i arrived in concepcion late on a saturday night, after spending most of the day travelling - or waiting to travel. i didn't really feel like doing much, so just grabbed some food and went to bed. the next day i walked around town and found it resembled a ghost town. almost all the shops were closed, almost all the streets were empty, there was nothing happening at all. i decided to book my ticket out of town for the next morning. walking back from the bus station i began to see more people, and hear more noise, until i got to the main road and saw hundreds of paraguayans racing down on their motorbikes, honking there horns and waving flags. it didn't take me too long to realise that they were football fans, and upon further investigation cerro porteno fans who had just beaten their local rivals olimpia. for what i could gather they hadn't won a cup, they hadn't won the league, they'd just won one match - but the whole city were out on the streets celebrating like it was the pinnacle of their season. it's a sporting passion that seems to be uniquely south american, and in complete contrast to the quietude i'd experienced earlier in the day.

here's the original

i arrived in concepcion late on a saturday night, after spending most of the day travelling - or waiting to travel. i didn't really feel like doing much, so just grabbed some food and went to bed. the next day i walked around town and found it resembled a ghost town. almost all the shops were closed, almost all the streets were empty, there was nothing happening at all. i decided to book my ticket out of town for the next morning. walking back from the bus station i began to see more people, and hear more noise, until i got to the main road and saw hundreds of paraguayans racing down on their motorbikes, honking there horns and waving flags. it didn't take me too long to realise that they were football fans, and upon further investigation cerro porteno fans who had just beaten their local rivals olimpia. for what i could gather they hadn't won a cup, they hadn't won the league, they'd just won one match - but the whole city were out on the streets celebrating like it was the pinnacle of their season. it's a sporting passion that seems to be uniquely south american, and in complete contrast to the quietude i'd experienced earlier in the day.

here's the original