Corruption in Paraguay immigration

We were fine exiting Brazilian border in Foz do Iguacu, but when we entered Ciudad del Este of Paraguay. The supposedly visa-free BN(O) passports, which were sent by courier with other things (the fuel bottle,foldable water tank and unnecessary clothes) in great cost, got problem in the immigration. The staff said the chops previously in the HKSAR passport should be in the new passports and thus claimed us to pay G530,000 (aboutHKD 1,000). Without Paraguay cash in that amount I had to rush to a nearby shopping mall to from ATM, leaving Maria behind. I should have given her the walkie-talkie. The bus driver could not wait anymore because the bus wassupposed to go to Asuncion (another five hour trip). He dropped our luggage next to the office and our outer tent was left on the bus (we later found that out). I paid the money but there was no receipt and there was no changefor the G600,000 I paid. Although I did not understand what the staff said, they said something in a playful way. These made me smell corruption and bribery. I got the chance that I took the money back as they just put thepile of note on the desk casually. They shouted something at me and seemed to likely cancel the chops they put on our BNO passport (that was strange, shouldn’t they chop on the HKSAR passport with all previous chops ?).With the bus and Maria behind, I could not argue with them anymore but to leave the money and take the passports back. Frustrated by such bureaucracy and corruption, we entered Ciudad del Este. If I had left the walkie-talkieto Maria, I would rather let the bus go, take the backpacks and stay in the simple office blocking operations for protest (until they gave up and let us in).

Not much tango but lots of local life, such as party

Last week we just went to Salon Canning on Tuesday and La Viruta on Friday. The other night we were busy preparing the trip to Iguazu and Rio afterward. Rio is so full in mid-February during the Carnival. Just a tent on roof top costs 45 Reis (HK$ 225 a night). It is our cheapest choice already. We keep finding couch-surfing (CS, it is to ask if anyone has a couch at home to host). The couch providers in Rio are mostly out of town or have other couch-surfers already. It seems that local people will get away from the carnival if possible, are we doing the tourist thing by getting there at that peak time ? (M: Yes, we are, darling. Afterall, it's a world big event once a year, just be there as a tourist, once, okay?^^)

So far we just find a couch/room at Medianeira, 55km away from Foz de Iguazu, the Brazilian side of Iguazu Fall. The family has a deep history and is very welcoming. Our concern is that it costs 12 Reis one way to get to and fro the fall. However, as CS is about meeting people instead of staying for free, we would like to try by visiting the fall for 2-3 days and then go to Medianeira particularly, just getting to know local people. Wish us luck.

We went to Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba) on Wednesday, when they had the main exhibit by Carlos Cruz-Diez. The work was amazing by combining simple colors and lines to complexity. The amazing will get boring when seen for too long. (But Cruz-Diez had been playing with this concept for over 30 years!) The more amazing thing was that those "modern art" work on display was created 40 years ago and are still looking very contemporary now. They stay 'modern' as time goes by.


Last Thursday we had a great party with HK tango girls at their apartment. To our delight, we can stay in BsAs for one more week in their apartment by setting up a tent in the terrace outside the kitchen. Thanks Carrie, Anne and Eva. We'll cook good meals for you.

We were nearly robbed in Retiro train station, on Saturday, by cunning thieves who spread some liquid to distract our attention. While we were busy cleaning, my rucksack was opened. Luckily we lost nothing, but I felt ashamed of my low awareness and easy fall to the psychological trap (as Maria said, Monkeys see Monkeys do). In similar situation, we should have ran away, instead of standing there cleaning.

 

We follow the queue and not knowing what's ahead of us!

After the scary incident, we found our refuge by visiting a nearby museum - Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Issac Fernandez Bianco. It should have been closed at 7pm, but there was still a queue at 6:45pm. We lined up to visit the museum but ended up sitting in a monologue poetry reading/ drama session in the museum (in Spanish). It was good to familiarize with the language, soaking into the dramatic monologue with a good actress emotional performance and melancholy singing (something about a dead child and a sad mother), nice air-conditioning to cool-down, also with art collections around us. Later we found an English speaking church nearby.

Being too tired, we slept through the morning and missed the English Sunday mass and the possible Tigre re-visit on Sunday. After buying the bus tickets for Iguazu and Rio (only 550peso per person), we went to a local circus polo (tent set-up for circus show) at Juan de Garey. The free show was performed by local acrobat (I wonder if they are amateur, it is free anyway). (M: interestingly they give a look of 'lucky! I've made it', after every difficult tricks they've performed in near success.) We joined the locals and kids in applauding and cheering and had a good time.

After French onion soup, it rained and we stayed at home, though we thought about outdoor milonga in Plaz de Derrego.


We haven't packed for moving out on Jan 31. Wish us luck.

今天遇上土炮大龍鳳

下午，到Retiro Omnibus站問有關到Iguazu及巴西的巴士資料，以為可以碌咭，那知只收現金，沒帶夠錢，查詢了營業時間，只好明天請早。


想著逛逛火車站對面的小巿場，過那條八線行車的馬路時，我們在中央的安全島稍等片刻。我旁邊有個二十來歲男人向我說了幾句西話，同時我感到頸上滴了一滴液體，又在我緩慢地嘗試翻譯他在說啥的同時，忽然天上飄來一大堆白色黏黏的液體，整個安全島上的行人也中招！


沒有車，第一反應是向天望及立即逃跑！


過了馬路，我倆忙著互相檢查那弄到全頭、全身、褲子、背囊也是的白色槳糊物體是腐蝕性液體？（MK人的第一聯想）是油塗？是雀糞？好像有點似白膠漿！？卓謙拿出手帕讓我幫他抹，此時，中了招的男人和兩個中年女人也用紙巾互相幫忙，邊笑邊抺，還說我們一身都係，並將抹完的紙巾遞給我倆抹。我們停下抺身的同時，那幾個抹完自己身上污跡的本地女人七嘴八舌的圍著我們幫忙，之後又有個男的說對面公園有aqua。好一片樂也融融的溫馨場面。附近的途人也停步觀看......


