Asuncion

Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, must be one of the least visited and most misrepresented cities of South America. It’s capital Asuncion boasts a working port which is frequented by barges, small container boats and ferries. Destination guides for Asuncion are sometimes hard to get.  Even more difficult to find are destination guides for handicapped travel.

The location where Asuncion is situated today was most likely visited by the Spanish conqueror Juan de Ayolas n the 16th century. He was searching for a way to get to the silver mines of Bolivia. He was eventually killed by the aborigines on one of his return trips. Later, a Senor Juan de Salazar was dispatched to search for his lost countrymen, but alas this was in vein. It was the year 1537 when Senor De Salazar visited the present day location and decided to build a fort. He called it Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion.

It wasn’t long after the erection of the fort that word got out and it soon became an important base to explore from - both Bolivia’s Santa Cruz and Argentina’s Buenos Aires were founded by expeditions that left from Asuncion. Hence the name “the mother of cities”.

Asuncion is located next to the river Paraguay. The old part of the city, including the harbor, looks out over the Bay of Asuncion. A natural bay permits small vessels to come and go to their various destinations, one of which is Brazil.

It is a crumbling, atmospheric old city. When you walk down the main street (called Palma) you will meet pavement vendors selling the famous Nanduti embroidered lace, you will hear the sounds of harp music coming from various music stores and you will be approached by hawkers selling chipa - a delightful and very typical Paraguayan bread made with manioc or corn flour.

Asuncion has many stately old hotels like The Grand Armele and the Asuncion Palace, both situated downtown near the harbor. You will have a view across the harbor and the Bay of Asuncion from most rooms. The sun setting over the Chaco is a sight you will remember for a long time.

Because of it’s heat in the summer months, the locals tend to frequent its many restaurants, bars, night clubs and open air festivals at night. Traditional Paraguayan music is very popular - as is modern English and Spanish rock. The city also has a large variety of restaurants to cater for every taste.

The eastern part of the city, especially Villa Morra, forms the new face of Asuncion. Here you will find numerous shopping malls with all the latest movies and international take-away restaurants. If it’s culinary delights you are after, then you need not look any further than Asuncion. The locals are excellent chefs and their food is prepared in such varieties that it’s truly a feast for the eye. You can also catch a movie at many of their multi-screen cinemas. If it’s orchestral music or a ballet you are after then the Paraguayan National Bank Theater offers concerts on a regular basis.

The city is also dotted with many parks and plazas, all boasting huge trees that offer a reprieve from the sun. Strategically placed Asuncion has a large number of hotels which will suit all pockets. You can find budget accommodation around Plaza Uruguay, where the Lapache trees are transformed with spectacular purple blossoms at the beginning of Spring. The Plaza de los Heroes offers a few four and five star hotels.

Since destination guides for Paraguay are hard to find, the above information should be useful to visitors who plan to visit Asuncion - the Mother of Cities.