About Paraguay

Climate
Around Asuncion there's a mild pleasant climate from May to October with just a few
really cold days, and very hot the other 6 months. It's rated as subtropical (humid after
rains) to temperate. Click here for weather details of Asuncion.
Size
400,000 sqr km. 155,000 sqr miles. 60% of the size of Texas.
Economy
Pretty stable for a 3rd world country although it could be much better if the government
officials would do their job. But that's normal for a latino country. Of course the average
income here is too low for foreigners to expect to live off of any salary here although
some english teachers do. Inflation is around 10%.
Cost of Living
It's fairly inexpensive to live here. As in most all latino countries services (medical,
mechanic, house worker, etc) are inexpensive and imported goods are more expensive
(than in the USA). In my last house I paid $200/mo rent for a huge 3 bedroom house
with an enormous lawn and shaded barbecue area and two servant quarters. And I paid
$80/mo for my houseworker who worked 54 hours a week.
Safety
Paraguay is better than many latino countries since only 10 years ago ended the
dictatorship of Strousner. During those years everyone was afraid of doing anything
wrong since punishment was either torture or death. But still now it's best to take every
precaution in order to secure your belongings and to not walk alone at night since there
are sufficient numbers of thieves and people desperately poor. Also there are no
earthquakes or volcanos and almost never a hurricane (since it has to pass across Brazil
first).
Water
The quality is better than in some latino countries but still I wouldn't recommend you
drink the water often. Some Peace Corps workers I spoke to said they drink the water
but got a mild intestinal infection from it when they first came here. The lakes and
rivers are said to have significant levels of either industrial chemicals or coliform
bacteria (from fecal waste from cows). Household water purification systems (such as
reverse osmosis) can be bought and installed here. Otherwise it's a good idea to just
drink and cook with bottled mineral water. After one year of bathing with city water I
started to have a skin itch that was relieved (for 3 day) with a medicine called
"Dexacort" (which you can buy without a prescription). So now I take the pill twice a
week and all is well but I really want to install a household reverse osmosis system.
Air
The quality is very good outside of the main cities and not too bad inside the cities. But
I love very clean air and so prefer to live on the outskirts of the city (Asuncion). I have
yet to see a big factory smokestack pouring smoke into the atmosphere although in the
winter there is often a haze (limiting vision to 1 mile) due to people burning fallen
leaves in their yard.
Internet
Internet service here is pretty good on the average although a bit slow. You can chose a
phone line connection for $30 a month, or a microwave antenna connection (from
CMM) for $100 a month which includes cable TV channels for your TV. The
microwave connection is theoretically faster but in reality is only a little faster since all
connections share the same satellite uplink.
Telephone
Service to your home is only around $15 a month if you chose to disconnect the ability
to call cellular phones and international calls and any other number (love lines, etc) that
begins with 0. I recommend you buy a cellular phone and use it to call other cellulars or
international numbers.
Electricity
It's 240 volts at 50 hertz. Items that normally run on 60 hertz don't have a problem with
this slightly different frequency. For using things that run on 120 volts just buy a 240-to-
120 volt transformer from Radio Shack here for about $18. Some houses don't have
good grounding which can result in an occassional little shock if you are using
something with worn out insulation (such as an old refrigerator).
Other gringos
There aren't many people here from the USA other than the peace corp workers which
you can often find at the internet cafes. The most abundant foreigners here are Germans
and Asians. But I actually like that because then the local people are more interested to
know me since they don't know any other gringos.
Fun stuff
You can go to the San Bernadino beach (on the lake) and babe watch or ride jet skis, or
go to any of 3 malls to eat or watch a movie or play video games or babe watch, or go to
discos that have a latin music section and an American music section, or go to a
recreational center that has a bowling alley and 20 billiard tables. Or go on nature tours.

Shopping Mall 'Mariscal Lopez'

Pictures of Asuncion, Paraguay
Click here for two postcards, and click here to see 10 pictures of Asuncion, the capital
city of Paraguay. In them you can see the type of architecture of the most notable
buildings.
pictures of Paraguay women
Click here so you can see how beautiful many of these Paraguayans are.
Assorted costs related to your journey
Airfare to Paraguay (~$1050), hotel stay (min $30 a day), meals ($25/day), taxis ($5
each trip) or rentalcar ($300/wk).
 Paraguay in South America

Here's the most spectacular tourist spot you could visit. It is bigger than Niagra Falls
and is just past the Paraguay border in Brasil.

Iguazu Falls

Click here and here to go to very comprehensive sites about Paraguay.

Click here to read our questions and answers page about living in Paraguay.

