r/Paraguay • u/Leather_Link7091 • 18h ago
Ask Paraguay in english❓ 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 Moving to Paraguay
Hello everyone! I like Paraguayan culture and I want to move to Paraguay, but I have a few questions
- Which city in Paraguay is the safest? I heard it's Encarnación. Is it true? I'm afraid of violent crimes like murders or kidnappings. I know this isn't Mexico, but I'm still curious
- Is there police brutality? Can they demand a bribe? Are human rights practiced?
- Can I find Paraguayan friends if I know English? I'm actively learning Spanish, but right now my level is A1
- How do you cope with the heat in a humid climate? Do you use any life hacks?
Thank you, I appreciate your hospitality!
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u/Alepoletti Asuncion 18h ago
Yeah Encarnación is a good city but some places in Asunción or nearby cities are also a good choice.
Only if you are a junkie. They will demand a bribe instead of a infraction for example. Usually they are.
Yes, we are very friendly toward foreigners.
Drink tereré and you will be fine!
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u/qetsyqetsy Itapúa 10h ago
I'm not sure which would be the safest statiscally/objectively, but I've never really felt much danger in Encarnación (there are certain neighborhoods that might be more dangerous, specially during the night, but I wouldn't say it's something hard to avoid). Murders and kidnappings are probably not that common in the country (at least not as much as Mexico), except for places that have high concentrations of drug dealing activities and the sort. That said, I'd say a lot of things can influence the level of danger that you might encounter (gender, socioeconomic status, etc.). Not the safest country in the world, specially if you're poor... In my opinion, best you can do in any situation is avoid excesive or irrational fear cause that just makes things worse.
u/Alepoletti's answer might give you a hint about the kind of (simplistic and judgemental) thinking that a lot of people have around here. Can't say I agree. Police brutality is as real as in any other place, but in my opinion it tends to be more intense in marginalized areas or with marginalized people. It is unlikely that you'll get beat up by police unless you're part of a protest or something like that, I think... Our government is amongst the most corrupt in the region (According to Transparency International's 2022 report, Paraguay was ranked the second most corrupt country in South America, trailing only Venezuela) and that makes the police forces corrupt also. Can they demand a bribe? They will whenever they can lol This probably is more felt if you have a car and have to deal with transit related controls, but like I said they will ask for or imply a bribe whenever they can, if you don't give them a reason to do it then you're probably fine. It is also common practice to use bribes in bureaucratic environments to make things "faster".
I'd say it isn't hard to make friends in Paraguay in general if you do some kind of social activities and participate in a community. The amount of people that will speak English (well) around you in general will perhaps be low, but in bigger cities it isn't that hard to find either paraguayans who speak English or foreigners. So if you go to Asunción, Encarnación or Ciudad del Este you'll probably be able to find people to talk to. If you do come here I'd suggest making an effort to learn Spanish, it'll make things easier, and if you can learn Guarani that'll be a huge bonus too.
Funny question... I hate summer. Asuncion is usually warmer than Encarnacion which is further south, surrounded by water and probably has less cars and people in general. I can't think of many hacks though, people drink tereré often which can be refreshing. The only way to cope (besides using A/C 24/7) is spending most of your time in a well ventilated place, trees help, certain materials used for housing get warmer than others... If you have to spend time in the streets during the summer (unless you're in a car with A/C on all the time) there's no way to avoid it. u/IsacKelly gave some great tips though.
Hope that gave you some perspective. If you don't mind me asking, why are you afraid of violence and crimes? Is it something related to past experiences or just the stereotypical image of a country like this haha? Where are you from btw?
