As I mentioned in a previous post, the first major activity of the trip was the adoption tour. There was a welcome dinner on Saturday night and then things got down to business on Sunday. Tracy’s daughter Maliya played guitar and sang for the group during dinner.
The first activity on Sunday was a tour of Loma San Jeronimo, which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the capital city of Asuncion. The neighborhood was restored a few years ago and the residents are very proud of it. The area is very colorful and picturesque. The neighborhood’s local tourism group insisted they be a part of our tour to provide as much background information as possible, as well as generate some revenue for the neighborhood.
The next stop was a viewing of the film “7 Cajas” (7 Boxes) at a visual arts center in downtown Asuncion. “7 Cajas” is the most internationally recognized film to come out of Paraguay, which has a very small film industry. The film was mostly shot at the large Mercado 4 Market in Asuncion, which I have never had the experience of seeing in action, but from the comments I’ve heard can best be described as pure chaos. The film focuses on a young man looking to make money carting goods around the market with a wooden push cart. He agrees to transport 7 boxes containing cargo that unknowingly pulls him into the middle of a major crime. One film critic billed it as “The Fast and Furious with Wheelbarrows”. It was incredibly entertaining and managed to reflect, and in some cases poke fun at, Paraguayan culture. The local police take some particularly pointed shots.
There is a scene in the movie where a US $100 bill is torn in half for a “you’ll get the other half when you complete the job” scenario. It was a humorous moment because everyone in the room groaned out loud. There is absolutely no way a US bill that has been taped back together will make it through any currency exchange house in Paraguay. Not happening!
Tracy, again through much persistence, managed to schedule the director of the film, Juan Carlos Maneglia, to stop by at the end of the viewing to talk about the film and answer questions. Given how limited their budget was, and the limited technology they used to create the film, it truly is a remarkable effort. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to stream the film, but if you ever get the chance to see it I would recommend checking it out.
Then, as an extra added treat, Juan Carlos took the group on a tour of the Mercado 4 market to show us where they shot scenes in the film and to talk about that experience. It was Sunday so the market was not active, otherwise this would not have been possible. When they first started shooting the film, the merchants were a bit skeptical about their presence, but as filming moved forward the merchants started to understand the film crew were doing their jobs, just as the merchants were, and accepted them in. Juan Carlos spent a good portion of the year before filming started hanging out at the market to get a feel for how it flowed and to map out all of his ideas. That’s dedication!
In one of the pictures below you will see a police officer at the end of the street. This is not an area for tourists to wander alone when the market isn’t active. Our guide had the foresight to schedule some extra protection for the group.
Today was a perfect start to the group tour, and there is much more fun to be had in the coming days.
Will