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Published: October 27th 2009
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Football crazy
Paraquay goes to the World Cup Steve's words:
Another great border crossing into Paraguay, the locals just catch the boat, non locals catch a series of local buses to a bridge with big rusty holes in it, then wade through some mud, dodge our way past hundreds of people exchanging money, passport stamped then onto a tiny bus with far too many people on, and we're in. Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, the words of the lonely planet ringing in our ears "you could get mugged anytime" or something like that. We entered a quiet city of mostly low rise colonial design, with a few grand plazas, and a massive presidential palace. The roads lined by flowering trees, and full of Mercedes, in fact I have not seen so many in any one place since Albania!!!
A day at the Jesuit Ruins; having improved the lot of thousands of indiginous peoples they were evicted from South America in 1767, leaving behind vast monastic ruins, so we thought we would drop in. There weren't a vast amount buildings left, however what was left showed something about how they worked, lived and worshipped. The journey to the ruins also offered an insight into rural modern day life; basic housing,
The Presidential Palace
One of the grand buildings in the capital subsistance farming, mud roads and lots of cows. The local bus was fun, driven by yet another friendly and helpful Paraguian, it even got stopped and inspected by the police, who checked the tyres, the front grill and the driver...lucky for him they missed the fact that the only door onto the bus was from a different vehicle (which had a different sized door and seemed to be operated by a massive piston closing it at great speed), the lack of any lights, the fuel tank balanced on the back seat - which was one of the only seats with a back, and the huge holes throughout the bus, luckily there was never a time when it went faster than a slow jog.
We also visited the Itaipu Dam, the second largest in the world, a truly monolithic stucture, producing masses of electric, most of which is sold to the Brazilians. The dam was completed in 1979, and remains controversial, there was a protest camp just outside the visitor center with hanging effigies, evidently people are still losing their housing, livelihoods and land, without compensation.
Another border crossing to Brazil, this time one of the busiest in South America, it
Right next door
A shanty town sits alongside the central plaza on the banks of the Bahia de Asuncion looked and felt like chaos, however it was fairly straightforward. The Lonely Planet had warned not to walk over the bridge due to muggings, however it looked safe with all the soldiers and armed police - so we walked, part way along the ballustrad reached almost to our thighs,and with a massive wire fence between us and the road, we looked down 30meters to the torrent below...it didnt feel quite so safe.
Now Vik's:
Upon arrival in Paraquay we were warmly greeted, quite literally by the 36 degree oppressive heat, and by the elderely lady running our hotel (hostels no longer being the norm in a country that doesn't see too many backpackers) who persisted in chatting to us endlessly despite our complete failure to comprehend any of the Guarani language that she spoke in. There was a lot of smiling. The abundant dengue-fever carrying mosquitoes were disappointingly friendly too. Not so much smiling.
Paraquay is certainly a country of extremes; soaring wealth, utter poverty, sea-sawing temperatures, grand dams, environmental catastrophes, and football. Reportedly South America's second poorest country (with Bolivia sadly coming in at first) it also has the dubious honour of allegedly being the most corrupt place
Itaipu Dam
The world's second largest dam outside of Africa. A wander through Asuncion and the gap between the rich and the poor is as apparent as it is shocking. The makeshift shanty town on the water's edge proves an unlikely neighbour to the beautiful presidential palace round the corner, and is perhaps the best physical illustration of the evident divide. That and the enormous number of swanky cars that cruise the streets whilst the children wait to politely leap on the exiting drivers to offer them a speedy shoe shine.
And it is not just the wealth, or lack of it, that occupies extreme ends of a spectrum. Exactly 24 hours after we were bemoaning the heat, it was a frosty 10. And as for the football, unbelievable. No divide, just all out adoration. Being present for the World Cup qualifiers was more like being present for the World Cup itself. A carnival atmosphere, and nearly every person on the street (and I'm really not embellishing) fashioning the team shirt. And when Paraquay beat Argentina to qualify, it felt like the whole country might burst. I think that should they do well next year in the finals, we will feel the celebrations in England!!
But there is something that beats even the love of football (and that's a lot of love)...an all out obsession with Mate tea. I think that maybe the Parquayan folk have a thermos flask super-glued to an arm as soon as they are fully mobile. You rarely see a person without one, such is the need to ensure a constant supply of hot water to enable a steady supping of the bitter leaves. On the tea-drinking front, they make us English look like we barely consume a drop!
And onto Encarnacion. A city that is busy trying to clamber up the hills as an Argentinian dam continues to cause the river to swell and the residents to submerge. But away from the breaking banks, it retained Paraquay's characteristic relaxed and friendly air. The laid-backness of this country perhaps well assisted by the 12 - 7 siesta it embraces. I, too, appreciate the odd afternoon nap, but, seven hours is pushing it surely??
And our final stop here followed a jarring bus ride, through green countryside reminiscent of home, and a disasterous arrival which included two wrong exits from the bumpy bus and a resultant 10k walk in the rain. But it was almost worth it - Ciudad Del Este, a monstrosity of a city on the border with Brazil. Awarded title of most corrupt city, in the most corrupt country, with the busiest border on this continent. But if you're after a gadget, this is the place to come. We weren't. We left. Incidentally, having only encountered warm and friendly folkmugged...despite the Lonely Plantet's prophesies of doom
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