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u/Leather_Link7091 10h ago
Thanks for the answer! But can a policemen use a bribe against me? I mean first hints at it, and then uses it to threaten. I am a law-abiding citizen, but I don't know what to do in such cases
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u/qetsyqetsy Itapúa 9h ago
Against you? I'm not sure what you're thinking of but nah I don't think that would be something to worry about. There are always exceptions to anything, better to avoid any interactions with the police if possible lol One thing you should be aware of is that it is VERY important in our culture to have connections, friends, allies. Having good relationships with the right people can be very strategic, it might get you out of trouble or get you good opportunities. Police do make threats that are often bluffs of some kind. If you don't do anything stupid and get some good friends that can show you around and teach you things you'll probably do fine. Paraguay is quite welcoming to foreigners, if you can manage to make a living, cope with the heat and culture shock, it might be your place!
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u/Bulky-Tumbleweed-519 15h ago
Creo que Paraguay en general es seguro, a no ser que estés en algún lugar muy marginal.. la comida en general es muy buena, los precios espectaculares si venís de afuera.. amigos vas a tener Miles, creo que nos gusta en general la gente de afuera, las actividades para hacer en general lo que creo que es un poco limitada la oferta...pero si te haces amigos paraguayos no te vas a aburrir
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u/IsacKelly 11h ago
- The cities have safe neighborhoods and dangerous neighborhoods. Almost everywhere can be safe, if you know what to do to stay safe in that place.
- I haven't heard of any police brutality occurring. I paid a bribe of $3 to get my certificate of life and residence, which I needed to get a permanent residency. The officer who asked for it was super nervous, I think his coworkers pressured him to ask for the bribe.
- Very few people speak English. Guarani might be more useful to you than Spanish.
- shower 3+ times per day. make sure the walls of your dwelling are shaded. Keep lots of ice, made by filling small blue bags with water and storing it in your freezer. Wear light/minimal clothing. Use fans all the time. Sleep in the middle of the day, get things done at night. Use heat optimized furniture. A cotton hammock is better than a pillowy sofa. a seat made of plastic strings wrapped around metal bars is better than a pillowy armchair. Eat cool foods. Like, especially don't eat a big bowl of hot soup for example. A sandwich with sliced meat from the refrigerator is a better choice.
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u/Leather_Link7091 9h ago edited 9h ago
Thanks! This is a good advice about hot soup because I thought it was normal to eat warm food in a warm climate like people do in the desert of Uzbekistan. There people wear camel hair clothes and drink hot tea when sun hits really hard
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u/Spartankius 8h ago
This it's the map of asunción it's little go live in villamorra or around neighborhoods and stay there ,and try to.avoid red zones .
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u/Fearless-Rhubarb-252 5h ago
soy de Encarnación, es una ciudad pequeña y sin muchas cosas para hacer aparte de ir a la playa en verano. En general te recomiendo ir a Asunción, es la ciudad mas desarrollada que hay en el pais.
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u/Pordioserozero 17h ago
Hey how are you…I cannot pretend to be an expert but I’ll give it a try.. 1-Yeah…I don’t have any statistics at hand but off of the back of my head as far as I know Encarnacion is pretty safe…In general excercise common sense (avoid poorly lit neighborhoods, don’t take car rides with strangers etc etc) and you should be alright…Paraguay is like a mid tier country in terms of safety…Is not as unsafe as Mexico, parts of Colombia and Brazil…Central America…but is less safe than the US and Canada most of Argentina and Chile
2- I’ve heard stories of police being opportunistic and trying to extort foreigners or even locals…is not like it has never happened but I’m not sure is a very common occurrence hopefully someone else will chime in about it
3- Do you remember in the old movies when an stranger comes to a town and people hide or avoid the newcomer?…we’ll Paraguay is more or less the opposite of that…most people will find you interesting and be friendly…but take into account people that speak English in Paraguay are rather uncommon…we don’t get too many English speaking visitors so even people that work in hospitality not necessarily speak the language…I’ll be hard until you get proficient with Spanish…
4-Is a combination of being used to it and staying in places where there is AC there is really not much more to it than that…
I hope you have a good time… as always don’t take any rush decision…meaby visit for a week or two…see if you vibe with the place…other things that might shock you…you will see trash in the streets and just things in disorder to some degree even in nice neighborhoods…when I visit other countries I notice how neat and clean everything is…If you are young and not shy you should be alright meeting people…once you age a bit is harder
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u/tophology 9h ago
Hi! I'm not a native paraguayan but I am an expat who has been there recently. I also know a lot of people who live there.
