Blogs from Paraguay, South America - page 33

After crossing the border into Ciudad de Este, we had a quick look at the town. There were street venders everywhere and hundreds of shops selling (dodgy??) electronic goods. We didn’t stay in town long, it was off to the bus station where we caught a bus into Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. No lunch and a couple of hours into the trip, with little scenery except for farmlands, my stomach is in pain. To make matters worse, at many of the stops people were getting on the bus with yummy smelling chippas for sale (chippas are made from flour, egg and cheese, and are really yummy when warm and fresh). Jeff and I were starving, but had to suffer for hours because we had no local currency. I guess it was a silly idea to ... read more

Hikea pukkaa ja Dengue-kuume uhkaa, mutta muuten menee ihan kivasti. Ollaan kolmatta paivaa taalla Asuncionissa, minne tultiin yon yli bussilla Buenos Airesista. Meille selvisi tanne lahdon aamuna vasta, etta maassa on julistettu yleinen hatatila Dengue-kuume epidemian vuoksi. Hetki pohdittiin, jotta uskalletaanko tulla vai ei, mutta taalla sita nyt kuitenkin olaan. Dengue ei yleensa tapa ensimmaisella kerralla, mutta seuraavat tartunnat ovatkin sitten jo vaarallisempia. Meilla ei kummallakaan tietaaksemme ole aiempia tartuntoja, joten todennakoisesti selvitaan tasta vierailusta hengissa... Eika taalla onneksi kovinkaan paljoa ole hyttysia nakynyt. Bussimatkalla meille oli tarjolla erityisohjelmaa, kun kaksi bussiyhtion hepuista lauloi ja soitti kitaraa matkustajien iloksi. Milloin saamme Suomessa nauttia elavastamusiikista bussissa matkustaessamme? Rajamuodollisuudet hoituivat t... read more

In this area of Paraguay, it is located the famous Salto Cristal waterfalls (70 mts high). You need to do a bit of a hike to reach them because it is just in the middle of a rainforest. The trip it is worthwhile though as the views are awesome and if it is hot enough you can even swim. When I went there during Easter time, it was a bit chill and I couldnt properly enjoy a swim. I did try though. With one of my friends, we spent like 10 seconds in frozen waters and tried our best to get out of them ASAP. It is a bit challenging to get to the waterfalls as you need to leave your car, bike or horse (whatever you are using) outside the rainforest where the falls ... read more

hello all, thought it was time for another little update as i´ve been here for other a month now! time has gone ridiculously quickly but i have to say i´m glad it isn´t dragging, i think four months in paraguay is a good length of time...it can get a bit intense living with a "familia loca" (crazy family). teaching is still v.enjoyable, i think just about all of our 200ish students have mastered the alphabet, numbers up to at least 20, days of the week, how to tell the time and my name is etc etc. most of them are really enthusiastic and friendly (one class is bringing me paraguayan lunch on friday)...another class sings the beatles and pink floyd to me and always seem to want to conjugate naughty words...but it´s good practice so we ... read more

Take a trip to see the Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, producing over 90% of Paraguay´s electricity and over 20% of Brazil´s. Pretty impressive figures and quite an impressive sight too - without sounding like an anorak!! I think I´ll move on before I really damage my street cred! In the afternoon take a trip over the border to Paraguay for some shopping and an essentail purchase or two. First and only impression of Paraguay is that it is one rough place - everyone seems to be carrying a gun of some kind, from a revolver to a pump action shot gun! The funniest thing is that no one bats an eyelid! Glad it´s only an afternoon´s visit because I think come nightfall gringos like us make for target practice!! Leave ... read more