lollypops and looming mountains!

Hello There!

Sorry, its been a while, can’t quite remember the last time i posted.  I don’t so much post when I don’t have pictures, what can I say, I’m not one to just read the articles…

Life keeps chugging along.  New adventures and fresh days with little to do. simultaneously.  Asi es.  such it is… Some of my new work related awesome is that the mayor of my town wants to fund 10 more biodigesters!  Its a slooooow process, but it will happen.  I live in just one of the outlying towns and he wants to invite the other outlying towns to participate in my training, so that biodigesters can spread like, um,  denge in a swamp!  oh!  bad joke, denge is spreading all over the place at the moment, also called the bone crusher cause, you’ll be surprised, it makes you feel like your bones are crushing.  Passed by mosquitos, and most adoring of cities.  None here yet.

Second thing!  Working on a biodigester documentary.  Yes, I really want to make a tiara for myself, I want to be biodigester queen.  but what would it look like?  A plastic bag filled with manure ring, with blue flames shooting in every direction???  Its possible… project held in parking lot….  This documentary will be in Jopara, Spanish and Guarani, and will be Paraguayans explaining to Paraguayans what in the world is a biodigester.  And answer FAQ, like, is it dangerous, does it smell, does it actually work?

Finally!  A grand triumph.  I just scaled the largest, highest, most looming mountain in Paraguay!  Picture above, pick one of the “peaks”  not 100% sure which one it is.

you doubted me. Paraguay is Kansas

This is not what one imagines when they think of South America.  Flat.  Flatter than an F to M post op.  Flatter than a Pekines’ face.  Mom, anything else?  And while it used to be a glorious land of subtropical rain forest, now almost nothing is left.  On this same thought, for Easter this year I had mborevi/ forest pig/ tapir.  I think.  One of those might be right.  My other neighbors doubt it.  I might have eaten the last one.  But it was goooooood….

So paraguay is very, very flat.

switch backs are for sissies

In the land of flatness, when one of these little bumps arise, it arises seemingly from no where.  And it goes straight up!  I was surprised how challenging the hike was.  That could also be because my recent “hike” in any kind of “woods” was flat and about 20 m wide.  Could also be attributed to the fact that this country has never had to learn how to make hiking trails, so just put a goat trail going straight up.  They did put a chord to hold on to, allowing pulling and lowering yourself up and down an option. used and appreciated if not mocked.

say goodbye piggy

Ten points if you get the reference….

And all of this to celebrate the birfday of my most favorite Peace Corps chum, Brooklyn.  For her birthday we also killed a pig!  I say we, cause she wanted to do, and definitely attempted (photo far superior if it had sound), then I attempted, and finally, her neighbor and birthday girl number two finished the deed.  Poor thing.  She was delicious.   Ate everything, was going to make blood sausage but the dog got into it, but we did make rollado, which is taking the skin, laying it out flat, spreading out ground meet and chopped veggies, roll, tie, boil, eat, also amazing.

Our friend from the top of the mountain

Huge grasshopper we found.  What I think might be even more amazing are the spiders big enough to make webs and keep a guy like this.  Watch out!

two birthday girls and three friends

And a picture of us at her party.  We had a pinata, wine and coke, some dancing.  Good times, good folk, hike the next day, good stuff all around.

My communicating to each of you individually is wretched.  Does not mean I don’t think of you.  If you would like to send me an update, the odds of me responding with a personal note increase greatly!  Maybe not a huge seller, but I smear the truth like ground meat on pig skin, oh so deliciously….