Our time in Paraguay was short, only three days and three nights long. Yet it is certainly a country that we will remember for quite a while.
Paraguay is hot, very hot. After our brief and sweaty visit, I looked up the usual monthly temperatures across the country to see if we had passed through particular places at particular times of the year, that were not ideal for visiting. What I found was that such elevated temperatures are pretty much the norm for long periods of the year in most of the country. Certainly not an easy place to live for the welcoming locals.
Our time in Paraguay began by crossing the border from Foz de Iguazu in Brazil into Cuidad del Este. Cuidad del Este is known as the place in Paraguay (and surrounding places in Brazil and Argentina) to come and buy electronics of all types. The city lived up to its reputation as a giant shop with every available roadside inch taken up by electronic happy street vendors. Huge shopping centres were also to the fore, all covered in giant advertising of the latest big screen TV or smartphones.
Having carefully managed our exit from the bustling city, we made a brief stop at a local hotel to exchange money to pay the local tolls. A lesson we learned the hard way on day one of our adventure in Chile, this is definitely something to be aware of if travelling in South America.
Our route through Paraguay would take us from Cuidad del Este to the capital Asuncion in the west, via the newly constructed Ruta 2. A dual carriageway with excellent asphalt, this road is the stuff big old camper van drivers dream of in this part of the world! We had hoped to visit the mighty Itaipu Dam just outside Cuidad del Este, but a longer than anticipated border and customs crossing meant we would be too late. A detour for another time, but we hear it is definitely something to see if at all possible.
We chose to continue westwards without delay (i.e. not stay overnight to see the dam) due to the oppressive heat. Temperatures were above 40 degrees and the camper van really felt like a sauna. We drove for a couple of hours before seeking shelter in a service station. We stayed for a little too long, downing ice cold drinks and ice creams, all to the backdrop of Paraguay’s finest air conditioning. However this was not a place to sleep, so we begrudgingly continued onwards for another couple of hours.
We arrived at Pura Vida Nautic Resort, our designated resting spot, just as the heavens opened. It did not last too long, but it certainly seemed like the local Gods were not happy with something. Pura Vida is run by Alfred, a German living in Paraguay for close to 15 years. Located on the banks of the Rio Iguazu Lake, it was absolutely ideal for us to combat the soaring temperatures. While there, we parked our vehicle under the shade of the beautiful trees while dipping in and out of the gorgeous lake. In reality, we actually stayed in the lake for almost a full day as it provided perfect respite from Paraguay’s late-summer heat.
After two nights with Alfred we said our goodbyes and braced ourselves for the last push to Asuncion. Again the weather made it a really tough day’s driving, with absolutely no let-up to the suffocating heat. As we arrived to the capital, absolutely exhausted from the heat, myself and Laura nodded to each other and accepted our fate. A night out of the camper van was required and we quickly found a suitable hotel to forget our troubles in.
The Westfalia Hotel was not the most beautiful, nor the cheapest place we have ever stayed, but we certainly got full value for money that night. We basked in the swimming pool until late into the night, then slept like champions in cooled beds.
Following another dip in the pool the next morning, we revved up for our last few sweaty hours in Paraguay. The journey to the border with Argentina was remarkable only for the crossing of the Rio Pilcomayo. The brand new bridge to cross is not only hugely impressive visually, but it is nearly unique due to its ban on trucks of any sort. Our (relatively) small vehicle barely passed inspection to be permitted to cross the bridge. This did make for a very pleasant trip however as it meant a break from the usual barrage of 18-wheelers we had become accustomed to.
Leaving Paraguay so quickly left us with mixed emotions. We were delighted to be heading somewhere that would have cooler temperatures (although this would still take a few days to materialise as it happened), yet we felt we had barely scratched the surface of the country. The natives we had met had been so nice, the lake we had stayed at had been truly stunning, and any foreigners we met who had been to Paraguay spoke so highly about the diverse landscapes throughout.
Somewhere we definitely want to re-visit and get to know a lot better. Although next time we might try and check the weather apps in advance…
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