Finding the lost outer tent

Remember that our outer tent were left in the bus, when we were dumped by it in Ciudad del Este? Thanks to the help of Ela in Assucion calling the bus company when we were still in Ciudad del Este and the bus was on the way to her city, it was kept in the garage there. In the stay in ciudad del este i always had to worry about how it went and made sure our message got across to Ela or how our schedule in Assucion matched the time of finding the tent and not bothering our host so much. When we wanted to burn mosquito coil did we realized that we lost another bag holding it and my old pair of sneakers. I was less upset about losing that because it could be obtained somewhere else, but the outer tent was a must for the rest of the trip, in case we camped anywhere.

Luckily when we went to Asuncion, Eduardo drove us to the garage twice (there was no one in late afternoon of Friday) and on the next visit we could get into the garage. Fabio, a member of staff there who kept that for us, was not there. Eduardo called the his mobile phone and great we found him (calling mobile phone was not easy in south America) and finally we got everything we wanted.

A lot of thanks to Ella, who made the contact the bus company early so that it didn’t throw away our stuff as if they were rubbish; Eduard who drove us to the garage, which was not around the bus terminal or the downtown that transport to there was another hassle; also the member of Pluma staff Fabio who kept the stuff for us.

巴拉圭初印象

未見官先打八十仗

巴西/巴拉圭一橋之隔

我們以特區護照從巴西出境，再想以visa free 的BNO入境被拒，指手畫腳地聽懂那海關解釋說那是新的護照，必須要用那本有入境紀錄的特區護照入境才行，而遊客入境承惠$50一位，合共$100（我們當時不明白Dollar指乜嘢貨幣，以為是巴西紙）。我們咕嘀著，建議可否步行回巴西（只是一橋之隔）用新BNO護照入境，然後再回來？他們說不行。那沒現金怎樣辦？收咭嗎？不收。忽然，那海關又問你有什麼咭？拿了出來後，他說對面商場可提款。大暴龍於是跑去拿錢。


那長途車司機等得不耐煩，示意叫我在車上提取行李，我們當時還穿著人字拖。我先跑回車上收拾細軟，一面擔心拿漏東西，一面想等一下要留下在路邊看行李，該如何通知大暴龍。司機已心急如焚的將兩個大背囊拿了下車。他問我拿行李單，我拿不出，他也不理那麼多，急步開車走了。

流落街頭 

提款的大暴龍拿到巴拉圭錢，便回海關贖身，若不是我烏龍的將所有護照留下，他早已想帶我逃之夭夭。（或許此後我們會被通緝，亡命天涯？）


為了息事寧人，我們每人交了二百五十萬（當地錢！即約合共HK$970!)沒有單據，又不知為何海關先生只肯將入境印印在BNO內。(Note: Start of another long story that cannot be told here! AT: 其實係賄款, 之後有朋友幫手攞番, 再講)


南美購物天堂？
巴拉圭的Ciudad del Este與巴西Foz de Iguazu接連，與阿根廷也相當近，相對物價低廉，無論電子產品、電玩、家庭用品護膚品、袋、衫甚至飲食，也有廉價貨供應。除大量百貨公司、盒子式小店、街邊檔，到拿著一兩袋貨便走到街上跑生意的小販，看起來也令我想起深圳或東大門，店舖分佈有點混亂，賣時裝和電器的也可以是一家。其價錢亦其實只是一般香港價，或在那之上 - 視產品而定。（但當巴西賣的家庭用品，香港十元店的那種，是香港的五倍，找到香港價的大陸貨已算不錯了。）


US Dollar is King!
原來他們口中的Dollar是指美金。而所有店舖也收美金、巴拉圭紙、巴西Reias及阿根廷Pesos。而以美金現鈔購物的話，最為實惠。而大部份商店也以美金列價，百貨公司化妝品部會提供現金九折、信用咭九五折的優惠，再次証明對很多小國而言US dollar is king！

@威尼斯賓舘守門口的大鼻先生　

找換店的滙率是US$1:Gs.4.500 但在這𥚃若要簽咭，他們卻居然先將當店滙率US$1:Gs.5.000對換，以巴拉圭紙結算。我們第一轉以信用咭買了US$7環保電芯與叉電器，中了招。之後，特意回酒店房取美金，才再次外出。


我們的午飯是在一家很本地的自助餐廳吃。有沙律、炒飯、意粉、炸雞肶、炸豬扒、燒烤牛扒、烤排骨，還有一種粗粗、一條條，貎似土豆的當地主食（原來是Cassava，木薯）。看看也吸引，亦有很多本地人幫襯，似乎甚為靠得住。在巴西，此類自助餐多是每位或以kg來計算價錢的，但我們在收銀處看不到磅，四處的牆上也看不到價目表，便嘗試查詢店員。他的答案無零兩可，只說livre(任食）及depends，咁depends乜嘢呢？實在有點莫名其妙。只見大男人又食、學生哥又食、小朋友又食、sales又在食，應該不會太貴吧。我們放任的吃了三大碟，有剛燒好的BBQ肉、加上可樂與鮮橙汁，埋單Gs.49.000(HK$93)，都算相當抵。


