Rohayhu Paraguay!!! This means "we love Paraguay" in the indigenous language of Guaraní and is pronounced Ro-hi-hu. Sadly, this will be the last blog entry of the Biking to Build Schools bicycle tour. But happily, we want to share with you in this blog the unknown place called Paraguay, and happily, we will be returning home soon to our families in the United States after almost three years of living in South America.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us make Biking to Build Schools possible... all of those who helped us along the way, helped us get gear, kept us motivated, and gave to our cause. There are simply too many people to thank. If we were to type all the names of those whom have helped us along the way the list would be pages long. Please just know how very much we apprecite all of your support. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We could not have done this without your help and contributions. Thanks to CECTEC and InterConnection who are the ones doing the real work every single day to make a positive impact on people's lives in Paraguay. Thanks is also due to Aaron Ostrom and the Outdoor Store in Arcata, California: www.outdoor-store.com. Without their help setting us up with the equipment and bicycles none of this would have been possible. An extra special thanks is due to our parents who have supported us in so many ways and surely have endured many an hour wondering (maybe worrying) where their kids are. It's been a long ride. Thank you all!!

With your support we have raised $7,000 dollars as well as the donation of 12 computers for the Biking to Build Schools project. Thank you so very much for all of your support! To learn more about just what the money will be used for, keep reading this blog!! If you want to make a last minute donation to the Biking to Build Schools project you can do so until August 1st. Remember that all donations are 100% tax-deductible, safe and secure, and can be made at, www.bikingtobuildschools.com. Thanks again!

We're gonna start this blog off with some quick statistics about the trip:

• Total kilometers ridden: 7,501
• Total riding days: 119
• Total rest days: 68 (not including the days we spent in our old sites in PY)
• Total trip time: 6 months and 12 days
• Average kilometers ridden per day: 63.56
• Longest number of hours ridden in one day: 7 hours and 2 minutes
• Furtherest distance ridden in one day: 121.18 kilometers
• Number of flat tires: 31 (25 for Joel and 6 for Karen)
• Attempted muggings: 3
• Things stolen: 0
• Things lost: 4 items (not including pounds off the waist)
• Butt blisters: At least three...
• Broken spokes: 2
• Broken racks: 1
• Broken shifter cable housing: 2
• Worn chain and chainrings: 1 of each
• The winner of the final mystery pic challenge is Judy Matthew!! She correctly guessed that the truncated arch in Japeju represeneted the loss of the Falkland Islands and all of the Argentine soldiers whom gave their lives fighting in the war. It is said that if Argentina ever gains full control over the islands the arch will be completed. Thank you all for sending us your guesses!

Now back to the road...

The journey from Encarnación to Asunción has been an emotional one... not exactly sad or happy, but a great big complicated mix of feelings. We feel at home again in this culture, and yet we are always foreigners in the eyes of most Paraguayans. We want to help the people here so badly, but we know it's time to let go. We feel the desperation of so many living here, but we see hope in organizations like CECTEC, a group of Paraguayans helping and educating other Paraguayans. We also see hope in the laughter of the children and in the smiles of the elderly. We understand the need of Paraguayans to speak Spanish in order to get employment, but we understand the invaluable uniqueness of Guaraní, the indigenous langauge that most Paraguayans speak. We have good memories, we have bad memories, and most of all, we only have a few days left of memories in Paraguay.

As we were leaving our hotel in Encarnación one cloudy morning, a group of students from Asunción crowded around us to chat and get the scoop about these crazy folks on bikes. One girl remarked, wow, you guys are carrying about the same amount of luggage for 6 months as I am for 3 days!! Very true. It feels good to be minimalists sometimes. We rode out of town and soon found ourselves going up and down the large hills of southern Paraguay. A lot of the Paraguayan countryside is quite hilly, even though most Peace Corps volunteers would tell you differently. We stopped at the Trinidad Jesuit ruins for lunch and walked around the place, trying to imagine what life would have looked like 500 years ago. The ruins are over 500 years old and have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site is huge and includes two churches, lots of living quarters, statues, a watch tower, among other things. As one of the few tourist attrations in Paraguay, they are very impressive and very beautiful. We continued riding that afternoon and met a friendly teenager named Carlos who was also cycling in our direction. He escorted us to the town of Buena Vista, chatting with us and doing the most amazing wheelies we have ever seen. He could ride a wheelie for almost a kilometer uphill! We said goodbye to him and found a nice little place to stay. To our surprise, Buena Vista is actually a German colony and thus most people we talked to did not speak Guaraní. It was either German or Spanish. Regardless, we managed to get some ice cold tereré (the cold yerba mate in PY) to enjoy as we watched the sun go down.

