It's pleasant, nice plaza, some restaurants, lots of street markets (like a giant Moore St) but the old part of town is being drowned by the resevoir so the main town now is all new.

Went to visit a couple of ruined Jesuit missions from the 17th/18th century. Like in the film. Very impressive. Huge stone churches, cloisters, schools, housing for the priests and the local indians, big plazas. But the Jesuits got kicked out by the Spanish because they were becoming too popular with the indiginous population and too powerful. To get to one of the reduciones took a fabulous old, rattly bus from the 50s. See photo. Very impressive that it still moves but it's only just staying together. My favourite part is the rearview mirror - where the rearview mirror should be, the driver's hung up a wing-mirror but it swings around so much on the lumpy stone road that there's no way he can see a thing in it.

Also, we're still officially in Paraguay. Just in case anyone with a latin-american accent asks. When we left Paraguay the bus went straight through the border without stopping at Paraguayan immigration so we left exit-stampless and are now fugitives who can never return to Paraguay. This also left Karl with unspent, and unchangeable, paraguayan money. A tragedy in his eyes. Enough useless paraguayan money to buy, I am reliably informed, another three maggot-breeding camisetas. Noooooo!