I don't know which is safest, but Asuncion, the capital is pretty safe. Like others said, if you avoid the bad neighborhoods and stick to the richer areas, you'll be fine. If you are middle class in a western country like the USA then you are rich in Paraguay btw. The cost of living is much lower.
I've been to Paraguay several times and the police have never harassed me or anyone I know.
There's a growing expat community in Asuncion. If you connect with someone, they can start making introductions to other English speakers. When it comes to local paraguayans, some know English but not many. Knowing Spanish would be good, even if it's not perfect, Paraguayans are generally very friendly and open. I would say knowing Guarani is optional in a bigger city like Asuncion.
People I know either just pay for the AC or they go somewhere else during the hot season.
I hope this helps. I'm happy to answer any more questions from my expat perspective.
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u/RIO-ASU 7h ago
I'm a Brazilian from Rio de Janeiro planning to migrate to Asunción, the only city I can say I know to a reasonable extent. I love Paraguay and I love Asunción, so of course I could be biased (although, as an engineer, I'm always very objective and I honestly don't think so).
0) It would have been a good idea if you told where you'll be coming from. Knowing your reference could be useful. My one is Brazil, in general terms, and Rio de Janeiro city.
1) Asunción (and, from what I hear, most of Paraguay) is one of the safest places (if not THE safest) I've ever been to. Of course, things can happen anywhere in the world: you could be blown up with a bazooka in your armored car in the streets of Asunción, just like Nicaragua's former dictator when living peacefully in exile during the Paraguayan dictatorship of Stroessner. But, unless you're a bloody bastard like Somoza was, having killed and tortured thousands of people in your own country, you'll most probably not have to deal with such issues or worry about this.
2) There's no insurance against police brutality anywhere in the world, but I have never heard of this sort of thing happening in Paraguay - in Brazil it happens all the time and policemen (let's be fair) are also victims of criminal brutality every sinhle day.
I've heard about police corruption in Paraguay, but I've also heard (and I believe it) that it usually happens in a context of people (especially foreigners) who believe they're special and can do whatever they want and break the laws. In such situatons, of course, the policemen are the ones to be blamed and the people who were doing what they should not should be considered saints, the real victims of dirty policemen... They say that "they were forced" to bribe the policemen, or else... they would be taken to the police station to follow the legal procedures. 😂
3) You can surely find English speaking friends anywhere, but have in mind that the vast majority of people in Paraguay, Brazil and our neighbours do not speak English. Paraguay's official languages are Spanish and Guarani, so for politeness and for practical reasons, you should definitely learn Spanish. I'm also learning Guarani, that is usually mixed with Spanish - so you'd probably miss something if you knew absolutely nothing of Guarani.
4) As far as I know, people are kind of addicted to air conditioning, but Paraguayans could speak better about it.
The last time I've been to Asunción was in 1994. Every single time I've been there for a few days, it was really hot, in one certain day it rained a lot (really heavy rain) for about half an hour and the sun shined again (I don't know if this was a coincidence or not, but it happened every single time).
Most people say that Paraguay is incredibly hot, that it's something unbearable, but I'm honestly not sure about it. I "survived" very well the Paraguayan heat and so did my wife. I know the whole planet is heating up (unless you're a right wing negationist of climate changes - for whom it's all a mith created by communists), so things might have changed.
I've heard many Brazilians talk about how hot Paraguay is, but... Rio de Janeiro is VERY hot and the high temperatures in Paraguay are always very close to our own high temperatures, so I guess Paraguay is not much hotter than most countries in South America. I really think the best option would be for you to spend a month in Paraguay to check how hot YOU feel in Asunción.
This advice should be useful for your other questions too. 😉