This is the last part of a 5 post series where I tell you about my cargo boat trip to Concepcion through the people I met. It also portrays the typical types of Paraguayan people that I believe to be some of the friendliest in South America.

Introduction (a country famous for……), 1.The welcoming captain, 2. The inquisitive crew, 3.The relaxed passengers, 4.The generous carnies, 5. The friendly horsemen

The friendly horsemen

Yep, once again the horsemen weren’t on the boat, but hey I’m allowed a bit of “writers freedom”. After waking up in the fairground and drinking terere for breakfast with my carnie mates I hitchhiked to the Concepcion bus station to get a bus back to Asuncion.

The bus station was an island surrounded by red dirt roads and seemed like it had been subjected to a recent terrorist attack, or more plausible was that a bomb of neglect had hit it. With 20 minutes to kill I walked outside wanting to take some photos of the horse and carts lined up outside in the surrounding car park that in most countries would be filled with waiting taxi drivers.

As I walk out I’m approached by a smiling old man in faded jeans and a well worn cowboy hat with his horse whip resting over his shoulder. He enthusiastically starts asking where I’m from, what I’m doing, quizzing me on my country. Then he sees my camera, and eagerly drags me over to his cart and telling me to take a photo of him as he climbs onto his cart striking his pose like king Arthur in his chariot. It didn’t take long for the other resting horseman to want a piece of the action.

As I started an impromptu photo shoot with the laughing joking horsemen, the other street vendors crowded around laughing at the clown like horseman. As they are all showering me with offers for a ride in their horse and cart (a kind gesture, not for money) my bus pulls into the bus station, and so I had to turn down the offers.

As I sat on the bus bumping along the dusty red dirt sipping terere with a fellow passenger I reflected over that brief encounter and thought how cool it had been. In most country’s for being a tourist you’re so often approached solely to be sold something or hassled for money. In this encounter, I had been approached solely out of inquisitiveness and friendliness.