俾錢找粒糖
後來，我以US$3.3買了支St. Ives洗臉奶，心想他們會有零錢找換嗎？原來美金紙幣是有的，但那US$0.7便以巴西零錢極速節算代替。


然後，我們再在超巿買了Gs.21.683（約HK$42）的一點飲料和補給品,我們交上Gs.30.000，卻找回Gs.8.000加三粒糖。


廢物滿街
下午四時，走回街上，許多店舖已關了門。看看旅遊書，原來這𥚃政府辦公室的工作時間是7am至1pm 或2pm，而銀行的辦公時間是星期一至五8am至1pm。我想Ciudad del Este的店舖營業時間，主要取決於其顧客，巴西人或阿根廷多會即日來回、早出晚歸（家）的來購物，三、四點已是回家的時候。那時,街上所見盡是廢物，包括紙箱、包裝紙、膠袋和垃圾，這城市每天裝箱、拆箱，想很快便被這些廢物堆滿了。


晚餐
晚餐，本來想在街角的parilla (BBQ)吃。吃午飯的店已關，另一條街上，有幾家馬路邊的街頭小檔，除BBQ、還有三明治和熱狗等簡餐。那BBQ其實只有串燒牛肉（3串Gs.10.000，約HK$20，送麵包及木薯條）、雞肶（無帶紙筆， 只帶了iPhone，問極都唔知幾多錢）及大肉腸。後來我們回到酒店街上的Hotel Austria Restaurant，吃了一碟二人前的豬手、燒肉、腸仔、德國酸菜盆，加上生啤，及送餐包，吃不完仲打埋包，合共Gs.94.000 (約HK$180)兩人食兩餐，抵！

吃飽飽，早抖！

Not much shopping in Ciudad del Este

taken from bus seeing people walking along the bridge

Leaving the family in Joinville, we went to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay in the hope that we can buy a good backpack with bargain price for Maria, who had a hard time on the old backpack. With great help from Eduardo our Joinville host we went to the bus on time. We are so used to the long distance bus, of which the stuffy air-conditioning and moldy sofa scared us to cover from head to tail.

We were greeted by Mr Big Nose in the hotel

...also the attention-seeking boy

In Ciudad del Este we found an air-conditioned room with breakfast and wifi for just G150,000 (around HKD300) a night. Hoping to buy something cheap in return, also thinking about our next couchsurfer host Eduardo who would kindly take us to Asuncion and his way back, we took the room after other more expensive choices. The town was a really a shopping mall in South America. Many goods, especially clothing, were sold in bulk. Electronic products were sold much cheaper than in Brazil, but similar prices in Hong Kong (that means more expensive than in China or for any produce made in China). With that in mind, we were less attracted by that. We kept looking for outdoor gear shops, but mostly they were selling fishing gears. We bought a battery charger with rechargeable batteries costing US$7. We paid in credit card in Paraguay Guarani and got exchange in an unfavorable rate (USD1=G5000, while local money exchange shops only change G4300). We should have pay in US dollar cash as we had some. Paid by US dollar things did sell in good price there, so Maria bought face-washing cream (USD3.5), a good water-bottle (USD8) replacing a broken one. That’s it. It seems not a deserved trip to stay behind in this town not buying the backpack we want.

There were lots of packaging rubbish on the street when the shopping streets in the town were closing at around 4pm. It also became a nearly-dead quiet community when shops closed. People came from the border early in the day, did shopping and/or business and left on the same day. With a town like that, many people come to do business and shop and leave quickly, it is difficult to expect many people loving her and the local residents may have a hard time to do anything long-term to build the community. That makes me think about Hong Kong. While agriculture and possible industry can make locals live and build the city. Commerce, finance and tourism alien them from their own land. The more we are developing the latter aspect the more difficult to help us think long-term about the city, so do the government officials and politicians who are educated to do business but not to cultivate.

In the same evening we went to the restaurant of Hotel Austria next to us. It is one in German background, we went there for the “Munich” set that was so big with sausage, the yummy soar vegetable and the pork knuckle. We could not finish in one go but with a lunch box (Thanks to Carrie, a very good gift from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires) we took away for the lunch next day. The dinner was not expensive and costs only G130,000 (with chop beer).

The next day we went on finding any outdoor gear shops. Without success, we packed early and went to find Eduardo who left an address of his insurance company. The local taxi driver was a very nice and honest guy who made sure if we found the right place instead of dropping us on the street of nowhere to find the address. After a long wait when we sorted out our photos and blogs and he was working, we finally started the way to Asuncion at 7pm.