This week I had a long but very productive couple of days out. I travelled across the country to inspect a Paraguayan farm for potential overseas buyers.

I had been in contact via email with them for a little while. They had found a farm in Paraguay they were interested in and were considering buying it as their property when they moved to Paraguay.

Being overseas it was of course not possible for them to visit the property and inspect it. That is where I came in.

The real estate agent was able to supply details. With though it being in his interest to get the property sold any potential problems were liable to be overlooked or smoothed over.

As with anywhere in the world a property must be inspected prior to any agreements being made to purchase.

I am quite independent with no motive other than to honestly report what I had seen. Also having lived in Paraguay for many years I knew what to look out for and what to expect.

Having agreed all the preliminaries a day was set for the visit and the owner and agent advised to be expecting me.

It was to be a very long day and an early start. To ensure that I would have enough time to inspect everything I left my house just after 7 AM. I am not normally about that early, but doing so once in a while is no hardship.

In Paraguay it is currently approaching winter and as such it was rather chilly first thing. With a thick clouds blanketing the sky it stayed cool for most of the day. The sun did not finally appear until shortly before I reached the property.

This was the longest journey I had made on my bike. It took several hours of travel before I reached my destination. Almost all the way the journey was on the good paved roads which these days link almost every part of Paraguay.

In fact I was on a good road until the very last town before the property.

From the middle of that town a wide by unmade road headed deeper into the countryside. This road was for the first few hundred metres cobbled but there after red earth. The road was long and on the whole straight, just making the occasional deviation around property boundaries or contours in the land surface.

However there had been rain the previous week and clearly that had not given water long enough to drain way. Along its length were stretches of deep mud and pools of water of unknowable depth.

For the most part I was able to work my way round and through these on my bike. It did though sink into one particularly soft patch of mud. I had to drag it out of there so that we could continue on our way. Unsurprisingly by the time my bike and I had a reasonable coating of mud.

The first person I met at the farm gate was one of the workers who nothing about anyone coming to look at the property. That was a bit of a concern after so many hours on the road. However he was soon joined at the gate by another man who I took to be the overseer. He was expecting me and so I was soon inside the gate and exchanging pleasantries.

I could see imminently that the farm was as it had been advertised to be. A cluster of farm buildings surrounded by gardens with farmlands beyond that.

Out of my backpack I got my camera to record what I saw and a notebook to note things down and also to remind me of the questions that needed to be asked.

I had just enough time catch my breath before we were off on a tour of the buildings.

For the family living quarters there was the main farm house and then nearby a small guest house for any visitors. I had a good look around these examining their contents and checking their condition. On the whole there was nothing wrong with them that a few hours of cleaning couldn’t put right.

From there we went across to the workers quarters. Again following everything with camera and notebooks.

There were two buildings containing workers accommodation. One was occupied by the two live in workers and one empty and abandoned. That looked as though it had been unused for quite a while. An indication that the farm was currently a far quieter place than it had previously been.

In fact the whole farm looked dormant. Everything was there and ready to be used but the place seemed to be waiting for a new owner to arrive and bring it back to life.

The other farm buildings were given to animals. A large cattle pen, a pig sty and what looked like it had in a previous life been a farm shed, then became a chicken coop and now looked ready to collapse.

Once the buildings had been looked over it was time to inspect the lands. The overseer was hinting that he didn’t need to show things to me so I left him by the farm house and headed off to investigate by myself.

The land surrounding the farm buildings was mainly well trimmed grass and native trees. There was also a small orchard. Whilst I walked I kept my eyes out for fencing.

I had been told that the property was well fenced and the side facing the road certainly was. I wanted though to find random bits of fencing to check that it was in good order. every bit of fence I spotted was in an excellent condition which was pleasing.

Framing the grass and separating it from the planting was a thick natural woodland. Even with winter approaching that was in a fine condition forming a thick green wall. No doubt there was much wildlife within it.

Then beyond the wood there was the planted land. That I looked at from the exterior as other than seeing that everything was in neat rows with very few weeds about there little to look at.

After an hour or two exploring I arrived back by the farm buildings. Approaching from the other side I could now see better the garden that was set out around the house with large ornamental trees and a decorative pond.

Once that had been inspected and the last of the photos and notes taken the day was all but done.

I was offered a room for the night in the farmhouse but I was much keener to face the mud under again under a warm afternoon sun than in the chill of the following morning. So I polity declined the offer.

Instead I headed an hour back down the road to the nearest large town. There I knew I could find a hotel bed and a restaurant that I had well and truly earnt.

It was well into the afternoon of the following day that I finally got home to check through the photos and write up my report.

All in all a very enjoyable trip and some satisfying work.

For anyone else thinking of moving to Paraguay I am sure I could do something very similar.