I just said to Stan, “This is so much fun!”
Today, Wednesday, feels normal already. We landed in Asuncion on Tuesday at 5:30 am, 22 hours after leaving our apartment near Malaga on Monday.
Miraculously the host of our apartment in Asuncion allowed us to enter the apartment early, very early at about 8 am.
Feeling quite wonky as my friend Mary says, we bumbled about, wandering around the apartment like zombies for a while. This will do, we thought. Finally, it occurred to us to switch on the a/c, close the blinds and try to nap for a bit. I was so wracked with exhaustion I could not relax. I put on my Air Pods, found my current audiobook, “Shogun,” and eventually drifted off.
At noon we both woke. Feeling a little better, Stan and I walked a half mile to the nearest large supermarket taking stock of our new neighborhood along the way but making no firm impression yet. Just outside the entry of Supermercado Real, was a restaurant much like a cafeteria. Similar to the old-time Luby’s buffet but much smaller, guests serve themselves choosing the dishes they want and then pay by the kilo. Lots of locals were there including a couple of tables of Mennonites. The men were dressed in sparking clean and new-looking dark blue overalls, white shirts, and straw cowboy hats; the women wore all black with white caplets covering their hair. Having not seen Mennonites in years, it seemed unusual to find them here. We later learned there are 27 Mennonite colonies in rural Paraguay. Curious, I hope to learn more about them.
I chose a small chicken breast and salad topped with beets. Stan had meatballs in a light, fresh tomato sauce with noodles. The total cost for this hot, delicious meal, $6. Solid nutritious food in our bellies finally, we headed next door to the grocery store only to encounter another new thing to learn about. Accustomed to aisles stocked with items in similar categories, here we found coffee on aisle 3, 6, and 9, and oatmeal on several aisles as well. The store’s merchandising was either very confusing or purposeful. Perhaps we were still in our zombie state. Nearly everything we bought was “on sale.” Hmmm. We bought supplies and then had to carry the load back to the apartment.
Intent on trying to get ourselves acclimated to this new time, which matches that in Atlanta (yaaay), we kept ourselves busy the rest of the afternoon unpacking, organizing, and notating items for our host to be repaired or supplied for the apartment to make the place livable. Please understand, that Stan and I are not Boushie; we are not even picky, but this attractive, pristine clean place with a lovely view needed the light touch of a handyman. In the words of a great telco leader, “Inspect what you expect.” Suppose the owner of an Airbnb property does not do an in-person look-see now and then. In that case, he must rely on the requests and after-the-fact reviews from tenants to know that the remote control needs batteries, screws securing drawer runners have broken, and a toilet is running. Like ours, most hosts are appreciative and respond immediately.
At 8:30 pm, we threw in the towel and went to bed. Like mummies, we slept.
After making vows to have a quiet day two, we stuck to that plan. On our second day here, we checked out another supermarket and found a neighborhood pharmacy that sells antacids. . . . in many countries, convenience-type over-the-counter remedies like Tums, Ibuprofen, and Vicks are not readily available on store shelves . . . certainly not in supermarkets nor most Farmácias. When a customer needs something, the on-duty pharmacist must understand the symptoms and then she offers a behind-the-counter white-box solution. Finding a simple container of Tums would be so much easier.
The handyman arrived and we loved him! He fixed almost everything that was broken and brought the items we requested. We fixed him iced tea. He sold us on trying mate, a very popular bitter and highly caffeinated tea made from a concoction of herbs. We sampled mate a few years ago and I think we even bought a bag of the green stuff but were afraid to bring it home as it looks a little like marijuana and smells as strong. Just as it was in Argentina, the Paraguayans, both old and young, carry their mate mug and a thermos with them, adding more hot water periodically as needed. They drink it all day long. Surely it can’t be that good, but we will have to give it another try to be sure.
This place has a gym and a pool. In the afternoon we made our way to the pool level and relaxed on lounge chairs in the shade while the pool’s waters trickled and bubbled a message of relaxation and peace.
Earlier in the day I had put a piece of beef in the oven with spices, wine, and vegetables. It slow-cooked for hours and smelled rich and heavenly. There’s nothing like home-cooked comfort food to put a mind and body in order.
Feeling our Circadian clock beginning to get back on synch and sedated with the hearty meal, we slept again, readying ourselves for our next adventure and seeing what this place is all about.
After wishing each other a good night and I said to Stan, “This is so much fun.”
❤️🥰❤️