We left at 8:30 to visit a Guarani community. We stopped at an eco-hotel to switch from our bus to a pickup truck with open-sided seating for sixteen in the back. We drove a few blocks and left the grid of streets to drive into the jungle on a dirt road. We passed a community center type building, a fútbol field, and then some plots of various crops with humble houses, then stopped at a foot path leading into the trees.
After walking a little way on the path we met a Guaraní guide. We learned how to greet Guaraní people and a few other phrases, then got an introduction to their history and way of life. Our guide took us down the path, stopping at a series of demonstration areas where he showed various types of traps and snares used by the people to capture animals. The Guaraní have a long history of living sustainably within the Atlantic Forest, which they consider a paradise because the forest provides all the food, clothing, and medicine that is necessary to live. The forest even provides mate, the drinking of which was originated by the Guaraní. As part of their understanding of their role in nature, all of their animal traps are non-lethal so that young or pregnant animals can be released.
We also learned that the Guaraní have made concessions to the technology, capitalism, education, and democracy of modern life, but have been fairly selective about what they adopt and what they ignore. When you know you don’t need a mobile phone or a job in order to have shelter and food to eat, you can have more control over how you live your life. They do have to fight to protect what is left of the Atlantic Forest, though.
At one station our guide’s mother had prepared a few types of their traditional food - a bread-like thing made with yuca (cassava) flour, raw honey, and a flat bread that looked like corn but was not. Then a few young women and boys joined our guide to sing a couple of songs for us.
Afterwards one of the spiritual leaders blessed each of us in a ritual involving a tobacco pipe. It was emotionally distressing for me: on the one hand I was beginning to understand a little of the Guaraní perspective, a life which can be lived in balance with nature in a forest where all that is needed is available via some effort; but on the other hand knowing that they are already struggling due to deforestation, and climate change will only degrade the forest further.
Before we left we visited a shed where several of the families had craft offerings. We bought several reed whistles and some carvings.
On the way out we saw a fútbol game had started and a bit of a crowd had gathered to watch.
We returned to the Pueblecito Hotel where our bus was waiting, but we walked around in their back area. There is a lagoon with a lot of interesting plants and some birds. They also have a butterfly garden where they try to help butterflies propagate and release them.
Then we had a late lunch at this eco-hotel with some interesting foods and fruit drinks.
Finally we returned to the hotel with Lucas pointing out some dining recommendations along the way. Our little group went to the Tres Fronteras area where we sat and had a drink overlooking the confluence of the two big rivers.
Then we spent some time looking for mate mugs but nothing in the little shops there struck our fancy.
We went back to the hotel and freshened up a little then took a taxi to the Jardín Picaflores - Hummingbird Garden. The garden was smaller than we expected, but did not need to be bigger because so many hummingbirds and other small birds were flitting around and feeding from the many feeders.
We spent almost an hour watching the birds.
Then we started walking back toward the main road with the idea of getting some ice cream, but there was a successful hawker outside the German-style brewery, Yguazú Beer. They had special deal promos for early dining that included a beer or two that matched the food, so we ordered a plate of goulash and spatzle and a couple additional beers. The beers were good, especially the schwarzbier, but the food was not.
We finally made our way to the main road and found a nice souvenir shop where a cute, friendly, young lady helped us select a mate mug, straw, and yerba mate. We also bought a bottle of Malbec for dinner the next night as wine would not be available there.
Then we crossed the road and stopped at the Cremolatti ice cream shop. We all thought the ice cream was good here but not as rich as at the place we tried in Buenos Aires.
We passed a place called Cabaña de las Muñecas (Cabin of the Dolls) as we walked back to the hotel. They were putting on a puppet show for a number of people seated in the yard, and they had a couple canopies where people were cooking things, including an interesting one where they coated a long rod with batter and baked it over the fire. I think the puppet show may have been a passion play for Easter.
Back at the hotel I worked on labeling photos on Flickr as I’ve fallen far behind before going to bed somewhat early.