Navigating Paraguay
Looking at the map back home, it seemed like going through Asuncion, Paraguay to get to Bolivia made a lot of sense. However, when I got to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina and began talking to travellers it turned out that virtually nobody heading to Bolivia was going that way. I decided to head to Asuncion anyway, as I had already paid for a visa and I had a special little mission to complete. Amy, one of my co-workers at WSU Extension, lived about 3 hours from Asuncion when she was in the Peace Corps about 10 years ago. She had given me directions and presents to give to her host family, so I set out to find them.
It was actually a facinating little trip. Rural Paraguay is really beautiful, very green with kind of rolling hills and Amy´s host family was really wonderful and thrilled that Amy remembers them. They have just started farming fish to sell at a local market, and have carved out big pools for them, which are fed by a little stream. Apparently there have been quite a few Peace Corps volunteers in that part of Paraguay and everyone I met seemed to assume that I would be staying two years- which I can´t imagine!
The strange thing about traveling through Paraguay was being the only foreigner. Despite the supposedly high number of Peace Corps volunteers, people there are definitely not used to seeing a big backpack and dealing with someone with an accent. The craziest part of the Paraguay experience was taking a bus from Asuncion to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The journey is supposed to take 24 hours, but I´d heard rumors it can take up to 3 days during the rainy season. Once we got on the road, it was obvious why. The problem is that the road is just barely a road- dirt with incredible potholes- and winds though a completely deserted part of Paraguay´s Chaco region. Unfortunately, the bus was also not that reliable and broke down continually.
Despite those problems, it was great getting to know the local folks on the bus and getting the see the Chaco, which was striking- cactus, big thorny trees, tons of incredible looking birds (wish I coulds ID them) and cattle ranch after cattle ranch.
It was actually a facinating little trip. Rural Paraguay is really beautiful, very green with kind of rolling hills and Amy´s host family was really wonderful and thrilled that Amy remembers them. They have just started farming fish to sell at a local market, and have carved out big pools for them, which are fed by a little stream. Apparently there have been quite a few Peace Corps volunteers in that part of Paraguay and everyone I met seemed to assume that I would be staying two years- which I can´t imagine!
The strange thing about traveling through Paraguay was being the only foreigner. Despite the supposedly high number of Peace Corps volunteers, people there are definitely not used to seeing a big backpack and dealing with someone with an accent. The craziest part of the Paraguay experience was taking a bus from Asuncion to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The journey is supposed to take 24 hours, but I´d heard rumors it can take up to 3 days during the rainy season. Once we got on the road, it was obvious why. The problem is that the road is just barely a road- dirt with incredible potholes- and winds though a completely deserted part of Paraguay´s Chaco region. Unfortunately, the bus was also not that reliable and broke down continually.
Despite those problems, it was great getting to know the local folks on the bus and getting the see the Chaco, which was striking- cactus, big thorny trees, tons of incredible looking birds (wish I coulds ID them) and cattle ranch after cattle ranch.
posted by Hannah Cavendish-Palmer at 7:37 AM
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