Paraguayan Perils

I will never forget the day I was told to hightail it across the border of Brazil and Paraguay, nor that on that same day I was told I would die from malaria and almost travelled back to Argentina hiding in a truck under a tarp!

On this day I learnt that my love for travel was innate and unconditional, that even the glitches, made travel so darn exhilarating!

After leaving Buenos Aires on a bus bound for Iguazu we soon established that we had forgot to take one minor thing into account when planning, just a very minor issue...

We had no money!

We had no option but to venture to Paraguay (of all places) to withdraw US dollars. Paraguay huh? “That sounds exciting and its another place we can tick off our list!” we thought.

Along with our supervisor Lillian, with notably large lips, tight fitting pants and crazy ‘spanglish’ vernacular, we boarded a filthy, rat filled bus and headed to the border.

As we arrived Lillian nonchalantly exclaimed; “Two blonde girls run run or they shoot you not allowed just run”… Sorry what?!

Along with my tiny, blonde friend Brittany, we did what anyone would do, we ran like cats on coal and didn’t give it a second thought!

In the moment it was utterly terrifying but in hindsight I see it through a more comedic lens… It was as though a slow motion filter was applied and it was almost like a scripted scene in a funny movie.

I lost my shoe somewhere between Brazil and Paraguay, drooled on myself, and simultaneously acquired some nasty bug bites on my bare foot.

Bizarrely I felt grateful, I knew a memory was just forged.

As I looked across the bridge through the luscious trees filled with rainbow coloured birds and stretched my eyes down the Paraguayan river in all its sun reflecting beauty, I thought to myself; “This is South America!”

Lillian peered down at my foot and told me I had malaria, again, in such an apathetic tone! She then waited a few minutes to cease my anxiety attack and say "Only joking!" FEW!

Pop up stores selling socks, watches and barbequed meat surrounded us as babies clung onto our legs, for some we were the first foreigners they'd encountered.

A smell distinctly South American seemed to fill our pores, tomato combined with beef and cheap perfume as our senses went into overdrive!

As the sun bled red and orange and night fell we learnt that we missed the bus! Crawling into a truck the bus suddenly swung around the corner!

Paraguay, you strange, wonderful country, thank you!