There are to be seen in Paraguay modern two story coaches. These however are generally to be found making long distance trips across the country. Everywhere else public transport is supplied by a much older fleet of vehicles.

The bus network in Paraguay is extensive. There is almost no settlement no matter how remote without a regular bus service. Every town and village has its bus service. There from there buses head out on a regular timetable to all the outlying settlements which many many miles off the paved roads and reached only by rough dirt tracks.

From my home for example there are buses heading out every morning to both the nearby towns of Piribebuy and Paraguari. For some of the locals this is the only means by which they can get into town and to market. The dirt track here is by no means the worse there is but the buses still have to clamber over rocks and through ditches before they reach the tarmac road.

The buses making these vital journeys in the countryside are tough old vehicles. What they lack in modernity and comfort they make up for in strength and flexibility. They very much resemble buses upon the chassis of lorries and can handle all but the very worst terrain.

The ride is a slow and bumpy one. Inside there are a stiff old fashioned seats. There is plenty of leg room though for every apart from those sitting above the rear wheel arches for whom leg room is somewhat restricted. The floor is sheet metal or sometime wooden. Where there is a wooden floor it is common to be able to look down through the gaps in it to the road below.

In addition to people there is no end to the variety of cargo a bus can carry. Produce heading to or from market, building materials, small animals and supplies for a country shop are just a few of the things they carry. A couple of the largest items I have seen on a small bus are a motorbike and a fridge freezer, both heading into town for repair.

When my house was built many of the items used came by bus. The piping, the cables, the window frames and all the cement arrived that way.

To assist getting everyone on and off the bus and also to collect the fares buses are run by a two man crew. The driver and the bus boy. The bus boy helps lift heavy bags on and off the bus and ensures the cargo is loaded onto the bus in the most organized way possible.

Having only to concentrate in driving the bus driver does not need to worry about everyone paying and being seated before moving on. As soon as the last passenger has stepped from road to bus it pulls away. Getting used to climbing aboard and finding a seat on a moving bus is a skill that is quickly learned.

The passengers are not just restricted to the seats and a bus on a busy route will be full with standing passengers. There seems to be little limit as to how many passengers can be standing, there is always room to squeeze one or two aboard.

On such a crowded bus getting off can take a bit of planning for a passenger stuck in the middle of the bus far from the doors. It is not such a problem for those who end up travelling standing hanging on standing in the doorway. They do though have to file on and off everytime someone wants to get off the bus until such time as they can work their way further inside.

Every town has its own fleet of buses. These are all brightly coloured in schemes that vary from place to place. So for example from my home I know that if I get on the green bus I will end up in Piribebuy and that with the red bus I will be heading to Paraguari.

Drivers have their particular buses which they customise with stickers and personal possessions such as saints or small fluffy toys. Each country bus has its own character. Some have a pair of whisker like antennae on the bonnet with small balls on the end. Just like a cat with its whiskers these tell the driver if a gap is too narrow to squeeze the bus through.

Bus timetables are not published and all timing are approximate. The amount of time taking loading and unloading cargo and the number of stops a bus makes along the way decides how long it takes to get anywhere, as does the condition of the road. Along the dirt roads where each house is a small holding a bus may be hailed at every garden gate and deliver passengers back to their doorstops.

This being the way of things using the bus network requires patience. To catch a bus one must head to the bus stop of garden gate shortly before the bus is expected and then wait until it turns up. Over the years I have spent many hours waiting for buses to appear.

They do though as a rule turn up in the end. Then once aboard I make myself comfortable for the slow journey into town.

The buses are also very easy to use and an inexpensive way to travel. An excellent way to reach almost any part of Paraguay and often an adventure as much as a journey.