Around the World in 80 Dresses

Imagine a road which seems never to end, 400 kilometer straight ahead and only two villages in between Paraguay's capital town Asunción and the settlement Filadelfia. The initial palm tree groves are gradually ceding to bush and near desert.   Late in the afternoon we arrive at a town which is like a wonderland in the desolate semiarid landscape of the Gran Chaco. Neat facebrick houses gather along the tree lined streets. A church spire is looming in the background. 60  years ago Mennonite German settlers came from Russia where they had been expelled and created a prosperous agricultural centre in the middle of nowhere.  Nowadays they speak Spanish and German and employ the Indios of the Chaco in their cattle and dairy farms. There life is evolving around their farms and their church. They adopted the Latin American culture blending it with their German roots. At the weekend dancing there were ponchos everywhere and I had to take one along.  ...

The tailor made dog-tooth suit is demanding for a hat. Why not playing with the image of Jackie Kennedy and adding a pillow box, albeit the fashion conscious first lady may never have put on a poncho. I purchased half a dozen in South America as they come so handy when it is too warm for a coat but too cold without a cover. My silver necklace comes from China. When I was in Malta I happened to see an exhibition of the silver jewellery hand made by the Miao tribe in China’s Southern mountainous region. What a pleasant surprise! There I saw a display of a necklace very similar to mine which I had found in Shanghai’s French Concession and a silver adornment exactly like mine. The Miao women wear the heavy jewellery for weddings and other festive events to this day. My dear friend who is the proud owner of a white vintage Mercedes convertible and even joined a club of other fans of these elegant cars was not at hand for the photo with the vintage pill...