Asuncion, Paraguay

On February 5th we had a very long trip from Bonito, Brazil to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.  First a four hour drive in minivans to the border at Ponta Pora, couple of hours doing the border formalities,  and then a seven hour public bus ride to Asuncion.  We only spent about 48 hours in this landlocked nation and it was really unfortunate because it is a very interesting country with great scenery and favorable prices.

We stayed two nights right in the center of the city where almost everyone in our group went shopping.  This place is known for cheap electronics as far as South American prices go so people come here to buy goods.  There were thousands of people at the border taking huge sacks of stuff out of the country.  They also have great handicrafts, especially lacework and cheap leather goods.  Other than a belt, we did not buy anything as we have no extra room in in our backpacks.

We explored Asuncion on foot, admiring the colonial character of the city and taking photos.  It was 35 degrees and very humid so we moved around slowly.  Paraguay, for most of its history has been ruled by a series of dictators who did not always make wise decisions much to the detriment of the people.  On two occassions almost the entire male population was wiped out in unnecessary wars.  However, democracy has now been established since the early 1990s and there are clear signs of prosperity, in Asuncion and in the country side.  It would be great if some of the classic colonial buildings would be restored as most are decaying and take away from the character of the city.  The Paraguyans (mixed Spanish and Guararani) are for the most part friendly and more outgoing than the Bolivians.  They were also curious as to where were were from as there really are not that many tourists here.  One of the reasons for this might be that a visa is required for travellers from Canada, U.S. Australia, New Zealand and other countries.  The visa also cannot be purhased at the border but at an embassy abroad.  There also Mennonite colonies here and we saw a number of them at he bus station.

Everywhere you go you see the locals here drinking yerba mate, a tea made from the yerba plant.  They have special cups for the stuff and drink it through a filtered straw.  They a have jug of hot water with them and keep adding it into the cup after a couple of sips.  The odd thing is that there would be a group and thay all would pass the cup around using the same straw.  And that seems the the thing to do as we saw people sharing their yerba on the street, in stores, in offices and on the bus.  Incidentally, the food here was great, the restaurants are clean and had the best steak in South America so far here.  One evening we went out to a classy restaurant, white linen, waiters in black bow ties, nice decor, had a huge strip loin steak, and swiss style chicken chicken and a bottle of Chilean wine, dinner for two for about $22 with tip!  Should have stayed and dined longer!