I want to be all caught up on my country blogs before the new year, and tomorrow we have plans- meaning tonight is it for me. So, I'm going to blur through these next three, though it is a little tricky because Asa is out with Hayden and Calib, and it's just my mom, Peyton, and me watching four dogs who require a lot of attention lately.
Paraguay is often called South America's 'forgotten' country anyway, so it doesn't need a big old blog, right? There's football (soccer), a huge beef industry, and impassable jungle roads. What more do you need to know?
Paraguay is at the geographical heart of South America, right there, landlocked, in the middle of the continent.
But once upon a time, Paraguay extended all the way to the sea. It was a war in 1865-1970 with the triple alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay where Paraguay lost not only much of its terroritory, but also two-thirds of all adult males.
Back before the war, Paraguay was one of the richest countries in the world. It was the only country to have railway transportation.
But the war has had long reaching devastating effects. Modern Paraguay is largely based on political uncertainty and economic hardship. Since the 1980's, the country has been trying to make its way to a more modern market economy.
It has worked for some but the distribution of wealth is wildly unequal in Paraguay with 80% of land held by 2.5% of the population and 161 people controlling 90% of the country’s wealth. It's not uncommon to see horse-drawn carriages traveling the same areas as luxury vehicles.
Paraguay may seem to be lagging behind a bit, but they are home to one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the Itaipu Dam. While it isn't exclusively theirs (it is located on a river between Brazil and Paraguay and the governments worked together to build it), it is the world's second largest hydro-electric power plant.
It produces 90% of Paraguay's energy, and it also features a nightly light show and views from the central lookout.
Paraguay is proud of their Guarani heritage, and besides Spanish Guarani is an official language It's spoken by more than 4.5 million people (out of a population of around 7 million). Guarani is an onomatopoeic language, meaning many of the words sound like what they are describing.
We learned some other fun facts about Paraguay.
They have a bird, called the bare-throated bellbird that can be heard a mile away!
Most people lack a doorbell, so when you arrive at someone else's house you have to clap!
Tea is their favorite drink, specifically yerba mate, which smells like fresh cut grass
A traditional dance includes stacking bottles on your head and dancing around. (Obviously the more bottles you can balance, the more experienced you are).
Dueling was only outlawed in 1992. (There's a common FALSE fun fact out there that you can still duel if both parties are blood donors, but that's not true).
And finally, Paraguay has the only flag that is not the same on both sides. They are similar, but one side shows the national coat of arms, the other the seal of the treasury.
The boys made their postcards.
Calib's featured clapping instead of ringing doorbells.
Peyton's featured a lady with bottles on her head.
And Hayden noted the jaguars that can be found in Paraguay, and the loud bird.
For Paraguay dinner we had Sopa Paraguaya, a Cheese and Onion Corn Bread.
We also had Chorizo Hot Dog with Chimichurri Sauce. Asa also made salsa and guacamole, all recommended toppings for the hot dog. We also had carrots, strawberries and bananas.
This dinner earned five spoons up.
We were all pretty 'meh' on the cornbread. It didn't taste like... anything really. It was bland, bland, bland. But those hot dogs, um, please put chimichurri on my hot dog forever. Like, forever.
That's 164 down, 32 to go!
Next Up: Rwanda
No comments:
Post a Comment