Paraguay – places near the capital

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Near Asuncion, there is the city of Aregua. You can get there via public transportation (with departure from the main terminal) for about 50 cents. The ridfe from Asuncion and through its vast metropolitan area takes about an hour. Aregua is famous place for a Sunday relax. The city is also known for its pottery. I find it rather kitsch. There are many stalls along one of the streets in Aregui. They sell colorful, glazed piggy banks, or animal figures, or nativity scenes euqipped with dozens of figures. Only flower beds look any good. They are colorful. The best place for a Sunday picnic is Ypacarai laguna with a beach and children playgrounds.

Families spend their afternoon on the shores of the lake - usually after the lunch (mostly beef steaks – asado) while enjoying a cup of tereré (an ice cold beverage made of yerba - herbal tea). Therei s a church on a hill behind the village (Catedral de Areguá). It seems like it overlooks everything what happens around here. Paved streets, colonial houses, small chateaus along the road add to the atmosphere of this place.

We continue to another point of interest Caacupé, a small provintial town. Its main gem is hidden in its center – beautiful white basilica (Basilica Menor Nuestra Seňora de los Milagros de Caacupé) with a great dome and large colorful stained glass window in the frontal part of the church. It is quite simple and elegant building. It has its magic. The most vibrant the town becomes on December 8 – it is El Día de la Virgen. Over three hundred thousand pilgrims arrive to the town from all around the country.

Pribebuy is a village we travel to. It is about 75 kilometers from Asuncion and for a while it was Paraguayan capital. This happened during the Paraguayan war during the years 1865–1870. A beautiful church in the center of the village (Santuario Nacional „Dulce nombre de Jesús“) has interior made of wood. Near to it, there is a museum of history. An older gentleman works there and he is really in the history of his place.

Once he is done with greeting you he takes you to display cases showing historic items. He starts talking about Paraguay-Bolivian war for Gran Chaco, about the Brasilian invasion to this town in 1869.

An important battle took place just behind the village. School children and their teacher fought off the enemy. There are several bullet cases, daggers, pistols, uniforms and other items. He is really proud of them. Everything looks just exactly as he found it behind the village. Therefore, the weapons are really authentic. There are also old wooden statues from the church laying on his table. They used to be in the church but he has been renovating them recently.

Maybe it is because of pleasant climate because people are very helpful and kind here. We try hitchhiking. Immediately, a guy (who comes originally from Uruguay) takes us to Paraguari. He tells us some more information about Gran chaco war. When I tell him the fight was for nothing because the land is worthless he gets on fire. He says that the Americans are responsible for this war for potential oil-rich area. They (Standard Oil Co.) supported Bolivia and Paraguay was supported by Royal Dutch Shell. So basically it was a war between oil companies. The victory of Paraguay ment only larger territory for the country.

Paraguarí is the capital of PAraguari department which is a home to 20 thousand people. There is not much to see apart a beautiful park with San Tomas Apostol cathedral. The city doesn't have many tourists to come around. Buildings are not much maintained and it is often difficult to find a place to sleep over. When an older man while picking up cardboards along the road overhears our conversation with local vendor he waves at us to folow him. He took us to a house without any signs. There we were supposed to ask. Eventually, the house was operating a cheap 24 (24 means a hotel where you can rent a room for short usually to bring in a prostitute). There is a shower right next to the bed. A vigorous lady raises the price for we rent the room short before 6 p.m. when most clients come. We don't agree with her. Eventually she gives us the price we want. Just two couples would come during the evening. She very well knows how many people go to her place. Fortunately, she has four rooms so it was enough for her. However, warm water doesn't work in one of them, in the other there is a toilet malfunction, tap malfunction in the third so a customer needs to visit every room to do his hygiene. Well, it is fun at least there.

GPS: 25°18'46.9"S 57°23'05.2"W (Areguá)

Text and photos: Tomáš Novák