Welcome to Paraguay, a UN Country that I visited very briefly on AI CARAMBA back in 2011. Paraguay is included in the 151 total but I need to visit it properly to make it count. After my blog photos below are the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about this destination.
Paraguay loves the Virgin Mary. It three largest cities are all named after key events in her life that link her to human salvation through Christ: Concepcion (Immaculate Conception of Christ), Encarnacion (The Incarnation or birth of Christ) and Asuncion (The Assumption or rising of the Virgin Body and Soul into Christ’s hands).
My 1020am flight from Sao Paolo in Brazil to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay took only 2hrs passing over rich fertile Brazilian agriculture followed by the world’s largest wetland of “The Pantanal” which is partly in Brazil and partly in Paraguay. Asuncion is not that far south of Sao Paolo but because it is in the middle of the Pantanal it sticking hot !!! I could not believe the difference. I boarded the plane in cool dry conditions and came out in a hot and steamy Darwin-like sauna. Lucky for me the airport was close to city so it was not long before I was unpacking in a lovely cool airconditioned room around 2pm. Nothing was planned for today so headed to the biggest supermarket I could find in the middle of the city to formally open my “Paraguayan Kitchen” !!! My first impressions of the city were good. Very modern, good roads, flashy buildings and here is the weird part: a gas station and pharmacy on every corner !!! Heaps of them !!! I found out later that the reason for so many pharmacies is that Paraguay has many foreign factories that make generic drugs that are cheap and first sold everywhere here. The Super 6 Supermarket was inside the “Paseo de Galeria” shopping centre and well stocked. Given the tropical climate, I barely made it back to my hotel when the thunder rolled in and the skies opened up – reminded me of the brief afternoon thunderstorms I got when I was working in Singapore. Asuncion is almost level with Brisbane but feels more like Cairns. It is very green with ample trees even downtown. Given the downpour and sauna outside, I spent the rest of the evening blogging and enjoying my first batch of Chilean Rose, German Cheese and Spanish Olives followed closely by a movie and early sleep in preparation for my 6am pre-sunrise run the next day…
Weather at 630am was totally different. Cool and not too much humidity. Perfect for a run. As usual, running in daylight and out of the city starts to reveal the true state of the city. Road deteriorated quickly, lots of mud and flooding given the heavy rains. Lots of traffic. At least Asuncion has proper large buses for public transport instead of myriads of small private vans. When I returned to the hotel, it was awash with young male and female teen tennis players. Dr Google informed me that this week 2-8MAR, Asuncion was host to the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament – Category 300. These kids were super fit and all had their coaches with them. As I cooled down outside after my run, they all climbed into private cars to take them to the “Asuncion Bowl” where they would play on outdoor clay courts – no wonder they were leaving at 7am, to play in the cool of the day.
My tour of the old town of Asuncion began at 930am. It is a good 20min drive from my hotel which is located in the commercial centre of the city. Even the old town has many modern buildings mixed in with the restored Spanish colonial buildings that I visited. Everything is spread out and given the heat and humidity a car is mandatory. I saw the following attractions: The House of Independence, Cathedral of Asunción, Government Palace, National Heroes’ Mausoleum, Avenida Mariscal López (Avenue of the Embassies), La Recova (handicrafts market), Lakeside Shoreline, City Paseo & Del Sol Central Shopping Centres. The highlight was the original Asuncion Central Station, now a museum, complete with a full-size wood steam locomotive, dining car and Presidential Office car surrounded by operational paraphernalia of that era. The Paraguayan Railway ran from 1856 to 1991 connecting Asuncion with Encarnacion over 38 stops covering 376km and taking 35hrs because of the unloading of freight as well as passengers. My public bus will take only 6.5hrs !!! My guide Octavio did a great job and interviewed well having a good command of English. What surprised me was the high proportion of the population (90%) speaking the indigenous Guaraní invented here circa 500BC. Amazing and well done. Very rare to hear such linguistic preservation. My driver Souni dropped me off after this 3hr tour at The Del Sol Shopping Centre - the biggest and glitziest in Paraguay. Topped up on wine and found local hot food at low prices. Walked back to the hotel in super sweaty conditions and was surprised to find a 25m lap pool on the edge of the roof of my hotel 15 floors above the ground with commanding views if the CBD. I was alone so did my trademark 2km to claim a much surprising swim in Paraguay with no beaches. Being ahead on my blogging and only 3pm I decided to watch a movie. Headed back to roof pool afterwards to shoot the CBD. The day ended with a celebration dinner of my Asuncion Old Town Visit, Run and Swim.
