Caacupe, Paraguay, Mile 77

MAP:   http://www.odysseyatlas.com/trip/8j2

Greetings from the "Spiritual Capital" of Paraguay.  Today I am in the town of Caacupe, a whopping 21 miles east of Capiata on Route 2.  Caacupe is famous for its huge cathedral, La Basilica de la Virgen de Caacupe, and every December 8, there is a huge pilgramage of penitents, some of whom get here by walking on their KNEES from Asuncion, all asking for their prayers to be answered.  I am glad I will not be anywhere near hear on December 8.

This morning, I headed out about 10AM, and had a choice, either stop in Caacupe or potentially continue another 50 miles on to Coronel Oviedo; a highway patrol officer I asked at a toll plaza swore up and down that there are no hotels between Caacupe and Coronel Oviedo.  I somewhat doubt that, but would not like to find out the hard way that he was right.  Today´s high temperature was 107 degrees and the wind was out of the east, meaning I was riding into it, but I felt much better than yesterday.  No cramps at all.  Before leaving my hotel room, I drank a quart of water, stuffed another into my camel-back, and midway along the route, at the beautifully named armpit of Ypacarai, I stopped at a gas station and bought a Coke, which I drank there, and a bottle of blue Gatorade, which I saved for later. 

Just east of Ypacarai, the road began an incredibly steep climb about 5 miles straight up.  Everytime I would see a curve ahead of me, I would think this has got to be the top, and every time I rounded the curve, I would see another hill.  I passed a number of overheated vehicles on the side of the highway, radiators steaming.  At the very top, I took a break, drank my gatorade, and took some pictures (not included here, again, there being no way to upload them.) and then rolled downhill at about 30 MPH the last five miles into Caacupe.  Ensconced in my hotel, I took four days of VERY dirty clothes off to be washed, which cost me a bit less than four Dollars, and will shortly go in search of food.

I wish I had brought my journal (where I keep track of mileage and expenses) from my trip two years ago with me to compare prices, but I get the distinctive impression that things are rather cheaper.  In those two years, the Dollar has appreciated about 15% against the Guarani, but I remember paying in the neighborhood of $40 a night for hotels, and so far, the three nights in Asuncion cost $19 each, last night was 100K Guaranies, about $21, and tonight was 150K Guaranies.  I hope this trend continues. 

As I mentioned in my first post, I took a million and a half Guaranies out of an ATM on arrival.  I probably had no need to take that much out, since every little town in the country has multiple exchange places that give perfectly acceptable prices for one hundred dollar bills.  Before leaving, I secreted nine $100 bills in my money belt, stashed a few more in my shaving kit, and a few more in a secret part of my wallet.  I will, hopefully, be withdrawing no more money on this trip, exchange houses are every bit as ubiquitious in Uruguay as they are in Paraguay, and I would have to be absolutely insane to use an ATM in Argentina; I can change Dollars on the street there at about double the "official" rate an ATM would give me.  Brazil will be the one place where I will have to either exchange a lot of Dollars at the border, or use ATMs; it is almost impossible to exhcange foreign currency in Brazil away from the border or a tourist center.  (And, as someone who lived in Brazil 25 years ago at a time of multiple thousands per cent of anual  inflation, that absolutely astounds me.  How times have changed.  Now Brazil is selling  Real denominated bonds on the international market at four or five percent...)

Tomorrow, I head on.  Hopefully it will not rain on me...