Colonia Maka

We awake in the morning and head to the market, Mark is on a mission to buy some vest tops. The temperature is once again in the 40s and at this rate I don't think I'm going to make it there . The market (mercardo quattro) lines whole blocks of streets, up and down with little alleyways shooting off in all directions. As we are walking we meet the 2 girls who were on our bus from hell and as we stand in the street talking we are all literally dripping. Evntually we find what Mark is after, although im not happy having walked round in circles for the past 2 hour to buy 2 poxy vest tops. On the 40 minute route back we call into a shop where the security guatd practically wrestles my bag off me... am i really going to be had over for thebfirst time in South America by a man in uniform? The answer is no, it is the shops policy to take your bag and put it in a secured bag so you cant shoplift... i really must practice my Spanish more.
We leave the shop (a jumpsiit heavier) and continue back to the hostel.
Once agin we have met some really cool people here, the owner Adrian has invited us to share a bbq tonight, so we have agreed to buy the beers. In paraguay you cannot buy a beer without taking an empty bottle(well if you do it will cost you a fortune) so laden with 50 empty bottles we make the 2 block trek to get the empties replaced with full ones. This is one of the nights I will be drinking beer because I've earn it.
The bbq starts at around 9 o clock and Mark wakes me as I've had to take a siesta to recover. Adrian has about 12 people at the bbq and serves beautiful med rare steak served solely with boiled yam. You take a piece of steak and a piece of steak dip them in the mound of salt that is on the board and eat, absolutely delicious . When the food and beer is gone a couple of the guys dissapeared and the rest of us opt to head to a bar called la cachamba. Its supposed to be the first rail line in Paraguay and is set out as a railway station with a carriage and seating areas and an old steam train. They have an extensive cocktail menu , and whilst the guys drink more beer I indulge in a coffee tequila.
There is a rin in the air and we make a hasty exit to find an indoor bar but as we walk the streets the heavens open . We take cover but the rain is relentless so we call a cab and head back to the hostel , the boys stopping to grab a few more beers, but once again my bed calls me... it is 3 in the morning and I'm exhausted and pretty drunk and even though it's rained and cooled a little, I thank God for the mercy we are in an air conditioned room.Read more