10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Paraguay

Paraguay  is a vast, beautiful country with a long and rich history. It sometimes is called the "Heart of South America" due to its location on the continent but, it is usually passed over by travelers for their bigger, more well known neighbors. Paraguay gives a people a rare opportunity to visit one of the more underrated countries in South America without the abundance of tourists. So, I won't keep you waiting any longer, here are 10 reasons you should give Paraguay a try:

Unspoiled Nature: Paraguay offers a wide variety of beautiful landscapes, from rolling green hills, red dirt roads to rain forests. For a land locked country, Paraguay has numerous coastline views, from the costanera in Encarnacion, all the way up north on to the Paraguay River which leads to the Pantanal, where you have the chance to see jaguars, crocodiles and dozens of different bird species.

 Journey Back in Time: When you visit this country it is almost as if you have stepped back in time (in a good way) to a time when life was simpler. A time when life moved a slower pace, everyone knows their neighbors, the air is fresh and clean and spending time with family is the most important thing.

 Inexpensive: Traveling through South America, especially in countries like Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay can make a big dent in your travel budget. But, while traveling in Paraguay you can forget having to constantly worry about how much everything costs. You could easily live on a budget of $30-$50 a day or even less.

 Food: The food in Paraguay may not be the healthiest of choices but it sure is delicious and hey you are vacation. There are definitely healthy options if you really want them and a lot of the food used in cooking is locally grown and organic. So you should definitely try the Chipa Guazu, Vori Vori, or even get yourself invited over for an asado (barbecue).

 Tereré: The national beverage of Paraguay is definitely Tereré. It is an infusion of yerba mate with cold water. (Here is an old post with the How-To's of drinking Tereré) But, it is more than just a beverage, it is a social event. You should try and get invited into a Tereré circle if possible, it is a great way to meet Paraguayans and really get to know them.

 Tourism - Still Developing: I personally think on of the reasons the tourist infrastructure of Paraguay isn't very developed is due to the lingering effects of the dictatorship that ended in 1989. But, the lack of lots of tourism can also be a good thing getting to see so many beautiful things without the hoards of people crowding your view.

 Helps The Future of The Country:  Paraguay has a bumpy history and visiting this country not only supports the economy, but will also improve tourism and the future of the country

 Beautiful Places to Visit:  Paraguay is often overshadowed by its larger neighbors but, it does have plenty of beautiful places to visit. There are the Jesuit Ruins in Trinidad, Laguna Blanca, the sand dunes in San Cosme, Bahia Negra and the Pantanal, Salto Monday and numerous others. 

Paraguayans themselves: The people of Paraguay are easiest the biggest and best tourist draw. They are incredibly friendly and generous, don't be surprised if you are invited to drink tereré, eat lunch or even stay with them in their home.

 Why not?: Honestly, if you have the chance to go anywhere, even if you don't know much about the country, you should take it. Don't rely so heavily on the opinions of others go out and experience it for yourself so you can form your own opinions.

Tañarandy Festival

Not being a very religious person, I don't usually observe Good Friday. But, this year I made an exception.

Tañarandy is a small community just outside the city of San Ignacio, Missiones, and very close to where I am now living. It is known as La Tierra de los Irreductibles (Land of the Irreducibles.) The story goes that when San Ignacio was founded as a Jesuit Mission in 1610 a group of indigenous Paraguayans resisted the evangelical teachings and formed a community in Tañarandy.

San Ignacio and specifically Tañarandy are known for having the largest Semana Santa celebration in Paraguay. The festival was started in the early 1990's and is organized every year by artist Koki Ruiz.

I was very excited about going to the festival this year, now that it was practically in my backyard. I'd heard

about it in the years past but I never got the chance to go. But, on Thursday, the day before, it started raining so intensely it looked like it would never end. Even Friday when I woke up it was gloomy and drizzling all morning. But luckily, Ruiz had commented in a news interview that the show would go on in whatever way possible.

The festival starts as La Procesión de La Dolorosa (Procession of our Lady of Sorrows) leaves the church and heads along the yvaga rapé (emphasis is put on the last syllable) or camino al cielo (path to heaven) which ends at "La Barraca" the property of Ruiz. As the procession makes their journey there are representations of the stations of the cross, where members of the procession, called estacioneros, sing hymns. The path is lit by torches and thousands candles, that are made from orange peels filled with wax, giving the air a faint citrus smell.

As the procession arrives at "La Barraca" more hymns are sung at the last stations of the cross, the crucifixion of Jesus. When Jesus is taken down from the cross the cuadros vivientes (live paintings) of famous religious works of art are revealed. 

The live paintings are incredible to see, they transcend any religious connotation and are incredibly beautiful for their sheer artistic value. There is always imitation of The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, and this year they also added a modern portrayal of the painting. In all there were 10 live paintings. (But, sadly I couldn't get close enough to get a picture of the original Last Supper)

My favorite was also a more modern representation. I'm pretty sure it was of Mary Magdalene holding Jesus after he was crucified, I could be wrong, either way it was beautiful.

Ruiz has stated that this was the last year of the cuadros vivientes and next year he will be focusing on baroque art creations. He added an example to the show this year to give everyone a sneak peek. It was a massive altar that was decorated with corn, pumpkins and other gourds.

 The dreary weather may have kept the festival from reaching its expected attendance of over 40,000 people, but, there were still thousands of visitors, Paraguayan and foreigners alike. The silver lining of the bad weather and the smaller crowds is I got a really good view of the whole performance, even if it did make my shoes a little dirty.