Following is the perspective of a german couple who moved to Paraguay:

"Possibly you now feel the same way as we felt some years ago, when we were still
living in Germany. My wife and I were self-employed. We had to work quite hard to get
on in the world. As a free-lance workman and workwoman we had great responsibility.
It was necessary to labour more than the obligatory eight hours per day. And finally
progressing: the revenue office and it's taxes ... . Besides, one starts to think: is this
really the meaning of live? Luckily that we got the chance to produce a film about
Paraguay in 1982. We became acquainted with that beautiful country, and later we could
not let loose of it. In 1985 we emigrated to Paraguay. We are naturalised Paraguayans
and feel comfortable. Surely, one has to lower one's sight and take in consideration that
Paraguay is still a 3rd world country. On the other hand it offers a lot of advantages, too,
and we personally think that these advantages exceed the drawbacks by far. Living here,
we have got to know the meaning of freedom. In addition, and very important to us,
nature is still intact and there is green all over the place. Every person who is living a
stressed life and dies of a heart attack can only put the blame on themself. Those of you
staying for the first time in Paraguay will be amazed without end, even the short
distance from the Airport to Asunción, the capital. In case you find the time to sit for a
while in one of the numerous sidewalk cafes or in an ice-cream parlor, you surely will
get overwhelmed by what pours in. This is pure South America with all its scents, its
noise, and its colorful scenery. There are newspaper sellers and shoeblacks. Street-
vendors are offering oranges, chewing-gum or car accessories and children intend to
earn some money trying to clean windshields while cars are waiting at red traffic lights.
The Maká-Indians are offering their home-made souvenirs, and there's men with their
money exchange service in the street. The scenery in the capital consists of a big
quantity of cars, crowds of people waiting for a bus, people balancing through every
kind of goods like underwear, sweaters, t-shirts, pocket lamps, warning triangles,
imitations of patented watches and sunglasses, which are presented on the sidewalk.
Residents take note of all that bustle with an incredible calmness. But not only that
typical South American hecticness contributes to that incomparable character of the city.
Not for nothing Asunción is called the "Garden City" of South America. A multitude of
flowers and plants are blooming in various parks and tropical gardens. The coexistence
of the awfully expensive noble villas and ancient mansions next to the simple huts or
plain almacéns (corner shops) is impressing and surprising. Very impressive as well are
some of the recent shopping centres which size and class are not often seen even in
Germany. The city is of contrasts where rich and poor are living next to each other.
Where everybody takes some time for a chat. Where exuberant nature seems to handle
stinking exhaust fumes of the rush-hour without mentioning difficulties. Contrasts
become even bigger when travelling to the inner country. The farther you get away from
the capital, the odder and more silent it becomes. Leaving the asphalt it is even possible
that the next house, with thatched roof, appears only after miles. It is where the hens,
horses and cows are crossing the path calmly, not to be irritated - not even by noisy
honking. Withersoever you look are palms, red ground and the saturated and
unforgettable green color which seems to have an addictive effect. Nearly everybody
who stayed in Paraguay cannot let the country go afterwards. People normally realise
that they fell in love with that country only when they are back in Europe, when daily
life has begun again. The South American firmament, the exciting bus trips, the
hospitality, the laughing people, the easy living, the music and the churrasquerias (the
Brazilian restaurants with their famous buffets with every kind of meat) are remembered
very well. We are not that far from reality to claim that everything is always nice and
easy here. Surely, there are adversities, too. There are, indeed, marvellous colibris
(hummingbirds), toucans and parrots, and sparrows like in Germany, friendly cuatis,
cowboys sitting by the fire at night, and a lot of sun. But where the sun is shining
shadows are cast. First of all there's the big difference between rich and poor. Further,
corruption is still flourishing although authorities try to combat it. Well, getting into a
police control car while the car is not as it should be, the possibility to settle things right
on the spot, for about 10$ (converted), is quite welcome and comfortable. Of course you
will not get a receipt for the fine, because that payment disappears in the officer's
pocket. It seems that Paraguayan democracy is accompanied by increasing crimes (as
compared to the strictness in place during the former dictator years). Nevertheless,
hundreds of Germans, Swiss, Austrians and Asiatics are still coming over to settle down
every year. Most of them are particular people, small or medium sized enterprises or
independent artisans who like to make a new start. Some of them because they are
scared of the outbreak of war and some because they are simply unhappy and frustrated.
In Paraguay the minimum wage is only 250$ per month. This makes it nearly
impossible for an European to subsist when working as an employee unless one gets the
rare chance to labour for an international combine, a bank, or tourism institution. They
normally pay efficiency bonus. But without exaggerating it can be claimed: "In spite of
all contradictions and defects, Paraguay is one of the most preferred emigration
countries in the world!"