Asuncion, Paraguay

Asuncion is the one of the oldest cities in South America and the one most continually inhabited. Paraguay's economy relies heavily on agriculture and its largest export is soya beans. The native people in Paraguay are Guarani and their language is commonly spoken. It is also taught in the schools.

We arrived on Friday, January 31st, 2014 and although Santiago was hot Asuncion was even hotter at +40C day and night. When the wind blew it was like a hot hairdryer in your face. The air conditioning was a must. We had a nice one bedroom apartment just outside Asuncion in the area of Westfalia, which was predominately German. The Apar-T-Hotel is owned by a German man and the property was very Bavarian in appearance, immaculately clean and had a very welcoming swimming pool.

After checking in we walked to the local supermarket but not before being waylaid by some very nice Paraguayan people whose children were all at universities in the U.S. They were very hospitable and gave us some lovely fresh mangoes from the tree in their garden. We opted to take them back to the apartment before continuing on our outing as they were very heavy. We eventually arrived at the supermarket and bought groceries for the next few days. With the heat factor we did not need too much, as breakfast was included, so we opted for salads and cold cuts. The supermarket was new and very clean, with very fresh produce.

Saturday, we had hoped to book a tour but unfortunately the hotel owner was away and we were not able to accomplish this feat. We decided to walk to the newer part of the city where they are building many new hotels and have a very new shopping mall. We had a lovely "cafe con leche" and a delicious pastry. We needed the fuel for the body to walk the 45 minutes back to the hotel in +40C

Sunday, we ordered a taxi and went downtown to the old city. This was very interesting with some very nice architecture. As it was Sunday there was not a lot of activity which enabled us to visit the city centre at our leisure. We went to the park and visited the Railway Museum, which was at the old station. The railway was decommissioned several years ago. When we arrived in the square the cathedral was packed with worshippers attending mass. We came back later just before they closed the doors and saw the beautiful inside. Asuncion was obviously not as historically wealthy as some of the other South American cities that we visited. Paraguay itself is totally landlocked and has been involved in many battles throughout the centuries. However, it has a Navy which patrols the border between Paraguay and Argentina on the Paraguay River and there is a port here. It was, as were many South American countries, under dictatorial rule until as recently as 2008. It is now democratic with a business man as President and the economy is now changing for the better as can be seen by the many new buildings currently being constructed. We had a delicious lunch while here in a typical restaurant and ate Chipa Guasu a corn pastry-less flan. I have checked out the recipe on the internet.

The Botanical Gardens were located about half an hour's walk from our hotel and given the heat factor was quite an endurance test. They also have a small zoo but when we arrived it was closed for cleaning and maintenance on Mondays. Just as well, the smell from the fence indicated the necessity. The gardens were very large but not well maintained. However, one could see the former glory of the house, now being renovated and the layout of the gardens. It was the former estate of Don Carlos A. Lopez and was built in 1840.

We finally managed to walk to another local hotel where we were able to book a private tour and headed out the next day. The Golden Circuit Tour was basically the surrounding countryside of Asuncion, little towns, cathedrals and churches, lakes and rivers. We went to the oldest Hotel in Paraguay which was built by Germans. The Hotel del Lago, as its name infers is right on Lake Ypacarai and full of beautiful antiques. We also climbed to one of the highest points in Paraguay where a 360 degree view affords you the surrounding very flat lands. Unlike its neighbours Paraguay has no mountains and is essentially flat.

We met some very nice people in our Apart Hotel, four Germans, two French and one Italian. We had some very amusing conversations at breakfast each morning.

We enjoyed our time in Paraguay but now it is time to move on to Bolivia.................