Easter in Paraguay!! (Photobomb ahead)

"My horse"

 So Easter is a bit different in Paraguay, as we all experienced. For me, it was mostly the lack of eggs and candy and anything... special... taht was different. but I really enjoyed my easter holiday!!

The farm where we stayed

I went with my hostfamily to misiones, a district of Paraguay, to a farm faaar faaar away from EVERYTHING, about 10 km to the nearest road.

It was possibly the best trip so far, maybe with exeption of the Cataratas. It was so long ago I breathed fresh air and could move freely in unsoiled nature, and it was SO QUIET. So incredibly, peacefully quiet. Silence is something I've learned not to miss (Living in the centro of San Lorenzo does that to you), but it was so wonderful getting in touch with calm mother nature again...

Upon arriving, I was more or less assigned a horse, a really pretty flaxen chestnut gelding, to pretty much go wherever I fancied with during the two days of our stay.

Seeing as I am a huge dog-person and the only one who actually appreciated the two dogs on the farm, they sor of adopted me as their new friend and leader, which resulted in me having their wonderful company on my horseback tour.

Now, if I would ever again be asked "What moment of your life were you the happiest?", this would be the answer.. On the back of a horse, accompanied by two wonderful dogs and in absolutely silent, beautiful nature, being free to go wherever I wish and without having to race the clock.

And also. We found an old, abandoned garden with some grapefruit trees. Now, it is citrus fruit season in Paraguay, and that grapefruit, eaten two seconds after being picked, on the back of a horse. I don't even have words to describe that feeling. 

 

on fire

BECAUSE TIGER STRIPED COW!!

My dogs :) To the left the female puppy (About 7 months old) and to the right the male, a little tired of her shit

Another horse

Lemons!

Me on the horse

Sheeeeeeeeep!!

Coming back

My horse, so pretty :D

Winter time

So, Paraguay is probably the ONLY country that suddenly decides to change to wintertime two weeks earlier than usual (6th of April) because "it's darker in the morning than usual".
The satellite clock to which my [insert ironic tone here] AWESOME phone synchronizes does not coincide with Paraguays decision... I mean.. What? This is not the way the world functions? You can't just suddenly decide you want to change the time? Shall we change the date as well?
Oh Paraguay...

(Yes I know that Europe change the time today)

Major iPhone trashing ahead

If there is anyone who is a huge fan of the Apple technology, I suggest you just stop reading here.


So let me strip this down. 
Using Apple technology, or at least an iPhone, which to be honest is the only Apple product I'm familiar with, is the closest I've ever been to an abusive relationship.

It is so frickin' awesome. It's so intuitive and easygoing and nice and shiny and pretty and fancy.
It is. It is an awesome, fantastic little piece of fucked up shit.

As long as you play by its rules.

Trying to add new music from another computer?

-Here, let me erase ALL THE MEDIA that's currently on your phone

Oh I see you're in a new country.

-How about I get blocked and you need the disfunctioning SIM-card to unlock me?

Want to use your phone while it's charging?

-How about a cord the lenght of your arm?

Actually the full story is that I have had issues with my phone since I arrived to Paraguay. First of all, my Swedish SIM card, which worked all the way to Brazil, does not have reception in Paraguay. I mean of course it doesn't. It's Paraguay... So I headed out to get a Paraguayan one. Which, surprise.. DID NOT WORK. I mean, of course it didn't, it's Paraguayan.... No actually though, that was unfair. The more truthful version is; of course it didn't, my phone is locked to use in Sweden.

Then, miraculously, and might I add, very expensively, I found a solution to make my phone connect to paraguayan operator Tigo. 

Few weeks after, the piece of shit died. With help from a patient, english-speaking bloke at the local Apple store (YES, paraguay has an Apple store!), it revived again.

Then, of course, there is the iOS question. Since I had iOS 4 installed, my phone was no longer supporting various applications. I did not really want to do the upgrade because I was fairly sure it would go to hell, and because there was no iTunes installed on the computer, and because I did not want to loose all my media (I'm such a audio-book-addict).

