ASUNCIÓN AND VALENZUELA - At home with Valentina and Daniel

View of the small hills and fields belonging to the farm.

Accommodation

Valentina and Daniel own a few small holiday cottages on their property in Ñemby near Asunción. There are also three little kittens running around, which are only a month old. So cuddly! In addition, there are two dogs, hens, a rabbit etc. We stayed one night there, then we went to Valenzuela for one night and then back to Ñemby for two more nights. In Valenzuela, the two of them also own a 100 ha property with about 100 cows. The property of the Estancia also has a few holiday cottages. We were able to sleep in one of the cottages. Two cows here are allowed to enjoy the benefits of extensive pasture farming.

Sightseeing

There is a waterfall and a river in which you can swim on the Valenzuela property. We took a walk with Valentina to "La Cascada", but unfortunately, the waterfall was barely flowing. It's probably due to the dry season and climate change. Nevertheless, the little water that was there was very tasty and after the 3 km march we were quite thirsty. In addition, we briefly saw the church where her daughter Daniela got married and the lands of Daniela's husband Aníbal, who, along with his wife, owns lands in Valenzuela and has a cattle breeding business just like Daniel. The waterfall, which is unfortunately just a trickle now. Valentina was very affected by the decrease in the amount of water.

Transport

In Daniel's truck or his daughter Olivia's family car, and with Uber.

Food and Drink

Valentina is a fantastic chef. She made us delicious fish soup, Mbeju, a pancake-like dough specialty, and incredibly tasty juices with guavas and grapefruits. In addition, there was a Giga-Asado from their own cow breeding with salad. This meal was a family accomplishment. The employees of Diana's veterinary clinic also helped a lot. On Olivia's birthday, we went out for a meal and chose delicious self-compiled pasta dishes in a department store.

Cafes and Restaurants

I didn't write down the name of the department store, but it could possibly be the Shopping Mariscal. Sausage and meat from their own cows, which was even prepared in their own butcher shop. It was even too much for 13 people, without side dishes.

Plants and Animals

We saw many cows, various types of poultry (turkey, ...), a pig, a tarantula, and of course, the adopted dogs that are allowed to live on the Estancia grounds. We also ate "Coco" with Valentina - you have to peel it and then suck on it for a while. On their grounds also grew grapefruits and oranges, Mandioka, and lots of grass ;) The currently only pig on the farm, a few days ago it had company.

Number of Germans in the City

Contact with Locals

With Valentina's family and the employees of her daughter.

Expenditures

Kept within limits, we bought a pack of peanuts in the supermarket ;)

Laundry

Washed twice at Valentina and Daniel's.

Bus to Santa Cruz de la Sierra

We took the night bus to Santa Cruz (Bolivia). For 900,000 Guaranís without or 930,000 Guaranís with credit card we left in the evening. In the middle of the night (after we had finally fallen asleep in the uncomfortable semi-Cama seats), we were awakened at 3:45 am for a very poorly organized drug control in the Chaco and saw the legendary bullfrog near our bus. Honestly, if we had drugs, it would have been no problem to hide them short term and pick them up again after the control. A dead bullfrog on the police grounds. Very huge, this animal. It's bigger than Pascal's fist. So incredibly incompetent, these policemen. By the way, there were no toilets. After two hours, we finally continued and after migration at 7:45 am (also rather unorganized) we arrived at Santa Cruz late in the afternoon at about 5 p.m. In the end, there were only four people on the bus, the rest had already disembarked in smaller places. The journey was incredibly beautiful with a lot of mountains and motorcycles, on which funny sunshades were mounted. Even a vegetarian lunch (rice, fries, and delicious grilled vegetables) and a small breakfast (super sweet chocolate milk and vanilla waffles) were included. On-site, we then found a SIM card and then a hotel opposite the bus terminal (100 Bolivianos in the Alojamiento Sol del Oriente). When I showered, I got electric shocks and decided very quickly to stay smelly. I don't want to miss my last drop of life ;) Afterward, we had dinner on the street in front of the hotel. Super cheap!

Acknowledgments

At this point, we would like to express our gratitude for the wonderful hospitality of Valentina and Daniel, who gave us a great insight into Paraguayan life and introduced us more deeply into traditional food culture. Additional thanks also go to Pascal's Grandfather Helmut, and Josephina, without whose contacts this experience would not have been possible.

Post Scriptum

More pictures from the trip to the Estancia can be found at https://hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/keRhM8H2A. Have fun watching.