Inside the bus, heading for Sajonia, a barrio (neighborhood) of Asuncion, located near the Paraguay River. We started by walking on Avenida Carlos A. Lopez, the main street of Sajonia. 1
At first, we headed towards the Navy Club, because Jeannie remembered that they lived across from a military place. She thought the yellow building across the street could be the place. However, Elsa remembered that their house was in a part of Sajonia that had a stadium. So we headed in that direction. This was becoming a detective mystery where is the house that they lived in? Then both Elsa and Jeannie remembered that there was a hospital near their house, so we headed in the direction -- pointed out by local residents -- towards the hospital. The street Colon seemed to be relevant, since Elsa remembered traveling with her father Onisim on that street. However, there was nothing that even resembled their house in the area. 2
Finally, we got into a taxi and asked to be driven to a military field that a lady told Elsa about. When they saw the gated military field, they felt that they had finally arrived at the place. The sign above the gate said: Comando de la Armada. Estado Mayor Especial. Direccion de Bienestar Social. A dirt road extended along the military field which they remembered led to the river. 3
Jeannie and Elsa both agreed that this was the place. However, the house was different. The name of the road (or street) they were standing on was called Arsenalis. Nick, with his deductive reasoning, concluded that this must be the place where the sisters had lived in during the four years before they came to the USA in June, 1961. 4
The house across from the military field had a low brick wall in front, and the house was painted white. Something told the sisters that the house had either been remodeled or another house build where their house once stood. They walked past the white house, which had a small outdoor stone-fireplace for cooking. They walked on the same dirt road that they remembered. 5
They came to the corner of the next street and looked back down the dirt road they had just walked on. Yes, they said, This is the street that we walked on. They posed for a picture to celebrate the moment of remembrance. 6
We celebrated the fulfillment of the mission to find the place where the Kowals lived in Asuncion by going to our favorite little restaurant, the Lido-Bar, where Susie and I tried their famous Caldo de pescado (a chowder like soup made of surubi or tilapia). Afterwards, we went to explore another section of Asuncion, Plaza Uruguaya. 7
This was a special place for the sisters, for they felt right at home with the Greek goddesses that graced the park. It was also a special day in the park, when everyone finally felt relaxed enough to drink terere (cold yerba mate) on a hot day. 8
We even tried chipas (cheese filled buns) from a man carrying a tray of them on his head. A statue of Artigas in the park. A frieze of the Spaniards and Guarani Indians. 9
On our walk back to our hotel, we passed a beautiful building that we found out used to be the railroad station. This was the end of the line for the Asuncion railway. 10
On day three in Asuncion, Nick, Susie, and I boarded the small passenger boat and headed for a three hour tour of the Paraguay River and the small village of Chaco i. Minutes after we pulled away from the port area where we had boarded, we looked back and saw the skyline of Asuncion, a city first visited by Spanish conqueror Juan de Ayolas. 11
After leaving the wide Bay of Asuncion, the river narrowed as we went upstream. We were heading towards a bird sanctuary on our tour, but we didn t see many birds. Instead, we enjoyed the leisurely ride. 12
We did see lots of local fishermen along the banks of the river. And we saw several houses, some of which looked uninhabited. 13
There was a point in the river that the boatman said he couldn t go past because some indigenous people had put a barrier there. So we headed back downstream. We landed for a short while in the village of Chaco i. Here we mingled with the local people. I was even able to say Mba e i chapa (Greetings, how are you) in Guarani, the second language for Paraguayans. And Jajotopata (till we meet again). 14
We walked on the dirt roads of the village, where we saw cars, buildings, and small shops. The place we were visiting was the southern edge of a large part of Paraguay called the Chaco. Susie put her feet into the water to say that she had waded in the same river that her Mom, Elsa, had waded in when she was a little girl living in Asuncion. 15
Most of the villagers had motorcycles for transportation parked to the right. As we were ready to leave, we saw some local people arriving in another boat. Some of the ladies had gone shopping in Asuncion and were bringing back bags of goods. 16