Heading SouthEast

Now...isn't this a good lookin' group of peace corps volunteers?

Me, Danita Camper, Jill Anderson, Danielle Murry, Luke Keeler, Mila Wilmoth and Lisa Chimelli

About every two months we have a monthly VAC meeting (Volunteer Area Coordination - or something like that! Its when all of the volunteers that live in my department meet). We get together and discuss the latest happenings, what people are doing in their sites, announcements from the director and other general business. There is always good food eaten, alcohol consumed and a dance party had! Our last meeting was at the beginning of November (I have been slacking on updating....sorry). We headed to Tacuati, San Pedro, which lies about 35km east of Horqueta, but unfortuantley it happens to be on the ugliest road in all of Paraguay.

Like much of latin America, paraguay runs on Hora Paraguaya - meaning things never happen on time or when people tell you they will happen. This holds true for most events, meetings, bus schedules and almost anything else you can imagine. Church is the only event I have ever been to that starts on-time. Our adventure to Tacuati started about 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to arrive - we headed to the bus stop and started to wait. And waited and waited and waited, until we found out that the bus had actually left a 1/2 hour before it was scheduled to leave! But with lots of ganas for group bonding, Mary Kennon's cooking and official peace corps business-we couldnt give up on our trip to Tacuati so easily! We were able to hire a truck that took us out, over bumpy and flooded roads!

Enjoying the ride: Crossing the Ypane River
Danielle, me and Jill

Rio Ypane
Beautiful and fast - the Ypane is home to some exotic wildlife! On a river trip down in October, we were able to see tocans, monkeys, carpinchos and many great birds

If you ask Mary Kennon and Liam Winters will both attest to the general lack of excitment that goes on in Tacuati! However, one spring night that all changed! There have always been rumors floating around that they are out there - or that there used to be anacondas - but no one has seen one in over 25 years. Two Tacuatenos out for an afternoon fish happen to come upon one of the great wonders of the Ypane river; a 20+ food anaconda. Needless to say it created quite the stir in town, and is still be talked about!

21+ foot Anaconda - dead, after being bashed on the head by some lucky fishermen. The large bulge in the mid-section (arent snakes...all mid-section?) is a full grown Carpincho. The only reason it wasnt able to escape = cant swim on a full stomache!

Anaconda skin - to be taxidermied and mounted on the inside of the lucky finders house - will probably cover all four walls of his living room.

Being the Anaconda!