Blogs from Paraguay, South America - page 36

Advertisement

South America » Paraguay » Asunciòn July 10th 2006

(This is the final installment of the 3 part reflection on nature and man. Bonito was a fun story in the middle and a way to slide a little paraguay premonition in.) On the bus leaving Brazil, I still kept my smile and my warmth deep within. But then everything changed as we crossed the scarred dirt road into Paraguay. I was filled with dread as Tim´s tales rattled in my head. It was only 5 minutes since i left, but I yearned to run back to the beaming Brazilians and their beautiful land. But I didnt. I boarded a cold bug infested bus heading to the heart of Parguay. As the lights switched off, my thoughts turned dark as well. Poverty I reckoned was a symptom of ill begot stewardship. -(To me, poverty is not ... read more
machine

South America » Paraguay » Ciudad del Este July 9th 2006

After our adventure in Brazil, we hit a parrilla to fill our stomachs and headed to bed fairly early, a consequence of not sleeping much on the coche cama, and the fact that Puerto Iguazu isn´t a place to spend resources on nightlife. The next morning, we awoke, and found the bus to Parque Nacional Iguazu . Considered by many the premier waterfalls in the world, they straddle the Brazil / Argentina border on the Rio Iguazu. While the Brazil side affords a more complete panorama, the Argentina side gives you greater access to and closer views of the falls. Unlike, say, Niagara Falls, the site constitutes a campus of falls, from the large mistfilled Garganta del Diablo to the series of water streams visible from Isla Grande San Martin. We spent the day wandering the ... read more
Over the Rainbow
More Falls
Why Did I Have to Say I Do?

South America » Paraguay July 8th 2006

Paraguay is muy tranquilo. I arrived in Asuncion at the weekend to find the streets of the city centre stunningly empty. There was a little activity on the Saturday morning, but after the siesta started the streets stayed empty all weekend. Paraguay is a laid back sort of place. Everyone takes a long siesta in the afternoons, not a bad idea in such tropical heat. The people are friendly and keen to talk to strangers. They don´t see many gringos. Paraguay is firmly off the backpacker circuit. Most people in Paraguay speak Spanish and Guarani. 95% of the population is considered mestizo, that is of mixed Guarani and Spanish lineage. Paraguay is unusual in Latin America. It doesn't have a traditional aristocracy of Spanish extraction. The city of Asuncion is ugly. Down town Asuncion is dominated ... read more
Parque Nacional Ybycui
From the reduccion at Trinidad
Looking towards San Bernardino  from the middle of Lago Ypacarai

South America » Paraguay » Ciudad del Este July 8th 2006

Paraguay To be honest, although i did go over to Paraguay (on my own) I only spent two hours there visiting a couple of shops, and so was little more than another stamp in the old passport (which I am annoyed to say i didnt actually get. Paraguay is the second poorest country in South America (after Bolivia), but does have very low taxes on consumer products which makes it very popular with Brazilians and others a Duty free shopping destination. I would like to say that my reasons for visiting the country carried a little more depth but alas they did not. The border crossing was very easy, but on leaving the vehicle i was literally mobbed by people selling various to say the least shoddy goods. They were also the most persistent I think ... read more
Flag

South America » Paraguay » Ciudad del Este June 21st 2006

For everyone who thinks of government as a nightmare and for those who pray to the bible of Laisser-faire, Ciudade del Este, Paraguay is your paradisio. With a population estimated at near 140,000 this small town on the Paraguayan border with Brazil, a bridge away from the Brazilian tourism town of Foz do Iguaçu, Ciudade del Este boasts a tax-free market that draws attention from buyers in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Cross over the Puente de la Amistad (“Friendship Bridge”) from the relatively wealthy Brazilian Foz do Iguaçu and even on a rainy day you will be stuck (whether walking or driving) in a traffic jam that spans the length of the bridge and into the crowded, merchandise filled streets. Border control is a laughable matter here where in plastic garbage bags people cross carrying goods ... read more

South America » Paraguay » Ciudad del Este June 8th 2006

This is my only picture from Ciudad del Este and there is a reason for that. Even though we had been told not to go there by some people, and others told us it was the Taiwan of Latin America (a good place to buy cheap electronics) so we should go there, we decided that we wanted to see a little bit of Paraguay. Even though we got out alive and with all of our possessions, it was not a very good idea. The bus ride from Foz do Iguazu in Brazil and Ciudad del Este took about 25 minutes and cost us about $1 US each. We basically wanted to leave as soon as we got there, and the only picture that I felt safe enough to take was this one of the border when ... read more

South America » Paraguay » Ciudad del Este June 4th 2006

As the title suggests we just popped into Paragury to collect a border stamp and add to our list of countries visited. We jumped on the bus in Brazil, Foz D'Iguassu and got off in Paraguay. We had to ask the border official for a stamp who seemed quite surprised! We then spent no more than half an hour walking up the street from the border and back. No impression can be made of a country where we spent minutes but there were certainly enough market stalls selling anything and everything to have kept us busy all day. Nevertheless we headed straight back to Brazil in order to move on to Argentina. Three countries in one day - not bad! ... read more

South America » Paraguay April 21st 2006

1. Corruption - Paraguay was declared the third most corrupt country on earth by Transparency International’s 2002’s Corruption Perceptions Index (out of 102 nations ranked). In order to combat this, Paul teaches a class on political ethics at his site in Pilar. My question is: Is it ethical to teach ethics in such an unethical society? ;) Won’t the students who take Paul’s teachings to heart face a massive disadvantage trying to act ethically in an unethical society? ;) But it must be working, because in the 2005 index they were ranked the 13th most corrupt (out of 160 nations). Their actual CPI score did improve though, rising from 1.7 to 2.1. 2. Guaraní - The second official language of Paraguay. Actually it’s more like the first (sure some rich people in the capital never bother ... read more
Why There Are No More Trees in Ñeembucú

South America » Paraguay » Asunciòn April 2nd 2006

WAKEY WAKEY! Yes, we are now in Paraguay, where the temperature rarely dips below 35 deg. C (95 deg.F), and this tends to induce a certain torpor. And today being Sunday, all the shops and restaurants are closed, and the streets of the capital are deserted. Paraguay is a country I´ve wanted to visit ever since Adam went there in about 1970 when it was still a military dictactorship, and reported seeing corrupt generals wearing mirror shades and white uniforms with self-awarded medals, being driven around in open-topped cars. And while the USA is busy turning itself into a one-party state, it could take some lessons from Paraguay: the Colorado party has been in power here since 1949. That should be scary, but you don´t get any real sense of menace despite the bored gun-totin' goons ... read more
The sky at night
Anyone seen any ants?
More horseplay

South America » Paraguay » Pilar April 1st 2006

Pilar is where Paul works as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It is a nice little town, the capital actually of the Ñeembucú department (a political unit similar to a state). There is a museum there dedicated to the War of the Triple Alliance (when Paraguay fought Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, although the latter was at that time a puppet of Brazil). There are also sculptures, mostly of birds, on the streets. Pilar’s largest employer is the textile factory located on the Paraguay River. Cerrito is a smaller town about 3 hours from Pilar. It is located along the Paraná River. It features a beach (with cows), a hill, a one building naval base, giant frogs, the world’s most vicious dog and half of the mosquitoes in South America. The bus from Cerrito back to Pilar leaves ... read more
Horse Cart
One of the Bird Sculptures in Pilar
The Church in Pilar




Tot: 0.163s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 9; qc: 96; dbt: 0.0914s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb