Roaming South America

Villeta, Paraguay

April 24, 2023

Villeta, Paraguay, population: about 37,000. Villeta is about an hour's drive due south of Asunción and directly next to the Paraguay River.

I was in Formosa and from there to the Asunción area there are two routes: north via bus or cross the river to a tiny pueblo called Alberdi then bus north. I chose the more interesting route - the ferry to Alberdi. Alberdi has a population of under 10,000 people, there is no supermarket and one coop bank with one cash machine (which actually accepted my bank card). Other than that, there are four hotels and one hostel, and many shops and restaurants. There are some photos in the photo album. I walked most of the streets in the town in the couple of hours that I was waiting for the bus.

Villeta was founded in March 1714, by Juan Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza, with the original name of San Felipe de Borbón del Valle del Bastán (Saint Philip of Bourbon of the Valley of Bastán), in honor to King Felipe II (King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until he died in 1598.) The town was later renamed Villeta because it resembled a great Villa. Up until 1930, the port was mostly used for exporting oranges, but today it is used for general cargo. Villeta's port is the primary shipping point for most of Paraguay's exports. Nineteen large factories are located in the area and they produce cement, iron rods, cotton, electric cables, agricultural chemicals, and more. The cement and chemical plants are infamous for the environmental contamination they cause. The major processing plant for Paraguay's cement industry is located in this port. Thankfully, the port is not actually here in the city but is located just outside of Villeta. But there are signs posted to people in the park alongside the river - no swimming, stay out of the water. The city does have a few mid-19th-century buildings, one of which is the Church of the Virgin of the Rosary. There is a picture of it in the photo album. It wasn't open when I was in town so I couldn't get any interior pics. There are also many turn-of-the-twentieth-century houses in the city. I found a little info about a dirt racing track which is apparently for both cars and motorcycles but I don't know if it's open and useable or not. The Google map satellite view shows a very interesting layout.

Villeta has a warm and temperate climate. The average daytime high of 28° C (82° F), and the night average low of 19° C (66° F). The city's elevation is 55 meters (180 feet). Villeta averages 140mm (5.5 inches) of rain per month.

So, my impressions: I like this little town. There is a new and very large supermarket as well as the older supermarket, two banks, and several ATMs which do accept my Schwab card, a proper coffee shop, and a couple of ice cream shops, as well as many other necessary stores. The central plaza is big for such a small town - three blocks by one block. It's clean and quite nice. That cannot be said about the area alongside the river, though. The park at the river is in dire need of renovation. The riverside is popular for fishing. The town is clean, quiet, and actually pretty. The business district, as such, is along one road through town and one road skirting the edge of town. But, I'm on the fence about putting it on my top-10 list, maybe in position 10. The reservation I have is this: finding a place to live in these small towns would be a real challenge. I usually see no for-rent signs in them. And here in Villeta, none.

My goal is to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people.  And, now that I have visited more than 30 towns/cities, I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

My goal is to visit the towns and discover which one calls out to me - "Chip, Chip, make your new home here, this is your new home town". That hasn't happened yet, but the seven towns listed below are very close to giving me that feeling. At any rate, I am not visiting tourist attractions or archeological sites, etc, those will have to wait for another trip through South America.

At this point in my journey I have five towns on my Top 10 list - Tingo Maria, Moyobamba, La Merced, Perú, and Catamayo and Puyo, Ecuador. In my travels in Ecuador, I visited 32 towns/cities. In Perú, I visited 26 towns/cities, in Chile, only five towns, and in Argentina, I visited 13 towns.

Next up: Itá, Paraguay.