The Jesuit Ruins at Trinidad.

The next morning we were on the roller coaster again as we rode up and down more hills, passing by large plantations of monoculture crops. At this time of year the fields are mostly sown with wheat and oats as cover crops. Come summertime however, these hills will be carpeted with soybeans destined for exportation. Great!, you might think, finally some large-scale, money-making agriculture in Paraguay. Unfortunately, most of these huge swathes of land are owned by Brasileans or Argentineans who enter Paraguay and buy up small-scale farmers' land. The crops are usually GMO and a lot of pesticides and herbicides are used. That's the way large-scale agriculture is in a lot of places yes, but it's part of a nasty cycle here that ends up making life for rural farm families in Paraguay even more difficult. Small-scale farmers can't compete in a market full of huge producers, nor can they afford all of the high-tech seeds and chemicals needed to have high yields. So, the big producers get richer, and the small farmers get poorer... the big producers buy more land, and the small farmers are pressured to give up more land and move to the city or to a different country in search of a way to make ends meet. We noted that these large squares of wheat or oats were often bordered by a line or two of sugarcane. The purpose of this line of can is to supposedly stop the pesticides and herbicides from travelling over to another farmer's field or house (most commonly a small farm family's house). This didn't seem very effective to us... Paraguay has fewer restrictions regarding the types of agro-chemicals that can be used than in countries such as the United States and Europe. These agro-chemicals are usually extremely toxic and dangerous (more often than not they are highly carcinegenous) to users and those exposed to it. The big ag producers hire Paraguayans to do the dirty work at very low wages and they usually don't provide any safety equipment for their employees. Well, the story goes on and on, but unfortunately, exploitation is a reoccurring theme throughout the history of people inhabiting Latin America, and not just with monoculture farming and neighboring countries.

South eastern Paraguay has been taken over by foreigners whom plant thousands of hectares of soy. These are winter cover crops of oats and wheat.

We passed through small Paraguayan communities and stopped a few times to get water and snacks. We were surprised that not many people along our route (Ruta Seis) had spoken Guaraní with us thus far. Sometimes people asume that we don't speak Guaraní, but a lot of times, they just prefer to speak Spanish with us because it is more formal, or they actually don't speak Guaraní at all (in this area of Paraguay). We came to that conclusion because we were so close to the border with Brasil and Argentina, and because there were a lot of German settlements around. This phenomenon was a little more common here than in other places in Paraguay. Usually people are extremely excited when we speak Guaraní with them... and really appreciate that we have taken the time to learn their language.

After a little confusion with the directions given to us, we turned onto the dirt road that would take us to CECTEC's impressive agricultural school. Our partner organization, CECTEC, works in many different themes in Paraguay. In the district of Tava'i, they mostly focus on education and infrastructure. However, they also designed and mangage two agricultural schools, one of which we passed by on our way to Tava'i. The school we visited is the cornerstone project of CECTEC. They have been operating the school for over 24 years and have grown as an organization with the success of their agriculture school. We pulled up to the school on our bikes amidst giggling students and whispering workers. Carolina, the director of the school, set us up in a room where we would stay for the night and then took us on a tour of the entire place. It is big, about 90 hectars in total, all of which is managed organically and ecologically. There is a large garden, chickens, cows, pigs, yerba, sugar cane, corn, beans, mandioca, several classrooms, boarding rooms, a kitchen and dining room, and a radio station. The classes are taught both inside and outside, through both theory and experience. Students learn the basics of math, reading, etc, but also learn how to manage an ecological farm. They stay at the school for 2 weeks and then go home for 2 weeks. During the time at home, they do "projects" with their family, such as raising pigs, which will later be evaluted by the teachers of the ag school later. All of the crops and animals raised at the school are used to feed the students and staff; if there is surplus (for example yerba mate or sugar) it is sold for a profit to help cover operation costs. The school is also highly involved with the neighbooring communitites and conducts many technical agricultural training events for Paraguyans. We absolutely loved the place and loved seeing sustainable agriculture being put into practice. We stayed the night and the next morning were invited to talk on the radio show. We decided to hit the road after that since we knew it would be a super long day the next day if we didn't get a head start to Tava'i.

