Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Passing the Paraguayan-Argentine border we ran into serious trouble. We entered Paraguay in Ciudad del Este by public bus from Foz do Iguaì₧ without problems. Customs entered the bus and asked for our passports but no necessary entry stamps were given to us. As we didn't know we would need them, we didn't ask for them.
When we left Paraguay, we had the delightful experience of being introduced to Paraguayan corruption. When the customs saw the entry stamps failed, we were taken apart. After scolding at us for half an hour, we were offered a "solution". if we'd pay US$60,. -we could proceed on our journey. I tried to keep calm and told them I didn't have the money in cash and wanted to call the Dutch embassy for an appropriate solution. After repeating this twice we were sent out of the office and we could proceed our journey. It was a very intimidating experience and I think you should warn all travelers more explicitly in the next edition. When leaving or entering a country, ALWAYS make sure you have all necessary stamps in your passport.
Miguel Dijkman - The Netherlands (Dec 97)
Scams & Warnings
Asuncion Carry your passport at all times at the bus terminal. The police have got a scam going picking up "foreign terrorists" and the fine for being "undocumented" hovers about $100!!!
Scott Hoyer - US (Feb 98)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
I crossed Paraguay by means of the Trans-Chaco Highway and went into Bolivia. This is an account of the journey and a description of that route. It is now perfectly possible to travel by land between Paraguay and Bolivia, although the trip may still only be for the rather more intrepid traveler. Buses leave at least three times a week from Asuncion bus station, and there may even be two companies operating. The fare at that time was roughly $60 to Santa Cruz, in Bolivia. The length of the trip is unpredictable, but should take between 24 and 35 hours. Our trip took 33 hours, but in the dry season(most of the year) it will take about 29 hours. From January to April, it may be impossible, owing to rain. Allow about a week to book a seat as the route is popular with Paraguayans and Bolivians, though probably not with "travelers". The departure time is usually about 1 pm, although our bus was late to leave and we got off at 5 pm.
The road is paved and fine up as far as Mariscal Estigarribia (about 7 hours). There are one or two short pit stops, but the land is very empty, and cafes and garages are few and far between. Furthermore, in our bus they wouldn't open the toilet for fear of cholera, ,and so there were several requests for stops to answer the proverbial call, in the midst of the wilderness, though the two drivers both yelled warnings that vipers might be lurking. And pumas. And tigers.
Beyond Mariscal Estigarribia the road is unmade. This should not present a problem unless it starts to rain, in which case there may be delays. We were OK in this respect, on the Paraguayan side of the border at least, although somewhere around dawn we had to get out to allow the driver to maneuver his way over the sand drifts that the "highway" degenerates into at times. This is a very lonely place.
The border posts are a good distance apart, but as far as exiting Paraguay is concerned, travelers do not have to worry concerning the stamp, as our passports were taken from us by one of the drivers just outside Asuncion, where we had them invalidated at a police control point for a further stay in Paraguay. Tough luck if you want to quit the bus (not that there is anywhere to go), because the drivers keep hold of your passports, which are no longer viable traveling documents anyway. As far as the Bolivian border post is concerned, the bus just stops to give the guards a few supplies-not a bribe, but an act of mercy- and then ploughs on along the unmade road. Unfortunately, on our trip it began to drizzle. The road quickly turned to mud in parts. Now I knew why we were carrying thin tree trunks on the bus. They had been lying along the aisle. Off we got, though not the women and children, nor the owners, who were seemingly monitoring the expedition- and this is what it was turning into- and stuck the trunks under the wheels. The bus heaved, jerked, spun and got lodged in a ditch. Three hours later we had pushed the bus onto slightly drier terrain, and we were off again. Eventually we got to the lovely, and lonely, town of Camiri, where we had our passports endorsed and returned to us. Mind you, we had traveled a couple of hundred kilometers inside Bolivia already, though we had only passed one village, and a pretty sleepy one that was, to say the least.
After Camiri, things went comparatively swimmingly. That is to say we had to ford three rivers, although our excellent drivers performed the tasks brilliantly, despite screams and protests among some of the Bolivian women, who obviously thought we were not going to make it. By the way, if you hear Bolivians yell or witness them balk at the prospect of negotiating a certain stretch of road, then sit up and listen. These people regularly travel on roads that you and I only have nightmares about, so when they are concerned, you to o can be.
It seemed that I had just got to sleep when we arrive d in Santa Cruz. It was 3 o'clock on the morning of December 27. We had actually started off on Christmas Day.
Spencer Allman - UK (April 98)
For more news, views and the odd bit of gibberish, drop in on the soc.culture.latin-america and rec.travel.latin-america newsgroups.
For detailed up-to-date travel information check out Lonely Planet's Destination Paraguay.
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PARAGUAY
