Go west, young man...

With Iguazu done, I head west to Asuncion [ah-suun-see-oon].

Another classic travelers tale awaits...

I start by leaving a bit late (10am) which means its hot, I've got 15 kilos or so in my 2 bags which feels more like 30 (turns out I hadn't adjusted the straps properly...). The local bus which usually goes straight to the terminal... goes on a wonky tour across town.  Fortunately my new French buddy (every backpacker is your buddy really) spots that we need to get off before we head back to where we came from.

Now I have to find my way through a new part of town, with my packs and very hot and humid weather. Splendid!

Make it to the terminal, wait for about 40 mins and get on the bus to Ciudad Del Este. So far so good. I attempt to chat to the locals on the bus, with the theory that the more people I know, the more chance someone will help if it all goes wrong. End up "chatting" to a girl from Asuncion. I invert those commas due to the very basic nature of the chat but she was very helpful.

We get stamps leaving the Argentine border and at that point I ask the driver if he can stop at the Ciudad Del Este border (Lonely Planet said to watch out for this, I could get in a spot of bother if I don't get stamped in). He says something like "Sí Señor" which is a good sign and then mentions "otro bus" ah yes, also good. LP said to get off the bus and get another one after the border process. We cruise straight through both Brazil borders which would have concerned me if I hadn't read up about the trip before hand.

At the Paraguay border the dude mentions something that sounds like "cuarenta" and I start thinking - oh right, thats how it works, I give you 40 bucks and you give me a stamp right...? I ask "pesos?" and he looks at me with a curious look like I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. You're right buddy, absolutely no idea. The word rolls around in my head a bit...
Oooh, "cuanto" something about how long...? Ah "dos semanas" 2 weeks. Maybe that was what he was after, who knows, he stamped my passport anyway. Ha.

I wait for another bus, a dude comes up to me and says "cambio". Ah change, good, no idea whether he is legit but I could do with some guaranís [gwah-rah-nee - roll the r and run it together]. Have no idea what rate is good or how much to get, so I give him 20 pesos, he gives me 21,000 g's. Woop! Man, I'm rich! Until the bus comes and I pay 8,000. Hmm, maybe I should have got more...?

Next challenge is to get to the terminal, I mentioned terminal to the driver using my best Spanish accent. He seems to understand... Here's hoping I end up in the right part of this crazy border town - everything is tax free here so there's electronics shops and riff raff all over the place! Everyday thousands of people come across the bridge from Brazil and Argentina to buy tax free and sell it back home.

After rolling through the back streets for a while, we finally enter the terminal - yusss! Made it. Phase 2 complete. Now I'll call Tom in Asuncion, get some food, change some more money, go to the toilet and hang out while I figure out which bus is best, until...
the back door opens and three guys are asking everyone - Asuncion? Asuncion?
Well, ah, yeah but...
And before you know it, after a split section decision and some cheeky locals trying to drum up business, I'm on a bus to Asuncion! No call, no toilet, no food but 40 pesos. Sweet! I end up deciding to try and get there as quick as possible rather than hanging out. Lonely Planet said to bargain until just before the door closes but when you're paying about 12NZD for a 6 hour trip, playing hard ball seems curious. Probably if I'd got a flasher bus we wouldn't have been stopping every 20 mins and I would have ended up getting there quicker but... oh well.

During the trip various vendors get on the bus and sell drinks, food, dvds, books... you name it! Fortunately I hadn't used all my currency and was able to get a coke and a local bread, thing.

The sights along the way were intriguing - farms riddled with foot high termite hills, very rough roads made from flat stones (apart from the highway which was very good), lots of agriculture, some very poor areas, many groups of people sitting under trees in the hot midday heat drinking Tereré - like Maté in Argentina but cold. I hadn't really considered the heat until I realised there was a small leak in my window seal and the air coming through it felt like a fan heater! Wowsers, I'm glad I got air con and now realise why buses have curtains closed in the middle of the day!

After an hour of slowly progressing through Asuncion I finally make it to the terminal, find a phone, make a call and wait. Tom arrives 20 mins later and phase 3 is complete. Woop! Too easy.