Sleeping on Tiles

With every group of volunteers that come and go, the volunteer community in Paraguay publishes the Kuat (short for Kuatiañe’e, meaning 'paper that speaks'). I look forward to the Kuat every issue because its usually filled with great stories and advice from my fellow volunteers. In the most recent edition, I decided to submit a story myself. The theme this time around was 'Travel in Paraguay', and I figured my post may help those who sometimes get stuck in places they don't really want to be... 

Here is my article that was posted in the most recent Kuat -- hope you enjoy!

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When evaluating my Peace Corps service thus far, there are a few areas that I feel I excel at. I plan a mean summer camp, work great with jovenes, can drink tereré for hours on end, and can sleep on just about any tile floor you place in front of me. It may come from my years of sleeping on shady motel floors during college travelling for water polo, or maybe it’s because I have a knack for missing busses, but either way I have found that practice makes perfect – and throughout my time in Paraguay, I have gotten plenty of practice.

I have decided to evaluate for you all a few of the floors I have slept on based on several different indicators. This way, if you find yourself in a similar situation while travelling around Paraguay, you will be well prepared!

Disclaimer: All ratings are based on experiences between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

Ciudad del Este Bus Terminal

Story: I was heading to Iguazu to meet up with my brother. I ended up leaving Asuncion a little later than planned, and got to the CDE terminal at 6:02pm. The last bus for Puerto Iguazu left at 6:00. After chasing it out of the parking lot and realizing my fate, I called Gustavo to get the OK and settled in for the night.

Cleanliness: Not bad! The NSA bus company has an air temperature controlled area with comfy chairs to lounge on.

Food: Plenty of options all night long. They even sell Ramen noodles in there!

Security: Surprisingly excellent! When you get kicked out of the NSA lounge at 2am, you move into the main terminal area. There is a police officer stationed in an office, so I slept just outside his door.

Chance of getting peed on by a homeless man: Más o menos…. There are some characters that are lurking, but the police officer helped steer clear any possible offenders.

Miscellaneous: Not gonna lie, I thought I was going to get shanked since I was in Ciudad del Este. But the night passed sin problemas!

Overall Rating: 4/5 Pillows!

Encarnacion Bus Terminal

Story: This happened to be on the same Iguazu trip; only coming back to site (I was on a roll). It was Paraguayan Labor Day, so fewer buses were running than usual. My bro and I got out of CDE fine, but then in Encarn we had some problems. The bus we planned on taking was broken and all the other busses weren’t running because of the holiday, so we didn’t get out of there until 6 hours after we arrived.

Cleanliness: Disgusting. I napped on a bench that very likely carried diseases.

Food: Not many options, just your average gum man. Thankfully, though, you are in the middle of Encarn!

Security: Nada.

Chance of getting peed on by a homeless man: Extremely high. And if you aren’t going to get peed on, you are likely sitting where someone previously peed.

Miscellaneous: Yeaaaaaa that terminal was gross. There are volunteers in Encarn – use them!

Overall Rating: 1/5 Pillows

Asuncion Airport Terminal

Story: I had a flight leaving for Santiago, Chile at 2am. Unfortunately, due to extreme fog in Buenos Aires, I was stuck in the airport until about 6am.

Cleanliness: Not bad. If you get there early enough, you may be able to snag the row of chairs without arm rests in the middle to keep yourself off the floor.

Food: Café is open all night long with plenty of options to munch on.

Security: Plenty, I felt pretty safe.

Chance of getting peed on by a homeless man: Very low as long as you are sleeping inside!

Miscellaneous: Wifi at the café! Really not a bad place to crash. I would likely even do it again to avoid paying for a hostel. Che sogue (I'm broke)… 

Overall Rating: 5/5 Pillows

I (fortunately) have not had the opportunity to sleep on the floor of the Asuncion bus terminal. I will be sure to update you all if that changes, however! (I also have slept on several international tiles, and am happy to answer any inquiries regarding the Buenos Aires airport, Santiago airport, and London Stansted Airport)

Happy napping!

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A post about my insane trip home is coming soon! Just waiting on a couple pictures from my lovely mother (and I'm hoping calling her out in public will help speed up the process).