Paraguay from every angle
Life, culture, landscapes. All that is Paraguay, and my life here
Festival of San Juan
The Festival of San Juan is one of the major festivals of the Paraguayan year. It is celebrated in every corner of the country and is traditionally held on 24th June, the Feast of St John. However in practice as it is also a major fund raiser for every school, church...
Boat trip across the bay
In Asuncion just along from the Port of Asuncion is a small pier. From there small boats ferry passengers out of Asuncion Bay, across the Rio Paraguay and to the small ferry landing at Chaco'i. These boats being public transport rather than tourist attractions are...
Extinct volcanoes in Paraguay
Paraguay may seem to be a quiet geologically stable place but a good look around its landscape will show that that has not always been the case. Across Eastern Paraguay rising out of the flat lands are a number a steep conical hills which are all that remains of the...
Trains of Paraguay
Work on a Paraguayan rain network began in 1856 under to presidency of Carlos Lopez. It was one of the very first in the Americas. English engineers were bought over to supervise the works and by 1861 tracks had been laid as far as the town of Trinidad, 4km from...
Insects of every hue
Even leaving aside for the moment the ants and the flies there are a multitude of insects to be found in Paraguay. The insects of Paraguay come in ever imaginable size, shape and colour. They range from the smallest, too small to be seem by the naked eye to those as...
The Paraguayan Harp
The harp is the national instrument of Paraguay. Although it can be found at smart cultural events its real home is the countryside accompanying the bands of musicians that are to be found throughout the land. A traditional Paraguayan band is built around the harp...
The Virgin of Caacupe
In Caacupe, approximately 60km from Asuncion resides The Virgin of Caacupe. She is placed behind the high altar of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Miracles in Caacupe and is the most venerated religious symbol in Paraguay. Caacupe is the spiritual capital of...
Town Parades
Every town has it's day. That is on the whole the date of the founding of the town. Piribebuy though does differ from the rule as following the loss of the town archives in the Battle of Piribebuy the date of the battle, 12th August was selected for the annual parade....
Home, Sweet Home
Once I had done the teaching of English in Paraguay, returned to England and then decided I could make a life for myself in Paraguay the next thing I needed was somewhere to live. You cannot spend you whole life in other peoples spare rooms. Having spend 18 months...