This Place is Caacupe!

Hi Again:
We left Caaguasu yesterday morning, heading, with our packs, for the noise and confusion of the bus depot. After the bus company that we ahd come to Caaguasu with, showed no interest in sending us further, one of the many guys with white shirts adopted us as one of his passengers and had us sit down and wait in his spot. These men appear to be front guys for bus companies and sell tickets and then get you on the bus. Anyway, we followed orders and sat down. A couple of guys next to us were sharing a mate´and we finally had the opportunity to share in the experience. Turns out that cold mate´is called something like ´terrera´and mate´is hot. Anyway we did try it out and found it a pleasant cool drink that did help in the heat. We exchanged Canada pins and one chap insisted that I pin his on.
Getting on the bus was a different experience as we were alerted that this was our bus by both our new friends and the bus guy and raced for it with a small crowd of others. After we got our packs checked and got to the back of the line-up they were in the process of packing people in very slowly one push at a time. Despite my visions of the bus leaving with our packs because it was full, Joy and I were the last packed in. I stood facing toward the back of the bus for 2 hours while Joy was able to get a seat at the halfway point. Such is bus travel in South America unless you pay the price and are travelling between major points.
We arrived in Caacupe and found a hotel quickly. While Joy hates the decor (I don´t notice those things), the room has an industrial strength air conditioner which is very welcome. Last night there was a spectacular lightning and thunder storm with heavy rain and today the air is a little lighter and cooler(?). We did a good tour of the town yesterday, but got a better one today. During yesterday´s walk we spotted a municiple building of some sort and today we went back. Using my Spanish (for which I am rapidly becoming known) I asked a man in an office for tourist information. He dropped everything and took us to another office and introduced us to Zulma, a young lady who he said was the department of tourist information. Turned out that Zulma knew a little English and she volunteered to take us on a 2 hour tour of the town. Hiking on the Appalachian Trail, we would call lucky events like that ´trail magic´. Anyway, the hi-light of the tour and of Caacupe is the 200 year old church. Along the walls of the stairs leading to the walk-way around the top of the central dome, is an interesting legend surrounding the creation of a statue of the Madonna by an indigenous carver. After his village prospered under the protection of Mary, it was destroyed by a flood and a few people were saved, as was the Madonna. She is the centre piece of the sancturary today. The legend was portray in the stairway by paintings on the wall as you went up. The view from the roof was also special.
Joy is out sketching, and I feel an air-conditioned siesta coming on.
Bye for now
Jim