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The soccer museum, as well as the international airport in Paraguay, reside in the town of Luque, which is basically a suburb of Asuncion. But, don’t ever say that to anyone from Luque. From what our guide told us, the residents of Luque are fiercely independent and would like to secede from Paraguay to become their own state. It’s easy to tell when you’ve crossed from Asuncion into Luque because everything turns to blue and gold. Light poles, barriers, store signs, buildings, clothing, etc.\u00a0 They love their soccer team and it shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our next stop was also in Luque. We visited a local artisan who specializes in jewelry made with silver filigree. They demonstrated how to make the silver strands by hand and then how they create pieces of fine jewelry. This is very detailed work and everything is done by hand in this shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_104256793.jpg\")
<\/a>Heating up the silver<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/P8030376-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Pressing silver into strands<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/P8030385.jpg\")
<\/a>Making jewelry<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/P8030390.jpg\")
<\/a>Reception hosted by Luque Office of Tourism<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_111357897.jpg\")
<\/a>The end result<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The afternoon was spent visiting the city of San Bernardino where we had gourmet pizza and pasta from a nationally recognized chef who has a high-end restaurant in Asuncion. Then the group split up for boat tours, mountain biking, canoeing, and a tree-top adventure course. San Bernardino (Sanber to locals) is a resort town that is crowded in the summer vacation months. It sits on the very beautiful Lake Ypacari, which has a very sad history. In the past there was manufacturing plant that dumped toxic waste into a waterway feeding the lake. The chemicals coated the bottom of the lake so nothing can live there. There have been multiple attempts to clean the lake, but none have been successful. The lake is used for boating, but swimming is not recommended. It\u2019s an absolute shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a rumor that Hilter is buried under one of the hotels in San Bernardino. You never know\u2026there are also theories that Hitler died in Paraguay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The water levels on Lake Ypacari are so low the boat operators must get creative with temporary docks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_142703.jpg\")
<\/a>Makeshift dock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_142711.jpg\")
<\/a>Getting creative with a boat bench<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_140422873.jpg\")
<\/a>Bike riders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_143210597.jpg\")
<\/a>Lake Ypacari<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180803_144357764_HDR.jpg\")
<\/a>Enjoying the boat ride<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n