Jims Travel

This relatively small country is at the true heart of gaucho country, with its estancia's in the interior and beautiful colonial towns and cities hugging the coastline.

Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay is teeming with cultural diversity, and yet retains its colonial Mediterranean atmosphere, full of wide tree lined boulevards, plazas and colonial architecture. The Mercado Del Puerto is Montevideo's old port market and survives today by housing good seafood restaurants and the more traditional parillias (grill style restaurants). It has impressive museums and a fantastic sea front with beaches and promenades. There is good transport to and from this city, and a good ferry to Argentina.

By going inland you can stay on an estancia (a very large farm) with the gaucho's very easily and there are many places to book these excursions in Montevideo. The estancias vary in comfort and in what they provide, but you can guarantee that you'll be horse riding in no time at all.

Colonia del Sacramento is a few hours west of Montevideo and is easily reached. This is a picturesque colonial town with its narrow streets, colonial buildings, old fort ruins and lighthouse. All you need is a few hours here as there is not much to do apart to walk around and admire the old town. If its a pleasant day relaxing on the seafront with a few cold beers is a good way to pass the time, especially since the 7 museums are not the most interesting you will ever see. Do not be surprised when you see horse drawn carts on the main road, nor the 1930's rustic cars that litter the curbs around certain bars. This town also has a ferry to Buenos Aires that is cheaper than the one from Montevideo, and so is defiantly a place to see if you are passing though or fancy getting out of Buenos Aires for a day.

Paraguay is quiet, isolated, laid back and has a large indigenous population. Despite people overlooking this landlocked country, there are many things one can do here, and while I just experienced a few cities, there are many other places to see and visit.

Crossing over into Paraguay from Brazil's Foz de Iguacu you reach the border town of Ciudad del Este. Crossing the border here is defiantly not the easiest or the safest way to travel into Paraguay but it is defiantly one of the more interesting. After passing through the Brazilian passport control office you come across a large 500-meter bridge, with hundreds of Brazilian's and Paraguayans in cars, motorbikes and on foot, laidened with stolen goods from one side of the border to sell on the other. So watch out for the weaving motorcyclists and keep a firm grip of your bags. Once across the bridge you enter Ciudad del Este. Firstly you will encounter the money exchangers (make sure you do not get ripped off), before you see stalls filled with stolen goods, including the gun stalls. The town itself is relatively small, but has restaurants, bars and hotels. The town is also next to the worlds largest hydroelectric dam, however as you can imagine the tour of this facility is not the reason to come to Ciudad del Este. The reason to come here is for the atmosphere, it actually feels like a border town due to its market, guns, and dust. Although at night the streets take on a more sinister feel.

Next off I visited a small city called Encarnacion, which borders Argentina. Parts of this city are slowly being submerged due to the rising water levels from a large hydroelectric dam up stream. The city is easy to move around in and does not share the same atmosphere as Ciudad del Este, but feels more modern. People here are friendly and by just talking to them in a bar you may be invited for a meal at that persons house with the family which is a fantastic way to learn more about the people themselves. But people do not come here just to visit this city; a few miles away are the Jesuit ruins of Jesus and Trinidad, which are both UNESCO world heritage sites. Transport from this city is relatively good with bus companies regularly going to the capital Asuncion or you can catch ferry across the river to Argentina. The trip to Asuncion does take a few hours as you drive through the countryside seeing the farmers sitting by their houses with a shotgun beside them. However despite all the guns on show, the people in this country are friendly and extremely non violent. Its just that the countryside feels a little like the wild west.

Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay still retains its colonial air and feel with many colonial buildings and narrow streets still existing. As you wonder through the streets of this city and through it's many plazas, you will slowly come to see just how laid back these people are. The shops are often shut as most people prefer to sit outside and drink mate and gossip. However there are things to do and see in this city, and it is much more cosmopolitan with its restaurants and bars. If you have the chance one thing to go and see is a gaucho show with its horse riding, dancing and singing or the city's weekly market. Around the city are many holiday retreats which a perfect day trip from the city, with gentle walks and places to swim.

The West of the country is harder to move around in so you need plenty of time available. One trip is a riverboat tour to the town of Concepcion, but you will need to set aside at least a week to do this. This area is ideal for those who wish to see nature and for those who wish to explore and learn about the country's indigenous population.