We stopped by the CECTEC's agriculture school.

After a short 20km ride the pavement ended and we stayed the night in the town where the dirt began. The next day's ride was 60km on yvypyta, or red dirt, the famous sticky, clayey substance found in many areas of Paraguay. The sky was overcast and the forecast was rain. Luckily for us, it held out and the road remained dry and compact while we rode, as opposed to impossible sledgey mud. There were also several sections of bone-jarring empedrado, or janky old cobblestone composed of large jagged rocks. These sections were mostly on steep hills so as to preserve the condition of road a little more... not the greatest for climbing or descending on a bicycle. We made our way through the campo yelling out "Ah-di-oooh" to passerbyers and to kids standing stock still in the road with amazement at the site of our bikes. The ride was nice and it was great to finally be deep in the Paraguayan campo (countryside) again. There was more of the same large monoculture crops, but finally we came upon some forested sections in the San Rafeal Reserve and the Parque Nacional Caazapa. What a difference! It was hard to imagine what the area would have looked like a mere 50 years ago. This area of Paraguay is home to the remaining sections of the once great Eastern Atlalantic forest, which was one of the most diverse areas of land in the world at one time. Now only 7% of the original forest cover remains! We saw thousands of hectares of land covered in short cover crop grasses that at one time was covered in dense jungle home to pumas, ocelots, parrots, tucans, countless other animals and plants as well. Let's just say there used to be a lot more forest, a lot more diversity. For more information about the San Rafael Reserve and the Atlantic forest visit: http://www.procosara.org/index_en or www.rideforthetrees.com.

A reminder of what was once here.

We got to the town of Tava'i ("small city" in Guaraní) in the early afternoon. We pushed up the last cobblestone hill to the office of CECTEC as our work partners and friends, David and Karina of CECTEC cheered us on and took pictures. Over tereré we shared stories and talked business, working out the details of the computers donated by InterConnection and of the funds raised thus far. We later held a meeting at the municipality with the mayor of Tava'i, several teachers, heads of committees, and CECTEC to discuss the project and how it would be implemented in Tava'i. Since we didn't raise as much money as we had aimed for, we had to develop a new plan for how the funds and computers would be used. The mayor thought it would be most beneficial to the communities if some of the computers were used to create a computer lab at the municipal library. The computuers will be open for all members of the community to use and the municipality will offer free computation classes on a regular basis. We thought this was a great idea! The remaining computers will be used in schools that already have the necessary infrastruture and security to house a computer. The donations raised will be used to improve the infrastructure of one incomplete school. A roof will be added, walls will be built, a concrete floor will be made, and furniture will be purchased for the classroom. Also a new bathroom will be built to replace the current latrine and a potable water system will be installed!!

The school at Ñu Pyahu that will be finished with your donation money! The donations will pay for a roof, to complete the walls, a floor, and furniture. Thank you!!

It was extremely exciting to finalize the project and to see the fruits of our labor being realized. It was also amazing to see an actively involved mayor of a Paraguayan town working with a Paraguayan NGO to improve the lives of people in the area. After the meeting was over (during which both Spanish and Guaraní was spoken), we headed over to the local radio station to take part in two programs being aired. The first was a program of CECTEC's during which they explain what their work is in Tava'i and why they are doing it and annouce any upcoming events or meetings. The second program was about cultural conservation in Paraguay, during which the man hosting the show spat out rapid-fire Guaraní that was almost incomprehensible to us... it was awesome. He told Paraguayan mythalogical stories, spoke of the importance of the Guaraní language, and played traditional Paraguayan polka music. During both shows we talked about our bike trip, our fund-raising goal, the ups and downs, and how happy we were to be back to Paraguay... in an interesting mix of Guaraní and Spanish. It was petty fun. Later on that evening we were treated by the folks of CECTEC to a delicious dinner of Paraguayan goodies: empanadas, mbeju, mandioca, and coke mixed with red wine. It was a long day but the food was amazing, it was awesome to visit with CECTEC's staff, and we felt great.

