Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
on the rise here. The tourist board says
all running
tap water
is safe; however,
bottled or sterilized water is preferable
and essential in more rural areas, where
you may also want to avoid eating
prepared salads.
Bed bugs are an increasing problem
internationally, so scour mattresses for
signs of them; they hide in the seams and
you might notice blood spots from bites.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
In an emergency requiring police,
firefighters or ambulance, dial
T
911
.
between 8am and 8pm. If you are going
to be in the country a while, think about
getting a pay-as-you-go
mobile phone
(from around Gs180,000) which may
include some credit.
Internet access
is ubiquitous in the
major cities and very cheap (around
Gs4,000/hr), with generally good
connections; most hotels and hostels offer
wi-fi. The most popular
newspapers
(
diarios
) are the tabloids
Crónica
and
Popular
, both written in Jopará, a mixture
of Spanish and Guaraní. For a more
serious read try
ABC
or
Última Hora.
INFORMATION AND MAPS
The tourist board is run by
SENATUR
(Secretaría Nacional de Turismo;
W
www
.paraguay.travel). They produce some
good leaflets and maps; be sure to drop
into their Asunción office (see p.696).
Asatur's website (
W
asatur.org.py) lists all
tour agents in Paraguay. Fauna Paraguay
(see box, p.691) provides accurate lists
and image galleries of the majority of the
species present in the country.
For detailed
maps
, try the Touring y
Automovil Club Paraguayo (TACPy;
25 de Mayo, at Brasil, Asunción;
T
CRIME AND SAFETY
Paraguay is generally a safe country to
visit; with so few tourists around they
are rarely targeted by thieves. The usual
precautions regarding personal safety and
protecting your belongings should be
taken, and it's unwise to wander alone
after dark in unpopulated areas of the
capital. If you report a crime, don't expect
the
police
to offer more assistance than
the taking of your statement for
insurance purposes.
The border area in
Ciudad del Este
is
occasionally unsafe and you should take
a taxi if you have all your belongings
with you. Further afield, the vast, largely
unpopulated wilderness of the
Chaco
is an extremely desolate and hostile
environment, and you should not go off
the beaten track without a local guide
and substantial preparation and supplies.
8
021 210 550,
W
www.tacpy.com.py).
Most Paraguayans locate places by
landmarks, so addresses are often vague.
Paraguayans know places by being
“almost at” a crossroad (usually indicated
by the word
casi
, shortened to c/), or,
if they are at a street corner, the address
will say
esquina
(or esq.).
MONEY AND BANKS
he
guaraní
has been relatively stable
in recent years. Notes are issued in
denominations of 1000, 5000, 10,000,
20,000, 50,000 and 100,000. Coins
come in denominations of 50, 100, 500
and 1000. There is very little forged
money in circulation. Note that the
Gs2000 note is plastic currency, while
other notes are paper. It is almost
impossible to change the guaraní
outside Paraguay.
Credit cards
are not
widely accepted outside the capital and
incur a charge of five to ten percent
- plan on paying in cash wherever
you go. here are 24hr
ATMs
which
will accept international cards in all
sizeable towns and cities, though an
HEALTH
Travellers coming to Paraguay should be
vaccinated
against diphtheria, yellow
fever and hepatitis A. Your doctor may
also recommend malaria, rabies, hepatitis
B and typhoid vaccines, depending on
your travel plans. Take the usual
precautions against mosquitoes; while
malaria is uncommon, dengue fever is
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