The small country town of Piribebuy in Paraguay contains everything anyone living there would need. Everything for the daily business of making a home somewhere.

It is though a country town. As such things like shopping malls, cinemas and international brand name stores are nowhere to be seen. Not such a bad thing as their with their absence the town remains more traditional. What there is though is generally sufficient.

On those occasions when what is available in the town is not enough larger places are easily reached. Caacupe is just a short distance away and the drive into Asuncion takes less than two hours.

For the most part however when just looking for supplies everything can be found in Piribebuy.

The town has a relaxed laid back atmosphere which make shopping or simply spending time there a pleasure. It is the sort of place where no one is rushing to make their purchases and where you could just sit in a cafe for a couple of hours watching the world go by.

There is just a small compact area of the town which functions as it’s commercial centre. Two streets which bisect each other in the centre of town.

An infinitely walk able town there is hardly any need to drive from store to store outside of making trips to stock up at the supermarket.

That supermarket is modern and well stocked. It is by far the largest store in town and privately owned rather than being part of a chain.

It does mean that the bulk of anyone’s shopping can be done in one location, rather than requiring visits to a whole host of smaller stores.

Thankfully the arrival of a supermarket did not kill of the small stores and the great majority of the stores in Piribebuy are still small family owned businesses.

For general shopping the supermarket may be the only store in town you will need to visit. It is also one of the few places in Piribebuy where payments can be made with credit cards.

Heading away from the supermarket you soon reach the commercial streets where the bulk of the businesses in town have their premises.

These include stores which in other places supermarkets have driven out of business such as general stores and green grocers. These continue to attract trade and offer a more personal service than the supermarket. All the general stores in Piribebuy have had refurbishments over the past few years and continue to thrive.

The greengrocers tempt customers with fresh produce displayed out in the street.

Also in town are to be found clothing stores. Some of these sell functional items reflecting the rural nature of the surrounding countryside while others sell more fashionable clothes. The fashions on display are generally those of younger shoppers and of that market mainly aimed at the female portion.

Piribebuy is additionally like most Paraguayan towns well served by building suppliers. Everything needed for building and maintaining a house can be obtained with ease. From bricks to paint, from spades to light bulbs.

For larger purchases home delivery will be available.

Then once the house is built it will need fitting out. To that end there are a couple of national chains plus a number of local businesses selling a wide range of electrical goods and furnishings.

These again offer delivery which is usually the same day and normally free.

The town is not just somewhere to head to buy things before heading back to your house. It is also a good place to relax for a few hours.

It is a quiet town and a very easy place to walk around. There is rarely much traffic on it’s streets and there are plenty of green spaces.

In addition to a couple of large plazas Piribebuy has the Rio Piribebuy running just a couple of blocks from it’s centre. This has been laid out as a smart park where the river runs through the town.

There is a paved boulevard running along the banks of the river with ample benches from which to take in the view.

For much off the year a dam built across the river is closed. This creates a lake which is the town’s swimming pool. Access to the pool is free and unrestricted.

Piribebuy is also a town of culture and history. The town’s principal church contains a number of old carvings and items of church furniture which are all worth seeing.

Furthermore there is a well kept town museum with a helpful and knowledgeable keeper. The museum focuses on the Battle of Piribebuy and the men from Piribebuy who fought in the Chaco War.

After exploring the sights it is good take a seat and watch the world go by.

To do this in Piribebuy you may wish to visit one of the many cafes that are to be found around the town. The majority are simple traditional Paraguayan cafes supplying the local population with snacks such as empanadas and chipa along with cold drinks. Places where both locals and visitors eat.

There are a number of bars around town. They do not generally open until the evening.

In terms of restaurants there are a couple of places that offer restaurant meals, however on the whole as most of the customers are locals on their lunch breaks most places that serve meals offer simple but tasty traditional Paraguayan country dishes. These are well worth a visit to experience for the price of a few dollars real Paraguayan food.

Around Piribebuy can be found other services you may need from time to time. There are hairdressers along almost every street and dressmakers if ever that should be required along with other similar businesses.

In terms of health the town has a small hospital, a private clinic and a several health centres. There are also dentists and opticions to be found in town.

All considered with the stores and services to be found in town and the beautiful countryside that surrounds it Piribebuy is a good place to live and a very pleasant place to visit.