Haven to Nazis, smugglers' paradise, home to some of the earth's oddest wildlife and most baroquely awful dictatorships, Paraguay is a nation waiting for the right chronicler. In John Gimlette, at last it has one. With an adventurer's sang-froid, a historian's erudition, and a sense of irony so keen you could cut a finger on it, Gimlette celebrates the beauty, horror and-yes-charm of South America's obscure and remote "island surrounded by land."

Presents the geography, history, economy, cities and communities, and people and culture of Paraguay. Includes recipes, related projects, and a calendar of festivals.

"When a children's orchestra in Cateura, Paraguay, grows to have more students than instruments, music teacher Favio Chavez works with a brilliant local carpenter to create instruments out of garbage from the local landfill."--

A town built on a landfill. A community in need of hope. A girl with a dream. A man with a vision. An ingenious idea.

Globe Trekker's Holly Morris discovers two South American countries that share a similar name but couldn't be more different, Uruguay and Paraguay. In Uruguay's capital Montevideo, Holly discovers its colonial Spanish history and charm and tries the local cuisine. She travels down to the beach to get a taste of the annual carnival festivities. On to Paraguay, Holly heads to its capital Asuncion to learn about its colonial and political past, before...