Paraguay background: The CIA webpage said “Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, Paraguay lost two-thirds of all its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.” This constitutional republic has one tenth of the population (6 million) of Britain in a country almost twice the size. Some 40% of Paraguayans are under 14, 90% are Roman Catholic and up to 35% said to live below the poverty level. Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy distinguished by a large informal sector, featuring re-export of imported consumer goods to neighbouring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. Its agricultural products include: cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk and timber. Its main industries are sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic and electric power.

The Brandt Guides to Paraguay said that Asuncion was “ not one of Latin America’s more lovely cities.” Sited on the sharp bend of the River Paraguay it was so named because it was founded on the 15th August, the feast of the Assumption of Mary (1537) by Captain Juan de Salazar de Espinosa. We had decided to do a walkabout of the downtown area to take in the sights before moving onto Eastern Paraguay.

We caught a local bus through the central market and along the grid layout of streets all the way to the Plaza de la Libertad behind the Panteon which is where Paraguay’s national heroes and famous people are buried. This was a small circular oratory with a high dome. It was started in 1863 but not completed until 1936. Two smart soldiers in white uniforms guarded the entrance. We weren’t sure if we were allowed in and walked back through the Plaza de la Libertad past the craft shops and washing lines with Paraguayan flags and football shirts for sale.

The pleasant Plaza Uruguaya lay a few blocks to the west. This park had a bad reputation at night for muggers and prostitutes but in the warm morning sunshine most people were just crossing it to work or taking in the sunshine. Don’t let the guidebook put you off. Nearby lay the old Estacion de Ferrocarril (Railway station). Constructed by English engineers (1864), one of first built in South America. The platforms were being washed down and we couldn’t enter, so we climbed up and peered over the wall at the two old trains parked there.

Then heading east again, we reached the Plaza del Marzo Paraguayo dominated by the Metropolitan Cathedral (1846). More chunky than ornate, it is rarely open and on form, it was closed today. Next door was the Universidad Catolica housed in a pleasant red brick building. Once you got past the parked cars, the plaza opened up.

Overlooking the river was a distinctive pink building, the Cabildo, the former Senate building (1842). In front of it was a bronze statue of the city founder Juan de Salazar with his sword. Next to the Cabildo, we had a view over the slum area of Banado where the poor and disposed are forced to hole up in makeshift shelters of wood and canvas. Sometimes these are flooded by the river. Paraguay was much poorer than the other countries and the streets were full of people selling stuff to passers by. Also overlooking the river was an equestrian statue of the idiot Mariscal Lopez who led Paraguay into Triple Alliance War and set the country back a century.

The Congreso Nacional (Parliament) also lies on the Plaza opposite the Cabildo. It is a new building (2003) paid for by government of Taiwan with a massive wall of darkened reflective glass. Inside, the lobby is like a huge glass wigwam set against a white background. We entered expecting to get kicked out and discovered that there were free tours available. A nice English speaking woman called Audrey offered to take us around. We were led to the main chamber where the President sits and were photographed sat in his chair. At the back of the new building is the old Congress building which has been Jesuit college, tobacco factory, higher education institute (1780), a barracks, military school, hospital and military museum. The old Jesuit chapel had been uncovered where another hero, an ordained priest San Roque Gonzalaz, was buried (except for his heart). There was a statue to commemorate him.

We spent 50 minutes pottering around and pumping our guide for information. She said that Paraguayan people lacked ambition and that they tended to put up with their circumstances rather than improve them. They also got very homesick which meant that they didn’t tend to immigrate. She seemed frustrated with her boyfriend who wanted to stay in Paraguay, not interested in travelling to France for a holiday. The Parliament Building tour is recommended.

Walking on further, we reached the Palacio de Lopez which are now government offices. This was supposedly the ‘grandest building in the city’ and the postcards portrayed it as huge, white and ornate like a wedding cake. But in reality, it was a little grubby and now covered in scaffolding for a make-over. There were security men everywhere with their dark sunglasses and intercoms. When a couple of young German Jehovah Witnesses button holed us outside and tried to encourage us to come to a meeting tomorrow night, we were moved on by security – which was actually a bonus.

The last places we checked out were the Casa de la Independence (1772) where Paraguayan Independence was planned in 1811 and the Tetro Municpal (Theatre). Job done, we walked many blocks back to the Central Market expecting a teeming place of trading anything. In reality it was mostly clothes (at least that’s all we found). We were starving and sat at a counter where we ordered sausages, pasties, sweet potatoes and milkshakes. The woman seemed bemused to have a couple of tourists as customers. The place was baking in the heat and further on, we found a beer shop for a cold one. At 3:40pm it was still 32’C.

Feeling as if we had a good idea about the capital, we caught a bus back to the main terminal, walked to the hotel, picked up our packs and walked back to book a bus ride to Cuidad Del Este on the Brazilian border. When the bus turned up at 2.30pm it was smaller and more basic than we had been accustomed to in the other countries. The other difference was that our driver really went for it.

