Winter holiday

Our Winter holiday finally comes to an end this weekend. It has been unusually cold, for much longer than usual, so that meant cancelling our trip to Iguazu. However, the enforced holiday this week, "due to the cold weather " has turned out to be a beautiful, warm and sunny affair. It has made up for two miserable weeks.
I was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic, stuck in Asuncion, but Mags suggested a trip across the border to Argentina last week.
The nearest border crossing is only an hour and a half away by bus, but you need to be fairly fit and streetwise to do the journey. It was one of those unforgettable South American experiences.
The buses are very ramshackle. They come down from the Asuncion market and pass the end of our road. The bus was full when we got on so we had to stand all the way to the border. If we thought it was full when we embarked we were in for a surprise because all along the route more and more people piled on. We were like sardines and there was even one young lad hanging out of the front door. There are no health and safety rules here!
We set off and eventually crossed the bridge over the river Paraguay and turned to go along the other side of the river to the border. The last twenty minutes took us off the metalled road and along the bumpiest track ever, through thorny scrub Chaco, with palm trees waving in the wind. We were well-shaken, but not stirred, by the time we arrived at the border crossing. We passed through a small village of houses which were barely more than shacks, with pigs, chickens, and dogs, running across the road and all around us. There was also the odd cow in a garden, presumably for milk.
Eventually the bus stopped and we alighted, feeling pleased to be on firm ground and in one piece again. We wound our way through a sleezy market, selling a mountain of contraband, to the border post. We flashed our ID cards and received a tatty piece of paper allowing us entry for a few hours. In fact nobody batted an eyelid on our way back out of the country and there was no check. Several men could be seen carrying heavy boxes of goods through to Paraguay with no customs checks.
The town of Clorinda, in Argentina was a typical Chaco town. It was thick with sandy dust. Dust lay on the wide roads in the town centre and every time a car passed there was a huge cloud thrown up, which we found ourselves eating as we talked. Most of the shops were still closed for siesta when we arrived so we walked around the town. People were still eating lunch at 3.00.p.m.
Eventually the "supermarkets" opened. They were scruffy inside, with limited stock. We had gone looking for corn syrup, which we can no longer get in Asuncion. In fact we could not get it there either. I guess that the company must have gone bust.
We found some good cheese, which was cheaper than in Asuncion so we stocked our rucksacks. Comfort was also half price and washing up liquid and toothpaste so we more than covered our bus fares. (80p each way).
On the way back we were told to get on the bus at the front of a queue of buses. It appeared full so I yelled down the bus and asked if it was going to where we wanted to go and I looked for seats. Some Indian men pointed to some seats piled up with shopping and indicated to two ladies to move it and make room for us. I managed to get a seat at the front and Mags was just across the aisle. Soon the bus was full.
What a journey back. I bounced up and down on that seat and could feel all my organs being shaken out of place inside. There were no shock absorbers!
In fact we had a lovely journey back, apart from the bouncing, as the sun was setting and the light across the Chaco and the river was beautiful. As we journeyed people started to alight. Eventually the bus was nearly empty apart from huge boxes which had been hidden under the seats..... more contraband bound for the Asuncion market????