ECHO 2002 Daily Diary  
Columbia Education Center
ECHO 2002
DAILY DIARY
July 18, 2002

Today's ECHO activities brought to you by


Las Flores Salvajes

Jenesta Nettles
Lori Kissinger
Jennifer Klimsza

 

On the road again...
Hoy es jueves, dieciocho de julio. Today, we had to pack up and leave our new amigos at the Gran Hotel del Paraguay. We left for Encarnacion at about 10:00 am, traveling south on Ruta 1(which is one of the 10 major highways).

The view from the bus windows provided a picturesque mural in motion that varied from heavily wooded areas to wide open savannas where cattle grazed, and occasionally sheep and horses. Interspersed were small farms, and sometimes wetlands where vegetation was especially thick.

Several small rural towns popped up along the way, which according to our guide, Ruben Alverenga, were built after the roads were constructed instead of the other way around.
Common trees included palm, orange, and small long-needled pines (like Ponderosa) occurred sporadically. We noticed fields of sugarcane, eucalyptus groves, and small home gardens. By 12:15 pm we reached Rio Tebicuary, an important waterway that connects the Paraguay and Parana rivers. The city of Villa Florida is located along the riverbank.
We passed through San Juan Bautista, marking 161 km of travel from Asuncion. This was an important military base due to its strategic central location. This geopolitical center facilitated guerrilla warfare during the late 1950's where Cuban-backed forces were fighting the Strossner regime.


Who needs a pick up truck?

 We stopped for lunch at a gas station/truck stop in San Ignacio Guazu. We dined out-of -doors because the weather was warm, though cloudy and humid, with the sky threatening rain. Here we enjoyed viewing a variety of vehicles traversing the cobblestone streets: cars, trucks, semi-trucks, horse drawn carts and wagons, as well as bicycles and motorcycles.

Shells were embedded in the mortar of this altar located near our lunch site.


After 400 years anybody could use a little renovation.


With our tummies full, we headed towards the Museo Diocesano de San Ignacio Guazu passing buildings adjacent to the town square that featured several unique murals. We toured the museum that was located on beautifully tended grounds that were planted with vast gardens. The museum contained religious relics that were created by the Guarani Indians. We viewed ornately carved wooden statues of life size and larger, angles and saints. We saw a pulpit, altars, cherubs, as well as furniture pieces and architectural remains; all carved from local wood and wonderfully preserved. Original texts composed in Latin from Catholic masses were preserved as well as sheets of music. Museum curators were at work, restoring the paint on some of the ancient wooden sculptures.

Saint Ignacias the Great

Around 5:30 pm, as dusk was softly falling around us, we arrived at our hotel in Encarnacion. The peace and solitude around us appeared to be a welcome change from the hustle and bustle we left at the Paraguayan capital.


Looking forward to our beds, we bid you buenas noches.