ASUNCION, THE CAPITAL OF PARAGUAY.

 THE RECORD OF HOURS OF MY LIFE IN THE BUS IS FOR ME LIKE THE LIFE OF MICHELAS: MAIA, BEER AND ANDA 'A SPAS.

In the evening, by subway, I go to the Gigantic Terminal de Omnibus in Buenos Aires, close to the railway. There are dozens and dozens of branches of bus companies, arranged one behind the other for a few hundred meters. Incredibly, however, there is not even a Coin Exchange office. If you need to change or go back to the center or accept an inconvenient change at desk n. 139 of the El Rapido Argentino Company. While I'm there, I also buy a ticket to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, with departure at 20.00 (price 330 Argentine pesos). Keep in mind that other companies also serve this route a few times a day with more or less similar rates. For those who want to go to San Ignacio, Argentina to see the Jesuit missions, to get the best rate they do not have to buy the direct ticket which costs more than 400 Argentine Pesos but must buy a ticket to Posadas (many companies offer this route), place a little further south and then from there take a bus to S Ignacio, thus spending less than 300 Argentine Pesos. As for me, the bus of the company El Rapido Argentino to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay is really comfortable: seats

reclining, ample leg room, bathroom. In the end I travel 19 hours on it, going down only once to the border, but I would have done another 19 because for me this journey is like the life of the michelas: maia, beer and go to spas. Maia: When I'm hungry I take something out of my backpack or they serve you dinner and breakfast. Beer: when I'm thirsty I take out something to drink from my backpack or even bring it to you or you can always take advantage of free tea and coffee from the machine located downstairs of the bus. I'm logically upstairs. Go to Spas: when I feel like taking 2 steps, I go downstairs to the bathroom or to the coffee machine. In the end, after crossing countryside, forests, remote villages, rivers by night and day, without having traveled 1 km of motorway, I arrive at the border. We all go down. Logically I'm the only European. The two customs officers from both countries (Paraguay and Argentina) stamp my passport. Already from here we can see that poverty increases significantly. Improvised salespeople try to foist anything on you and change your money at very disadvantageous rates. Eventually at 14.00 o'clock local time, 15.00 Buenos Aires time are in Asuncion.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER GUIDE ME IN PROCESSION IN ASUNCION, THE CAPITAL OF PARAGUAY.

From the Terminal de Omnibus, located on the south-eastern outskirts of Asuncion, I take bus no. 38 for the center. Tickets can be purchased from the driver and costs 2,300 Guarani. Then you go through the turnstile and when you have to get off you do it through the back door. The bus stops on request and therefore you have to ask the driver if he tells you when to get off or know exactly when to do it. The Pullman passes through shacks where they sell everything and more. At each stop, fleets of vendors jump up and loudly advertise their wares and then get off quickly. This stretch of the city gives me the idea of a not very reassuring place. Poverty is printed on the faces of many. A girl on the bus kindly warns me not to take pictures and not to film as I risk being robbed. Then finally, after an interminable journey (about 40 minutes), I reach the edge of the center, a few tens of meters south of Piazza Indipendenza. Practically the center consists of a street where there are all the main attractions to see: the government building, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Senate, the Chamber. It is full of heavily armed police at every corner. I walk with caution tending hidden, all under my jacket despite the hot weather. I resist and take out the camera and the video camera, only when no one is looking at me, for the minimum wage time necessary to immortalize the historicity of the moment. I meet the usual awake tourist with the camera around his neck who walks casually in the deserted streets. I drive north to Independence Square, the main square. I glimpse the great river, the Rio Paraguay. I lean out from the wall and 3 meters below me an infinite slum appears. I take three steps back and go back to the opposite (south) side. I walk cautiously, slowly, holding myself close to the police who sometimes smile and greet me. Then I arrive on the square for the last photo at the Grande Rio Paraguay but here the surprise. I know very kind daughter and mother who guide me inside the procession that is about to begin. Here 95% of the people are Christian. They speak Spanish, I Italian, but we understand each other very well. I trust them and they trust me. Mom brings me my backpack, to facilitate my tiring journey and we go to the banks of the Rio Grande. Here from the ferry, volunteers get off carrying the statue of Christ the Savior on their shoulders. The atmosphere is surreal; the sky is dark, black and full of rain and in fact it begins to rain. People pray and touch the statue and clap and then there are the cars that play. The procession heads towards the Metropolitan Cathedral. Big emotions. I feel safe among the mother and daughter, who lead me to the bus stop no. 38 in Via Oliva and that is a few blocks south of where I got off a few hours earlier. They pay me part of the trip because I only have big shots and tell the driver to drop me off at the bus terminal. I thank them. They were really kind. They also gave me some important tips on how to behave on the bus, in the Omnibus station so as not to be robbed. I arrive at the Terminal in the evening. Great emotions cmq I breathed today in Asuncion.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2012/06/finalmente-le-foto-di-rio-de-janerio.html