Author of stories for children, Scientist and Philosopher organic cotton products, comments on life, the universe and everything, photography. Conservationist, Environmentalist. Lives on the pale blue dot. Humanity must tread more lightly on the world
Some of the houses in Asuncion have a certain grandeur. Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
What appeared to be an abandoned building surrounded by hoardings with colourful hoardings displaying some typical global brands. Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
Have you noticed that wherever you go in the world that the banks always have the nicest buildings? Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
Brown Bear’s Big Day Out is a story about a bear in a zoo that puts on a disguise so that he can escape and visit a funfair called Dizzyland. It’s about looking at people in depth and not being afraid because they look different from you. So Basil looks like a man when disguised but is still the same friendly and hero bear in this case once his disguise slips.
The story contains illustrations throughout the text. These are then repeated at the back of the printed book so that younger children can colour them in. One of them can be seen below.
Basil visiting some friends in a quiet suburb of the capital city Asuncion. 17th February 2014.
Our Etsy shop has blank greeting, birthday, invitation cards of the book’s cover artwork, https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JunagarhMedia. Larger quantities of cards available.
Four Brown Bear’s Big Day Out blank greeting cards
The inequality of the world can be seen quite clearly here. While some travel around in vehicles that cost more than this ice cream seller will probably earn in a lifetime. He will also suffer far worse health breathing in the traffic fumes. Which is why we must redesign our cities where people don’t have to travel so far and where they use public transport. Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
Basically all cities are the same in that they are beset with traffic jams. Over the years city populations have boomed as has the number of people driving in association with ever larger cars so how can that work in a city where roads are the same size? It doesn’t. Which is why we must redesign our cities where people don’t have to travel so far and where they use public transport. Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
The shopping centres are as good if not better than those in other countries yet only a percentage of the population can afford to go to them. They are, as all shopping centres are, full of goods made with exploited and lowly paid labour. Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
Advertising luxury, Asuncion, Paraguay. The problem is that many of the 8,000,000,000 of us want special treatment and it just doesn’t work on a finite planet. Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
A restaurant we saw. Does it still exist? How many people have come and gone in the intervening years? Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
So what do those upmarket Mercedes look like now after twelve years of use? Seen on the road out of Asuncion, Paraguay in 2012, as we leave on the long distance coach for Buenos Aires. A journey that for us leaves around 6pm, maybe earlier, if I remember correctly and arrives the next day, 19 to 20 hours later. 29th February 2012.
Paul Noël 