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Claudia and Uwe rented a car for a week as they had a visit from some American friends who stayed in one of the bungalows. Unfortunately they arrived just before the long, 40 hour power cut so I don't think they were too impressed. Especially seeing as they had to use pool water to flush their toilet! It didn't help that one of them was ill and then they decided to leave early. It wasn't exactly a fun time for any of them.
Once their friends had left Claudia and Uwe still had the rental car for another two days and invited the two of us to join them on sightseeing trips! Super! We'd hardly seen anything of Paraguay even though we'd been in the country for a month!
It was also the first time I'd been out of the campground and I didn't mind having to take pain killers to cope with the drive. I also suggested that we take Mia, their sweet dog, with us because she really misses them when they go shopping every Saturday.
Our first stop was Yaguarón - Iglesia San Buenaventura. It is said to be the most beautiful church in Paraguay. We got there at 11-25pm just in time to see the elderly caretaker locking the padlock on the front gates!! Maybe we weren't going to get to see the church after all!
The Paraguayan people are extremely friendly so when we asked him if we could see the church he was delighted to open up for us. The church was built between 1755 and 1772 and the interior contains various sculptures and paintings by the Indigenous people who were taught by the Franciscan monks. The main attraction is the resplendent altar carved out of wood. Vegetable dyes were used for the red, green and blue colourings and it is embellished with gold leaf.
The pulpit was carved out of one piece of wood and both the pulpit and the altar are very impressive. The church was being renovated and we could see where restoration work was being carried out.
We spent about one hour there and then drove to our next stop - Sapucai steam engine museum. Claudia and Uwe had already been here so they took Mia for a walk whilst Kirsten and I went inside.
Paraguay was helped by England to become the first South American country to have a steam train network. The museum shows all the steam engines and machinery that came over from England so that Paraguay could have its first steam train running from Asunción in 1861. By 1911 the rail lines had been extended to Encarnación 370km away. There is only one steam train that still runs twice a month during the tourist season from Asunción to Aregua which is not far from our campground.
We wandered around the museum which has various train parts and lots of the original machinery from Yorkshire, Glasgow and Manchester along with explanations in Spanish. The normal price for foreigners is $10 US - far too much! But we were allowed in for the local price of $1-50 each. Far better! And certainly worth the trip.
Sapucai old railway station & museum
Our final destination for the day was Ita Kua - a private area next to a river with rock formations and chalets. It's not listed in any guide books but Claudia had found it on the internet and after seeing the photos, had immediately put it on her "To do" list for Paraguay.
The only problem was the very bad road to get there - 7km of rough sand and rock - which meant that it wouldn't be possible for their motorhome (or ours!) With a 4wd rental Jeep however, it wasn't a problem at all. We still got bumped and rocked and rattled as we tried to follow the GPS to get there. No signs!
The sun came out just as we got there and there were at least 25 other cars already parked. I think we were the only tourists! Mia had a great time - she went for a swim in the river and Uwe threw various sticks for her to chase. We went for short walks around the area that was very well looked after. Grassy areas that looked as if they'd come from Wimbledon, bridges over the river and the rock formations as a back drop.
The entrance fee was $6 US each (30,000 Gua) for the day and we spent around 3 hours there even though it was extremely hot. We also went to the restaurant for Milanesa - beef in bread crumbs served with salad plus drinks and an ice cream.
Ita Kua
We didn't leave until 5-30pm which meant it was too late for our final stop - the Basilica at Caacupé. That was postponed until the day after and when we got back to the campground we went for a dip in the pool to cool off. We had really enjoyed the day!
The next morning Mia wasn't allowed to come and let us know just how offended she was!! She has such an expressive face that you know exactly what she would say if she could speak! Anyway, Regula came along with us as she hadn't seen the church.
The Basilica at Caacupé is new and was blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1988. It is where the "Virgin" sculpture is kept and is a major Pilgrimage site. Thousands descend on the small town every 8th December and the large dome can be seen from quite a distance away.
The inside of the church is very bright and we queued up to go past the famous statue. Then we had to hurry so we could get up to the tower ($0-50 cent each) which they close at 10-45am. It opens again later in the afternoon but we wouldn't be here then so we had to rush.
We climbed the steep, narrow staircase which opened up for the final part and has a series of murals on the walls depicting the legend of the "Virgin" sculpture and Franciscan monks teaching the indigenous people. From the top we had a view across the town and down to another church with bright blue walls.
The guide book we had with us informed us that the blue church is called Tupasy Ykuá and has a Holy Tap with Holy Water. So that was our next destination - we passed lots of stalls selling blue plastic jugs and containers so that people could take Holy water with them. It was so hot that the cool water on our faces and hands was very welcome. At that moment we had a brief rain shower! A sign? Maybe my back problems will be healed!! On the way back to the car I got the chance to say a personal thank you to the Pope!
Our sightseeing trip was finished off with an ice cream at one of Uwe's favourite ice cream parlours. Unfortunately we parked where we shouldn't have - no signs or road markings - but we got a ticket. Apparently we had blocked an entrance or door that didn't look like an entrance or door! Oops! The only thing we could think of was to ask the car owner Erich, who is a German and lives around the corner from the campground, how to deal with the ticket.
So we drove back, dropped off Claudia and Regula and then Kirsten and I accompanied Uwe when he took the car back to Erich. He'd never had a parking ticket but would ask his wife, who speaks fluent Spanish, to sort it out the next day.
Erich has a really nice house with beautiful grounds and a view over the lake. Whilst Uwe sorted out the payment for the rental car and the parking ticket we watched a very large black "baby" bird being fed by two adoptive parents that are brown and white striped birds and only half the size of the baby!!! Quite entertaining.
Our very entertaining day was rounded off by the ugliest lizard I have ever seen! We were back at the campground chatting to Claudia at her motorhome when I looked down and saw that Kirsten was standing on something. I thought it was a stick that Mia had put on the floor for us to throw for her. Except it moved!!
I said "What's that?" Kirsten looked down and then shrieked! It turned out to be a double headed worm lizard. The term double headed is used because the front and back end look identical. It isn't a snake because it moves in a straight line.
Kirsten screamed and moved off it then it slithered in a straight line heading under the motorhome. That's normally where Mia lies to keep out of the sun so Claudia got a stick to try and head it off, away from the motorhome. The lizard raised up as if to strike!! Claudia screamed!
Everyone heard the commotion and came to find out what all the shrieks and screams were about including the owner René and his son Fabian. They rolled their eyes because it was just a worm lizard! Fabian got a bucket and managed to get it inside and take it outside the campground fence. Obviously they are quite common here. God they're ugly! Yeuk!
Double headed worm lizard
We thanked Uwe and Claudia for taking us sightseeing with them. We had really enjoyed the two days especially seeing as I can't do anything except lie down and rest.
Note re the parking ticket - Erichs wife drove back to Caacupé and had to pay 222,000 Gua at the municipal office. She added 80,000 for the cost of the petrol which added up to $57 US!!! Claudia and Uwe refused to accept money from us and Regula so we invited them out for pizza at the campground instead! I never knew parking tickets could taste so good!!
