I fall in love easily, a country makes me fall in love with itself immediately with two sweet landscapes, the sincere smiles and pleasant conversations of 1-2 people, and a little bit of beautiful weather. I have been looking for reasons to love Paraguay wholeheartedly since the day I first arrived, but I haven’t come across much so far. My trip to Paraguay is not over yet, we haven’t left yet, I still have hope in my heart to fall in love with this country. If you ask how you knew about Paraguay, here are my selections from my 45-day observations of Paraguay… One language is one person, two languages ​​are two people… Officially, 2 languages ​​are used in Paraguay. Spanish and Guarani. Paraguayans have managed to preserve the Guarani language used by the ancient natives. Although education is currently provided in both languages ​​in schools, there was a time when the rich class, with their deep pockets and empty minds, did not want to speak this language as the language of the poor and the natives. Guarani is not even remotely similar to Spanish. For example; “Welcome” Spanish: Bienvenidos Guarani: Pe guachè pora Let’s eat, drink and get carried away. If you are a vegetarian like me, your options for traditional flavors are quite limited in this country. A truly carnivorous country. When I say I don’t eat meat, they look at me like I’m from outer space. “Hola Earthling, I come from the Vegetarian planet” : ) Especially on Sundays, the streets smell of meat in this country, due to the traditional barbecue feasts called Asado. I can only share two of Paraguay’s traditional vegetarian flavors that I like. Chipa is a snack similar in shape to a bagel. Chipa made with Paraguayan cheese and corn flour is very delicious, filling and cheap. 3000 Guarani (Approximately 1.5 TL) The stalls of women selling chipa adorn a part of Palma Street, one of the central streets of Asuncion. Sopa Paraguaya: Although its name is Paraguay soup, this delicious food is a kind of cake/bread. It is made with fresh corn, corn flour, milk and onion and baked in the oven. Since there is not much variety of food, I eat a lot of mangoes. Mango trees are everywhere in this country. If you come during mango season, be careful, mangoes are falling from the sky in Paraguay. Terere and Mate are the national drinks of this country. Terere is cold herbal tea and Mate is hot herbal tea. It is obtained by mixing the leaves and roots of various plants. It is possible to come across stalls preparing terere and mate on almost every corner. They keep these teas, which they believe are medicinal, in thermoses. It is possible to see almost everyone holding a thermos and a glass with a straw, called Guampa, and they consume these drinks all day long. In this country with the largest fresh water reserves, water from fountains is not drinkable. Drinking water is purchased in Asuncion. What a blast! In Paraguay, which has a tropical/semi-tropical climate, temperatures peak between October and March. As you know, it is not very cold in other months. During my stay here (November-December), it was sunny for 3 days, then it rained heavily for 1 day and the streets were flooded. Whoazzzz!!! One of the three things you bring with you when coming to this country should be mosquito repellent. The moment you forget is the moment mosquitoes attack you, my friend, you have no escape. My ex-boyfriend is a smart man, mind you, he stuck mosquito spray in my bag as a gift when I went on my trip to Latin America. (It’s like that, my dear men either give mosquito medicine or a pocket knife as a gift… When they give me a flower after plucking it from a branch, they know that I will throw it at his head for plucking that flower.) Transportation in Paraguay: It is a country without metro or trams. Asuncion’s only public transportation vehicle, buses, decorate the streets with their colors and create danger on the streets with their crazy drivers. One-time ticket costs 2400 Guarani (around 1.20 TL). One of the street vendors gets on the buses, the other one gets off. Everything from food to drinks is delivered to you on the bus. The best thing for me was the mini concert given by 2 musicians in the bus. The smart ticket system has not yet reached this country. You pay the fare to the driver and buy the ticket. There is no air conditioning, but all the windows open. After Brazil’s crazy expensive bus tickets, Paraguay’s transportation costs seemed quite affordable to me. For example, it is possible to reach Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, from Encarnacion by bus and the cost for 15 hours is 200,000 Guarani (around 100 TL). There is no bike path. Unfortunately, very few people use bicycles as a means of transportation. But at night, cyclists meet and tour the city in convoy. Buses are crowded in the morning and after work hours. Traffic also becomes unbearable at those hours. Psst, psst, look! If you are wondering why no one is looking at me, come to this country. It seems like most men, from young to old, are in a race to insult women. They criticize every woman walking alone on the road, and they don’t ignore even one woman. Whistling from inside the car, shouting from the garden, calling from the window… The funniest part was the Paraguayan young man who ran after me with his phone in his hand as if I were a pop star and wanted to take a photo. You are speechless, there is no peace for women in this country! Wireless hasn’t seen such abundance since wireless! I have very limited access to the internet during my trip. Especially when I was volunteering on farms, I saw the internet every 3-5 days. However, many parks in Asuncion have 24-hour free wireless. You can access free wifi connection in many cafes and restaurants. The reputation of the Turks! When Paraguayans say El Turco, the person who always bargains comes to mind. When anyone starts bargaining, they say, “You are bargaining like a Turk.” In Italy, people who smoked a lot would say, “You smoke like a Turk.” Oh, if only we had a good reputation in one country! Being a man in this country means you are luckier than women. When the male population decreased by 90% after the war between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay against Paraguay; Men are more valuable in this country. Sir, the church allowed 1 man to marry 4 women, and then the women spoiled the men here by saying, “Don’t get tired, we will do everything.” Even though women have a special place because women brought this country back to its feet after the war, men are not very good at it… If you could at least learn how to break 2 eggs… What to do in Asuncion? Some of the places to visit in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay… San Jeronimo, with its narrow colorful streets decorated by recycling waste, is another face of Asuncion. Estacion Central del Ferrocarril, the railway extending from Asuncion to Encarnacion, whose construction dates back to 1861, and connecting to Argentina from there, unfortunately is not used today. You can take a walk along the Paraguay River and watch the sunset. You can spare a day for the Botanical and Zoo, spend time with animals in the forest and admire the nobility of the Bengal Tiger. You can visit Aregua Village, 1.5 hours away from Asuncion, and have a pleasant time on the shores of Lake Ypacarai. Mercado Quatro, the fruit, vegetable and clothing market reminded me of Eminönü. If historical buildings interest you, I recommend you visit Palacio de López and El Cabildo. Last days in Paraguay… After visiting Encarnacion and Iguazu Falls, I move on to the neighbor; To Buenos Aires : ) Come on Paraguay, make yourself loved!! Mavimore Turizm is a travel agency registered with TÜRSAB. Document number: A-8307