當友善的途人四散，我倆才醒覺背囊的大小拉鏈也被打開！


幸好，沒帶單反相機；幸好，沒帶一大叠現金買車票；幸好，錢包放了在暗格；幸好，我倆身上並沒有任何貴重物品，一場大龍鳳，賊黨浪費了一堆不知名的液體、幾個臨記濕身的落力演出，我們幸保不失。（感恩主佑！）


其實，被一幫人圍住團團𨍭之際，我有一秒想過：又不是鳥糞、白白的不像太髒，回家洗個澡便沒事，又什麼好抹呢？另，這樣一片混亂的，會被偷嘢嗎？但不知為何，人人也在抹身，monkey see monkey do,就自然跟著做！並失去了所有警覺性。(｀_´)ゞ


自此，我倆醒覺了，只覺草木皆兵，見到人潮擠擁，也會打醒十二分精神。萬一，再遇以上情況，只有三十六着，走為上着！

A trip to Tigre - we want a house like that!!!

After 2 hours of long bus trip on 60 (actually train only takes 1 hour), we came to Tigre. A town on a delta at the north of Buenos Aires. It was Tuesday when we got there, finding out that most museums open from Wednesday to Sunday. We just walked and tried some luck. The only good thing of taking a bus was to see the street on the way, then I found many sailing gear shops along the way. We walked to the quiet Puerto de Frutos, a market which should be more noisy on weekends, there we did the tourist thing by taking the sight-seeing boat around the delta to see how the locals live. They have houses near the river and a world of themselves. The river has road name that boats can go amongst different houses. There are also hostels and boutique hotels around costing a few hundred peso a night at least, but give a quiet island-like place for vacation.

A museum showing local house

We got a little hassle when reading the notice board near the ferry pier, a rugged guy speaking English with us claimed that he was from Africa and was robbed, now owing a few peso to take a ferry out. In my opinion, if he could live in the delta house he was not that poor indeed. A desperate way is to swim there, I saw kids swimming in the murky water. Certainly he asked for money after asking for a lighter for his cigarette, a typical way of street nuisance. We just moved away.


Then we went into the casino and see how it was in latin america. We were like zoo animals as only locals were playing there and were not used to see Asian like us walking in. We took some time watching how they played roulette, got sweat when seeing them putting chips (minimal 5 peso, mostly 10) to buy all the numbers like they were not money at all. A bet would have been our use for a week. What a good way to see their pathological gambling behavior. They were so used to the stiff faces on themselves, a way to show no emotion to mask themselves up. I believe that such habit could be internalized, masking their emotion within, so as to suppress others.


Getting out of the casino, we passed a local electric train station with a booth named "Delta Safari". A day trip costs 350peso per person to have powerboat getting to far inside the delta for nature. Attractive but it was not our budget, although a pair of tango sneakers from Farbio would have cost that...It is all about what you value more.


Then we passed an amusement park with an all-you-can-play pass costing 120 peso (in great discount because of non-peak day). It was nearly 5pm so we passed again.

There are many local rowing clubs, but like Hong Kong they are clubs for those who can pay for club service more than the sport club itself.

We shall come back again, not because of the amusement park, nor the casino, but the beautiful Muse de Arte Tigre.and sail gear shops.

Are we specially pessemistic or born worriers ?

Last night I had a Christmas party with the GA crew. The crew I have been with on the boat called GA since 2006. They were very excited about our world trip, also having concern such as medical insurance, the difference between pickpocket and robbery (as the later can claim insurance), transportation, food, money, work and living place after the trip etc. To them we are doing a very bold move, to me they have too many worries. A typical Hong-konger certainly has a lot of worries about such a trip with concern about what next and money. I shared a view that if next year is the end of the world, would there be difference between facing it next to the Iguazu Fall and facing it in your office with piles of work around you. I regretted not going further talking about Jesus's coming at anytime. My point at that time was to challenge their lifeviews. I sensed that they did have some reflection about "would we do that ?". They also suggested many ways of earning money along the way. They are very creative, such as writing Chinese calligraphy of sale (I should buy brush and ink, which are easier to carry than electrical egg pie machine), merchandising local products and selling online etc. They were excited, also mixed an atmosphere of missing and nostalgia.



(watching Maria doing belaying in climbing exam at the moment, kind of distracted now)




Another information I got is the trip from South America in Antarctica. The cheapest way is to wait in the port for budget seat, and that still cost USD5000 per person for a 20 days trip. It is so expensive and we may not go there.


Finally, I won the lucky draw of 3 sunscreen lip balms, which should be enough for use in these 2 years.


It was a good farewell gathering. I left 2 race shirts for Arthur for my successors, don't know if we shall take the same boat when we are back. When I said in a humorous tone that we shall not be back (who knows, but with an idea that we may settle somewhere), they were very worried, with implication that we shall lose our lives somewhere. Why do HK people so pessimistic ? No matter what, they are good people and friends of mine




Thanks to GA and crew for these years of good sailing.