Blogs from Asunciòn, Paraguay, South America

Due settimane in Paraguay... ENCARNACION: E' la capitale estiva di un paese senza sbocchi sul mare. La sua fortuna è quella di sorgere sulle sponde del maestoso fiume Paranà e di essere così dotata di due gradevoli spiagge cittadine di sabbia dorata riportata da chissà dove; fortuna per modo di dire perchè, a seguito della costruzione di una grande diga più a valle, l'innalzamento del livello delle acque ha portato alla scomparsa per sommersione di un gran bel pezzo dei suoi quartieri storici che sorgevano in riva al fiume. Provvidenzialmente però, quello che è diventato il nuovo lungofiume è stato negli ultimi anni trasformato in una animata zona turistica con spiaggia, viale orlato di palme, ristoranti e bar all'ultimo grido e, per non farsi mancare proprio nulla, anche di un modernissimo sambodromo costruito a regola d'arte. ... read more

The ancient air conditioning unit seems to serve no other purpose than to make noise. So we slept badly and I wake up rather grumpy. We have a whole day to explore Asunción. I’m not sure what we’ll do in the afternoon. Probably sleep, as we need to leave for the airport at 3.30 am tomorrow. We set off at 9 am for some sightseeing. First stop, the railway station – South America’s first station. I ponder briefly the point of being first, it would seem beneficial to have more than one or where would the trains go? There is what can loosely describe as a museum, plus an original train from 1861. Next we go to the cathedral, which is locked. We head instead for the waterfront (the Costanera) but the cathedral’s security guard tells ... read more

Paraguay, a landlocked South American nation, of comparatively low profile must surely only really appear on the seasoned traveller's itinerary, and even then it most probably comes across as a piece of curiosity which gives rise to a discovery process of sorts. Background reading had set the scene, but then again, this is a nation like none other, as this alternative-style blog entry should hopefully go to prove. Let's just see if the highlights of Asuncion can explain and manifest themselves through the more inexplicable findings on the trip. Up first is recoleta cemetery, and yes, this is a bona fide tourist attraction, where nothing - repeat, nothing - is quite what it seems. Whether or not you are familiar with any of the famous Paraguayans buried here ceases to matter, for this is an enclave ... read more

Puerto Guijarro to campo grande The Brazilian border was a real breeze to get through. If only they were all this way. We rode toward campo grande on a largely straight well maintained road which was tinted in the terracotta colour of the clay. We rode along through the pantanal where there were plenty of wildlife signs advising to keep a watch for many different and exotic wild animals. This area is one of the largest producers of soybeans in the world. Agriculture is huge here with thousands of acres of land cropped and countless cattle. Campo grande to Ponta Pora, Paraguay On arriving at Ponta Pora we didn't initially realise we had crossed into Paraguay as there's no visible border to cross. We then found that one side of the road is Brazil and the ... read more

So here I sit in Ciudad del Este, the most eastern town in Paraguay, on the border to Argentina and Brazil, and gateway to the Iguacu Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders in the world. And before I can tell you about them I better update my blog to what has happened the last few weeks……. My last blog entry was about my adventures in the north of Argentina and how I escaped the floods in Miramar. And while it was pretty tense for a while for me, and I had a cool ride in an army truck as well, it was one of these trips that I will remember for a long time. After I arrived back in Cordoba I had a long trip to Asuncion. They told me it would be 18 hours ... read more