In Tava'i with David Miranda and Karina Bianchi of CECTEC!

After visiting Tava'i and meeting with CECTEC's staff there we set off toward Villarrica. It was a beautiful, sunny day and our spirits were high as we pedaled down the road. In addition to very clayey soils, Paraguay also has soils that are extremely sandy. Go figure. On the west side of Tava'i, the road turned to sand and in many places, deep sand. If you've ever tried to ride a bike through sand you know how tough it can be...especially when loaded down with all types of gear. So we made our way slowly along the road, stopping to get off and push our bikes through the deepest areas of sand (up to 6 inches) where it was otherwise impassable. On our way through the campo we rode past many a bewildered on-looker. It was great! People would stare, kids would scream and hide, others would cheer, and many people invited us to stop and drink tereré with them. The coolest part of it though, was when we passed the school at Atongue. The entire school had come to the side of the road and were waiting to meet us.  This school will be one that will receive some of the computers donated by InterConnection. The students were very shy and looked on as one of their teachers asked us all types of questions. Eventually, the students warmed up to us and asked us some questions also. They got a kick out of hearing us speak Guaraní and there were a few giggles from the crowd. After talking with them for a bit we jumped back on the saddle and pedaled down the road past small farms and fields, over the orange sandy road, and into San Juan Nepomuceno for the night.

As we set off from Tava'i for Villarrica, we passed one of the schools that will benefit from our fundraiser.

From San Juan Nepomuceno to Villarrica it was smooth sailing and an easy ride down a nice paved road that had little traffic on it. We made great time riding that day as it was another beautiful, warm, sunny day with a nice light tail wind. We saw the Cordillera de Yvyturuzu (a small range of hills) in the distance and we knew that we were getting close! Karen used to live in the heart of the Yvyturuzu during her time as a Peace Corps volunteer. It was exciting and very emotional to realize with the sight of these hills just how far we had come and how close we were to seeing her community. We contiuned on to Villarrica where we stayed for a couple of days to take care of some business. During those two days the weather changed dramatically and a huge storm blew in bringing with it almost 24 hours full of torrential downpours, high winds, and lots of lightening. We knew that it would be absolutely impossible to cycle out to Karen's community after rains since the roads had turned to a gooey, muddy, plasticey mess (even the busses and motorcycles have a hard time). That said, we left our bikes and gear with a friend in Villarrica and jumped on a bus to head out to Monte Rosario.

Monte Rosario is the name of the community where Karen lived and worked during the Peace Corps. It is an absolutely beautiful place. The community is nestled at the base of Cerro Amor (Love Hill), the second tallest point in all of Paraguay. The land is covered in beautiful forests and is sparsley populated due to its remoteness. The name (Monte Rosario) means "rosary of mountains" and is as such because of the circular distribution of hills that form the shape of a rosary. Since the bus doesn't go all the way out to Monte Rosario, we got off in the small community of Pireka Alta and stopped by an old friend's house. The family was so happy to see Karen and they invited us in for Tereré and some lunch. We shared with them some photos from our trip and tales from the road before setting out for the 5km walk to Monte Rosario.

We made our way through the sugar cane fields, down the muddy road, across the creek on the log bridge, and all the way to Karen's old house in no time at all. It was great to be back. We spent the days visiting old friends, sitting by the cooking fire, sharing stories and laughing for hours, walking around the entire community, checking out the yerba mate harvest, visiting the school Karen helped build, showing people pictures of the bike trip and sharing tales from the road, enjoying all of the views and just being back in a place that means so very much to us. It is truely impossible to convey the feeling of being back. A place that we used to call home, but a place that is now home to another, and at the same time a place that is just a memory now....Of course we drank copious amounts of mate and tereré as well. Our time in Monte Rosario flew by and the next thing we knew we were walking out through the foggy sugar cane fields again to catch the bus back to Villarrica.

A last look back at Cerro Amor and Monte Rosario.

We got back to Villarrica and prepared our bikes and gear to head out to La Colmena, but two unwanted visitors came for a visit. The first was the rain. Another huge rain storm made its way through the area dumping inches in just a few short hours. The second visitor was the good old giardia. Sulphur burps, lots of gas, boiling bellys, and the rest that comes along with it. Yep we both had a good case of it, so we decided to lay low for another day before heading to La Colmena.

