Paraguay
The Gaucho (cowboy), Terere (cold yerbe mate), amazing beef skewers, and the heat....
It's a small, hot, and humid landlocked country. Most of it, especially a flat dry area called The Chaco, is basically uninhabited. The Chaco is home to 3 different small Mennonite colonies, which primarily engage in the cattle and dairy farming. More than 45% of the country's population lives in the capital city's (Asuncion) metropolitan area. The main pre-Colombian indigenous group is the Guarani, which is also the name of the national currency and a language spoken exclusively by 34% of the population.
The national drink, terere, is the same yerba mate plant loved by Uruguay and Argentina, but due to the climate being so hot....(is was 90-100 degrees for most of my time there) they drink it cold, and sometimes with extras like lime juice. When it comes to food, the number one snack is a chipa (a bread pastry filled with a cheese/butter flavor), a soup called vori vori, savory cheese/onion flavored cornbreads: sopa paraguaya and chipa guazu, and my favorite: beef skewers sold off a grill on street corners.
Post trip thoughts: To say the Paraguayan people are friendly would be an understatement, and I had to rely on the help of strangers to get back to the city of Pilar on a day trip to Humaita.
The only negative: customs is confusing as some points of entry no longer stamp passports, but most do, leading to complications when leaving the country without an entry stamp.
Quick facts: Source: CIA World Factbook
Area: smaller than California
Population: 7.5 million
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indigenous ancestry) 95%, other 5% (one of the most homogeneous country in Latin America)
Religion: Roman Catholic 80.4%, Protestant 7%, unspecified 6.2%, etc.
Capital: Asuncion
GDP Per Capita: $16,300
Currency: Guarani ($1 = 6,900 Guarani)
Jesuit Mission Ruins: Trinidad, Paraguay
Paraguay
Trip Summary
Date: October 3-15th (Oct 5th in Posadas, Argentina because Paraguay didn't stamp my passport, which it turns out I didn't need...)
Map Source: Google Maps
Route: Encarnacion > Jesuit Mission Ruins Trinidad and Tavarangue > Pilar > Yaguaron > Paraguari > Piribebuy > Caacupe > Asuncion > Santa Cruz de le Sierra, Bolivia
October 15th: 8PM bus from Asuncion, Paraguay to Santa Cruz de le Sierra, Bolivia (21 hours on a bus...)
Encarnacion
Known as Paraguay's best looking city, Encarnacion is a short 5-10 minute international train ride across the Parana River from Posadas, Argentina. My trip began with a rain storm shortly after I arrived, and the roads basically flooded at every intersection and the side of every road in the city turned into a fast flowing river. In order to cross a main road, I could not avoid walking through 6 inches of water, soaking my hiking boots...The city is well known for its nice beach area along the river and the 3 different Jesuit Mission ruins near the city. I was able to visit 2 of them: Trinidad and Jesus de Tavarangue.
Pilar and Humaita
It's a small, relaxed, and laid back town on the Paraguay River. The main town square is nice and includes: a small museum, lovely Catholic Basilica and bell tower, and a small college. Pilar is mainly a place to relax, but for me it was also the city closest to the old destroyed fortress in Humaita. Although not much more than 1 section of a destroyed church (San Carlos Borromeo) remains today, this place was the site of one of the most important battles in Latin American history. In 1864, Paraguay went to war with the Triple Alliance: Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The fortress in Humaita was nicknames the Gibraltar of South America. However, in 1868, a Brazilian admiral made a brilliant maneuver past the fort on the Paraguay River resulting in the forts capture. Basically, the fall of Fortress Humaita sealed Paraguay's fate, the capital Asuncion fell soon after, and they eventually lost the war in 1870. A majority of the male population of Paraguay died in this war; it was a demographic catastrophe. The museum has a decent collection of artifacts, pictures, and information from the time of the battle. Also, the museum guide speaks English!
Asuncion and Around
Yaguaron, Paraguari, Piribebuy, and Caacupe
This is how it goes when you have a simple plan: see 4 different tiny cities which are close together in 2 days...
1. Yaguaron - I got of the bus from Pilar to the Capital city, Asuncion, and immediately hopped on a bus to Yaguaron (fun fact: this word means "big dog" in the indigenous Guarani language). It's a 45KM (26 miles) trip, but it took almost an hour just to get out of the city because traffic is so dense (i.e. terrible) in Asuncion. Other than the heat, and the cool old train station museum, the traffic will be my biggest memory of Asuncion. I reached Yaguaron around 3PM, and went straight to the UNESCO church: Templo de San Buenaventura. Less than 10 minutes after arriving at the church, bells began ringing and a crowd strolled in....it wasn't mass...I walked to the entrance and saw the old hearse...Well, guess I ran out of time to see the inside. There was not a single hotel in this town, so I finished enjoying the outside of the building, and I headed to the main road to wait for a bus to the next "big town" which would hopefully have lodging.
2. Paraguari - It was only 16KM (10 miles) east on the bus, but about 3 miles from Paraguari, the bus made us all get out at a service station...he was done for the day, and we had to wait for another bus to take us the rest of the way...it was after 5 before I made it there...again, a city with no hotels, motels, or hostels. Next, I looked for a cabin (cabanas), inn (posadas), or guesthouse (hospedaje). Yes, there are so many different words for lodging in Latin America! I found a cheap guesthouse (hospedaje) after some searching. This was just a "bigger city" jumping off point to the next place, nothing to really see here. The town gave me Russia vibes with a muddy central plaza complete with garbage and a group of men slamming beers. I was on the next morning bus heading east...
3. Piribebuy - About 29KM (18 miles) northeast of Paraguari, it wasn't a bad bus ride. This cute small town has a new hostel, and the owner spoke decent English. He said I was the first ever guest who used Hostelworld.com to book a reservation. This was his parent's home, his father was a judge here, and he is a retired IT worker from the giant Itaipu hydroelectric dam (border of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina). Why open a hostel? This was the best way to keep the large house occupied and in use (his house was right in front of the hostel). There are hiking options nearby, and another old church in the main square. For me, it was a nice hostel and cute town to just stop and relax in. Unfortunately, the history museum was in the process of moving, but the riverside park was a nice quiet place to relax. Again, I knew about this town from my hobby reading history books.
4. Caacupe - I used the ride share app InDrive to make the 22KM (14 miles) trip here from Piribebuy. My Lonely Planet guidebook referred to this place as the Vatican City of Paraguay. However, the new looking church appeared to only be big, but not actually grand, in my opinion (based on the architectural style and details inside the church). I only stopped here to see the church then got another InDrive ride to the capital, Asuncion.
Asuncion
The word in English means: assumption. This refers to the Assumption of Mary (Christian belief that the Virgin Mary was taken to heaven body and soul). Originally, the city was founded by the Spanish Empire on August 15, 1537, which is a Catholic holy day celebrating the Assumption of Mary. Later, Asuncion became the capital city of a new country, Paraguay, when it succeeded from Spain in 1811. Today, Asuncion is still the capital and Paraguay's largest city. With a metropolitan population of over 2.3 million, roughly 30% of the country's population, the city sits on the Paraguay River (which separates Paraguay from Argentina). In general, there were some nice buildings/museums, but a lot of road construction near the old town. Also, the traffic getting to the city center was really slow. On the plus side: it felt very safe, it was clean, and I found some nice restaurant and cafes near my hotel. Finally, one of my best customer service experiences in South America was at a cool cafe and bookstore in Asuncion. It's definitely worth spending a full day here if you are passing through.
