A Paraguayan woman living and working in Chile turned an embarrassing incident into a viral story. Yani Areco, from Bella Vista Norte in the Amambay Department, was expelled from a bus on her way to work after a passenger mistook the aroma of her mate for marijuana. This account is based on a single personal report and has not been independently corroborated.
In the video she posted, Yani recounts preparing the mate at home, adding eucalyptus to the traditional yerba mate infusion. During the trip, a woman, whom Yani described as being of Dominican or Haitian origin, asked who was smoking. After Yani explained it was mate, the passenger insisted the drink contained marijuana. “She said the girl is drinking soaked marijuana at this hour of the morning,” Yani reported.
The argument intensified, and Yani lost patience, uttering insults in Guarani, which further agitated the other woman. The driver intervened and warned that if they did not stop, both would be expelled. As the fight continued, the driver followed through and disembarked them. “I’m walking now. I have to walk 20 minutes to get to work. Walking, but with my mate,” Yani concluded, with good humor.