Asunción and the Misiones Region, Paraguay

Asunción has three distinct areas, the old city where the government offices are, the old Mercado area and the new commercial center, The Premier Hill hotel is near the old center which is where I sent my time. If all of the old buildings had received the same attention as the one below it would be a stunning city. Sadly there is more decay than renewal.

There is a nice promenade along Asunción Bay of the Paraguay River, which the Presidential Palace overlooks.

And where the often photographed city name is located.

The river is at least 6 or 7 feet above the normal level, flooding across the bay is clear to see. What I thought was an old passenger ferry tied to the bank is actually operational, life preservers were locked up in the well of the vessel. The view across the bay is pleasant.

I enjoyed my stay and glad I visited, though it did not rank as my favorite capital city. Only a very small part of the historic area has any life to it. Strangely, Sunday lunchtime there were more restaurants open than on Saturday which gave the center a bit more character.

Monday I headed out of Asunción to the southeast and into the Misiones Region. 40 minutes and 8 miles gave me an appreciation for just how big a city Asunción is, in addition to exhibiting a different part of the city, that looked a lot better kept than the old center.

RN1 is a delight to ride on a sunny day, passing through rolling hills with well maintained farms. I had read that Paraguay is one of the poorer nations in South America, but that is not the impression gained as I passed through a number of small towns. The roads were paved, properties well kept, zero litter and an ambience of calm and quiet confidence, not an experience I had when travelling through small towns in countries further north.

Encarnacion is at the end of RN1 and sits on the west bank of the Rio Paraná; on the east bank the much larger city of Posadas, Argentina. The two cities are connected by an impressive bridge that serves as an international border crossing. The river is very wide at this point, perhaps as a result of a hydroelectric project downstream. In any event the river is navigable.

The area has several ruins of the Jesuit Missions dating from of the late 1600's through to the mid 1700's. I visited two, in Trinidad and the nearby and older site at Jesus. The buildings fell into ruin after the Spanish Crown expelled the Jesuits in 1767 and beyond. The Jesuits had a compassionate stance towards the local tribes and they became too powerful for the liking of the Spanish court. It probably didn't end well for the native population. Both sites are on the UNESCO world heritage lists.

While visiting the site at Jesus three fledgling burrowing owls had emerged from their nest, one hung around long enough to get a couple of decent pictures. 

Wednesday I return to Argentina.

T2