And a Partride in a Pear Tree

Today really was kind of a lazy day of summer. Summer because it was HOT, and lazy becuase I didn´t accomplish that much.

I woke up around 8:30, went down for a second effort on that really good breakfast, and then headed over to the hotel´s designated gym. It´s about a 10 minute walk away, and actually a nice Air Conditioned gym. I was working out and began talking with the lead trainor, Hector (or it could be Edgar, I´m not really sure). He spoke some portuguese with his Spanish, and we were doing pretty well communicating. He mentioned that he´d been a professional body builder...still is...and that he knew where I could buy some neutracutical supplements rather inexpensively, so we hopped on his motorbike, and weaving through the traffic made our way to a very ¨hole in the wall¨ shop. And yes, they were cheaper. MUCH cheaper. So I bought some...now I just have to lug them back to Brasil on the city buses (see yesterday´s post) to the airport. Again, anything for a bargain.

I told him i wanted to gain some muscle weight, so he wrote a three page plan of what I should eat to gain muscle mass...so nice of him, really. All without communicating very well. Now I just have to find a spanish dictionary to translate his suggested menu. Ha Ha.

I WENT TO PARAQUAY AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY SUNBURN

The hotel here has a pretty nice pool...but because of special events, etc., I´ve not been able to use it. But this afternoon I did, and thinking I wouldn´t be there long, I didn´t apply much sunscreen...mistake #1. Mistake # 2 was thinking the sun here wasn´t as strong as Rio. Mistake #3...well, that will be thinking I can sleep peacefully with this sunburn on my shoulders and back.

LIFE IN THE PARAQUAIN SUBURBS

So my friend Oskar that works at the hotel, invited me out to see his house tonight. And what a big house it is. Complete with two dogs, two turtles, a monkey, two parrots, a pond that used to hold two crocodiles (he swears by that story'--til the neighbor came over, killed and ate them), and a lots of mosquitos (that came over and started eating me).

And the area he lives is so quiet. You drive down a rock paved road...pretty cool, and come upon what apparently is a little subdivision consisting of German families. It really was a peaceful place out of the hustle-bustle of downtown City of the East, Paraquay.

WATCH OUT BELLAGIO

Oskur then took me to Itaipu (see the pictures) for their weekend light show. On the weekends, they don´t illuminate the damn until they bus in about 500 people to watch the Lighting of the Damn Show.

I will say this, the music was loud and very powerful. And the damn itself is VERY impressive in it´s size--the largest output of hydroelectric power in the world. Even larger than the Three Gorges Damn yet to be completed in China.

But someone should have taken a tutorial from Disney or the Bellagio when it comes to light and water. It was nice, but too short, and not that creative--especially since the bus and watiting took us about 1 1/2 hours and the show itself lasted no more than 5 minutes preceeded by a 7 minute slide show of the damn construction.

BUT, something to see ONCE in a lifetime IF you happen to be in the part of the world.

And now I´m back in the hotel, for my last night...STARVING, and about to devour a salad from the restaurant that has gotten RAVE revues from the staff.

We´ll see. We´ll see.

Oh it just arrived...and it DOES look tasty.