Blogs from Asunciòn, Paraguay, South America - page 2

There has been a recent remarkable increase in litigation in Paraguay in which people have claimed injury from carelessly wielded handbags in crowded shopping situations. This has lead one entrepreneur to set up a sort of handbag 'car park' where for a modest fee you can leave your handbag and he will guarantee its safekeeping until your return (see photo 1), Ladies can therefore enter crowded places with an easy mind, and then reclaim their 'lethal weapons' when injury is no longer an issue. Similarly, if you are concerned about the safety of papers while you are away from your desk another organisation hires out attack-cats who will guard them for you (see photo 2). I saw a T-shirt which translates as 'I am not 40, I am 18 with 22 years of experience' (see photo ... read more

Being within a few kilometers of Paraguay when I visited Iguazu Falls was enough to spark my interest in this landlocked country of which I knew very little. It took another 24 hour coach trip to reach the capital, Asuncion - we initially retraced the route back to Iguazu, then crossed the Parana river into the Paraguayan border city of Ciudad del Este, where were immediately immersed in rows of shopping centres, which are frequented by Brazillians and Argentinians for their cheap electrical goods. The remainder of the journey was mostly through flat farmland (Paraguay is 1 and 2/3 times bigger than the UK, but with only a tenth of the population). The coach was boarded on occasions by people selling "chipa", toroidal shaped breads with cheese and aniseed - a Paraguayan speciality of which I ... read more

Leaving Buenos Aires I went on a road trip that would have me constantly reaching for my passport like a child into his Christmas stocking as I journeyed through Argentina, Uruguay, Argentina again, Brazil, Paraguay and then returned to Argentina. First was the Argentinian town of Tigre, which sits on the delta of the Rio Plata, meaning one of the key attractions is a boat ride through the delta to explore some of the islands. I had met a local guy, Arturo, in the hostel and he recommended a great little restaurant that I should go to for lunch, and then the next day he was free and so he suggested we have a “tourist day” together. He was a really interesting guy: although he was born in Tigre, he had lived in Germany for many ... read more

I was in Paraguay listening to the radio and talking on Skype with Li in China when a song came on the radio that he liked and that he could hear through Skype. I saw him doing something with his computer and suddenly on the IM part of Skype there appeared the name of the song, the name of the singer, and the publishing details. In China he’d recorded part of the song on his computer and put it into an app and come up with the details of a song playing in Paraguay. I met Li on a train in Morocco in 2010, and he’s my ”tech guru” in China who answers my questions about technology. He’s always on Skype so I can talk to him often.... read more

De volgende ochtend pakken we samen met Johannes de bus naar Ponta Pora, een plaatsje op de grens van Brazilië naar Paraguay. De reis laat ons het platteland van Brazilië zien: uitgestrekte groene akkers met op de achtergrond licht glooiende heuvels. Tussen de akkers door staan af en toe piepkleine houten hutjes die bijna uit elkaar vallen. We kunnen het ons bijna niet voorstellen, maar er blijken daadwerkelijk mensen in te wonen. Het kan niet anders dan dat ze een armoedig bestaan leiden. Even zien we een glimp van de schaduwzijde van Brazilië: een land waarin met name de mensen die op het platteland leven het erg zwaar hebben. Het platteland van Brazilië is in handen van een aantal grootgrondbezitters. Zij laten boeren voor een armzalig loontje hun akkers verbouwen. Aangezien het allemaal privégebied is, kan ... read more