The guide to South America’s hidden gem

Romy Natalia Goldberg ’02 spent four years exploring Paraguay by foot, bus, train and VW camper van, gathering information for a travel guide recently released by Other Places Publishing. Along the way she found community and adventure in the South American nation’s busiest cities and its most remote spots, traveling through fields of sugar cane to stunning waterfalls and on flooded roads to vibrant local carnivals. Goldberg’s travel guide complements her website and blog on Paraguay, making her research efforts some of the most comprehensive for prospective visitors. Below, Goldberg talks about the motivation and process behind writing a guidebook, and shares a few of her own stories. 

 How did you decide to write a travel guide? And why Paraguay?

As the daughter of an American diplomat I grew up bouncing from country to country and as such I was introduced to guide books at a young age. My mother is Paraguayan and I visited Paraguay with her frequently while growing up. To me the country was a unique place, full of fun adventures and rich traditions. In 2007 I decided to move to Paraguay and, in preparation, I instinctively looked for a guidebook on Paraguay. I was dismayed to discover the lack of information available about Paraguay. That’s when the idea of writing a guidebook to Paraguay was born.

How long did it take you and how did you gather all of your information? 

There is very little information out there about Paraguay so the easiest way to do research was interview as many people in Paraguay as possible–local family and friends as well as Peace Corps volunteers and travel industry professionals. Fortunately Paraguayans are very friendly and talkative, especially if you throw in a couple of words in Guaraní (the country’s indigenous language) every once in a while! Everyone from the Minister of Tourism to the artisans was encouraging. The phrase I heard over and over again was “tu libro hace falta” (“your book is needed”).  

 Once I had a sense of both what was out there and what tourists were interested in I began traveling. Sometimes I went alone but I was often accompanied by a family member or local friend.  My target audience for the book was backpackers so I did most of my traveling on public transportation with a restricted budget… I was about 90 percent of the way done with research trips when I signed a book deal with Other Places Publishing, an independent guidebook publisher. When I started this project I thought it would take about a year to complete but in the end it took about four years to go from the initial idea to a printed book sold on Amazon and in bookstores.

 What were the most rewarding and challenging parts of the experience?

 My favorite [experience] was participating in an indigenous carnaval in the northern Chaco. The Arete Guazu festival is a way for the Guaraní indigenous community to give thanks for the harvest and honor their ancestors.  Dance circles were a big part of the ceremony and I was encouraged to participate despite being an outsider.  Between dances locals shared stories about their ancestors and traditions. On the last day of the festival there was a torrential downpoura sign of good fortune for the coming year. Everyone was soaked and we just kept dancing. The atmosphere was electric … I don’t think I´ll ever experience anything like it again.Organizing my trips through Paraguay presented significant logistical challenges. Trying to get to the Paraguayan Pantanal wetlands at the northern border with Brazil and Bolivia took about six months of planning and two false starts due to flooding and a massive forest fire. Over the course of four years I ended up stuck on the side of the road in a broken down VW camper van, lost in a maze of sugar cane fields en route to a secluded waterfall, and trapped on a cargo boat after washed out roads made travel by bus impossible. The list goes on and on.  The entire process was a lesson in learning how to roll with the punches, probably one of the most important skills for traveling in the developing world!

 After writing an entire travel book, and creating a website to go with it, what would you say makes Paraguay a special place to visit?

 To me the most interesting thing about Paraguay is the blending of European and indigenous languages, traditions and lifestyles that began during the colonial era and continues today. Because Paraguay is still relatively isolated and off the beaten path local traditions remain unadulterated by the pressures of tourism. Sights and experiences in Paraguay are authentic and unfiltered–festivals and ceremonies are real, not diluted shows put on for tourists. Though it does present some challenges, for a lot of visitors the lack of tourism infrastructure is part of Paraguay’s allure. While traveling I made a point of talking to every tourist I encountered.  A large majority said they came to Paraguay specifically because it seemed mysterious. I´m hopeful that my book will prove useful to future adventurous tourists.  

 Now that you have completed the book, whats next for you? 
Almost as soon as the book was published I started taking notes for the second edition.  Eventually I would love to release a Spanish version of the guidebook.  In the meantime I continue to blog in both English and Spanish about Paraguay on my website and to share information via my Facebook page .  Every day I discover more things to write about.  I’m starting to consider other writing projects as well–right now the one that has me the most excited is the idea of writing children’s’ stories based on life in the Paraguayan countryside. It would be a great way for me to pass my love Paraguay on to my own children.

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