If This is Saturday, It must Be Caaguasu!

Hi Folks:
Having made the decision to follow Arnaldos advice and head for Caaguasu first we were off Saturday morning on a great San Luis double deck bus. Watched the fight to escape the traffic of Cuidad del Este and the numerous police check-points. When the 4 lane road reduced to 2 lanes, we also watched the creative driving of the driver as he tried to make up time. The scenery was a very many fields, all quite large by Maritime standards. The crops appeared to be soy bean and sugar cane and the farm buildings were more like small factories, many owned by obviously large companies.
We arrived at Caaguasu not knowing anything about the town other than that Arnaldos wife came from here. We arrived at the confusion of the bus stop at the edge of Ruta 7 and after checking out a nearby hotel (not to our minimalist standards), we hoisted our packs and headed toward the centre of town. At the first building that looked like it might be associated with government, Joy decided that I should approach the young woman at the desk. After she tried to give us brochures for admission to a technical school (it was their office), I remembered a few words and asked for ´el hotel bonito´which I hoped meant a beautiful hotel. She seemed to understand and directed us to ´Cesar Palace Hotel´(no kidding) by the town plaza. It was a 4 block hike at 35C, but the hotel is very nice and quite reasonable. It is in the centre of town and next to a big ´supermercado´(supermarket) which is important in my search for a small bottle (mickey) of rum. But more of that later.
Caaguasu is a perfect town for us as we are away from the tourists and have a chance to see how the real people of Paraguay live (thank you Arnaldo). We are also in a smaller town and feel quite safe to wander the streets as the people are too busy with the ordinary concerns of living to worry about the 2 strangers in their midst. They are friendly and curious but not in any kind of negative way. Yesterday we wandered the town stopping for siesta, cervasa, and ice cream, and joy did a sketch. Last night we sipped wine on the hotel balcony watching the usual Saturday night activities of small towns everywhere; driving around the main roads. Joy felt right at home being from Owen Sound where they did the same thing on a Saturday night in her day. By the way, I skunked her at rummy for the second straight time.............. oh, oh I wasn´t supposed to say that!
Back to the rum search. Those that know me know that I like an occasional sip of Bacardis Black rum. Also when travelling, especially carrying a pack, I would like to find the small bottle of same (what we used to call a ´mickey´back in the day) to take with me. Well, we have discovered that people in Brazil and Paraguay seem to be invenerate Scotch drinkers! While this may be helpful when raising swine, I can see no possible reason why the supermercados would have row upon row of the most expensive bottles of this barbaric potion and yet very little of the ´nectar of the Gods´produced in places like Cuba. I continue my search and will scan every supermercado from here to La Paz, convinced of the justice of my quest. I is nice that I am not obsessive.
Joy is ready to leave the pleasure of this air-conditioned internet site, so I must go. May be siesta time.
Jim