Over the next seven hours and 363km, we had a manic ride of passing anything possible no matter where. I hadn’t seen driving this bad in years. Some of the stunts pulled included overtaking multiple cars on corners and an attempt to pass a truck & trailer, and a faster bus going uphill on a bend. He succeeded but only just avoided a truck coming the other way. Midway, we pulled into a café for a break where someone was at outside playing his guitar and another man singing. As we grabbed a beer, the guitarist asked us where we were from and when he heard ‘England’ he replied “Best music in the world” followed by ‘The Beatles, the Rolling Stones”. And then burst into impromptu version of ‘Yesterday’ word perfect. He was still playing it as we re-boarded the bus for another bout of the Driver from Hell.

The fact that we survived notwithstanding, it was the most entertaining journey of the trip and rather refreshing after the European standards up to that point. Paraguay was a fun country. The people were very open. It retained that element of ‘wildness’ that South America was once famous for.

Reality hit us when we pulled into the Bus Terminal at Cuidad Del Este on the outskirts. The guidebook said that there were “Encampments of Gaurani who have come in from their ancestoral home and didn’t go back” right outside the station. These people were living in pitiful shelters on the pavement. Having arrived at 9.30pm, it was dark. We walked out of the station and found a basic hotel room at the Tia Nancy. It was nothing special but it was close. Having checked in, we walked around the couple of streets looking for something to eat and found nothing. Everything had closed. We were reduced to going back to the bus station for hamburgers and beer. It was also the first time my mobile had worked since leaving Brazil.

Tuesday March 26th

At this point, we were still ahead of schedule and we decided to fit in an extra excursion – to see Itaipu (‘the singing stone’) Dam, the second largest hydro-electric power station in the world (as you do). The complex lies about 10km north of the Bus Terminal and we had to jump in a taxi to get there. Free tours were run by the company and the first one started at 8am, so it was an early start. As it was, we were the first people to arrive and directed to a cinema which gradually filled up with tour groups. Eventually a film was shown about the history of the development and all the wonderful activities you can do in the landscaped parklands. Then we boarded one of seven buses for a tour of the complex.

With a capacity of 14 m kilowatts, this bi-national dam (Usina Hidrelectria Itaipu) is the second largest hydroelectric power station in the world and the one that produces the most electricity per year. It was started in 1966 and eventually started producing energy in 1984. The construction estimate was $3.4 billion paid by Brazil & Paraguay but due to corruption racked up to $20 billion. It currently has 20 turbines (China’s Three Gorges Dam now has 32 turbines). It cleanly supplies nearly all of Paraguay’s energy needs and 20% of Brazil’s but it plunged Brazil into debt, caused large scale destruction of rainforest and displaced 10,000 people. The lake which formed behind the dam is 200km long. The dam was an impressive structure 200 metres high and 8km long with a vast spillway (only opened occasionally though all the publicity shots show water plunging down it). Our attractive female guide did the tour in Spanish but we were content to stare out of the window and just take it all in. It’s nice to do something different once in a while and appreciate the technological wonders of humanity – for better or worse.

After the 90 minute tour, we walked away from the Information Centre to the main road, walked down to a bus stop and flagged down a bus which took us to the centre. Cuidad del Este is actually a new city started in 1957 but we weren’t interested in stopping. We caught another bus back to the Bus Terminal, picked up our packs at the hotel, and came back to the terminal to get an 11am bus to Foz de Ignacio on the Brazilian side of the border.

Ironically, we were taken back to the local bus terminal where we had just come from before moving onto the border. But the road was gridlocked. We were told to leave the bus, given a ticket and told to walk forward to another bus from the same company where our ticket would be honoured. We boarded that one and then just seemed to stay motionless for 30 minutes. The pavements were full of people selling things or milling about. The area seemed mobbed. Drinks sellers would pile on board to try and sell cold refreshments. It was another roasting day. A couple of soldiers seemed to be letting vehicles through two at a time to the border and they were in no hurry. We sat there unsure of what the system was.

When we did get going, the bus driver went straight through the Paraguayan Immigration and joined the traffic trying to cross the bridge (‘Ponteda Amizade’) to Brazil. We yelled ‘Passport!’ The driver shrugged as if to say “Too late pal, I’m on the bridge I can’t turn around.” We had been sat on the bus for over 30 minutes and he could have told us to walk down to immigration in advance. Doh!

So we got off the bus and backpedalled to the Paraguay immigration and were stamped out. Then we waited for another bus to arrive, boarded it and paid again to take us across the bridge to the Brazilian side.

Despite the chaotic departure, I really enjoyed Paraguay and would like to return to see the rest of the country. I found the people friendly and receptive. Because it was poorer than the surrounding countries, it seemed a bit more exciting and down to earth and dare I say it ‘more South American.’