Skip to main content

The Paraná River, a Gift from God

While most of you are freezing right now, we are doing our very best really struggling to stay cool and hydrated.  We take 3 showers a day, sip tereré and move our 2 fans all over the house and nothing seems to help us beat the heat.  When we just can't stand it anymore, we go living in our van down by the river.  


It's true, we only live 15 miles from the Paraná, the second largest river on the continent (after the Amazon). It's name means "like the sea" in the Tupi language.  It begins in southern Brazil and flows into the Atlantic Ocean beyond Buenos Aires.  It creates Paraguay's eastern border with Argentina and has two hydroelectric powerplants (Itaipu and Yacyretá).


The passenger ferry takes about 30 min. to cross thefast-flowing current of the Paraná. There is also a car ferry in Bella Vista that takes up to four vehicles at one time and arrives in Corpus, Argentina.  The cost is 25 pesos per car.


"Refreshing water, here I come!" The water is actually quite warm in the summer months, but the current is fast and the water can drop off very quickly, so caution is advised when swimming. There are no lifeguards, but there aren't any piranhas either!

Our campsite (tent, complete with poles) by the river. There are very few "official" campgrounds along the river, but several great spots to pitch a tent.

   Along the Argentine side, there are some great trails and look outs.  Hiking along the river's edge one can see far down the river and spot islands, unique birds and lots of wildlife. From above the river it's fascinating to watch the enormous barges navigate down the hairpin turns of the river with their full loads of soybeans and other grains for export. Even though we don't have a swimming pool, we are thankful to have this amazing natural resource to help us beat the heat and enjoy the wonders of God right in our back yard.
Labels:

Comments

  1. AmritaJanuary 7, 2010 at 3:23 AM

    Dear Julie, I am glad I came here from Missionaryblogs.com.

    God bless you. Really enjoyed reading about your life and work in Paraguay

    ReplyDelete
  2. ChristieJanuary 7, 2010 at 12:34 PM

    I've been itching to check it out ever since we took the quick trip to Encarnacion. I'm so ready for camping! Looks like y'all are enjoying it, and have found at least one way to cool off.....

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas in Paraguay!

If you're wondering what Paraguayans do at Christmastime, they have some great traditions , including the " noche buena " meal on Christmas Eve at midnight.  They eat lots chipa guasu (a type of corn casserole, stay tuned for a recipe), asado or grilled meat (some eat it cold), salads, especially fruit salad, watermelon and drink mucho terere . Families travel from all over the country, many even return from working in other countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Spain, to celebrate with loved ones. This is us at last year's Kurrle celebration in Asuncion. Festivities are anything but a silent night with fireworks, loud music and drinking cidra (hard cider).  Most Paraguayans do not decorate Christmas trees (we decorate ours in shorts!) or emphasize Santa Claus.  Instead, they put beautiful nativities " pesebres " in their yards and in store fronts.  Kind of novel to focus on Christ at Christmas, isn't it! To beat the heat, many Paraguayans g...
4 comments
Read more

Paraguayan Weddings

On Valentine’s Day, we had the joy of attending the wedding of Sandra and Anastacio, young leaders in the church. Sandra is my assistant with Children of Promise and Anastacio, apart from his carpentry job, has a popular youth-focused radio program every night at 8:00 on our station. We’ve been to quite a few weddings, and these are some of the uniquenesses of southern Paraguayan wedding celebrations from our North American culture: 1. Nothing is fancy. Emphasis is placed on the act of marriage and not on the decorations or food. 2. It is not an expectation that parents help pay for expenses. Most families just make it each month with regular expenses and cannot afford to pay for eleborate feasts. Most couples have to spend months saving for their own wedding. 3. Borrow as much as possible. Many times wedding dresses are borrowed 5-10 times, because few women can afford their own. Flowers, decorations, shoes and ties (Norb loans out his ties often...since he never wears them!...
2 comments
Read more

How to make Rosella (Roselle) Juice and Tea

This is rosella (not to be confused with grosella, which is gooseberry).  Rosella is from the hibiscus family. It's harvest time here, and we use the rosella to make juice and tea.  It's properties are absolutely tremendous.  It helps sooth colds, coughs, helps digestion, promotes healthy kidney function, is a treatment for cancer, and reduces a fever and that's just a few of its benefits!  To make rosella juice, first de-pit the fruit and wash the skin thoroughly. Put the fruit into boiling water until the water is bright red (about 15 minutes).  The color is so vibrant, Roselle is sold to make dyes.  Strain the fruit (which can be used to make a delicious jam) and refrigerate the juice.  Add a few squirts of Stevia for a healthy drink. The finished product looks exactly like red Kool-aid, but is entirely full of nutrients.  We can't get enough of it. We dehydrated the petals for hot tea.  All you need is two dried flowers to infus...
3 comments
Read more