But well, I did some reasearch and figured that with the backup, I would not loose at least some things, and it didn't seem very complicated to do the backup. so happy as can be, I download this iOS 6.4.6.11 or whichever version we may now be on. A bit anxious, I press the "Restore and update". My phone just shuts down and I see "extracting all software" flashing on the iTunes. That does not, in my opinion, sound good. At all. 

After various on and off-turning, all managed by iTunes, my piece of shit- phone happily flashes "To unlock your phone, insert a valid SIM-card"...

Of course. Of course my expensively manipulated, paraguayan SIM card is not valid. Of course I should have known that a "valid" card is necessary to unlock a phone after an restoration. 

So here I am. My phone not working, no contacts, and that is, all the contacts from three years use. All data, all music. Very unreachable.

But at the same time I'm not that bothered. I mean, I can live without it. And at least I still have it. once I'm back I can unlock it. I do however feel a bit annoyed..

Traffic-system-passive-aggressive- rant ahead.

It is very fascinating to me, that the inhabitants of this country has mutually agreed to totally disrespect pedestrians crossing the road (became very apparent at our arrival when, not without a certain amount of pride, it was declared that the zebra-stripes are widely ignored and that a car will NEVER stop for you), yet still everyone becomes really, really pissed and upset and shocked when a car or a bus hits someone.

I am just saying. Safe pedestrian- crossing areas. Has any politician here considered that in their campaign? Ever?

And I wonder, how can you blame a driver for hitting someone, in a country where the system in use widely screams that 100% of the responsibility when crossing the heavily trafficked roads lays with the pedestrian?

Well, my little passive-aggressive post of the day.
Take care, stay safe

Photobomb: QUAILS

Finnaly got around to transfer some real photos of my quails! So here goes; PHOTOBOOOMB!!

Quails just enjoying the grass

The quail cage, under its tree

Interior of cage, with hay and leaves, to hide in

Male quail portrait. They still don't have names.

My shy, fearful, unsocial quail. She tensd to peck me when I hold her and genuinly dislikes my presence.

My nice, rather social quail, she really loves a scratch on the back... this is the quail who did not have a single feather on ther back trhee weeks ago...

Look at those feathers!! How nice!

My quails are thriving! More or less.. they still don't lay any eggs, but all of them are alive, and they have gotten their feathers back!

Enjoying some scratching on the
back with eyes closed

Something of a rant ahead...

Paraguayans!! So now that you have a beautiful lake contaminated to the point where you can no longer even set foot in it, you blame the politicians?! Of course they are contributing but take a frickin' look around!! Look at all that trash you throw everywhere, all these soaps with phosphates prohibited in environmentally aware countries, all the traffic, all of this painful disrespect of nature. Get your shit together, for the sake of whatever you may find holy on this planet!!!
Wake up!! Stop the stupid blame/shame- shifting and take some responsibility!
The lake Ypacaraí and what it contributed with as a tourism spot and economical contributor is probably lost, at least for 5 years ahead and probably, knowing this country pretty well by now, forever. I am sorry. I am sorry to be human. I apologize on the behalf of my species.
Rest in peace.

If anyone is thinking "well why don't you do anything then?"- I am already, as much as I can as someone without money and power, and also planning on further action next year.

Right now I need to go into mental hibernation for a few days. This really upset me.

Reflection

Thinking back on especially the last six months, but basically the last couple of years, I'm realizing that all the of the moments that left big impact on me, the memories of which I really cherish, are all of small, fleeting, elusive everyday moments.
Something so easy as being there and patiently listening to, or just sitting silently with, someone needing compassion... a walk in the woods, an afternoon spent doing nothing with a person you're comfortable with... An intriguing discussion, just those moments you haven't planned.

Funny, isn't it, How we chase those grandiose, extraordinary experiences, in the march trampling over our actual life, planning for a future you can't be sure you'll experience.

I believe happiness happens when you pause in the moment, knowing and acknowledging,
"This is good. I'm grateful for this moment. This moment is my life. Not tomorrow, or next week, next year... This exact moment"

Just a thought. Shared with you.
Take care.