PARAGUAY IN A NUTSHELL:
Paraguay is a landlocked nation in central South America, often referred to as the "Heart of America”.
• Population (2025): 6.4 million.
• Official Languages: Spanish & Guaraní (90%)
• Life Expectancy: 74.8 years (70.9 years for men and 77 years for women).
• Urbanization: 63% of the population resides in urban areas, primarily in the capital, Asunción.
• Religion: Roman Catholic (over 80%), with a growing Protestant minority (7-8%).
• GDP (2025): $USD45.5 billion.
• GDP Growth (2025): 3.8%.
• GDP per Capita 2025): $USD21,273.
• Inflation Rate (2025): 3.7%.
• Unemployment Rate (2025): 5.7%.
• Key Sectors: Services (approx. 49% of GDP), Industry (32.5%), and Agriculture (10.7%).
• Major exports: soybeans (world’s 6th largest producer), beef, and hydroelectricity.
• Total Area: 406,752 sq km, roughly the size of California.
• Over 54% of the land is used for agriculture, with roughly 38% remaining as forest area.
• Poverty Rate: 19% living below the international poverty line.
• Literacy Rate: 94.5%.
BRIEF HISTORY OF PARAGUAY:
Paraguay's history is characterized by its early indigenous roots, extreme isolation, and two of the deadliest wars in South American history.
• 500BC: First inhabited by the semi-sedentary Guaraní people, whose language remains an official national language today.
• 1537: Spanish explorers founded Asunción, 2nd oldest in South America behind Lima PERU.
• 1609-1767: Jesuit missions established autonomous settlements ("reductions") to convert indigenous people and protect them from slavery.
• 1776: Paraguay was administered by Argentina.
• May 1811: Paraguay declared independence from Spain.
• 1814-1840: "El Supremo": José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia enforced a policy of total isolation and self-sufficiency, effectively cutting the nation off from the world.
• 1864-1870 The Triple Alliance War: Paraguay lost a conflict against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, losing over half its population and nearly 30% of its territory.
• 1870+: decades of coups and civil unrest.
• Chaco War (1932–1935): Paraguay fought Bolivia over the Chaco Boreal region (believed to be oil-rich); Paraguay won, securing the majority of the territory but at a high human cost.
• 1947 Civil War firmly established the right-wing Colorado Party as the dominant political force for the next 60 years.
• General Alfredo Stroessner seized power in 1954, ruling for 35 years.
• 1989: Stroessner was ousted in a military coup led by General Andrés Rodríguez. A new democratic constitution was adopted in 1992.
• The Colorado Party's 61-year rule was briefly interrupted by the election of former bishop Fernando Lugo in 2008, though he was later impeached in 2012.
• The Colorado Party returned to power in 2013. Current President Santiago Peña was sworn in on August 15, 2023.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PARAGUAY:
1. Only country in the world with a national flag that features different emblems on each side.
2. Produces 99.9% of its electricity from hydroelectric power, primarily the Itaipu Dam.
3. The only Latin American nation where a majority of the population speaks the indigenous language, Guaraní language.
4. "Land of Water": Sits atop the Guarani Aquifer, one of the world's largest underground freshwater reserves.
5. Residents do not use doorbells: visitors clap their hands outside the front door to announce their arrival.
6. Maintains the world's largest navy for a landlocked nation, patrolling its extensive river systems.
7. The national beverage is tereré, a cold-brewed yerba mate tea infused with medicinal herbs.
8. The town of Atyra is recognized as the world’s cleanest city by the World Health Organization.
9. In the late 19th century, Elisabeth Nietzsche (sister of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche) established a colony called Nueva Germania in the Paraguayan jungle, intended as an Aryan utopia.
10. Famous for “ñandutí”: a delicate circular lace whose name means "spiderweb" in Guaraní. This intricate craft is inspired by patterns in nature and remains a symbol of Paraguayan culture.
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