December 5         We took a local bus about an hour south of Asuncion to the small town of Villeta.  It was a charming place with big parks and small shops.  We were here to visit the convent as we had read the nuns have a handmade clothing shop to benefit the poor.  Due to the poor economy, the shop had long since closed but one of the sisters kindly showed off some of their handy work.  They had hand embroidered cute Easter dresses which we thought were perfect for our little nieces.      Back in Asuncion, we walked to a Japanese restaurant close to our hotel for dinner.  On our walk home, we got to see the darker side of the city.  Apparently, we are in transvestite prostitue central!  What would the nuns think? Hotel - $9, Food - $32, Trans - $4     Total - $45

December 4      Paraguay is a land-locked country characterized by green plains and the northern Chaco desert.  Surrounded by strong neighbors, it was only recently emerged as a democracy after years of military rule.  Paraguay has also attracted a significant number of German immigrants.  It took some time getting used to seeing so many blondes and hearing German spoken instead of Spanish.      Paraguay is famous for its lace and today we travelled to the small town of Itagua where much of it is made.  The work is time consuming (up to 3-4 months for a good table covering) and pretty.      It wasn't difficult to choose German food for dinner.  We feasted on pork chops, bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato salad, apple strudel, and beer.  At this rate, we could gain back all the weight we have lost travelling in just a week or two.  Hotel - -$9, Food - $32, Trans - $3, Random (laundry - $3)     Total - $47

December 3      We arrive in Resistencia at dawn.  We are grubby and tired, but piping hot empanadas cheer us up. Then several hours to Formosa, another hour or so to the border.  We cross the bridge to Paraguay, take a kombi to Asuncion and another to somewhere near our hotel.  What a long day already.      We find downtown Asuncion to be exceptionally quiet and almost deserted on this Sunday afternoon.  More apparent is the heat.  It is over 90 and we have been wearing polartec for the past two months.  Seeking cheap air con, we go see a movie. Hotel - $9, Food - $16, Trans - $25, Random (movie - $7, internet - $4)     Total - $61

December 2      To reiterate, train travel is super cushy.  Unfortunately, we reached the end of the line (Villazon) by 6am.  We walked across the bridge to Argentina and then literally travelled on a series of buses all day and all night.  We had started decending from the mountains in Bolivia so watching the scenery change (greener and greener) helped the time.  Our destination is Paraguay and this is a "direct" route.  Bolivia and Paraguay are of course neighbors but due to a small territory war a few decades ago, there is still no reliable public transportation between them. Htel - $0, Food - $8, Trans - $124     Total - $132

December 1      Our last day on tour started at 4am.  We drove to several geysers and colored lagoons.  The landscape continued to look desolate and other wordly.  It was then a long 12 hour, dusty, hot drive back to uyuni.  We made it just in time for our overnight trip to the border.  We splurged for 1st class train tickets which were worth every boliviano. Hotel - $0, Food - $2, Trans - $32, Tour - $54, Random (sleeping bags - $3)     Total - $91

November 30      The Swedes were sick all night and suffered the most from another bumpy ride in the back of the Land Cruiser.  The scenery is interesting but probably not enough to justify the driving.      At one slowly evaporating lagoon, hundreds of flamingoes were feeding.  It was a seemingly out of place sight in the desert.  Later we bunked down at Laguna Colorado which has an intense red color due to minerals in the water.  All in all, this is a special place.      A priceless moment came as Martin and I joined our driver and girlfriend in sampling coca.  You are supposed to put a few leaves in your mouth, chew, and swallow the juice.  Well, by the time I had translated, Martin had aleready eaten the leaves.  He was stunned and didn't join us in the laughter for some time as he was clearly expecting imminent death. Hotel - $0, Food - $0, Tour - $54, Random (sleeping bag - $3)     Total - $57

November 29      Our six hour bus trip to Uyuni turned into a twelve hour ordeal as we struggled through four flat tires.  Because we were in the middle of no where, the driver had to first light a bush fire to be able to see.  Fun the first time, not by the fourth.  Plus, we hadn't expected to be sleeping on the bus so we weren't prepared for the cold.      Anyway, the morning turned out well as we ran into Claudia and Astrid, friends from Galapagos.  Then it was to our tour agency for the start of our trip.  Our party included a local driver, cook (driver's girlfriend), Martin (an almost retired engineer from Norway),  and Peter and Ulrica (both teachers from Sweden).  A real party when stuffed into a Land Cruiser.      We drove out into the Salt Lake  which is the biggest in the world (over 6,000 square miles) and was formed when Lago Tuaco dried up over 10,000 years ago.  The salt lake is beautiful and intense.  It is a sea of white with the occasional mirage.      Our first stop was at a small salt plant.  Here they scrape the top 2" of the lake and dry it, oven dry it, and then crush into powder.  The factory is paid less than a dollar for 50 pounds.  Note: the lake is continually replenishing itself and the scraped area can be reharvested in less than two months.  Next stop was at the salt hotel where every peice of furniture and the building itself are made of salt.      Later, we drove to a volcanic outcropping in the middle of the lake.  Climbing to the top, we enjoyed a panaoramic view of nothingness.  Nearing sunset, we drove South off the flats to the desert.  Our party settled into a large room of bunk beds.  Sleeping together revealed cultural differences in night attire (or lack thereof). Hotel - $0. Food - $16, Tour - $54, Random (sleeping bag - $3)     Total - $73