Paraguay Transport...

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So, as I said in my last post, the transport here in Paraguay deserves a whole blog of its own. After having gone to Cairo, Lima, Marrakesh, Chicargo, the roads here don't seem that busy at all. No strange animals such as llamas or camels in the roads and no huge, mutli-lane roads to navigate across, but it is still an adventure everyday trying to get from A to B.

ROADS... So, there are lots of pot holes everywhere!On roads and footpaths, so every journey is extremely bumpy, especially in the residential areas, where the roads are often like the Paraguayan version of a cobbled street, with the odd giagantic tree growing half way out into the road...

BUSES... Can be quite confusing! There are many lines, all of which seem to be individually owned. The buses are colour coded with bright designs and all journeys, no matter what the distance, cost 2100 G, which is about 30p. However each line seems to have 3 different versions. For example, line 37, has a route B and a route C, and the route B can either be via Artegas or Espana, two different streets... So you really have to pay attention to which bus you get on!

The step to get on the bus is about half a meter off the floor, so not so easy if you are tiny, or elderly, or disabled... and at times you have to run and jump on and off because the drivers don't always stop for long. People get on the buses at some stops to tell you about God, and then ask for payment for their preaching. Others get on selling anything from drinks to yo-yos, paracetamol to newspapers.

Buses are also one of the worse places for being stared at. Probably because you can't escape... Paraguays could win any staring competition. They are amazing at it!

So, yeah, bus journeys are never dull!

TAXIS... So far I have only been in one taxi, and the driver didn't really know where he was going, but we got there eventually and it wasn't too expensive, the guy had a meter. However, I have been told stories of taxi drivers zing-zagging across the city when taking a forgeiner to their destination to make a lot more money. Be warned!

TRAINS... Not much to say here really. There is a train station, and train tracks, but no services. Ever.

WALKING... This is what I have been doing most. And yeah, I get stared at, mostly by the people going past on the buses, I get people trying to sell me things, I fall down a few pot holes... but thats about it. The city centre is pretty small really, so walking is ideal. Also, the grid system makes crossing roads easy as they are mostly one-way. And yeah, zebra-crossings are ignored here.

CAR JOURNEYS... Don't expect these to be like back home. I think there are laws, but they are not followed. No one wears a seatbelt, the drink/drive issue does not appear to be seen as a problem here, traffick lights signals are not always followed. It also does not seem to matter how many people go in a car, as I have now spent quite a few car journeys lying across everyone else in the back seat, which is actually quite comfortable...

Oh, another thing to note is that in a a recent class, when I asked what age was required to be able to drive, a student replied 'Any, you can just go and pay for your license. You don't need to have a test if you pay.' Which is always good to know!

CYCLING... I just wouldn't bother, I value my life to much. 😊

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Comments

[Sandy]

:)
And again! It's great reading your blog - brings back loads of memories :) With the transport, don't get yourself on crutches! I managed to sprain / fracture my ankle when I was travelling and had to negotiate the bus steps with crutches when I got back to Asuncion - not fun! I stayed in the house for a week, then had to grit my teeth and go outside. Apart from that 2-month period I loved walking around the city, once I knew which areas were 'safe', although on that note I think most places are as long as you don't flash anything expensive (like cameras, mp3 players...) - not that that stopped me from taking loads of photos. Did you know that Paraguayans are responsible for maintaining the section of pavement outside their house? That means the pavement is chaos - one of my main memories is negotiating the potholes / gas covers etc! Say hi to Nora for me - she was like a second mum to Cressida and I! Sandy