Onward to Paraguay!

We have officially been in Paraguay for 2 months! I obviously failed at my last attempt at writing on a more regular basis, so here we try again (and maybe I’ll one day fill in the information about Kingston, our time in DC, and home leave in CA)! I’ll try to break down our first two months in a handful of posts (but we’ve seen how well that worked in the past, so no promises!).

The trip from LAX to Asuncion spanned 48 hours, including a one-night stopover in Miami and a layover in Sao Paolo, Brazil. We started our journey on April 4th, traveling with 6 checked bags (3 suitcases, 3 duffles), 3 carry-ons, a stroller, and a carseat. There were parts of the trip that were stressful but on the plus side, Olivia did well on the flights, we had free in-flight entertainment from LAX-MIA which was a surprise, and we were seated in the bulkhead/Main Cabin Extra seats from MIA-GRU (the photo below is Olivia in a regular seat from LAX-MIA. Very little leg room, and absolutely zero give once the seat in front was reclined).

We also paid for access to the American Airline lounges, which was great for having a calm environment to be in amidst all the chaos of traveling. They have a kids room which allowed Olivia to talk and wander and play without disturbing all the business travelers. Olivia played with a new friend from the UK who had just gotten done with a Carribean cruise. 

Our layover in Sao Paolo was also relatively painless. We spent that time in the lounge where we were nearly the only people there. Adam and I both got showers in so we didn't feel too grungy for the next half of our trip and Olivia was happy to walk around with zebra and stretch her legs.

We arrived in Asuncion on April 5th, 2016 at around 2pm (Asuncion is currently on East coast time). From my perception, the airport seemed extremely small, even compared to the airport in Kingston. The walk down to the gate and baggage area happened so quickly, I didn't even get a chance to take any photos saying "Bienvenido a Paraguay." Next time we fly in!

We were met at the gate by two staff members from the Embassy who helped expedite us past customs and immigration. It was quite hot during our first couple weeks here and I remember Mabel (one of the Embassy staffers who met us) telling me that it was sweater weather as sweat dripped off my forehead. It has gotten much cooler since then (in the 60s, so winter parka weather!). I’m sure after a very hot summer, I may be saying the same thing, but for now, I’ll enjoy the Paraguayan fall and winter weather!

After we left the airport, it was a half hour drive to our new house!