There are 479 blog posts for you to enjoy.
Areguá, Paraguay - home of the Strawberry Expo
July 24, 2026
Areguá, Paraguay - population of around 83,000, was founded in 1538. It sits at only 70 meters (230 ft) elevation. For whatever reason, in the wikipedia page it says "Areguá is thought to come from Classical Guarani (the language) ariguâ·r, meaning "person/people from above, from up there", refererring to the area's high altitude and its first inhabitants from the Mbya Guarani tribes. But, the English translation of the Spanish wikipedia page is not well done. Areguá's elevation is in relation to the lake, not elevated in the sense that anyone needs to acclimatize or bring an oxygen bottle. Lake Ypacaraí is roughly 64 meters above sea level, while my hostel is around 94 metres. The church and surrounding center of town are a bit higher, and a few neighborhoods are higher still. In Guaraní, ári refers to being above or on top, while -gua indicates origin or association with a place. The early Mbya inhabitants occupied the raised ground or loma alta west of the low-lying lake basin. Historical descriptions of the area actually use terms such as “loma de arriba” and “loma alta.” So they were “from above” relative to the lakeshore, wetlands, and surrounding basin, not relative to sea level.
Read More
Two neighboring towns that are completely different
July 20, 2026
Residencia, AR
Residencia, Argentina, is a small city near the corner of Argentina and Paraguay. The population is probably around 300,000. The city was founded in 1878 which means there's no really interesting old architecture. But, what the city does have is a lot of parks and greenspace. It has a long pedestrian-only avenue. Also, throughout the city, especially the city center, you'll find sculptures along the sidewalks. According to the wiki page there are around 500 sculptures throughout the city. I don't doubt that, at all. There are also a lot of murals done in releaf throughout the city, and I have pics in the photo album of many of them. Since 1988, the city has held the Biennial International Sculptures Contest, which is a big enough deal that it is sponsored by UNESCO. When the contest finishes, the sculptures remain in the city along the sidewalks, which explains why there are so many of them.
Read More
3 Towns between Salta and Corrientes, AR
July 17, 2026
Joaquín Víctor González
Joaquín V. González, Argentina, is located in north-central AR. It's a small town of about 21,000 people. This is an agricultural town. The local economy is based strongly on soy production, forestry exploitation, and cattle ranching. The town has a couple of banks and a half-dozen or so ATMs, but when I was here over a weekend, at least four of them were out of cash. There's also a casino, a modern supermarket, and a bus terminal. There are a few hotels and other accommadations. There are a couple of plazas and a couple of other parks. The town is flat as a pancake and can be easily walked, as in pretty much all of it, in a couple of hours.
Read More
Salta - a Pleasant City in Northern Argentina
July 14, 2026
Salta, Argentina - a city in north-central AR. The original name was San Felipe y Santiago de Lerma in the Salta Valley. The city sits at 1187 meters (3,894 feet) and has a population of about 640,000. Salta was founded in 1582. Salta has a fair amount of its early colonial architecture still standing and in use, many dating back to the early 1700s. Salta has quite a few pedestrian-only streets throughout the city center making it a nice walking city. Most streets in Salta are tree-lined, even in downtown. This is a feature of cities and towns throughout Argentina. The city's high temps range from 20° - 28° C (68° - 82°), averaging 24° C (75° F) year round. The lows range from 3° - 16° C (37° - 60° F), averaging 11° C (51° F). While I was here, the nights dropped to as low as 2° C (36° F) and days were just about as cold.
Read More
Bermejo, Bolivia - not worth visiting
July 11, 2026
Bermejo, Bolivia - population: about 40,000; elevation: about 420 meters (1378 feet); founded in 1922. When first entering the town from the northern side I thought, "What on earth? My word, this is awful, what kind of place have I come to visit?" It really is one of the ugliest town entrances I've ever seen. And it went on for quite a few minutes. The highway slowly improved but not much by the time the shared taxi I was in stopped at the terminal. I walked from there to the town center. All of the streets are littered. The town center is a little cleaner, but even the central park/plaza has a few bits of litter and plastic bottles on the ground. I think people here just don't care.Read More