Paraguay

Paraguay is a country in South America. Hichhiking is a concept known in Paraguay and fairly common in rural areas. It's harder to hitchhike on main roads as bus companies serve those; there are stories around of the companies harassing drivers who pick up hitchhikers and thus are competitors to the bus companies. Also, there are fewer private cars than in Argentina or Chile. In the western Gran Chaco, waiting times can be very long as there is little traffic; especially between Filadelfia and the Bolivian border. Between Filadelfia and Asunción, there's more traffic, but still not very much.

The western and the eastern parts are also very different if it comes to the population and their reaction to foreigners. In the East, where 95% of the people live, mainly descendants of the Guarani people with a bit of typical Latin American influences, as a foreigner or "gringo", you're likely to arouse a good bit of curiosity, and if you speak Spanish or even a few bits of Guarani, you'll quickly get a good rapport with the people who are among the friendliest and most hospitable in South America. In the West, however, there is a mix from poor workers from the East, and rich German Mennonites, who could be compared to rural US Americans - friendly, but quite conservative.

Cities

 * Asunción
 * Cuidad del Este
 * Encarnacion

Paraguay Paraguay