The next day, the rain ceased and the giardia symptoms eased up a bit so we hit the road. We made good time on the newly paved road with little traffic. La Colmena is a unique little town. The name means "the colony" or "the hive" in Spanish and is named such because it was the first Japanese colony in Paraguay. The town was founded some 72 years ago by Japanese immigrants and still retains its interesting cultural heritage to this day. One can find sushi, a Japanese language school, a Japanese cultural center, and some signs in Japanese on the streets of this small town in the middle of the Paraguayan countryside. When we got to town we headed over to a Peace Corps volunteer's house to unload some gear. Next, we took care of a little business and then loaded our bikes with just what we needed and began riding out to Joel's old site Barrero Azul.

We made it out to Barrero Azul just after the sun had set and darkness enveloped the land. We had to push our bikes up the last sand covered and deeply rutted hill to make it up to Joel's old house. Once there, we unloaded our stuff and started visiting old friends. Our time in Barrero Azul was similar to that in Monte Rosario; lots of visiting, tereré, eating good food.... It was really nice to touch bases with the people there, to sit near the cook fire and drink blistering hot mate in the early morning, to laugh and see the smiles of people that are so dear to us and that we hold so close in our hearts. Unfortuantely for Karen the giardia came back with a vengence while we were in Barrero Azul and so she spent quite a bit of time resting. It was a very emotional visit to both Monte Rosario and Barrero Azul. These are places that we spent two years of our lives getting to know the people and making very close friends, trying to do all we could to help out in some way, to educate, and to contribute to the betterment of people's lives. It was very hard to say goodbye to everyone knowing that we have no idea when we will all meet again. But, at the same time it was good to be able to come back and visit, to share a few more laughs, and to feel a complete sense of closure. 

Palms in Barrero Azul.

We left Barrero Azul in the afternoon, rode to La Colmena, and decided to stay the night there to let Karen recover from her giardia spell. The next morning we took off feeling a little heavier from all of that delicious Paraguayan food we had been eating and a little slower from having been off the bikes for so long. It didn't take long to find our pace though, and we zoomed by the interesting Paraguayan countryside under threatening storm clouds. We passed through small towns and kept pushing on... it felt amazing to be back on the bikes again. We called it quits in the town of Itá after 98km. During our first 3 months of training during the Peace Corps, us trainees would take the bus to Itá to use the internet or phone and drink a few beers together. Good memories. Itá is a large-ish town, and we were very surprised to discover that there was no place to stay there. After lots of asking around, we were directed to a man that owns an apartment building, which he rents out monthly. He obviously didn't want us to stay there, but offered us a bare room (with a cold shower) for a mere $10. That is the same amount us PCVs pay for a nice hotel in the capital city! We were not impressed and went down the road to a different building. Fortunately, the owner of this one was into cycling and let us stay in a huge apartment with a hot shower for free. Que suerte!

Riding out of Barrero Azul

From Itá, it was only 35km to Asunción, where our long bicycle journey (and this long blog entry) would end. We were a little worried about riding into the city since it can be kind of sketchy in places and there are usually a lot of people out in the streets. We woke up early to beat the madness. Surprisingly though, we didn't have any trouble riding in, but the noise and the traffic was a little crazy at times. After 1.5 hours we found ourselves at the doorstep of one of our old hang-outs, Los Alpes Hotel, where we would be staying for a few days. We did it! We made it!!!

Since then, we have been seeing old friends, going to old hang-outs, eating at our favorite restaurants, and getting all of our stuff packed up to go home. The time has flown by since we've been in Asunción. It is hard to believe that Karen leaves this Monday and Joel leaves Wednesday. AHHH! Back to the USA!!! After almost three years we are packed up and are leaving Paraguay and South America. We will be back... When? Well that's not for sure, but we will be back. Rohayhu Paraguay and thank you for all that you have taught us!

Thank you again for all of your support! Thanks for following our adventure and thanks for contributing to the cause. We could not have done this without your motivation and support. We hope to see many of you when we return and please keep in touch!!!

Jajatopata lata'i pe he'i burro kavaju pe! 

"We will find each other in a small can said the donkey to the horse!" (A classic Guaraní saying here)

WE MADE IT! ROHAYHU PARAGUAY!