Blogs from Encarnacion, Paraguay, South America

It was now time to take my first bus journey of the trip - a ride of around six hours from Foz do Iguazu to Encarnacion, Paraguay. Paraguay is often overlooked by travellers, what with its lack of superstar attractions. Although this fact it recognised by my Lonely Planet, it nevertheless recommended visiting Encarnacion with its brand new riverside beach and its annual grande fiesta during Carnaval. Intrigued by a country that receives little attention and with a desire to tick another country off my list, Paraguay and Encarnacion also provided me with a stop to break up the long journey from Foz do Iguacu down to Buenos Aires and Uruguay. Not that the bus I was catching was straightforward. As it was to be my first bus ride I wanted a bit of security of ... read more

D and T checking in once again to amuse you... The country of Paraguay... We took a bus across the international bridge between the Argentinian city of Posadas and the Paraguayan city of Encarnación, changed a few dollars with the sketchy money-changers on the street and became instant millionaires (in Paraguayan Guaranís at least). Encarnación is very clean and quite sleepy for a city. There’s a nice beach area by the river and plenty of cheap markets to get supplies! And there was good fruit in town, finally! Fruit had been quite rare in these here parts during our travels so we feasted on mango, papaya, guava, and the heavenly maracuya or mburucuya as it’s called here (not sure of the English translation – but it’s similar to a passion fruit). And the ice-cream wasn't bad ... read more

Crossing a border to a new country is always a little bit stressful even if you have done it hundreds of times. In the end it is all new, starting with people and their attitude, money that you have to change and get used to, price levels and orientation. Little did we know about Paraguay except for the fact, that it is by far the most unacknowledged by travelers part of South America. Information you find is a little bit confusing as on one hand it is supposed to be the most secure country in SA and on the other hand Brazilians would swear it is deadly dangerous. One can think that this coming from them is a big statement. The bridge linking Brazil and Paraguay is also supposed to be a dangerous place to walk ... read more

Across the river Paraná - nearly a mile wide at this point - from Posadas, in Paraguay, lie the crumbling ruins of missions founded in jungle by Jesuit priests in the 17th and 18th centuries. Here, in the baking heat and sweltering humidity, thousands of indigenous Americans, mostly Guaraní, lived in large communities presided over by Jesuits from Europe. Descriptions of the missions vary considerably depending on the viewpoint taken (from paternalistic Christianisation to philanthropic assistance) but the oddity of finding intricately carved baptismal fonts and large, red-brick churches bang in the middle of the Paraguayan forest is undeniable. The two 'Missionary Reductions' (their official name in Colonial times) we visited - Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangüe - are now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins are well preserved but, unsurprisingly, ... read more

Trinidad, a small village near to the Encarnacion city and few kilometers from the Argentinian border. It is know because of the Jesuit settlements which has been added to the list of world cultural heritage of the UNESCO. In total, there were seven Jesuit settlements in Paraguay, but the Trinidad is the most complete of them. The nearby Jesus (12km) is also very well preserved.... read more